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Lisa, Hedda & Joel: The Steinberg Murder Case
Never before has a trial been so shocking, nor testimony so riveting. Here for the first time is the entire heart-rending story of an outwardly normal family living in the shadow of violence and fear: the lawyer driven by rage; the lover he repeatedly pummeled into submission; and the illegally adopted innocent girl whose life was the price of affection. Retold in the framework of the sensational trial, it is a sad and gripping tale that stabs at the heart's tenderest core.
- GenresTrue CrimeNonfiction
278 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published March 1, 1989
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
September 17, 2020
People are awful.
On November 2, 1987 police responded to a 911 call for a child who had stopped breathing. The child was 6 year old Lisa Steinberg, she was unresponsive and had obviously been badly beaten. Her parents were Joel Steinberg and Hedda Nussbaum and both claimed to not know how Lisa had been injured. Her father claimed that she wasn't injured at all despite the visible signs of abuse. Lisa slipped into a coma and later died. Her parents were charged with her death and the case would go on to become a world wide spectacle.
This book was a rough read. The book opens with an extremely graphic description of Lisa's injuries. It was so hard to read. I had to take a day off from reading this book because it made me so angry.
Everybody failed this little girl.
Her school knew she was being abused and did nothing. Child Protective Services was contacted and never even saw Lisa, they just believed what the parents told them. Other parents at the school saw her bruises and dirty clothes and decided that it was none of their business.
This little girl never had a chance. As much as I'd like to think things have changed in the last 33 years. I don't think they really have. Social workers are overworked and underpaid but they always get all the blame when things like this happen. A lot of people claim to be "pro-life" but they don't seem to care about the child's life once its born.
This book will infuriate you and it should. Lisa Steinberg would be 39 years old today.
What would she have grown up to become?
Would she have kids?
A must read for every single decent person.
On November 2, 1987 police responded to a 911 call for a child who had stopped breathing. The child was 6 year old Lisa Steinberg, she was unresponsive and had obviously been badly beaten. Her parents were Joel Steinberg and Hedda Nussbaum and both claimed to not know how Lisa had been injured. Her father claimed that she wasn't injured at all despite the visible signs of abuse. Lisa slipped into a coma and later died. Her parents were charged with her death and the case would go on to become a world wide spectacle.
This book was a rough read. The book opens with an extremely graphic description of Lisa's injuries. It was so hard to read. I had to take a day off from reading this book because it made me so angry.
Everybody failed this little girl.
Her school knew she was being abused and did nothing. Child Protective Services was contacted and never even saw Lisa, they just believed what the parents told them. Other parents at the school saw her bruises and dirty clothes and decided that it was none of their business.
This little girl never had a chance. As much as I'd like to think things have changed in the last 33 years. I don't think they really have. Social workers are overworked and underpaid but they always get all the blame when things like this happen. A lot of people claim to be "pro-life" but they don't seem to care about the child's life once its born.
This book will infuriate you and it should. Lisa Steinberg would be 39 years old today.
What would she have grown up to become?
Would she have kids?
A must read for every single decent person.
November 1, 2022
WOW I am speechless. We all need to remember what blessings our children are. This court case was so heinous it was plain evil. As I said below I knew nothing about the dynamics and relationships of this story, and now I kinda wish I could say I still don’t. How can a person enjoy beating on someone until you have actually changed her face? Completely different looking person.
I was young when this happened so I really didn't know much about this crime. I finally found this book, which states it was the first book published about the case. Saying that this book does have a sections re: the court cases when maybe books that state the same thing are missing big chunks of timelines and such. I'm disgusted with this whole dynamic.in fact I can say dynamics I think so many players and the precedent of states at least wanting to if not actually having done changes to social work, responsibility to report (which I learned that in New York at least a person could be charged with a crime if someone reported a severe abuse case and it is unfounded.) how can someone take care of a child and remove that child from a dastardly heinous life style if the person may go to jail? Just makes zero sense!
I was young when this happened so I really didn't know much about this crime. I finally found this book, which states it was the first book published about the case. Saying that this book does have a sections re: the court cases when maybe books that state the same thing are missing big chunks of timelines and such. I'm disgusted with this whole dynamic.in fact I can say dynamics I think so many players and the precedent of states at least wanting to if not actually having done changes to social work, responsibility to report (which I learned that in New York at least a person could be charged with a crime if someone reported a severe abuse case and it is unfounded.) how can someone take care of a child and remove that child from a dastardly heinous life style if the person may go to jail? Just makes zero sense!
July 8, 2010
This book didn't really give me the insight I was looking for. I wanted to know what Lisa's life was like with Joel and Hedda. I already knew she lived in a dirty apartment with drug addicted parents, but I wanted to know more about her.
I read Lisa's birth mother's memoir before I read this book and basically got the same story minus Michele's personal feelings. This book was really about the court case. I wonder why they didn't charge him for kidnapping Lisa since he didn't place her with the family he said he was going to when Michele put her up for adoption.
One day I'm going to read Hedda's memoir about the years she spent with Joel Steinberg, but that doesn't mean that I think Hedda should not have been held responsible for Lisa's death. I don't care how badly she was abused she should have and could have saved Lisa's life!
I read Lisa's birth mother's memoir before I read this book and basically got the same story minus Michele's personal feelings. This book was really about the court case. I wonder why they didn't charge him for kidnapping Lisa since he didn't place her with the family he said he was going to when Michele put her up for adoption.
One day I'm going to read Hedda's memoir about the years she spent with Joel Steinberg, but that doesn't mean that I think Hedda should not have been held responsible for Lisa's death. I don't care how badly she was abused she should have and could have saved Lisa's life!
July 19, 2008
I have read an insane number of true crime books, not to mention child abuse books, and this one still left me feeling sick. The things that were done to this little girl and her baby brother could easily leave someone in tears. Basically two different mothers put a baby each up for adoption and this "lawyer" literally bought them. Both "parents (I have a hard time using that term here) were disgusting in caring for the children, not changing them for days on end, not feeding, using the little girl to do everything, one time leaving the girl on the bathroom floor after a beating while he went down the street to a bar to drink. I can say that this is one book I won't be forgetting in a long, long time.
July 8, 2012
True Crime, well written... heart breaking. leaves you wondering what Hedda's involvement really was in the death of her child, Lisa Steinberg.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews