The Fact of a Body: A Murder and a Memoir in Around the World in 80 Books

Jun 06, 2017 Nadine in NY Jones rated it liked it

Shelves: memoir-and-autobiographical-essays, non-fiction, r2017-in-2017, true-crime

So who is telling the story correctly? ... is an act ever really only about itself? Does any element of this story occur in isolation?

This is absolutely gripping, raw, and brutal. I am unable to tear my eyes away. I stay up late reading, and then I have disturbing dreams.

I've never read "true crime" before, so it goes without saying that this was unlike anything I've read before.

I found myself wondering about how the author experienced her reality vs how I experience it. Not about the big s ...more

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May 26, 2018 Barondestructo rated it really liked it

A raw and honest account of how one woman's involvement in the legal defense of a convicted child-killer spurred her to lay bare her own painful past, and reconsider her support for capital punishment. A tough yet insightful read that, ultimately, lead me to reassess my stance on the subject - although, in the end, my opinion remains unchanged. ...more

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Sep 17, 2017 Andy Plonka rated it liked it

Shelves: src

Obviously written by a lawyer, I found out more about dysfunctional families than I ever wanted to know. The bits about courtroom procedure and criminal defense were interesting, though I'm not sure I trust the US justice system. ...more

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Jul 20, 2019 Julie rated it really liked it

Shelves: to-read-own

Strong story, well composed, written and researched but it left me wanting a little more. Still a pick though and while it was difficult to read (trigger warning physical and sexual abuse of children), I’m glad I did.

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