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Why do you read books based on real life crimes?
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There is no pleasure in it, save that the ones responsible have been brought to some form of justice.
While the events that take place in such stories some may deem sick, they are still as much a part of the human condition as love, or revenge or tragedy or redemption. A lot of the time it is not so much the violence that is intriguing, but rather the exploration of the darkest side of human nature. Sometimes it is a story of survivors. Sometimes it is a story of good and evil. Sometimes it can even be inspiring as to what some endured and fought thru even if their efforts were to no avail and more importantly if they were. Sometimes it is a story that simply needs to be told. It is typically not enjoyment or entertainment that drives one to explore these dark themes and terrible tales, but rather intrigue and insight into the evil that exists, wether we like it or not, amongst us all.
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Well said, Bill.
Thanks, Jon! Of course, I could just be a sick bastard who likes true crime stories. Definitely a possibility.
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I normally don't seek out books based on true crime stories, but sometimes the book is so well written that it compels you to seek it out and finish it. That's what happened with me and TGND. I have stated many times over the years that I was angry with the author the entire time I was reading it, because of what he was putting me through. Yet he's an author I admire and that's why I read it. I didn't enjoy it, and I never read it again. Concerning true crime, I think it's a travesty to ignore the victims in these stories, and that's one reason I post such horrid news stories about child/animal abuse and neglect on FB, because I don't think the victims should be ignored or forgotten. Their deaths are not some dirty secret that should be whispered about or not mentioned until it all goes away. No doubt there are some sickos out there who themselves love to cause human suffering and that's why they read these books and news stories, but that's not why I do it.
I also love following the steps that good, dedicated men and women in the law enforcement/judicial field took to profile, catch, and try these miserable cretins of society. And it's always a pleasure to find out how much time they'll serve for their hideous crimes.
I have not read a ton of true crime but I am fascinated by how someone who seems like a normal person could cross the line between normal behavior and being a monster. I agree that victims should not be forgotten. A lot of monsters were once victims themselves and are perpetuating the cycle of abuse. That does not make what they do right, it makes it sad that someone didn't expose their abuser.
Bill wrote: "While the events that take place in such stories some may deem sick, they are still as much a part of the human condition as love, or revenge or tragedy or redemption. A lot of the time it is not s..."Wow, Bill! Very well said!
I used to read a LOT of true crime. My main reason was fascination, plain and simple. I love to know what makes people tick, or what drives people to perpetrate such horrible crimes. I especially loved books written by profilers, most especially Robert Ressler and John Douglas. I loved to hear about how profiling came about, how accurate it can be (or not be),how it has been used in the past, how it can be used in the future; all with an eye towards recognizing signs early enough to possibly prevent a killer/criminal in the early stages.
Problem is reading this stuff is very depressing and rarely do any of the stories we hear about have a happy ending.
We never know if somewhere someone has used one of the techniques to recognize and prevent someone from becoming a killer or criminal. In that light, I got pretty tired of reading most TC and rarely read it now.
Bill wrote: "While the events that take place in such stories some may deem sick, they are still as much a part of the human condition as love, or revenge or tragedy or redemption. A lot of the time it is not s..."I couldn't have explained it any better, well said!
wow, you guys are awesome. I am sensing a lot of similar reasons as to why you guys read these books. While I by no means think of you any lesser because you read them (after all, we all have different preferences), I do find it really depressing. I watch news and read articles on people getting killed all the time (it is simply unavoidable in our world), but I don't seek it. Just recently I read an article about a couple (girl 18, guy 24) who answered an ad for Craigslist sex exchange. While this was extremely stupid and risky, it was extremely sad to find out they have been murdered. Girl was 8 months pregnant.
I avoid anything, especially books that have woman abuse, child abuse, or pet abuse. It makes me uncomfortable. However, I do find it a bit pleasurable when I see guy guy getting a nice dose of justice. There was a news article recently out where a guy beat the crap out of a guy who was molesting his kid. He was not charged. Now that's justice.
I find the true crime books depressing now too, and don't read them. When I see stories in the news, I tend to follow them because I want to see how justice will be carried out since I'm a big victim's advocate.
Your example isn't what I was thinking of with True Crime. Since The Girl Next Door is a fictional novelization based on the crime, I take it differently. Yes, I found it hard to read because I'm not a torture entertainment person - I loathed Hostel for this reason.With actual true crime non-fiction, I rarely read it because I get bored with how the details are laid out. The crime itself isn't boring, but the filler and the way it's presented dryly is.
Mod
People walk through life with blinders.
I've never found most true crime books to be laid out poorly or to be too dry. I like the format where we get to know the community, then the victim and the family dynamics, the crime, arrests, trial. I recently stopped reading one that's been garnering good reviews because I didn't like the choppy way the chapters were laid out, or the fact that the killer was never found.
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Basically, a true crime book should be the news, from crime to conviction, from fact to opinion piece, local color, family dynamic, and an overview of crime detection, prevention and the law at work, pass or fail, in a fair and balanced manner. Certain parts will make you sick, and they should. Certain parts will make you angry, and they should. Those are the things you need to hold on to, and act on. Because to make the horrors stop, your anger must be focused on the failings of the system.
Jon Recluse wrote: "There are a few excellent true crime authors. Ann Rule, Carlton Stowers, Gregg Olsen, Jack Olsen, Joseph Wambaugh.....Basically, a true crime book should be the news, from crime to conviction, fro..."
Well said, Jon! I second the mention of Jack Olsen as an excellent writer of true crime. I've never once been bored with one of tales. His true crime books are better than a lot of fiction books I've read.
Tressa wrote: "I've never found most true crime books to be laid out poorly or to be too dry. I like the format where we get to know the community, then the victim and the family dynamics, the crime, arrests, tri..."I haven't read many of them, so just may have ended up experiencing some of the duds.
Oh, I have no doubt there are some duds out there. I've read a few and seen more where it looks like the author rushed the book out just to make a dollar on the unfortunate crime. These pale in comparison to the well-researched ones carefully laid out like Jon posted above. The Mark Fuhrman one about Martha Moxley is excellent.
I would but as I'm reading it I'd hear Bill Curtis narrating it in my head.
When my mom was alive she used to love to read true crime books, but they only seemed to make her more frightened of the world. It always made me sad. I have a hard enough time reading about terrible things happening to people (not a fan of serial killer fiction) but reading recreations of real people being murdered is more than I can stomach.
I'd go with the forewarned is forearmed thread running through this although I don't read a huge amount of these type of books (articles for sure). I'm kind of not sure. I guess you can look for clues in how to avoid these situations or survive them in what happened to others.....? Or what to look for.
Take for instance The Girl Next Door. I don't know how many of you read it but I personally find it hard to read which is the point. However, by reading it it made me more sick and repulsed than anything else. It was not entertaining. I met people who found books like The Shining by Stephen King to be sick in nature. It was relatively tame compared to The Girl Next Door.
My question is: why do people read these messed up books about real life crimes? Does that bring them some sort of entertainment or pleasure or do you think that people's obsession of death drives them to read these books? Sort of like they could not believe how one person can be so evil and their evil side is fascinating to them because it deviates so much from the norm. Feel free to chime in.