In 1969, Maggie Nelson's aunt was murdered. Her death was linked to the infamous "Michigan Murders" and her killer was never found...until recently. As Maggie, a poet, was just releasing a book of poetry about her aunt and the murder, new DNA evidence was found link a retired nurse to the killing. Maggie and her mother attend the trial each day in order to bear witness.
In the end, however, there was little sense of release and closure since questions are left unanswered and ambiguity remains. In fact, Maggie's family remains unconvinced that justice has been served. In reality this book is less about the crime than how it has shaped an entire family's world.
Showing posts with label true crime. Show all posts
Showing posts with label true crime. Show all posts
Saturday, November 24, 2007
Wednesday, September 27, 2006
Strange Piece of Paradise by Terri Jentz
BOB, it's a Nonfiction book!!! You can read my blog today.
When Terri Jentz was college, she and her roommate, Shayna, decided to take a bike trip cross-country. As the two were sleeping in their tent at Cline Falls State Park in Oregon a pickup truck ran over their tent and a man proceeded to hack them with a hatchet. Amazingly, at the last minute, the madman decided not to kill them and drove away. Terri recounts running to the road, flagging down a teenage couple, loading up Shayna, who was near death and rushing to the nearest emergency room. Because the madman was never caught, Terri remained haunted by the attack and eventually she went back to the scene of the crime and started her own investigation into the events of that night during the summer of 1977.
Terri does a magnificent job of telling her story in an emotionally compelling way. At various points as she is telling about the attack I had to stop reading because I felt physically ill. (No, really, this is a good thing in a memoir about a violent crime.) She gave her story an immediacy and urgency that moved the story along at a brisk pace for the majority of the book. I particularly liked the connections she develops with people she meets during the course of the investigation. While I am sure she would say that being a victim was not a good thing, the resulting investigation brought profound friendships into her life.
There were a few places that were repetitive and the pace slowed but I think this was due to the fact that she was describing an investigation, which I understand can be repetitious and tedious. Otherwise, it was an excellent and well thought out tale.
When Terri Jentz was college, she and her roommate, Shayna, decided to take a bike trip cross-country. As the two were sleeping in their tent at Cline Falls State Park in Oregon a pickup truck ran over their tent and a man proceeded to hack them with a hatchet. Amazingly, at the last minute, the madman decided not to kill them and drove away. Terri recounts running to the road, flagging down a teenage couple, loading up Shayna, who was near death and rushing to the nearest emergency room. Because the madman was never caught, Terri remained haunted by the attack and eventually she went back to the scene of the crime and started her own investigation into the events of that night during the summer of 1977.
Terri does a magnificent job of telling her story in an emotionally compelling way. At various points as she is telling about the attack I had to stop reading because I felt physically ill. (No, really, this is a good thing in a memoir about a violent crime.) She gave her story an immediacy and urgency that moved the story along at a brisk pace for the majority of the book. I particularly liked the connections she develops with people she meets during the course of the investigation. While I am sure she would say that being a victim was not a good thing, the resulting investigation brought profound friendships into her life.
There were a few places that were repetitive and the pace slowed but I think this was due to the fact that she was describing an investigation, which I understand can be repetitious and tedious. Otherwise, it was an excellent and well thought out tale.
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