Newtown: An American Tragedy

Newtown: An American Tragedy by Matthew Lysiak
Published by Gallery Books on December 10th 2013
Pages: 288
Format: hardback
Genres: Nonfiction, True Crime
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Synopsis

In the vein of Dave Cullen’s Columbine, the first comprehensive account of the Sandy Hook tragedy—with exclusive new reporting that chronicles the horrific events of December 14, 2012, including new insight into the dark mind of gunman Adam Lanza.

12/14/12

Sandy Hook Elementary School

Newton, Connecticut

we remember the numbers: 20 children and 6 adults, murdered in a place of nurture and trust. We remember the names: teachers like Victoria Soto, who lost her life protecting her students. A shooter named Adam Lanza. And we remember the questions: outraged conjecture instantly monopolized the worldwide response to the tragedy—while the truth went missing.

here is the definitive journalistic account of Newtown, an essential examination of the facts— not only of that horrific day but the perfect storm of mental instability and obsession that preceded it and, in the aftermath of unspeakable heartbreak, the controversy that continues to play out on the national stage. Drawn from previously undisclosed emails, police reports, and in-depth interviews, Newtown: An American Tragedy breaks through a miasma of misinformation with its comprehensive and astonishing portrayal.

this is the vital story that must be told—today—if we are to prevent another American tragedy in the days to come.

Gods of Howl Mountain

Gods of Howl Mountain by Taylor Brown
Published by St. Martin's Press on March 20th 2018
Pages: 304
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Synopsis

In Gods of Howl Mountain, award-winning author Taylor Brown explores a world of folk healers, whiskey-runners, and dark family secrets in the high country of 1950s North Carolina.

Bootlegger Rory Docherty has returned home to the fabled mountain of his childhood - a misty wilderness that holds its secrets close and keeps the outside world at gunpoint. Slowed by a wooden leg and haunted by memories of the Korean War, Rory runs bootleg whiskey for a powerful mountain clan in a retro-fitted '40 Ford coupe. Between deliveries to roadhouses, brothels, and private clients, he lives with his formidable grandmother, evades federal agents, and stokes the wrath of a rival runner.

In the mill town at the foot of the mountains - a hotbed of violence, moonshine, and the burgeoning sport of stock-car racing - Rory is bewitched by the mysterious daughter of a snake-handling preacher. His grandmother, Maybelline “Granny May” Docherty, opposes this match for her own reasons, believing that "some things are best left buried." A folk healer whose powers are rumored to rival those of a wood witch, she concocts potions and cures for the people of the mountains while harboring an explosive secret about Rory’s mother - the truth behind her long confinement in a mental hospital, during which time she has not spoken one word. When Rory's life is threatened, Granny must decide whether to reveal what she knows...or protect her only grandson from the past.

With gritty and atmospheric prose, Taylor Brown brings to life a perilous mountain and the family who rules it.

It took me a while to work my way through Gods of Howl Mountain; I just couldn’t get into this book. As beautifully written as the book was, there were times when I thought the words got in the way detracting from the story.

The story takes place in the 1950’s, Rory, the main character, returns home from the Korean Ware with a wooden leg and few job opportunities. Rory ends up running liquor for the local bootlegger. In the 1930’s the government created the TVA (Tennessee Valley Authority) and flooded acres of land depriving thousands of people their homesteads. This is the backdrop for the book.

I just felt that the characters were too stereotypical. There is a rich history of Appalachia that I really didn’t get a feel for in this book.

Fire and Fury

Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House by Michael Wolff
Published by Macmillan Audio on January 9th 2018
Format: audiobook
Genres: Nonfiction, Politics & Social Sciences
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Synopsis

This program includes an author's note read by Michael Wolff.

The first nine months of Donald Trump's term were stormy, outrageous—and absolutely mesmerizing. Now, thanks to his deep access to the West Wing, best-selling author Michael Wolff tells the riveting story of how Trump launched a tenure as volatile and fiery as the man himself.

In this explosive audiobook, Wolff provides a wealth of new details about the chaos in the Oval Office. Among the revelations:

• What President Trump's staff really thinks of him• What inspired Trump to claim he was wire-tapped by President Obama• Why FBI director James Comey was really fired• Why chief strategist Steve Bannon and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner couldn't be in the same room• Who is really directing the Trump administration's strategy in the wake of Bannon's firing• What the secret to communicating with Trump is• What the Trump administration has in common with the movie The Producers

Never before has a presidency so divided the American people. Brilliantly reported and astoundingly fresh, Michael Wolff's Fire and Fury shows listeners how and why Donald Trump has become the king of discord and disunion.

Like the 33,000 people on Goodreads who could resist reading this book? I can imagine that the Trump White House would allow Mr. Wolff access if, for no other reason than hubris, I can also imagine the outrage the Trump White House felt when the book published.

Trump is not the transformative figure that is going to move this country forward; I am saddened every day to read a newspaper, listen to a podcast, or read an article only to learn of the outlandish behavior of the 45th POTUS. The book, which might be considered gossip and remembers not all gossip is false, has chronicled the disarray that has surrounded the White House since Trump January 20, 2017.

I’ll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman’s Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer

I'll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer by Michelle McNamara, Gillian Flynn, Patton Oswalt, Gabra Zackman
Published by HarperCollins on February 27, 2018
Format: audiobook
Genres: Nonfiction, True Crime
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Synopsis

A masterful true crime account of the Golden State Killer—the elusive serial rapist turned murderer who terrorized California for over a decade—from Michelle McNamara, the gifted journalist who died tragically while investigating the case.

"You'll be silent forever, and I'll be gone in the dark."

For more than ten years, a mysterious and violent predator committed fifty sexual assaults in Northern California before moving south, where he perpetrated ten sadistic murders. Then he disappeared, eluding capture by multiple police forces and some of the best detectives in the area.

Three decades later, Michelle McNamara, a true crime journalist who created the popular website TrueCrimeDiary.com, was determined to find the violent psychopath she called "the Golden State Killer." Michelle pored over police reports, interviewed victims, and embedded herself in the online communities that were as obsessed with the case as she was.

At the time of the crimes, the Golden State Killer was between the ages of eighteen and thirty, Caucasian, and athletic—capable of vaulting tall fences. He always wore a mask. After choosing a victim—he favored suburban couples—he often entered their home when no one was there, studying family pictures, mastering the layout. He attacked while they slept, using a flashlight to awaken and blind them. Though they could not recognize him, his victims recalled his voice: a guttural whisper through clenched teeth, abrupt and threatening.

I'll Be Gone in the Dark—the masterpiece McNamara was writing at the time of her sudden death—offers an atmospheric snapshot of a moment in American history and a chilling account of a criminal mastermind and the wreckage he left behind. It is also a portrait of a woman's obsession and her unflagging pursuit of the truth. Framed by an introduction by Gillian Flynn and an afterword by her husband, Patton Oswalt, the book was completed by Michelle's lead researcher and a close colleague. Utterly original and compelling, it is destined to become a true crime classic—and may at last unmask the Golden State Killer.