Every time I read about the Satanic panic hysteria, I think, "Surely, people weren't that stupid, right?"
And then I look around me and realize, yeah,Every time I read about the Satanic panic hysteria, I think, "Surely, people weren't that stupid, right?"
And then I look around me and realize, yeah, okay. It definitely happened in exactly that way.
Audiobook note: I desperately need the narrator to look up how to pronounce the word "angst", because it's repeated way too often for me to hear her say it that way....more
I knew that Waco was a stain on the FBI's reputation, but I didn't realize how little they did right during the whole operation.I knew that Waco was a stain on the FBI's reputation, but I didn't realize how little they did right during the whole operation....more
Insidious. Reading this in January 2025 feels like the subtitle should be amended to "How the Christian Right Took Over America".Insidious. Reading this in January 2025 feels like the subtitle should be amended to "How the Christian Right Took Over America"....more
For a book about a supposed genius psychopath, I see little evidence of the "genius" part. He was intelligent for sure, but plenty of people can claimFor a book about a supposed genius psychopath, I see little evidence of the "genius" part. He was intelligent for sure, but plenty of people can claim that adjective without anything more. The most fascinating section of this book was actually at the end after Rulloff was executed - the discoveries made by the burgeoning neuroscience field.
Perhaps I am less than impressed due to modern knowledge of so many different known figures (fictional and real) who were actual geniuses and psychopaths. At the time, I suppose it was harder to conceive of someone who could do such things and not also be a raving lunatic. ...more
I think this is important to note, because accounts about Bundy and his victims often included a bit of criticism for the girl or young woman as if sh
I think this is important to note, because accounts about Bundy and his victims often included a bit of criticism for the girl or young woman as if she should have been smarter in the situation. These stories were written decades after the fact, often by a man, and I think they are designed to make the reader feel safe—as if what happened to all these teenage girls and women couldn’t happen to them too.
I live for all the shit she talked about Bundy in her memoir. Kathy was victimized by him, but her truly impressive sense of self was readily apparent throughout this whole memoir. Her son didn't know the full circumstances until he was well into adulthood, which I think shows great deal about the work she did to help herself with this trauma:
"It’s not to say that these things didn’t haunt me, because they did. I just stopped them from haunting my son’s childhood."
3.5 stars. It's a textbook on a broad concept, so the topics aren't covered exhaustively, but it is a good overview of current & past influences betwe3.5 stars. It's a textbook on a broad concept, so the topics aren't covered exhaustively, but it is a good overview of current & past influences between how law shapes society and how society shapes the law....more
"Unlike the fantasies woven by politicians and practitioners of prison-like solutions, these [alternatives to prison] projects don't come premade and
"Unlike the fantasies woven by politicians and practitioners of prison-like solutions, these [alternatives to prison] projects don't come premade and perfectly packaged, ready to slip in to replace prisons. Instead, they all require a process of ongoing building: a process that's collaborative and doesn't depend on a hierarchal power to put it in place. It can't because, in order to truly move beyond prisons, we need to move beyond relying on all-powerful institutions."
Reading this has been dramatically transformative for my personal ethics and career goals. Anyone even remotely interested in social justice, human rights and/or prison abolition should pick it up....more