Deviant: The Shocking True Story of Ed Gein, the Original Psycho
Registered by chefcrossing of Brooklyn, New York USA on 6/5/2012
This Book is Currently in the Wild!
This Book is Currently in the Wild!
2 journalers for this copy...
Released in Manhattan.
Released as part of a bookbox.
I'm taking this book from the Serial Killers bookbox. It's about Ed Gein, a harmless-seeming fellow who turned out to be very, very odd indeed, and whose story inspired Psycho and Texas Chainsaw Massacre, among other stories/novels/films.
I've read about Gein before, but I find Schechter's take on him to be thorough and readable, presenting all sides of the story - which is a tale both horrifying and pathetic, not to mention being a stark reminder that appearances can be deceiving.
Interestingly enough, the facts of his case - while mind-bendingly horrible - aren't nearly as lethal as the deeds of his fictional descendants Norman Bates, Buffalo Bill, or Leatherface; while he definitely killed one woman (the murder he was charged with) and confessed to the killing of another, there's no evidence that he was involved in other disappearances in the area, though there's plenty of suspicion. But it's his fascination with cannibalism and grave-robbing - not to mention the things he did with his "finds" - that makes him so memorable; that, and what he did to his last victim, found gutted and hung up like a slaughtered animal...
Schechter goes into the media blitz that followed the discovery of the crimes, and includes some of the less-savory aspects of that too, from the flurry of Gein jokes to the sight-seers pouring over the scenes of the crime. And he follows his subject through the trial and into his years as a psychiatric patient - which, while low-key, have some rather creepy moments as well.
Chilling story indeed!
[I sometimes wonder whether those small rural towns hide - or even breed - more madness than we realize; the quirky Wisconsin Death Trip includes accounts of killings and madness, as well as lesser weirdnesses, making it seem that there's something in the Wisconsin air or water... {wry grin} Schechter himself refers to the "great dead heart" of Wisconsin in his opening pages, adding an account of a murder and a lynching in the town that would later be home to Ed Gein.]
Interestingly enough, the facts of his case - while mind-bendingly horrible - aren't nearly as lethal as the deeds of his fictional descendants Norman Bates, Buffalo Bill, or Leatherface; while he definitely killed one woman (the murder he was charged with) and confessed to the killing of another, there's no evidence that he was involved in other disappearances in the area, though there's plenty of suspicion. But it's his fascination with cannibalism and grave-robbing - not to mention the things he did with his "finds" - that makes him so memorable; that, and what he did to his last victim, found gutted and hung up like a slaughtered animal...
Schechter goes into the media blitz that followed the discovery of the crimes, and includes some of the less-savory aspects of that too, from the flurry of Gein jokes to the sight-seers pouring over the scenes of the crime. And he follows his subject through the trial and into his years as a psychiatric patient - which, while low-key, have some rather creepy moments as well.
Chilling story indeed!
[I sometimes wonder whether those small rural towns hide - or even breed - more madness than we realize; the quirky Wisconsin Death Trip includes accounts of killings and madness, as well as lesser weirdnesses, making it seem that there's something in the Wisconsin air or water... {wry grin} Schechter himself refers to the "great dead heart" of Wisconsin in his opening pages, adding an account of a murder and a lynching in the town that would later be home to Ed Gein.]
Journal Entry 5 by 
GoryDetails
at Post Office Bookswap Shelf (UBCZ), 353 Middlesex Rd. in Tyngsboro, Massachusetts USA on Tuesday, August 21, 2012
GoryDetails at Post Office Bookswap Shelf (UBCZ), 353 Middlesex Rd. in Tyngsboro, Massachusetts USA on Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Released 11 yrs ago (8/21/2012 UTC) at Post Office Bookswap Shelf (UBCZ), 353 Middlesex Rd. in Tyngsboro, Massachusetts USA
WILD RELEASE NOTES:
I plan to leave this book on the book-swap shelf in the Tyngsboro post office lobby at about 4; hope the finder enjoys it!
*** Released as part of the 2012 Chills & Spills release challenge. The theme for August includes psychopaths and cannibals. ***
*** Released as part of the 2012 Chills & Spills release challenge. The theme for August includes psychopaths and cannibals. ***
