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books_n_cats_1973's review against another edition
5.0
This is the real life account of Ed Gein of whom was the inspiration for the Psycho books and movies. Other movies such as The Texas Chainsaw massacre found inspiration from Ed Gein as well. I will not go into the horrifying accounts of the story so as to not spoil the story for potential listeners. I would like to mention why I find this so sad. Ed Gein was a very troubled and isolated mentally ill man. This stems from an overbearing, controlling mother who used religion to control her 2 boys. I somewhat identify with Ed in this regard and deal with my own psychosis (of course my own situation was not as severe as Ed’s as I do not see myself dealing the same atrocities upon mankind as Ed did) with therapy, medication and even greater steps pertaining to things conducive to better mental health. What I mostly gained from this book is how my own mother who was severely abused, created a childhood for me of severe dysfunctional rearing with the added toxicity of religion. I would encourage others who may have had a dysfunctional or abusive childhood to to give serious consideration of what a story of this regard may do to help, or hinder their own mental health.
posies23's review against another edition
4.0
woah. A well-researched telling of the Ed Gein story. I read it in a day and learned several things I didn't know about the case. Still, what a sick guy!
snazzymoose's review against another edition
3.0
It’s definitely interesting. Serial killers always are. But something bugged me about how they portrayed his mother. I’m sure she was no picnic, but she seemed to be the only one in the family able to support them. She ran the businesses and the farm and kept the house and raised the kids. But she’s also the bad guy for being domineering? The dad was an abusive drunk who wouldn’t work. But oddly the psychosis wasn’t his fault. Idk. As a parent, she obviously had a hand in his upbringing, but I just felt it was skewed in her direction. It wasn’t just written as ‘crazy eddy was obsessed with his mother’ it was like ‘his mom really screwed up eddy’.
lackof_shelf_control's review against another edition
4.0
‼️TW: murder, violence, obscenities, graphic descriptions‼️
I’ve never read Harold’s work before, but he did a brilliant job of telling such a horrifying tale. True crime books can read a little textbook-y, but not this one! I was engaged the whole time. This is not a book for the faint of heart. It’s graphic, terrifying, and sad. The autopsy report of one of the victims was hard to read. The jokes about his crimes that were circulating at the time are appalling. I also learned a lot about him that I had no idea about. I was shocked at some of the things they found in his house especially because (I would argue) there were other items that were just as gruesome as the infamous nipple belt, but feel like that’s the one everyone talks about. I feel like he doesn’t get the mainstream coverage like Bundy and Gacy because of the question of his sanity. I found myself thinking, although no excuse for his actions, how sad and isolating his life was. This book really brings to light the age old question - nature versus nurture. I honestly feel like with Ed Gein it was a perfect storm of both. I think we often like to classify people as pure evil, which makes it feel unavoidable. If Ed Gein was insane, it speaks to the larger issue at play of mental health and the potential that all of his horrors could have been avoided if he had the proper treatment. Highly suggest this book for those who can stomach it!
I’ve never read Harold’s work before, but he did a brilliant job of telling such a horrifying tale. True crime books can read a little textbook-y, but not this one! I was engaged the whole time. This is not a book for the faint of heart. It’s graphic, terrifying, and sad. The autopsy report of one of the victims was hard to read. The jokes about his crimes that were circulating at the time are appalling. I also learned a lot about him that I had no idea about. I was shocked at some of the things they found in his house especially because (I would argue) there were other items that were just as gruesome as the infamous nipple belt, but feel like that’s the one everyone talks about. I feel like he doesn’t get the mainstream coverage like Bundy and Gacy because of the question of his sanity. I found myself thinking, although no excuse for his actions, how sad and isolating his life was. This book really brings to light the age old question - nature versus nurture. I honestly feel like with Ed Gein it was a perfect storm of both. I think we often like to classify people as pure evil, which makes it feel unavoidable. If Ed Gein was insane, it speaks to the larger issue at play of mental health and the potential that all of his horrors could have been avoided if he had the proper treatment. Highly suggest this book for those who can stomach it!
johnbreeden's review against another edition
5.0
This was a very interesting, well-flowing story about a very strange, demented man. It takes its subject seriously and maintains a sense of non-bias. The book overall is a good exploration of Ed Gein and his life. It allows the reader to find his own opinion about the nature of this killer and his insanity. Great book for those with interest in serial murder.