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A review by hekate24
Skyjack: The Hunt for D.B. Cooper by Geoffrey Gray
4.0
This is what I "read" for audiobook category in the 2015 Read Harder challenge.
One of the things that's interesting about taking on this challenge is how I keep book's 'category' in the back of mind as I consume the work. Case in point, I had Skyjack playing as I made a road trip. I suspect it might be tedious to read; lots of reviewers seem to be expressing frustration with the narrative jumping across time and place, going from subject to subject. Now, for me personally, I never really mind this approach. But I found that it was expressly welcome as I drove. Rather than blending into the background, the frequently shifting topics kept me very alert. During an hour of this presentation I could learn quite a lot about the shifting political approaches to skyjacking, the process of sex reassignment surgery in the 70s, and the present day culture of D. B. Cooper websleuths. Sometimes I had to scramble to remember who was who, but I was never bored. This book almost never felt like it was droning on.
That being said, the first 70% or so is much stronger than the latter parts. The minute-by-minute recreation of the actual hijacking is fascinating, and really puts the reader into the mindset of law enforcement, stewardesses, and pilots. The three showcased suspects are a fascinating bunch, too. Even if some of them feel like crackpot theories, you get to see a slice of three very different American experiences. This is also another book that focuses on the theme of obsession with an unsolved crime, and what that does to people. Sadly, the scientists that Gray pals around with in the last few chapters... just aren't that interesting. It was actually so tedious that I shifted from thinking "haha this book rules!" to thinking "oh god when will this book be over."
Still, this was a fun experience overall.
One of the things that's interesting about taking on this challenge is how I keep book's 'category' in the back of mind as I consume the work. Case in point, I had Skyjack playing as I made a road trip. I suspect it might be tedious to read; lots of reviewers seem to be expressing frustration with the narrative jumping across time and place, going from subject to subject. Now, for me personally, I never really mind this approach. But I found that it was expressly welcome as I drove. Rather than blending into the background, the frequently shifting topics kept me very alert. During an hour of this presentation I could learn quite a lot about the shifting political approaches to skyjacking, the process of sex reassignment surgery in the 70s, and the present day culture of D. B. Cooper websleuths. Sometimes I had to scramble to remember who was who, but I was never bored. This book almost never felt like it was droning on.
That being said, the first 70% or so is much stronger than the latter parts. The minute-by-minute recreation of the actual hijacking is fascinating, and really puts the reader into the mindset of law enforcement, stewardesses, and pilots. The three showcased suspects are a fascinating bunch, too. Even if some of them feel like crackpot theories, you get to see a slice of three very different American experiences. This is also another book that focuses on the theme of obsession with an unsolved crime, and what that does to people. Sadly, the scientists that Gray pals around with in the last few chapters... just aren't that interesting. It was actually so tedious that I shifted from thinking "haha this book rules!" to thinking "oh god when will this book be over."
Still, this was a fun experience overall.