Ann Jones (1) (1937–)

I am conflicted over rating this book....does it deserve 5 stars for honesty, great writing and beautiful imagery? Or does it deserve 2 stars for whining rants and feminism overboard? I'll go with the 5 because I'm an optimist and more often than not I felt so touched by the author's observances, and her desire to slow down and *see* what was around her...places, people, relationships, history, challenges, triumphs, depth. "There are those who are living, I thought, and those who are rushing show more on." What she shows us of each country she travels through is just a peek, a tease and yet can be so moving: "Why do you cut down all the trees?" I asked a woodsman we met along the road. "We have too many trees," he said. "In New York is no trees. New York is modern. When trees is gone, Malawi is also modern." Think on that. show less

I've had this on my shelf for years and assumed it to be a compendium that could be subtitled, "Profiles of Female Serial Killers". It is quite different being an overtly feminist view on women who kill through the ages, particularly those who kill men. From the Foreword:

If this book leaves the impression that men have conspired to keep women down, that is exactly the impression I mean to convey; for I believe that men could not have succeeded as well as they have without concerted show more effort.

It's a wild ride: Witch burnings, women so idolized that capitol sentences cause hangmen to resign ("...ladies remained the same pretty, foolish, harmless, and despised creatures.."), the scorned woman, legalized corporal punishment from their husbands, greater equality under the law bringing in women for execution, then the awareness of the complexity of long-term abuse leading to a murderous act. (I recall this being "in the cold of passion" in another book I can't locate.)

In the 1860s:

Feminists...found fault with the man-made legal system. They campaigned for woman suffrage specifically so that women would have a say in formulating the laws under which they were forced to live. They argued women should be tried by a jury of their peers.

One case apparently caught in the violent birth of this new view of women who kill was Alice Crimmins. Crimmins was charged with killing her two children, 5-year-old Eddie and 4-year-old Alice Marie, known as Missy, who went missing on July 14, 1965. After numerous criminal trials and appeals, Crimmins was convicted of the manslaughter of Missy. No evidence could be found tying anyone to the deaths. Crimmins was followed and covertly recorded by the New York Police Department for three years, before finally being charged and going to trial in 1968. She was found guilty of the manslaughter of Missy and sentenced to five to twenty years' imprisonment. This conviction was overturned on appeal, and in 1971 a second trial resulted in Crimmins being convicted of the first-degree murder of Eddie Jr. and the manslaughter of Missy. In 1973 both convictions were overturned, before Crimmins was re-convicted of the manslaughter of Missy in 1973. She was paroled in 1977. The Casey Anthony trial has been compared by some in the media to the Crimmins trial. show less

The subtitle of Ann Wilson’s book tells a tale—how the wounded return from America’s wars, and the reality is tragic. I’ve listened to many American politicians talk about ‘the lives of Americans,’ and how the opposing country’s armies often maim and kill American soldiers. If Americans honored their soldiers, they would treat the dead and wounded properly.
In this book, divided into five neat chapters, Ann Wilson discusses the fate of Americans killed and wounded in war. The show more book is stark, written without emotion or flourish. Ann Jones documents death, dismemberment, traumatic brain injury, chronic pain, addiction (opioids), and psychological trauma.
The book contains a sustained, almost muted critique of the American system, bureaucracy, and almost indifferent mental-health support.
The book contains a lot of information that was new to me. For instance, I did not know the rage that pushed some veterans to kill and rape.
This book is unsentimental, almost dry, yet deeply emotional and unsettling. If military history fascinates you, then this book is indispensable. Most books on military history focus on wars and military strategy. Few focus on what happens afterwards and on the poor people who become soldiers. Before you join any military force, read this excellent, harrowing book. show less

Just discussing this. Warning - this is horrifying content. Author does an excellent job digging behind the scenes in what happens with our troops in combat and the many difficulties they ( and their families) experience in the aftermath. Short and poignant.