Fox Butterfield

This is a fascinating look at how crime "travels" through families, providing a close look at one family throughout several generations, over 60 members of which ended up in jail/prison at one time or another. It is clear that Butterfield was passionate about his topic and meticulously researched and investigated the Bogle family (detailed notes and information about his sources are provided in the book). The first half provides a broad overview of the early Bogles, crime, and the show more legal/justice system, while the second half gives us a closer look into the lives and crimes of various members of the family. The book also asks a lot of important questions, ultimately without answering them: why is our justice system so broken? Why do so many people "slip through the cracks"? How much effect does mental health have on crime/criminality? How can we stop the family tradition of crime? It was a very eye opening book for me, and I would recommend it to anyone interested in true crime or criminal justice studies, heartbreaking though it is. show less

[All God's Children] was a text assigned to me in a university course called "The History of Violence in the United States." While I was completely enthralled by the lectures, at the time I only skimmed sections of the book. Now, nearly 10 years later, I finally read the book in its entirety. It's an excellent read. The book details the history of America's sub-culture of violence by tracing the lineage of a particularly violent young man named Willie Bosket, who, as a juvenile, murdered two show more people in cold blood in NYC's subway system. His youthful crime spree was the impetus for the first law that allowed a juvenile to be tried as an adult in the United States. As it turns out, Willie was only the latest highly intelligent male member of his family to become a brutally violent career criminal. His father, grandfather, and great-grand father before him were all violent criminals and murderers. The story was very compelling, yet frustrating and left me feeling hopeless. As the chapters unfold the lives of each male Bosket, the reader is left to ride an emotional rollercoaster. I found myself getting angry - every time a Bosket seemed to be on the precipice of breaking the cycle, they would commit another brutal, senseless act of violence. The author did more than just tell the story - he identified the societal and systemic institutional shortcomings that he believed contributed to Willie's virtually predestined, self-fulfilling prophecy of criminality. He even provided an epilogue discussing possible solutions. Still though, when I put the book down, I felt like the events in the book were entirely inevitable. If you like books that challenge your world view - this one is a must read. show less

Butterfield's book, "In My Father's House" gives new meaning to the term "crime family". The author has made a study of how criminal behavior can extend throughout entire families and over generations. Possibly, this book may change your mind about believing that criminal behavior is most closely related to race. Butterfield makes the case that a strong influence in criminal behavior is family values, and criminal activity can be spread within families, from father to son, among siblings, show more and can extend to the next generation as well. The book shows how families can have a very strong influence on criminal behavior. One European study has shown in that area, just 5% of families account for one-half of the crimes, and 10% of families account for almost two-thirds of crimes.

The Author examines one particular family, the Bogle's, who from the early 1900's up through recent times had dozens of family members continually in and out of jail for petty crimes, burglary, car theft, assault, and up to homicide. It was a family way of life, something learned from the father, and passed down to sons, reinforced by siblings, and sustained by a desire to copy each other and outdo each other. It became the only way of life each family member knew. show less

One of the more engaging accounts of China in the 1980s. Not sure there would be much reason to read it today, however, after several lifetimes have passed.