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Loading... Starkweather: The Untold Story of the Killing Spree That Changed America (edition 2023)by Harry N MacLean (Author)
Work InformationStarkweather: The Untold Story of the Killing Spree That Changed America by Harry N. MacLean (Author)
   None No current Talk conversations about this book.  SheTreadsSoftly | Nov 22, 2023 |  no reviews | add a review
"On January 21st, 1958, Charles Starkweather and his fourteen-year-old girlfriend Caril Ann Fugate changed the course of crime in the United States when they murdered her parents and sister in a house on the edge of Lincoln, Nebraska. They then drove to the nearby small town of Bennet, where they robbed and killed a farmer. When Starkweather's car broke down, the man and woman who stopped to help were murdered and jammed in a food cellar. By the time the dust settled, ten innocent people were dead, and the city of Lincoln was in a state of terror. Schools closed. Men with rifles perched on the roofs of their houses. National guardsmen patrolled the street. Every few hours, there would come a knock on the door, and a voice would ask: "Everyone all right inthere?" If there is a cultural version of PTSD, the town suffered from it. Starkweather and Fugate's killing spree and the resulting trials received world-wide coverage. It was the first mass killing of the modern age-a precursor of the awakening of thecountry from the slumber of the fifties to the rebellious, violent sixties. From Starkweather on, people in the Midwest locked their doors. Yet, in spite of this massive exposure, the story has dropped far from the national consciousness. With new material, new reporting, and new conclusions about the possible guilt or innocence of Fugate, the tale is an updated and definitive retelling"-- No library descriptions found. |
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 Google Books — Loading...GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)364.152Social sciences Social problems and services; associations Criminology Crimes and Offenses Offenses against persons HomicideLC ClassificationRatingAverage: (4.06)
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Wikipedia in English
1
In the eight days from January 21-29, 1958 nineteen-year-old Charles Starkweather and (possibly) his fourteen-year-old girlfriend Caril Ann Fugate, murdered 10 people the majority in or near Lincoln, Nebraska. (Another man was killed weeks earlier by Starkweather.) The killing spree began with Caril's mother, stepfather, and little sister. The reverberations of the case were immediate and Starkweather has been called the first modern-day mass killer. Caril's involvement has never been settled. Both were convicted. Charlie Starkweather was executed, while Caril Fugate served 18 years before her parole.
In Starkweather, MacLean re-examines official documents, interviews, and notes to provide a new account of this case. The book is broken down into six parts. Part I introduces Charlie and Caril. Part II, The Killings, sets forth two versions of the killings, one from Charlie's point-of-view and another from Caril's. Charlie gave at least 10 different versions and changed key facts in each version. Caril's version stayed pretty much the same. Part III. The Trials, details both trials. Part IV, Guilt or Innocence, MacLean shares his own analysis of what he believes happened. Part V, The Consequences, describes the effect of the killings on various people involved. Part VI, Impact, he discusses the impact on American culture. As the author grew up in Lincoln during the crimes, he saved the personal effect his research had for his epilogue.
Presenting the conflicting points-of-view of Charlie and Caril as well as then presenting the many changes Charlie made to his recounting of what happened is a smart move. MacLean's own analysis is quite interesting and he made some good points. This is a very well written account of a case many are familiar with and crime enthusiasts will appreciate the care taken to the story.
Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Counterpoint via NetGalley.
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