Pulp Poem of the Week

Civilians

always believe

a good

sociopath.

     Dave Cullen

     Columbine

     2009

Book Note: Charles Patrick Ewing and Joseph T. McCann, Minds on Trial: Great Cases in Law and Psychology (2006)

Informative and entertaining but ultimately a bit disappointing, Minds on Trail: Great Cases in Law and Psychology is true crime in Cliffs Notes form with an emphasis on court cases that hinged on expert psychological testimony. Authors Charles Patrick Ewing and Joseph T. McCann, both psychologists, run through a greatest hits collection that includes Lee Harvey Oswald, Patty Hearst, Dan White, John Hinckley, John Demjanjuk, Jeffrey Dahmer, and Andrea Yates among their twenty cases. If true crime fans have a complaint, it will likely be that in some instances Ewing and McCann may not tell them much that they don't already know. My only complaint is that I expected a bit more substance from two experts writing for Oxford University Press. In their epilogue, Ewing and McCann ask what we can learn from the twenty cases they have discussed, and their answer is . . . not much.

Book Note: Christine McGuire and Carla Norton, Perfect Victim (1988)

I don't often read true-crime books, but after seeing a TV documentary about Colleen Stan's seven-year ordeal (sample: Stan, kidnapped by a man who wanted a sex slave, spent years living under his bed in a coffin-like box), I felt compelled to learn more, if only because her story was so incredible that it was difficult to believe. If you like true crime, and if you are fascinated by the darkness of the sociopathic soul, this one is for you.

Book Note: Martha Stout, The Sociopath Next Door (2005)

Fans of psycho noir will find much of interest in Martha Stout's The Sociopath Next Door. Research indicates that 1 in 25 Americans is a sociopath, which is to say that not every sociopath resembles Lou Ford or Tom Ripley, and psychologist Martha Stout gives a richer portrayal of the sociopathic mind than one can get from noir alone. Noir fans, however, will probably want to skim past Stout's optimistic cheerleading for the future of the human race.