The Forever Witness By Ed Humes

 

I am not afraid to say that I have a thing about True Crime - whether it is documentaries, podcasts or books.  I love it.  Which can be weird considering what I do for work and really not letting me have a break from what I do but whatever, who cares, it's fun.  This book seemed fascinating in light of how the Golden State Killer was found.  So I got it.  And it was worth it. Ed Humes won the Pulitzer Prize for this, I'm pretty sure. 

In this book, Humes looks at the 1987 killings of two *really* young Canadians in the Seattle area (which is like serial killer Mecca - thanks Ted Bundy) and how DNA genealogy led to the capture and conviction of the killer. I was captivated about the crime and families themselves.  The story was captivating and sad and gripping. It is also the story about a dogged detective who was dedicated to solving a decades old offense. 

This book is truly unique. It has it all: true crime, forensics, police procedural and yet, it remained captivating and easily accessible. I was worried that I would get lost in the mud that can be DNA and science, but Humes didn't do that.  He kept it simple and interesting for all of us peons. I had to keep reminding myself that in 1987, the Internet wasn't a thing and neither were cell phones or Ring doorbell cameras or anything like that.  Neither was the DNA evidence that was big before our most recent spate of DNA testing. There was certainly no GPS tracking. Border crossings were a joke in the pre-9/11 world.  Information exchanges between departments moved as quickly, MAYBE, as a fax.  

Perhaps the most important takeaway from this book was the ethical discussion that comes into play related to DNA collection.  So many people use sites like Ancestry.com and 23 and Me. Those companies, therefore, have massive databases of stored information from which to compare and contrast DNA samples then from different crime scenes. There is inevitable tension between the desire to solve a crime and the last bits of privacy that someone might have in their most prized bodily possession -- their DNA. What's the right answer? Is there a right answer? Who makes that decision?  This part of the book fascinated me to no end. 

Definitely a must read. You can find this book on Amazon, or at your local retailer or library. Definitely recommended. 

Drunk on Love by Jasmine Guillory and some of my favorite things

I think that most of us would have to find new employment if we hooked up with our boss, even unwittingly, but not the characters in Jasmine Guillory's new book. Luke and Margot are living in the popular Napa Valley and meet at a local bar after Luke has just quit his profitable IT gig and Margot is trying to promote the winery she co-owns with her brother. After a really hot night, they are mortified to run into each other the next day...at work at Margot's winery. We spend the novel watching them navigate not only their relationship but also their hang ups related to their families' expectations of them. 

Jasmine Guillory is probably one of my heroes - not going to lie. She graduated from Wellesley in '97 (I graduated in '01) and she went to law school and clerked and has written a few books, all of which I've enjoyed. What I like about her books is that they're fun, engaging and represent people of color in lots of different areas - for instance, Margot is a black woman who owns a winery and Luke is a black man that was in IT. Representation matters. Margot and Luke are professionally successful. 

The novel itself moved quickly and was definitely spicy enough in places. In fact, it's spicier than her other reads. I enjoyed watching the couple navigate the employer/employee relationship and what happens afterwards even with the hot night before they realize the status that they have in each other's lives.  Both Luke and Margot are really awesome people.  They genuinely are. But they can't seem to get out of their own ways at times which was infuriating.  Ultimately though, I loved this read.  

***

On another note, I have created a new page that talks about some of my favorite things, including blogs that I read and podcasts that I listen to.  It's located on the side over there. Please feel free to visit and I'd love to put your whatever on there if you're interested!

 

Solito by Javier Zamora, a review and a reading challenge for 2023

 

When we watch the news, or recently, watch election debates or read about candidates' positions on anything, but particularly about things like border crossings or abortion, it's very easy to miss how personal that these stories are and how humans are at the heart of these so-called political issues. This memoir, which has generated a lot of fervor, puts the humanity of the issue at front and center.

Javier Zamora, a success poet and also a migrante (someone who walks across the border), wrote about his experience crossing the Sonora Desert at the age of 9 to join his parents in this memoir. Zamora grew up in a fishing village in El Salvador, not really knowing his dad (who left for La USA when Zamora was 1). His mother left somewhat later - but by the time that we meet Zamora, they had both been in Northern California for quite some time. They had left as a result of war that was impacting the country. Zamora was loved by the family in El Salvador that cared for him, that much was obvious. Approximately four years after his mother migrated, the plan was made to send Javier to the States to be with them under the guidance of a coyote. His parents would pick him up at the border of Mexico and the US, at Tijuana. Instead, he tries three times - the first two having not been successful - and croses in Arizona. Javier has been left to fend for himself, dependent on strangers.  His family has no idea where he is for a lengthy period of the trip. And he's put in detention for a while. 

I loved this book - it's humanity and beauty and the stories that it tells. It reminds us that there are people involved in the issues that politicians fight about and seem to forget. There were funny moments - the pronunciation of the word f*** and the naming of the cacti as fuzzies being two of them. But the stress and scariness of the situation is never forgotten - the pressure of having to use the right words or they'll be reported to authorities, the fear of not having enough food or water, being held at gunpoint by authorities (yes, even a nine year old). What I loved though is that there were themes of family - family that is blood and family that is people that help in times of stressful, when there aren't blood ties. Javier had a group of peole that looked after him on the trip out of the goodness of their hearts and that's amazing. 

I found this book fascinating and I think it's one that everyone should read. I found it a quick read, mainly because I found it very difficult to put aside. I loved it.  

***

It's probably not surprising that I read a lot of book blogs and I came across a reading challenge that I wanted to participate in in 2023: the Southern Literature Reading Challenge. The rules are over at the website.  I am going to aim for level 4 because I read a lot and can probably manage that. There are a list of ideas of books to read here and here. Will you join me?

Review - Runaway Devil by Robert Remington and Sherri Zickefoose

On April 23, 2006, 12 and a half year old (yes you read that right) and her 23 year old boyfriend (yes, again you read that right) Jeremy Steinke killed JR's mother, father and eight year old brother in cold blood in their home in Medicine Hat, Canada, making JR the youngest person ever accused of familicide. I first learned about JR from listening to the Morbid podcast, which referenced this book and from the second that I heard the case, I was hooked. JR convinces Jeremy that the only way for them to be truly happy was for the family to be killed and so it happened. The couple was very big into the Goth scene, which I think was partially blamed for the death of this family (unfairly so).  

The book itself was very well written - it was very facts laden and not very salacious or gory.   It could have easily been so. The brutality of the crime itself could have been more explicit, but thankfully was not. There is no need to exploit th deaths of a family that, by all accounts, were very happy and caring and hard working. The book itself was informative and attempted to provide as much an explanation as possible for how a twelve year old could deign to commit such horrific acts.  What I particularly found to be fascinating was how Canada treated its juvenile offenders. Because of JR's age, much of her treatment and rehabilitation is sealed - rightfully so. We'll never know what her diagnosis was or how she really faired and perhaps we should never know that.  Additionally, what most people found particularly shocking is that JR served a very short period of time and is out and about in the community now.  Her records have been sealed/expunged so no one will ever see that she was convicted of three counts of homicide if they run a background check on her.

This book was, in addition, to being extremely well researched, was a very quick and accessible read. It's short and sweet and to the point.  A must read for any true crime addict. 

REVIEW: Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles

 

What a way to come back - a 500+ masterpiece that is a joyride by an author that continues to really impress me.  This book focuses on the story of three 18 year olds - Emmett, Duchess and Woolly - who met at a juvenile reform school in 1954ish and Emmett's 8 year old brother Billy.  We meet them when Emmett returns to Nebraska, having been released early from the farm (literally) when his and Billy's father has died. The book follows the boys over a vast geographical area - they go from Nebraska to New York City to upstate New York utilizing a variety of different methods of travel (including jumping onto a train) and meeting a variety of different people.  The novel itself spans the time period of only 10 days, but its compulsive readability led me to tear through it in much less time. I think I finished the book in like 3 days.  

What I loved about this book is how it explored various themes related to the human condition. It really looks at themes of kindness and what it means to actually choose kindness and selflessness as opposed to, say, selfishness or self centeredness. It also explicitly looks at writing and coming up with a narrative. Billy is an aspiring writer and really considers how to construct a story - does he start at the middle, the beginning or the end?  There are also questions of justice - what is it?  What does it look like? What does it mean to settle a debt and make things right?  

This book is amazing.  Would recommend and I am so glad that I purchased this novel to add to my bookshelf. 

It's been a while

 I know, I know, I know. It's been forever. But I'm back.  And will drop a review hopefully in the next few days - one at least!