Thursday, September 13, 2012

Portrait of the Narcissist as a Young Woman: SMALL SACRIFICES & BEST KEPT SECRETS

Dear Readers/Viewers,

Today I'll be reviewing


 

First, the crime:



and part 2.

Review of Small Sacrifices by Ann Rule:







Some important links:

Here's a link to purchase 'Small Sacrifices'

Here's a link to Ann Rule's website



WATCH THIS!!!! 


Diane Downs in action, weaving yarn at her latest parole hearing in 2010:



Love the 'Helen Keller' detail [because, y'know, the more irrelevant details you add, the more truthful-sounding the story--right?] The ever evolving narrative of what happened that night amazes me.


AND IN THE INTEREST OF FAIRNESS

Review of Best Kept Secrets


 

More important links:

Here's a link to Oprah interviewing Diane in prison in 1988
 
Here's a link to Diane's book 'Best Kept Secrets'

Here's a link to Wesley Fredrickson's [Diane Downs' father] website

Here's a link to an interview with Diane's dad

HERE IS SMALL SACRIFICES FOR TV



Thanks for visiting my vlog. I realize there are some sound issues in the first video entry--I'm still working out the format, but I hope to have shorter and more frequent entries than this one. I started with such an immense case, that it was impossible to stay brief.

Remember friends, be nice to each other!



Monday, August 6, 2012

Welcome to The Inappropriate Grin


 
This site is dedicated to BOOKS about True Crime. I’m particularly interested in books that deal with sociopaths and their bizarre behavior—there is a disproportionate amount of murder on the reading list. 

In each post, I’ll recap the crime and talk about the strengths and/or weaknesses of the book AS I SEE IT. I might refer to other books or films related to the topic and provide links to where you can buy the book. I won’t post crime scene photos of victims, but I will tell you if they are in the book. I probably won’t talk about organized crime books, because that’s a genre unto itself. For that and other reasons, I won't be discussing books about dictators or psychos who claim political motivations. I will, however, gladly discuss CULTS!!
 
Unless I find documentation to the contrary, I will accept all convictions as accurate. For instance, Diane Downs was convicted of murdering her children—so I will accept that Diane Downs murdered her children. On the other hand, some doubts have been raised about whether Wayne Williams actually committed all the murders he was convicted of, so I’d refer to him as the “possible killer” or something. In short, I’ll try to do my homework, be specific and not spread falsehoods.

With that in mind, please remember, you should never accept anything I say without doing your own research. I’m not an expert on anything! I’ve just read a lot and reflected a good deal on these books.

I will review all comments and remove anything that celebrates murder and/or lame jokes. Conversely, comments like “He should fry!” “What a sicko!” etc. will be taken down. There are plenty of other sites on the Internet for your righteous indignation—this ain’t one of them.
 
Thoughtful, non-hostile comments or questions posed in a civil manner are most welcome.

[The woman pictured above is the notorious Diane Downs. This mugshot was taken in February 1984 after she was arrested for shooting her children. I have chosen this photo because of her INAPPROPRIATE GRIN. The grin poses the question that brings a lot of us to True Crime books—what does a human being without empathy look like?]