In Cold Blood
January 17th, 2007
I’ve never read any true crime. For my first one, I guess it was fitting that I should pick up Truman Capote. It was pretty darned good.
It’s the story of the Clutter murder in Holcolm, Kansas in 1959. I’m not spilling the beans here. There’s never any mystery as to what happened. Four Clutters - dad, mom, teenage son, teenage daughter - are brutally murdered in their rural home. The bulk of the book delves into the lives of the murders - Dick Hickkock and Perry Smith. Capote follows them up through their hangings.
What I found most compelling were the portraits of these two murderers. They killed the family in cold blood - and weren’t even on meth. They deserve no compassion, but Capote shows them to be human, vulnerable, and memorable. Capote’s journalism and objectivity is remarkable. He never preaches, never condemns. He just tells the story in all it’s sordid, gory, horrific detail, and I’m not just talking about the murder.
The surprise favorite character, by the way, was Big Red the squirrel.
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See also:
- Lives on the Boundary (May 20th, 2008)
- Writing Partnerships: Service-Learning in Composition (April 30th, 2008)
- The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao (April 28th, 2008)
- Out of the Silent Planet (April 28th, 2008)
- Surprised by Joy (April 1st, 2008)
January 17th, 2007 at 11:28 pm
Geez, three books in ONE day? I’ve tried to get interested in Hillerman again, but just can’t…i am re-reading Ed Abbey’s, Desert Solitaire. Remember that camping trip at Canyonlands when when Kylie and Phil were bambinos?
January 18th, 2007 at 7:59 am
Confession: I didn’t read them in one day! New blog’s gotta work backwards a little to create the illusion of substance. I remember that Canyonlands trip w/ bambinos well. Being a caveman had its romantic side.