Unspeakable Acts: True Tales of Crime, Murder, Deceit, and Obsession by Sarah Weinman

Unspeakable Acts: True Tales of Crime, Murder, Deceit, and Obsession Reviews

• 
  sarah

  Unspeakable Acts is an anthology of 13 articles published surrounding the topic of true crime. The collection touches on everything from true crime cases to the reasons behind the recent popularity of them, to the intersection of crime and identity to the criminal justice system. Each of the pieces brought something new and unique, and while my enjoyment fluctuated from story to story (as is inevitable with short story collections). I overall found Unspeakable Acts to be a thought provoking, engaging and well structured anthology.
  
  ➽Dee dee wanted her daughter to be sick, Gypsy wanted her mom to be murdered
  by Michelle Dean ★★★★
  
  This article took the infamous case of Gypsy Rose, which I only knew the bare bones of the story previously. Its short page count allowed adequate facts and details to be shared in bite sized chunks without being weighted down by unnecessary details. If you are interested in true crime cases such as this one, but don't want to dedicate the time to an entire book about it- I would definitely recommend this one!
  
  ➽The Reckoning: The Story of Claire Wilson
  by Pamela Colloff ★★★★
  
  This takes the all too common tale of a US school shooting but grants a voice to a victim rather than telling the story of the perpetrator. It followed her throughout her life, and how the one act of violence had repercussions on all areas of her life. While I found some details slightly unnecessary and excessive, such as a her religious awakening- I found it really eye opening and thought provoking. I appreciated the discussions of gun control, a topic that is still so maddeningly relevant to the US over 60 years later. Overall, this was a heartbreaking and introspective piece on an event that has faded from the spotlight in the wake of more recent shootings.
  
  ➽Jennifer Pan's Revenge
  by Karen K Ho ★★.5
  This is the story of a Jennifer Pan, a daughter of Vietnamese immigrants who placed pressures on her from such a young age that she eventually buckled under their weight. I had heard of this story briefly before, and it is interesting but doesn’t go very in depth on the psychology which is what intrigued me the most about the case. I would have preferred a more in depth character study about the reasons behind the crime. Overall, lots to think about related to pressure, stress, lies and parenting but a bit surface level.
  
  ➽The perfect man who wasn’t
  by Rachel Monroe ★★★★
  
  Tells the well known story of ‘Dirty John’ in a succinct and victim centred way. It’s crazy to think how this could happen to so many people, but really exposes the gaps in justice and police systems when it comes to relationship fraud/dating scams
  
  "The implication is that these women should’ve known better, or perhaps that they’re complicit in their own victimization. If a woman reports her ex for stealing from her, who’s to say she’s not just brokenhearted and vindictive?"
  
  ➽Out Came the girls
  by Alex Mar ★★★★★
  
  No matter how many times I read, listen to podcasts or even see pictures of ‘slender man’ it always manages to thoroughly unnerve me. Throughout the tale it weaves a similar story from New Zealand and goes into the psychology of teenage girls, and the possible reasons behind why. This was incredibly well written and captivating, making links to Brothers Grimm's fairytales and the Salem Witch Trials in a riveting and eye-opening way.
  
  ➽The end of evil
  by Sarah Marshall ★★★★★
  
  This took something that I had previously been completely unwavering in my opinion, and introduced some doubt into my mind- reconsidering Ted Bundy's psychopath diagnosis. While I didn't agree with everything Sarah Marshall wrote, I always find it beneficial to consider other perspectives, expanding the mind . This was thought provoking and morally grey and I would definitely recommend even if you think you know the story of Ted Bundy.
  
  "Today, the diagnosis of “psychopath” is meted out as freely in the courtroom as it is during prime time, and its effect is always the same: instant dehumanization.
  When it comes to assigning blame, no designation could be more comforting. The psychopath is born bad. Nothing can fix him. Society cannot be at fault, and there is no point in wondering whether timely treatment could have averted the inevitable. He does what he wants to do. He knows it is wrong. He can control himself; he simply chooses not to. The idea that the psychopath is somehow more deserving of blame because he was born bad—that his lack of empathy serves as proof of his evil, despite a diagnosis that says he cannot feel it, no matter how he tries—is a paradox few have attempted to address."
  
  
  ➽The ethical dilemma of highbrow true crime
  by Alice Bolin ★★★
  
  This was just okay? It had some good commentary and was pretty meta but had me feeling quite defensive at times (stop attacking Serial and My Favourite Murder ahhhh)
  
  "I suspect the new true-crime obsession has something to do with the massive, terrifying problems we face as a society: government corruption, mass violence, corporate greed, income inequality, police brutality, environmental degradation, human-rights violations. These are large-scale crimes whose resolutions, though not mysterious, are also not forthcoming. Focusing on one case, bearing down on its minutiae and discovering who is to blame, serves as both an escape and a means of feeling in
  
  ➽The Lost Children of Runaway Train
  by Elon Green ★★.5
  
  Short and sweet but not too much substance to it. Focuses around Soul Aslyum's music video for ‘runaway train’ and various runaways in the US, some of which were found as a result and other who are still missing. I felt the potential was there, but it fell short of the mark.
  
  ➽The true crime story behind a 1970s cult feminist film classic
  by Sarah Weinman ★★
  
  This was about the apparently famous film Wanda that I have never seen (or heard of for that matter). I think I may have enjoyed this a bit more had I had some background knowledge on the film or background to it. It was an interesting and well written story in its own right, just not as engrossing as some of the others.
  
  ➽What Bullets Do To Bodies
  by Jason Fagone ★★★.5
  
  This was an interesting read entering around a trauma surgeon who commonly works with the injuries inflicted by bullets. I was surprised to realise how little I actually knew about gunshot wounds and how devastating they can be.
  
  "More than 30,000 people die of gunshot wounds each year in America, around 75,000 more are injured, and we have no visceral sense of what physically happens inside a person when he’s shot. Goldberg does."
  
  ➽Checkpoint Nation
  by Melissa del Bosque  ★★★★.5
  
  As someone from outside the US, I had some knowledge of American immigration agencies and the problems surrounding them- but had no idea how corrupt they truly are. This piece centres around the ICE and CBP in particular and how horrible those national border so called 'protection' agencies are. Really insightful and informative for those who might not know much about them.
  
  ➽How a Dubious Forensic Science Spread Like a Virus
  by Leora Smith  ★★★.5
  
  This story is essentially a debunking of the 'science' of blood spatter analysis and its creator. I had no idea of the story behind what is now common in crime shows, and how misleading it can be. I found the discussions around precedents in the criminal justice system interesting as well.
  
  "In time, MacDonell’s students, many of whom only had 40 hours of training, started testifying as experts, too. Then the students of his students. They modeled their testimony after his. They invoked MacDonell’s name as evidence of their expertise. They borrowed his phrases, his descriptions, his experiments, to support their analysis. Judges borrowed the reasoning of other judges who had admitted MacDonell when they ruled to admit his students."
  
  ➽“I am a girl now,” Sage Smith Wrote. Then She Went Missing.
  by Emma Copley Eisenberg ★★★★
  
  This was the story of a black, trans girl who went missing- and how her identity played a heartbreaking role in her never being found. The case is compared to a white woman who went missing in similar circumstances and how large the discrepancy was between them. It is maddening and horrific how marginalised people are still considered less important because of their identities.
  
  "police more often classify minority children as runaways rather than victims of crimes, and that the reverse is true for white children."
  
  ➽ Overall
  
  If you enjoy true crime, or want to dip your toes into the genre- this is the perfect place to start. Know that not all the articles are focusing on a specific crime, but rather provided insightful analyses of the genre as a whole. I would definitely recommend the entire collection, but in particular the
  Slenderman and
  Ted Bundy pieces
  
  
  "The fascination with murder and illegality is a perennial one, because the shock of the deed creates a schism between order and chaos. We wish for justice, but even when we get it, the result rings somewhat hollow. We gorge on facts and innuendo but are then left with the hangover of trauma, the aftermath of a system that too often fails people. We crave a narrative that restores righteousness but are left with scraps of barely connected meaning."
  
  Thanks to HarperCollins for the ARC
  
  Release Date: 28 July 2020
• 
  Lori Lamothe

  In Unspeakable Acts, editor Sarah Weinman brings together 13 previously published long-form pieces that relate in some way to true crime. The first section of the book consists of four straight narrative features; the second examines how true crime and culture intersect; and the final section, considers “broader issues of criminal justice and society.” At the very end of the book, Weinman recommends various books, articles and podcasts to true crime enthusiasts.
  
  As someone who's relatively new to the true crime genre, I found this anthology a good place to start. Or at least to go on “starting” (I didn't listen to Serial until two years after it came out, but I'm catching up, one podcast at a time). I also would suggest it to readers who want to think about true crime in a deeper way that seeks to contextualize the craze. The first four pieces are well written classic true crime stories I'd heard about but wasn't familiar with in any sense. I enjoyed all of them, especially Pamela Colloff's “The Reckoning,” which concerns a pregnant student victim of the 1966 sniper attack at the University of Texas. Not only does the article chronicle the impact the shooting had on Claire Wilson over the course of decades, but it traces cultural shifts as well. Now shootings are a way of life, but Claire has to actually visit the University library and track down a copy of Life magazine to convince herself the shooting was real. Nobody talked about such tragedies back then. Better to simply move forward as if nothing had happened. At least that's what the conventional wisdom was back in 1967, when Claire was struggling to come to terms with her trauma and her grief.
  
  It was the second section of the book I liked best, however. Alex Mar's piece, “Out Came the Girls” had an almost hypnotic power over me. I read it then finished the book, then went back and read it again. This may in part because I'd never heard of “Slender Man” and had no idea that this cult figure led two 12-year-old girls to repeatedly stab their friend in 2014 (on a side note, the fact that my daughter is fully familiar with “Slender Man” and has even played the video game would likely come as no surprise to Mar). But what made the article was Mar's insightful analysis of the the case as a way to think about the adolescent female mind. She ties the Slender Man stabbing to a decades-old murder case in New Zealand that involved novelist Anne Perry (formerly the teenager Juliet Hulme) and her best friend. She then goes further – exploring links to the Salem Witch Trials, Carl Jung and Grimm's fairy tales – in an attempt to understand the blurred line between imagination and reality that sometimes occurs with young girls.
  
  In a related vein, Sarah Marshall's “The End of Evil,” reconsiders Ted Bundy's “psychopath” diagnosis and in doing so forces readers to reconsider the term in its entirety. I didn't always agree with Marshall, but the piece forced me to rethink much about Bundy and his role in American culture. The same can be said for Alice Bolin's “The Ethical Dilemma of Highbrow True Crime.” Agree or disagree, Bolin raises real questions about the roots of the current true crime phenomenon, as well as its consequences. The other two articles, including Weinman's, also held my interest.
  
  Unfortunately, the third section of the book didn't work for me. I did love Jason Fagone's “What Bullets Do to Bodies,” but the other articles didn't seem to fit with the anthology as a whole. Or maybe the collection just got too broad for me at this point. I also took issue with the article on blood spatter analysis, which I found myself in disagreement with in key places. Yes, the forensics have fallen far short of the goal but to dismiss it as “junk science” strikes me as too easy a conclusion. Fingerprint and DNA analysis have also resulted in many wrongful convictions, particularly after they were first discovered, but we don't categorize them as “junk science” that have no place in a court room. With advances in computer science, physicists are making real progress but this prospect is mostly unexplored in the article. Still, it's well researched and gives a sense of the background of the field. The list of recommended reading/listening at the end of the book was also helpful, particularly because of my lack of knowledge of the genre.
  
  I'm only a fledgling true-crime aficionado, but I do read lots of anthologies. My rule of thumb is that if I find two or three pieces I really like, I consider the book well worth my time. So I recommend Unspeakable Acts, especially if you're looking for a more meta experience re the genre.
  
  Much thanks to Harper Collins and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
• 
  Vonda

  Total and complete waste of time! Every story was gotten out of magazines or were newspaper articles which were poorly researched.
• 
  Vanessa

  This was an impulse buy from the Barnes & Noble BOGO table, and I ended up loving it. This collection of articles from various sources (Texas Monthly, Buzzfeed, The Believer, etc.) only had one clunker in the bunch of 13.
  
  It's hard to pick favorites but it I had to, it was probably "The Reckoning" by Pamela Colloff, a breathtaking piece of reporting that covers the life of a single victim of Charles Whitman (the University of Texas Tower Sniper.) Although Claire Wilson survived, she lost her boyfriend and her baby (evidence showed that Whitman had aimed for her visibly pregnant stomach.) As you read about how her life was knocked off course, the unspoken context is this is the story of only one victim of violence.
  
  Also, here's the most depressing quote about this country's obsession with guns from an article by Jason Fagone about bullets and trauma surgery:
  
  "As a country," she [Temple University Hospital trauma surgeon Amy Goldberg] said, "we lost our teachable moment." She started talking about the 2012 murder of 20 schoolchildren and 6 adults at Sandy Hook Elementary School. Goldberg said that if people had been shown the autopsy photos of the kids, the gun debate would have been transformed. "The fact that not a single one of those kids was able to be transported to a hospital, tells me that they were not just dead, but really really really really dead....." She said people have to confront the physical reality of gun violence without the polite filters. "The country won't be ready for it, but that's what needs to happen. That's the only chance at all for this to ever be reversed."
  
  Other articles include the story of Gypsy Rose, the Slenderman murders, and the long hunt for justice by a group of women who were all lovescammed by the same imposter. The only article I didn't like was Sarah Marshall's "The End of Evil" about Ted Bundy, because reading about having sympathy for Ted Bundy and how maybe psychopaths don't exist was.......weird.
  
  Highly recommended if you're at all into true crime or journalism.
• 
  Valerity (Val)

  This was an enjoyable anthology of true crime stories that kept me entertained. There are thirteen different stories curated by Sarah Weinman. I also liked that at the end there’s a list of further articles and books suggested to read. I can vouch for some of them, as I’ve read them. I’m going to check out some of the rest as well.  Advanced electronic review copy was provided by NetGalley, editor Sarah Weinman, and the publisher.
• 
  Amy

  I had high hopes for this one from reading the cover and description, but 75% of the book was boring and some didn’t even cover a “crime”. Maybe I went in with the wrong impression, but I ended up skimming some of the more boring chapters.
  
  Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this in exchange for an honest review.
• 
  Trin

  Though true crime is still in the midst of a boom -- because the world is a nightmare -- anthologies like Best American Crime Writing have for some reason ceased publication. Journalist Sarah Weinman seeks to fill that gap with Unspeakable Acts -- and to my mind exceeds both expectations and the quality and ambition of those old series.
  
  Pretty much every essay in this collection is meaty, well-written, and thoughtful in its analysis. Not merely a grim or prurient reporting of nasty details, every essay strives to connect the crime in question to larger social concerns -- which is exactly what good true crime writing can and should do. Weinman's selection includes an admirably diverse array of topics and tones. I don't usually do this with anthologies but the meta narrative of the chosen pieces is so interesting, I want to touch on each one individually:
  
  Michelle Dean, "Dee Dee Wanted Her Daughter to Be Sick, Gypsy Wanted Her Mom to Be Murdered"
  This story is the basis for the Hulu show The Act, which I haven't seen, though I'd heard this horrible tale of Munchausen by proxy elsewhere. But Dean really broke it open -- this is excellent reporting.
  
  Pamela Colloff, "The Reckoning"
  Colloff profiles one victim of one of the earliest school shootings, the 1966 sniper attack on the University of Texas' Austin campus, and how the effect of this violence radiated out through the rest of her life. An interesting angle on an event that's receded into history (especially in the wake of more recent mass shootings) and a truly heartbreaking piece.
  
  Karen K. Ho, "Jennifer Pan's Revenge"
  A shattered Canadian dream story, in which the daughter of Vietnamese immigrants cracks under (extreme) parental pressure and orders a disastrous hit on her parents. Ho went to school with the perpetrator and one of her co-conspirators, but this barely factors into the narrative, which is interesting. This is a good essay, if not extraordinary.
  
  Rachel Monroe, "The Perfect Man Who Wasn't"
  A con man story! Monroe is such a good writer. Read Savage Appetites.
  
  Alex Mar, "Out Came the Girls"
  This covers the story of two preteen girls who stabbed one of their friends nearly to death because they believed creepypasta sensation Slenderman told them to. I already knew this story back to front, as I'd watched the 2016 documentary, Beware the Slenderman, which Mar cites. But she pairs this story with that of Pauline Parker and Juliet Hulme (the inspiration for the film Heavenly Creatures) and draws some interesting connections about the consuming nature of girls' fantasy lives.
  
  Sarah Marshall, "The End of Evil"
  I'm a big fan of the podcast Sarah Marshall hosts, "You're Wrong About." This piece about Ted Bundy was a little uneven -- I wish it had focused more on the politics around his execution, without so much recapping of his crimes, which I will lay down money anyone reading a true crime book already knows far too well. I also think first person sections were unnecessary, though very Believer-y (which makes sense as this was first published in The Believer). But Marshall's indictment of the "psychopath" diagnosis is absolutely brilliant.
  
  Alice Bolin, "The Ethical Dilemma of Highbrow True Crime"
  This is the collection's meta-essay. It's pretty great.
  
  Elon Green, "The Lost Children of 'Runaway Train'"
  My least favorite piece in the collection. It's not bad: it's the story behind the band Soul Asylum's video for "Runaway Train," which featured pictures of real missing kids and actually resulted in some being found. But Green doesn't really explore this idea; the piece feels slight.
  
  Sarah Weinman, "The True Crime Story Behind a 1970s Cult Feminist Film Classic"
  As much as I admire Weinman, and the way she put together this collection, this is actually my second least-favorite piece. I think I may just find the story of Alma Malone -- terrible bank robber and inspiration for Barbara Loden's film Wanda -- one thousand times less interesting than either Weinman or Loden -- and Weinman doesn't convince me I should feel otherwise.
  
  Jason Fagone, "What Bullets Do to Bodies"
  A brilliant profile of a Philadelphia trauma surgeon, and a powerful indictment of gun violence. A terrific, unexpected piece. I love Weinman for including this in a true crime book. You watch Wanda all you like, girl.
  
  Melissa del Bosque, "Checkpoint Nation"
  Fuck US Customs and Border Protection: The Essay. Starting with Fagone's piece, above, every entry in this final section of the book, called "Justice and Society," is fire.
  
  Leora Smith, "How a Dubious Forensic Science Spread Like a Virus"
  A brilliant takedown of the junk science of blood spatter analysis -- and its inventor.
  
  Emma Copley Eisenberg, "'I Am a Girl Now,' Sage Smith Wrote. Then She Went Missing."
  A heartbreaking example of police and the public only caring about missing girls when they're white. When Eisenberg breaks down the statistical differences between the police effort to find Sage Smith -- who was trans, black, and poor -- and a young white woman who went missing around the same time, it's staggering. And devastating.
  
  In case it's not clear: this is a stellar collection. It doesn't have the word "Best" in the title, but you should consider it implicit.
• 
  Jeanette

  This started out by meandering into the category of the title description. By the half way point it was tangent interviews or vastly unrelated hearsay and second or third hand information. It is actually filled with misinformation about the specific cases and/or round about subjects she does chapter introduce. Literally nothing is told in a succinct, accurate or logically consecutive manner.
  
  Her opinion is also in some cases historically wrong. As is her historical or psychological context information distorted and in a few cases inaccurate.
  
  This, IMHO, should not be published as non-fiction fiction in this particular form. Do not waste your time. Especially on any forensics. This is not journalism of record. Nor is it worth perusal time for the level of newspaper articles it reprints.
  
  Some of this is actually zero stars. As it is social justice crap disguised as law or logic.
• 
  Ellis

  A definite recommendation for people who want true crime stories that don't glorify police, hype the killers more than dignifying the victims, or revel in the violence committed against them. If asked I'd say that I'm not a reader of true crime at all, but I'd already read at least half of the stories in this anthology (thanks Longreads, I guess).
• 
  Valerity (Val)

  Review to follow
• 
  Laura Peden

  Unspeakable Acts is a true crime anthology. So basically the book is comprised of already published stories about various crimes throughout history, from Dee Dee Blanchard & Gypsy Rose to Ted Bundy. I think it would’ve worked better using cases that aren’t as well known. Trying to capture Ted Bundy in an hour long section doesn’t really work. I found myself enjoying the cases I wasn’t as familiar with. It’s a really cool approach to true crime and I’d love to find more like this. There are con-men, murderers, there a blood splatter section for Dexter fans 🩸If you do read this, don’t miss the immigration one re: ICE (sorry I don’t know the name of the chapter) Narration was really good : Gabra Zackman & Graham Halstead.
• 
  Joelle Egan

  The editor’s note for Unspeakable Acts: True Tales of Crime, Murder, Deceit, and Obsession (Sarah Weinman, introduction by Patrick Radden Keefe) proposes some potential causes for the recent obsession with true crime stories and the extensive articles devoted to them. The advent of streaming services and podcasts in recent years has stoked existing interest, and any tales that address order vs. chaos become relevant during times of upheaval. As our world becomes more subject to uncertainty, vicarious experiences become internalized and can cause increasing empathy or panic. This anthology is a collection of 13 articles published in the past 10 years and the editor hopes that these writings will “go a long way to make the world a more just, more empathetic place.” A highly ambitious goal for any book, and this one falls far short of its objective. The three sections of the book are meant to separate the articles into groupings that create some overall cohesive message, but the contents of each are too dissimilar and varying in tone and topic to evoke a sense of common purpose. The first section contains investigative (and in some cases sensationalistic) journalism of actual true crime cases. Here can be found descriptions of the infamous Gypsy Rose case, a lurid tale of Munchausen-by-Proxy; the UT tower shooting spree as seen from one survivor’s point of view; a contract killing arranged by a young woman as recompense for a restrictive upbringing; and the Derek Allred story of repetitive predatory relationship fraud. The second section is intended to act as a commentary on the contemporary cultural moment and the way crime stories are viewed as a result of its influence. This part has articles on topics as wide-ranging as the Slender Man case and an old 1970’s movie director whose film was influenced by true events. The final section of Weinman’s book is dedicated to writings about criminal justice and society. The articles in this portion cover the improper use of searches by immigration agents, gun violence and its physical effects, gender and race biases in policing and prosecution, and the use of questionable methods in crime scene analysis. While the partitions of the book make it easier for the reader to switch gears, the overall effect is disjointed, and the selection of the included pieces appears random. Unspeakable Acts could have been three distinct volumes, thereby providing more substance and content for its wide-ranging topics rather than trying to address them all in one. Each of the issues covered deserve more attention than they receive here, and there is certainly a plethora of talented authors continually contributing their voices to choose from.
  
  Thanks to the authors, Ecco and Edelweiss Plus for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.
  
• 
  Christine

  Unspeakable Acts is a collection of 13 true crime essays that have already appeared in a variety of places. The subject covers most modern day crimes as well as the influence on culture.
  It is great that the majority of the essays are by women and that the subject matter is simply more than woman as victim. Additionally, while there are essays about famous crimes such as the case of Dee Dee Blancharde, there are also essays that look at the effect of bullets on a body and the presence of racism and transphobe in investigation.
  One of the best essays is “The Reckoning” by Pamela Colloff which is about the Tower Sniper at Texas University. But all the essays are good including those that talk about the ethics of liking true crime.
  
  
  Reread for using in a class - several of these essay can be used in composition classes to engage students.
• 
  Mara

  This is a collection of pieces, ranging from what we think of as “typical” (though they're quite wonderful) true crime, to more meta examinations of our fascination with the genre. Editor
  Sarah Weinman boldly addresses the problems inherent in ‘the true crime industrial complex’, and takes steps towards highlighting works that are stepping outside those bounds.
  
  “‘I am a girl now,’ Sage Smith Wrote. Then She Went Missing” by
  Emma Copley Eisenberg juxtaposes the system's response to a Black trans woman's disappearance with that of a victim more typical of those we see in the news (a white girl gone missing). The “Justice and Society” section includes three essays that zoom out, looking at the broader social problems and systemic failures that are too often ignored, or go unaddressed in the genre.
  
  Anyway, this isn't much in the way of a review, but I did want to highlight some elements you might not glean by reading the title alone.
• 
  Heather

  Terrible.
  Social justice crap disguised as true crime. Of course the author fails to discuss how responsible, legal gun owners defend their families & save lives, and safeguard the balance of power between government & its citizens. Instead she focuses on a gun control narrative and the tragedies caused by flawed & often unstable human beings (not their weapons). Irresponsible analysis. Meh.
• 
  Savanna

  First, if you are a consumer of true crime narratives, you will absolutely have read some of these stories before. I was absolutely okay with that, because there was so much value added by the selection and flow of the organization—it’s a tasting menu of true crime. After reading the editor’s note I knew we were going to progress from the sensationalist and pulpy, through a critical look at why we enjoy true crime, and finally we would end with stories about the systemic problems of our culture that underpin true crime stories.
  
  The anthology starts with Michelle Dean’s viral Buzzfeed article about Dee Dee and Gypsy Rose Blanchard, which I would hazard most potential reader have already come across in one form or another. Though I had read the article at least twice before, it was an interesting experience to read it again knowing that I was going to be led on this editorial journey. The other highlight for me from section one was the second story: Pamela Colloff’s “The Reckoning,” which follows the life trajectory of Claire Wilson, the first victim of the UT sniper, who was eight months pregnant when she was attacked.
  
  I truly enjoyed all of the stories in this anthology, but I especially enjoyed section three. Each story in section three was compelling and spoke directly to issues larger than the traditional “pretty girls and serial killers’ lore of true crime. Part three covers, in order, gun violence and specifically the physical trauma of gun injuries, the overreach of border patrol (which I, even as a lawyer was unaware of), the lack of hard science behind blood spatter analysis, and the resources spent on some victims of crime and not on others (specifically black trans individuals, which felt particularly timely).
  
  In short, you could likely find all of these stories individually through Google, in the places they were originally published. I would urge you not to do that—there is value added to reading them in this order and thinking about them critically.
  
• 
  Eric

  Unspeakable Acts, edited by Sarah Weinman, is a collection of thirteen, long-form true crime pieces grouped into three categories in the book. Some of the stories are older, while some quite recent. The pieces include stories of murder, criminal investigations, missing persons, and forensic science, some of which have been in the news not too long ago and even turned into films.
  
  Story subjects include well-known criminals such as sniper Charles Whitman, serial killer Ted Bundy and lesser-known offenders, but still notorious in their own endeavors.
  
  Voracious readers of true crime pieces most likely will have encountered some of the included tales from other print sources, such as the Texas Monthly.
  
  The authors included do not write with a salacious style but instead treat each tale with examination through that of serious journalism and well-crafted writing.
  
  In a nutshell, there is a little bit of everything for anyone in the stories found in Unspeakable Acts. Also included at the end is the inclusion by Weinman of a broad list of additional reading sources, podcasts, movies, and other media outlets for even more true crime stories.
  
  Recommend to fans of serious true-crime journalism.
• 
  Alison Hardtmann

  Sarah Weinman's latest project has been to gather together a collection of long-form journalism articles about crime. She has assembled some of the best non-fiction crime writing published today, from well-known crimes like the story of Dee Dee and Gypsy Rose Blancharde, and the two girls who stabbed their friend to please Slenderman, to the story of the first woman shot by the sniper in the tower of the University of Texas in 1967, long before mass shootings became ordinary, and how an untested forensic procedure became accepted in criminal trials. Each article is fascinating and different from the others.
  
  If you have any interest in long-form journalism, I highly recommend this book.
• 
  Mitch Karunaratne

  Some pieces in this collection I loved - they were thoughtful, reflective and encouraged discussion and consideration. Others were more pedestrian involved more of a retelling of events and missed the opportunity to broaden out the discussion. Stand out essay from Alice Bolin on the ethics of 'lowbrow' and 'highbrow' true crime ( her definitions).
• 
  Casey

  This collection of true crime writing is varied and fascinating. Some pieces are not as strong as others, but the ones that made an impact more than made up for it. For the most part, the focus is on victims of crime (not always murder, not always young white girls/women), and that is so important with any true crime I would recommend.
• 
  Tonya

  Collection of very well written articles
• 
  Coral

  Fantastically written with a wide variety of cases covered.
• 
  Jill

  2 stars
  Unspeakable Acts
  True Tales of Crime, Murder, Deceit, and Obsession
  By Sarah Weinman
  Ehh, such a disappointment. This is a just a cobbled together mix of previously published long-form articles. These articles are from a variety of sources such as magazines or websites. There is not even new or updated information regarding these cases. In fact, there is even an article included subtly shaming those who read these types of books/articles.
  I was really disappointed with this book.
  I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley. The views given are my own.
• 
  Rachel Stienberg

  If you’re looking to further explore the true crime genre and look past the featured dead white girl with her upper class values, you might want to add Unspeakable Acts to your reading list. Curated by Sarah Weinman, this anthology combines articles and essays to look into majors crimes and issues. Half the battle when dealing with the subject itself is that true crime has become sensationalized, and has been replicated neatly into fiction, be it filmed or literary avenues. It is difficult, separating raw reality to punchy headlines and film reels.
  
  _ full review can be found at my newly launched blog:
  https://rachelelizabethsmall.wordpres...
• 
  Peacegal

  This is an intelligent and perceptive collection of true crime writing—from essay-length accounts of actual crimes to medical and sociological analyses of the true crime phenomenon.
  
  One of the book’s most thought-provoking chapters probes the true crime “entertainment” industry—and should be required reading for all of us readers and watchers of crime content. Why do we like true crime? Many fans—myself included—have put ourselves on high horses because we select “intelligent” true crime, that is, material that is presented in a more reserved and educated way rather than the lurid stuff best known for sensational titles in dripping-blood fonts and graphic crime scene photos. But is “smart true crime” just another facet of exploitation? There’s no easy answer, and Alice Bolin’s essay raises some good points.
  
  [Indeed, one of the longstanding ramifications of true crime entertainment is the creation of violent criminal celebrities. “Tiger King” is too new for Bolin’s essay, but it’s a perfect example. Walter Palmer killed Cecil the lion and faced worldwide condemnation. Joe Schreibvogel killed at least five tigers, abused and neglected an unknown number more, and became a quirky antihero celebrated in memes, t-shirts, and celebrity tweets. The difference? Palmer didn’t have a Netflix series that gave him a nationwide audience to promote himself and air his opinions.]
  
  By far, the most frightening essay was titled “Checkpoint Nation,” about the U.S. Border Patrol in its various guises, and should be read by everyone, period. It is absolutely horrifying, and the outside-of-the-law (and often hundreds of miles away from the border) behavior of this agency is the stuff of third-world dictatorships, and not what even the most cynical among us would expect to happen in a free country. Would you like to be forcefully detained and subjected to repeated humiliating body cavity searches under arbitrary pretexts or perhaps for no identifiable reason at all? Anyone who champions freedom and liberty yet turns around and defends this agency needs to seriously examine both sides of the issue.
• 
  France-Andrée

  An interesting read, the articles chosen by the editor are all interesting and very different from each other. The book is separated in three parts, all three have to do with real crimes, but only the first part is traditional true crime because of that it was not what I was expecting and that was a good surprise.
  
  Part 1: Narrative Feature
  
  In these four stories, I knew only one well and it's the one set in Canada (makes sense, I am Canadian). Like I said this is more traditional true crime, but it was all fascinating.
  
  Part 2: Crime Meets Culture
  
  Here, we get more the links between influence of culture on crime or vice versa. It touches on role playing games, what we perceive because of media reporting (a quite complex piece on Ted Bundy that touches on a lot of points, I think that was my favorite), highbrow true crime (a lot about podcasts here), an update on some children of the music video of the 90s "Runaway Train" (I still see some images in my head) and, finally, one movie versus the reality of the crime it depicts.
  
  Part 3: Justice and Society
  
  My least favorite part because it got a little too much into the United States dynamics which personally don't interest me as much as it must interest someone from that country. Still good solid articles about a doctor's work in trauma, internal border police (that's the one that I found the least interesting, it's all about internal american policing, it's still fascinating, but a little remote for me), one about the dubious science of blood spattering (very good, puts the subject in it's right place in my opinion) and a sad story about a young trans woman (how the investigation of her disappearance went wrong).
  
  All in all a fascinating read, didn't skip any articles, they have all their highlights. A good job of the editor to bring all of these together. Would recommend to a fan of true crime.
• 
  Dollie

  I love true crime stories and thought this book of magazine articles about crime was a good read. This book starts out with a story about a mother and daughter, Dee Dee Wanted Her Daughter to be Sick, Gypsy Wanted Her Mom Murdered by Michelle Dean. Dee Dee had Munchausen syndrome by proxy and kept her daughter bald and in a wheelchair until Gypsy was in her twenties, frauding organizations like Make-A-Wish out of trips to Hawaii and Disney World. That ended when Gypsy met a man she fell in love with. It was a bizarre story. All of the articles were informative, but there was one that stood out for me over all the others, What Bullets Do to Bodies by Jason Fagone. It was in this article that I learned that when people are shot with automatic weapons, it turns their bodies into jigsaw pieces that have to be put back together. I was brought up with guns, my husband had guns, I was in the army and shot guns, but guns are no necessity to us, and my husband sold all of his long ago. If people want to own guns, that’s their business, but after reading of the body damage they do, I now believe there is no need for anyone to carry an automatic rifle unless they are fighting a war. I think the US should take a lesson from the Japanese and at least outlaw automatic weapons. In 2021 there was one shooting death in Japan. In the United States there were more than 20,000. That’s just too fucked up for me. (Please no nasty comments from NRA members or pro-gun advocates. This is my person opinion. Read the article.)