a tragicly written tradgedy
345772
this book states all the facts but what is missing is the first hand accounts of being in the water. the author would have done more justice to the reader interviewing more of the survivors and japanese servicemen. this book is written too much of a second-hand account
2312960
This truly does read like an encyclopedia, and you know how tedious and ho-hum that can be.  Just the facts, ma'am, no heart, no soul, no urge to feel either sympathy or empathy.  Sure, it's a horrible crime, but why did I come away feeling like I had just watched yet another 6 o'clock news story?  I found another book about this same insidious event called "Toledo Blade" by Thomas Goodrich.  It's written in a 'you-are-there' format, which truly brings each character to life.  There are obvious in-depth interviews with family members of lovely Denise, as well as with those who interacted with the killer on a daily basis, either by choice or by chance.  It is a heart-wrenching, cry-your-eyes-out book about a terrible crime against not just a beautiful mother and her family, but against an entire community, and, ultimately against society in depriving us of yet another of our outstanding young citizens.  Read it and weep.
4238311
A very sad commentary involving the killing and mutilation of many thousands of innocent people. A book that must be read although at times it will be difficult to continue due to the very nature of the material presented.
1954161
The maxim in writing is to write about a topic which you know: this author violated that principle when he chose to write in the first person singular the view of a black man who lived in the south (Virginia) about 100 years prior to the white author's experience in North Carolina.

Yet, knowledge can be gathered.  A Davidson/Duke-educated liberal arts major made a great, if not titanic-sized, effort to be "real" when delivering to us what Nat would have seen in the early 19th century.  And, that effort was well received with a Pulitzer Prize - probably the highest acclamation this author perceived in recognition of his craft.

But, sometimes the well educated writer cannot leave the typewritten page and his vocabulary transcends into the dialogue or thought passages  of the uneducated but bright eponymous protagonist.  For instance, would a slave of the 1830's use these words in everyday language?: sedulous, caparisoned, bruited, analphabetic,  empyrean, and many others.  I know he read the Bible front to back.  I know he memorized many passages of the Bible.  And, this education occurred later in life, without much help, and probably with a very limited access to a dictionary - thereby making many passages of the Bible readable for phonetic fun - but not necessarily understood prose.

What is important is that we know this murderer is a good man.  What led to the revolt which is the focus of the book is more important than the revolt itself.  By the time you have followed his 20th birthday, you realize he is the victim of not only slavery--but of capitalistic greed and false representation which make acceptance of future white person's  promises everything false.

Only one person in the book speaks to him as an equal and ultimately as a mentor.  A young pretty girl says about black people , "I happen to know that where I live n Southampton my mother hires a darky slave who is almost as intelligent and refined and clean and religious and profoundly understanding of the Bible as Doctor Simpson (the local preacher) ." That was her description of Nat Turner.

In the end that girl dies, as does Nat.  And, about 50 white and 50 black people - most of them innocents.  A bad stewing insensitively ordained lifestyle  centering upon  slavery was the cause of the horrible result.  That was well delivered by this author.  Very well delivered.
558220
If I was rating this book on the writing alone, it would certainly be worth five stars.  However as the other reviewers have stated this book is ripe with painful almost unbearable material, and the sheer difficulty of slogging through the misfortunes of the Henderson family makes for some mighty depressing reading.  You will likely find yourself saying "Enough already, how much more can these poor people take!"  That said this is still an excellent book, and well worth your time to read.  Just remember if you are looking for a "feelgood" read this is probably not the book for you.
4272645
I think there is a good reason why I prefer a novel to a docudrama. The Innocent Man is a good case in point. This is a very well written book, as well as very eye opening about how bad our system of justice can be abused. That being said, this is not a book that I enjoyed on any level. I was just tragic, and while the "Innocent Man" and his friend are eventually vindicated of their convictions, this a story where there aren't any happy endings, and justice is not really served. This is just a tragic tale of a young mans slip into mental illness, and a corrupt group of law enforcement agents, adjudicators and prosecutors way of making him go away.

If you like true stories about a failed system, you may be happy you read this tale, if you want an enjoyable read pass it by.
2251527
I loved the writing, but I have trouble saying "I love" a book, when it is so incredibly sad.  It is a commentary on the destruction of people who come to love their money...and the destruction great wealth can cause to others.  I am not one who believes that the "rich" are the bad guys.  It is not "money" that is the root of all evil, but rather "the love of money"...this book makes that painfully clear.
3702059
This is a story that needs to be told, and told again and again from the perspective of others who also survived what the author survived.  For that reason, I am at least somewhat OK with having purchased the book.

However, I don't like to support bad writing - and this was very bad writing. If the book had been primarily written by Jenna I would likely be more forgiving - she wasn't provided with much education, and not everyone can be a good writer.  However, it looks like a writer (Lisa Pulitzer) was brought in to help tell the story - and she didn't do a good job of it (to put it mildly). This is just deadly-flat, lifeless writing (including poor editing) about a story that deserves a much, much stronger presentation.

While I strongly believe that Scientology must be exposed and discredited, I just don't think I can find it in my heart to recommend this particular book to others.
4839860
I loved this book, but it is very depressing. It's an extreme tragedy what he had to go through in his abandonment by a mother who wasn't fit to raise him. I think the writing was excellent - allowing me to truly feel his pain, fear and anger at what no child should have to experience. This is a great read - but be prepared for a truly sad story.
2729665
Sad story , good writing. Not a feel good book but an interesting read.
2920909
Unfortunately, this account has not been proof read. I find it distracting, and wonder why. A sad tale of  a young lady's survival, first in a ghetto and then a concentration camp. Also an account of a young German.
386860
We tend to remember Vietnam as the defining event of the late 60's and early 70's, but Biafra was and is ultimately more heartbreaking to contemplate, because it is nearly forgotten, even though millions died.  Jacobs tells a story of valor and treachery, of relief pilots and aid  workers who risked death everyday so that they could bring medicine and  food into the oil-rich Biafran separatist enclave, which was completely  surrounded by a huge and vengeful, British-backed Nigerian military machine  bent on the Biafrans' extinction.
The book is detailed but doesn't plod,  and we follow along as an ethnic pogrom festers into a civil war, and  ultimately a holocaust. Along the way, all the vaunted fail-safes of our  modern world, from the U.N., to the Red Cross, to the liberal governments  of the U.S. and the U.K., actually aid and abet the Nigerians, and  exacerbate the Biafrans' plight and prolong their agony. The U.S.S.R., long  falsely seen as an anti-imperialist engine for African liberation,  cynically plays its hand as cruelly as anyone else, providing military and  technical assistance to the Federal Government of Nigeria whenever the West  loses their stomach for it.
When millions are dead, and so many are  culpable, one feels it's unfair to assign blame to any single party, but  blame must be assigned. Everyone's responsible, all the way back to the  imperialists who so ineptly drew the borders of what were to emerge as  completely unworkable national entities. Perhaps "state failure"  in Africa will ultimately be the force which credibly redraws the  boundaries, but in Nigeria's case, that will only happen when the oil runs  out. And Lord how high the cost will be.
4177761
Look, if you are squeemish, you might not go for this account of just a gruesome, loathsome buch of ingrates that committed the worst of murders. Nonetheless the author is a terrific writer who enables one to easily follow the story but I am just saying the stroy is just pathetic. It's hard to imagine how horrid human beings can be.
1399054
This is a tragic story about a little girl's life in the English care system.  It leaves you wanting to know more.  I enjoyed what I read but much of it became redundant.  I get it!  She had an awful life that left tons of emotional scars.
925981
Im sitting here completely stunned; overwhelmed by an extraordinary piece of writing. This is not a happy book. This is not an inspiring book. This is a horrifying book; and one of the most profoundly sad stories I have ever read. Yet, this is also one of the most beautiful 700+ pages of prose I have ever encountered.

You know those books about the old college friends who get together after a long time apart and reestablish their close relationships? Well this aint one of those.

You know those stories about the guys who were treated horribly as children but grow to adulthood and finally become well-adjusted adults? Nope. This isn't that either.

You know those BDSM stories that make it seem like the person being beaten or tortured actually enjoys is the pain? This is not that story.

How about the newspaper articles about the abusive priests? Nope, not that.

The Stephen King horror novels? Nope.

The stories with the many plot threads that continually intertwine until you realize they are a work of craftsmanship of the highest order? Now we are getting closer. But this is not that either.

Is this a novel of horror? Maybe. Love? Maybe. The terrors of a horrible childhood? Perhaps. Compassion? Friendship? Adversity? Sexual identity? Child abuse? Genius? Adult adoption? I don't know.

I am not exactly sure what this book is. What I know is that it is so intense, so horrifying, and written with such extraordinarily beautiful craft that I could not possibly read it. Thank God for audible.com.

Hanya Yanagihara has written one of the most extraordinary books I have ever read. Her second novel, A Little Life, tells the horrifying story of Jude St. Francis, A man whose life is so sad and terrible that it is difficult to imagine anyone being treated in a more disgusting and terrifying way then he as a child.

One of the most amazing things about this novel, however, is that this immensely horrifying story is told in such extraordinarily beautiful language that it is almost impossible to believe it is a story of a mans sexual abuse and the result of that abuse on that mans life. It is a sickening story written in one of the most beautiful ways I have ever seen.

I was not joking when I said I could not read this book. Every page would give me nightmares. Fortunately I have been able to listen to the book read by a remarkably astute performer. The Audible Studios production is really wonderful. It is well read, or I really should say well acted, and that is what allowed me to get through it without having to stop every page or two.

Honestly, you can read a lot about the book simply by reading other reviews. I do not know how to draw a line between what I should describe and what I must leave to your imagination. So, it is best that you get your summary from another source. All I would like to do here is to encourage you to look into this truly amazing novel and to consider checking it out. For some of you it may not be as emotionally difficult to read as it was for me. But, whether you read it or listen to it, I strongly encourage you to experience this book.
3970016
More depressing and sad than I thought it was going to be, but still a well written thought out book.
1631217
The writing was good, the biography rather tragic.  I think it would also be of interest to genealogists researching this family line as it gives insights into other family members.