Rating: 
Summary: An Ungodly waste of time
Review: A major problem with making Madalyn O'Hair the standard for atheists is that all atheists can easily be slurred through her. Ungodly is a prime example; Dracos' Christians are portrayed as flawless, while his atheists are treated little better than pond scum. Fortunately, his book is easy to dismiss. Haphazardly arranged, riddled with stale cliches, and full of errors, it careens between biography and crime story, failing at each. The only attempts at chronology are as events unfolded through the media. Ungodly appears to be written for tabloid readers who care less about facts than an embellished tale. Dracos was a television reporter, which may help explain why his book reads like a cheap soap opera that should be cancelled. Some of the errors seem deliberate. Richard O'Hair was an FBI informant in the late 1940s. According to Dracos, O'Hair married Madalyn Murray so he could maintain his informant status, and remained an informant through the rest of his life. However, O'Hair's FBI file indicates that his data wasn't trusted. A memo written by J. Edgar Hoover shortly after the O'Hair/Murray marriage states, "In the past several years O'Hair has written a number of letters offering to be of assistance, but the field has been instructed not to utilize him as an informant. In 1962 it was recommended and approved that we not acknowledge further letters of O'Hair." Dracos alleges an incestuous lesbian relationship between O'Hair and her granddaughter Robin, saying that O'Hair wrote in her diary of "being 'tortured' by their late-evening 'kissy-kissy' play". The diary entry, from February 1984, refers to "Kissy-kissy's play". Note that "Kissy-kissy's" is capitalized and possessive, likely someone who directed, wrote or acted in a stage production that O'Hair panned. Dracos could have tracked down "Kissy-kissy", but not only would that require effort, it would render the passage irrelevant. Since I attended Gary Karr's trial and the subsequent David Waters hearings, I read this section of the book with some interest. Dracos says lead prosecutor Gerald Carruth won a major verdict over Racehorse Haynes "Just prior to taking the Murray-O'Hair case". That happened about 15 years prior. During breaks, reporters passed around a Third Coast magazine issue that documented the Carruth/Haynes debates. Third Coast didn't survive the 1980s. Dracos gives Carruth a "Kojak-shaved head"; Carruth is bald. Dracos regards Karr's lawyer Tom Mills as "one of the finer criminal trial attorneys in the state and a perceptive and vigorous adversary". Well, he sure didn't prove it at the trial. Mills was poorly prepared, and was usually hesitant while questioning witnesses. Furthermore, he was gullible; during jury deliberations, he fell for a tall tale Carruth told about blue barrels being found at Cooksey Ranch. Mills' second, Christie Williams, was better. A former prosecutor, she seemed more experienced at cross-examination; her questions were focused toward making a specific point. However, Dracos doesn't mention her. Ellen Johnson was the first witness; the video of Madalyn O'Hair and Jon Murray was shown while she was on the stand. Patti Jo Steffens Chavez (Dracos fails to report that she married shortly after leaving Waters) testified on the first Wednesday; Charlene Karr was called the next day. The preacher was the first defense witness; the bar owner testified the following morning. For each of these pairings, Dracos has the order reversed. Dracos contends that, when Gary Karr called his ex-wife Charlene from prison, she secretly taped the conversation. Not exactly: after she hung up, she called the FBI, who contacted the prison, and the recording was retrieved. Dracos ends the prosecution with Patti Jo's testimony: Patti Jo was the ninth of 68 prosecution witnesses. Dracos describes the bar owner as elderly: Bonnie Jean Davis is a slender babe with long thick hair and great legs. Dracos reports that Waters' lawyer attended the entire Karr trial. Gates attended, as did other interested lawyers, but he was in and out. Regardless, he wasn't appointed to represent Waters for several more months. Dracos claims that the gold coins were stolen the day after they were acquired. Jon Murray delivered them on September 29; they were stolen on October 3. Dracos writes that the trial answered the question of what became of the coins, but a John MacCormack article answered that question about a year earlier. Dracos says the thieves ate lunch at a Burger King. It wasn't established exactly where the coin thieves ate, but no Burger King is near the storage facility. The closest one is about 3 miles northeast, in the opposite direction of the return drive to San Antonio. Dracos has one coin thief making a pendant from a coin before giving it to an aunt. He gave her the coin to settle a debt; she made it a piece of jewelry. Dracos states that the kidnappers moved their victims from the Warren Inn to a La Quinta on September 26. They rented the La Quinta room from September 28 at almost 9:00 p.m. to the 30th at 5:30 a.m. As Waters was being shackled after receiving his sentence, an old man in the front row started yelling at him. Dracos remarks that the judge didn't bother to silence the man, but at that point, the judge was no longer in the room. Dracos has Waters being led down the courthouse steps as Ellen Johnson was reading her speech; all sound bites had been recorded before Waters came out. By then, U. S. Marshals had reporters and spectators stand on the east side of the steps; Johnson was at the top, closest to the exit. Readers of Ungodly won't know that Waters was one of several prisoners escorted to the van. The female one hid her face from the assembled cameras, apparently unaware that she wasn't the center of attention. Similar errors of fact, chronology and omission occur throughout Ungodly. If Madalyn O'Hair deserved such a hostile book, one could easily be written without sacrificing accuracy.
Rating:
Summary: An Ungodly waste of time
Review: A major problem with making Madalyn O'Hair the standard for atheists is that all atheists can easily be slurred through her. Ungodly is a prime example; Dracos' Christians are portrayed as flawless, while his atheists are treated little better than pond scum. Fortunately, his book is easy to dismiss. Haphazardly arranged, riddled with stale cliches, and full of errors, it careens between biography and crime story, failing at each. The only attempts at chronology are as events unfolded through the media. Ungodly appears to be written for tabloid readers who care less about facts than an embellished tale. Dracos was a television reporter, which may help explain why his book reads like a cheap soap opera that should be cancelled. Some of the errors seem deliberate. Richard O'Hair was an FBI informant in the late 1940s. According to Dracos, O'Hair married Madalyn Murray so he could maintain his informant status, and remained an informant through the rest of his life. However, O'Hair's FBI file indicates that his data wasn't trusted. A memo written by J. Edgar Hoover shortly after the O'Hair/Murray marriage states, "In the past several years O'Hair has written a number of letters offering to be of assistance, but the field has been instructed not to utilize him as an informant. In 1962 it was recommended and approved that we not acknowledge further letters of O'Hair." Dracos alleges an incestuous lesbian relationship between O'Hair and her granddaughter Robin, saying that O'Hair wrote in her diary of "being 'tortured' by their late-evening 'kissy-kissy' play". The diary entry, from February 1984, refers to "Kissy-kissy's play". Note that "Kissy-kissy's" is capitalized and possessive, likely someone who directed, wrote or acted in a stage production that O'Hair panned. Dracos could have tracked down "Kissy-kissy", but not only would that require effort, it would render the passage irrelevant. Since I attended Gary Karr's trial and the subsequent David Waters hearings, I read this section of the book with some interest. Dracos says lead prosecutor Gerald Carruth won a major verdict over Racehorse Haynes "Just prior to taking the Murray-O'Hair case". That happened about 15 years prior. During breaks, reporters passed around a Third Coast magazine issue that documented the Carruth/Haynes debates. Third Coast didn't survive the 1980s. Dracos gives Carruth a "Kojak-shaved head"; Carruth is bald. Dracos regards Karr's lawyer Tom Mills as "one of the finer criminal trial attorneys in the state and a perceptive and vigorous adversary". Well, he sure didn't prove it at the trial. Mills was poorly prepared, and was usually hesitant while questioning witnesses. Furthermore, he was gullible; during jury deliberations, he fell for a tall tale Carruth told about blue barrels being found at Cooksey Ranch. Mills' second, Christie Williams, was better. A former prosecutor, she seemed more experienced at cross-examination; her questions were focused toward making a specific point. However, Dracos doesn't mention her. Ellen Johnson was the first witness; the video of Madalyn O'Hair and Jon Murray was shown while she was on the stand. Patti Jo Steffens Chavez (Dracos fails to report that she married shortly after leaving Waters) testified on the first Wednesday; Charlene Karr was called the next day. The preacher was the first defense witness; the bar owner testified the following morning. For each of these pairings, Dracos has the order reversed. Dracos contends that, when Gary Karr called his ex-wife Charlene from prison, she secretly taped the conversation. Not exactly: after she hung up, she called the FBI, who contacted the prison, and the recording was retrieved. Dracos ends the prosecution with Patti Jo's testimony: Patti Jo was the ninth of 68 prosecution witnesses. Dracos describes the bar owner as elderly: Bonnie Jean Davis is a slender babe with long thick hair and great legs. Dracos reports that Waters' lawyer attended the entire Karr trial. Gates attended, as did other interested lawyers, but he was in and out. Regardless, he wasn't appointed to represent Waters for several more months. Dracos claims that the gold coins were stolen the day after they were acquired. Jon Murray delivered them on September 29; they were stolen on October 3. Dracos writes that the trial answered the question of what became of the coins, but a John MacCormack article answered that question about a year earlier. Dracos says the thieves ate lunch at a Burger King. It wasn't established exactly where the coin thieves ate, but no Burger King is near the storage facility. The closest one is about 3 miles northeast, in the opposite direction of the return drive to San Antonio. Dracos has one coin thief making a pendant from a coin before giving it to an aunt. He gave her the coin to settle a debt; she made it a piece of jewelry. Dracos states that the kidnappers moved their victims from the Warren Inn to a La Quinta on September 26. They rented the La Quinta room from September 28 at almost 9:00 p.m. to the 30th at 5:30 a.m. As Waters was being shackled after receiving his sentence, an old man in the front row started yelling at him. Dracos remarks that the judge didn't bother to silence the man, but at that point, the judge was no longer in the room. Dracos has Waters being led down the courthouse steps as Ellen Johnson was reading her speech; all sound bites had been recorded before Waters came out. By then, U. S. Marshals had reporters and spectators stand on the east side of the steps; Johnson was at the top, closest to the exit. Readers of Ungodly won't know that Waters was one of several prisoners escorted to the van. The female one hid her face from the assembled cameras, apparently unaware that she wasn't the center of attention. Similar errors of fact, chronology and omission occur throughout Ungodly. If Madalyn O'Hair deserved such a hostile book, one could easily be written without sacrificing accuracy.
Rating:
Summary: lacking
Review: A tabloid account of the life of O'Hair, apparently an egocentrist diminished by the history in which she played. The author's dislike of his subject and lack of documentation are major sticking points. Omnisciently relates O'Hair's motives, thoughts, etc. without specifying sources. The author is judgmental and contradictory in portraying O'Hair.
Interesting material, but appears to have been written for the check-out shelves. Unfortunate, as the issues concerned are as important today as then.
Rating: 
Summary: More "True Crime" than "Biography"
Review: Although this book does give the chronological story of MMO's life, it is written in the sensationalistic style typical of true crime books; that is why I say it is more "true crime" than "biography". For 30 years MMO was the reigning goddess of atheism in America. Her fatal flaw was her contempt for humanity in general, not just Christians. Using MMO's diaries & atheist newsletter, the author lets us know her opinions of the people in her life. Her mother was a "dumb broad". Her office workers at her atheist headquarters in Austin were "scum, derelicts, lumpen proletariat" (the rest of the words she used -including racial slurs- might possibly be deleted by amazon.com if I included them here). Her oldest son, who converted to Christianity was a "post natal abortion". Her financial supporters were "gutless bastards". As noted in her diaries, she had a special dislike for Jewish people. It seems the only people she had kind words for were those who acquiesced to her domineering personality.
The author has a lot of unkind words for people too, at one point remarking that Bill Murray's "homely" wife Susan wore thick, black-rimmed glasses "of a sort that a mean-spirited librarian might wear". (I'm not sure why the author singled out librarians for this insult.) There is a photo of Susan in the book and as far as I am concerned she has very pleasant features and I believe the glasses she is wearing were considered fashionable at the time. I think the catty remarks are unnecessary and take away from the quality of the book.
At the time of MMO's disappearance I was living in Austin. I remember reading in the paper a speculative article that she had died and her son and grand-daughter had spirited her body away to someplace where Christians could not pray for her soul at her gravesite. Apparently nobody, not even the athiests cared enough about the abrasive and arrogant MMO to bother trying to find out what happened to her. The police seemed to have little interest in the case, and it took Bill Murray a year to file a missing persons report on his mother, half brother and daughter. It took a newspaper reporter, John MacCormack, and a private investigator, Tim Young, to initiate the investigation that would lead to the arrest and conviction of Waters and Karr for murder.
One issue that I would have liked for the author to explore more fully was why Bill and Susan turned their daughter Robin over for MMO to raise. Neither Bill nor Susan seemed to like MMO, so why would they allow MMO to raise their daughter? If they had not done so, she would probably still be alive today.
This is a very uneven work, still it is interesting and hard to put down due to the "true crime!" style prose that has a tendency to "hook" readers and hold their attention throughout the book.
Rating:
Summary: Tellls of murder but is pretentious
Review: Basically I read this book because it is the only one available about the murder of Madalyn Murray, her son and her granddaughter. While the author did cover Madalyn's life, her assorted shennanigans and did cover some about the investigation ( or lack of it) into her disappearance, I feel that the author took on a purple prose, somewhat mocking attitude towards Madalyn Murray. The details of the investigation and the discovery of the bodies is barely more than one can find online in the crime archives. Granted the subject was a crass and crude person, but I think she deserved a better tale of her life and the circumstances of her murder than this book. There are some interesting bits, such as what Bill Murray heard when he finally reported her as missing to the police, thus the three stars. Worth a read but not comprehensive.
Rating: 
Summary: Fascinating story!
Review: I wouldn't classify this as a "biography," but it was a very interesting tale of O'Hair's life (and death). I hadn't followed the case against her murderers when it played out; it was quite fascinating to read about it.
Despite what some of the reviewers have written, I didn't think this was a biased book. Hey, it's hard to portray as a saint a woman as wicked as her. Regardless of whether you agree with her Athiesm, she WAS an evil, greedy woman who bilked many of her supporters out of thousands if not millions of dollars. Sadly, it was greed itself that led to her murder.
Rating:
Summary: Pathetic
Review: Like other reviewers have stated, this is a very poorly written and biased book. One wonders if it is intentional or not. Easily one of the most biased books I have read, ever.
Rating:
Summary: Divine Irony
Review: Madalyn Murray O'Hair was ironically born on April 13, 1919 on Easter Sunday, a high holy day on the Church Calendar. By her own account, she had an "atheist epiphany" while reading the Bible at age 12 or 13 wherein she dismissed it as being implausible and declared herself to be an atheist to the world at large. In yet another stroke of irony, O'Hair enrolled at Ashland College where chapel was mandatory. She graduated in 1948. At that time she moved to Texas from her native Ohio and enrolled in law school. She graduated with a law degree in 1952, but failed the Bar exam. She by then had a son out of wedlock named William Joseph Murray III. He was born on May 26, 1946. In 1954, she had a second son whom she named Jon Garth. She never identified Jon's father by name, but described him in extremely bawdy terms. She raised both sons to be atheists and on October 12, 1960 she was irate when her older son's principal told her that all pupils had mandatory prayers in school each morning. By November 2, 1960 her older son publicly refused to pray. William seemed destined to follow the atheistic path laid out for him and in early 1964 he married a woman from a Jewish family. Naturally that did not sit well with Madalyn Murray O'Hair and marital discord soon ensued. The discord escalated to domestic abuse. When Madalyn's only grandchild, Robin, was born on February 16, 1965 her son's marriage was more or less over. During 1964-1965 the O'Hairs moved frequently. William was arrested in 1964 because his wife Susan was under the legal age for marriage. Madalyn Murray O'Hair fought with the arresting officers and she herself faced charges. On May 26, 1964 William's father-in-law filed criminal charges against him. The irony of William's being busted on his birthday was not lost on the irate Madalyn Murray O'Hair. It was during this period that she was described as one who "craved to induce chaos." Shortly after his release, William, his wife, brother and mother fled to Hawaii where Madalyn found her niche there on Atheist Radio, spewing out her inflammatory brand of atheism. The program prided itself on granting "free time to opposing viewpoints" under the Fairness Doctrine. By August of 1964 the O'Hairs were extradited to Maryland. By early 1965, O'Hair had found an offshoot to express her atheism. She became involved with a Reverend Rhinehart who was an avid mystic. In May of 1965 she flew to San Francisco to dodge law enforcement and by that summer was involved in the disastrous Blake College project. By August of 1965, her older son bought an exit letter to leave Mexico where he was then staying. O'Hair was busted during this period and was sent to San Antonio, Texas and was later extradited to Maryland. She served 31 days and was released by an atheist judge. On October 22, 1965 the charges against O'Hair were dropped. On November 6, 1967 she appeared on the popular talk show hosted by Phil Donahue. She became infamous for her liberal use of expletives, blasphemy and invectives. During commercial breaks, she shocked the audience with her incindiary diatribes against religion. A shrewd person, O'Hair had managed to convince a number of people to will all of their worldly possessions to her. Larry Flynt, an infamous porn mogul described her as being the most brilliant person he knew and gave her $300 million. In yet another stroke of irony, O'Hair's oldest son had a religious epiphany and became a Christian in the 1970s. He claimed to have had a vision of an Angel with a sword and Bible. In 1982 he wrote a book about his road to Christianity. Jon, however, remained an atheist. Ironically, Robin remained an atheist as well. On February 2, 1993 a David Waters answered an ad in a Texas newspaper for a job as office manager of the Atheist Headquarters. A man with a criminal background, Waters allegedly skimmed funds and O'Hair's son Jon received a New York bank notice that $70,000.00 bearer bonds had been issued, but were missing. By March of 1994 all of the Headquarter's accounts were liquidated and Jon tracked a trail of forged checks Waters had cashed. The last known photograph of O'Hair was taken on August 11, 1995 and a notice was sent throughout the Atheist community that O'Hair would return on September 15. For three years the Atheist community claimed O'Hair was returning. Legal authorities felt differently and on October 2, 1998 an auction was held in the O'Hair home in Austin, Texas. Diaries Madalyn Murray O'Hair had written from 1959-72 were found. A series of diaries covering the 1989-95 period were missing and on January 31, 1999 an IRS auction was held to conclude the dispersal of her possessions. O'Hair, son Jon and granddaughter Robin were found on January 27, 2001, charred in a field. David Waters was sentenced for their murders on March 30, 2001. As a Christian, I could not support O'Hair or anything she stood for. Although I was quite repelled by O'Hair, her blasphemy and conduct, I found the book interesting and informative. I also found her decision to hire Waters unsettling and a sad end to a sad road traveled.
Rating:
Summary: Divine Irony
Review: Madalyn Murray O'Hair was ironically born on April 13, 1919 on Palm Sunday, a high holy day on the Church Calendar. By her own account, she had an "atheist epiphany" while reading the Bible at age 12 or 13 wherein she dismissed it as being implausible and declared herself to be an atheist to the world at large. In yet another stroke of irony, O'Hair enrolled at Ashland College where chapel was mandatory. She graduated in 1948.
At that time she moved to Texas from her native Ohio and enrolled in law school. She graduated with a law degree in 1952, but failed the Bar exam. She by then had a son out of wedlock named William Joseph Murray III. He was born on May 26, 1946.
In 1954, she had a second son whom she named Jon Garth. She never identified Jon's father by name, but described him in extremely bawdy terms. She raised both sons to be atheists and on October 12, 1960 she was irate when her older son's principal told her that all pupils had mandatory prayers in school each morning. By November 2, 1960 her older son publicly refused to pray.
William seemed destined to follow the atheistic path laid out for him and in early 1964 he married a woman from a Jewish family. Naturally that did not sit well with Madalyn Murray O'Hair and marital discord soon ensued. The discord escalated to domestic abuse. When Madalyn's only grandchild, Robin, was born on February 16, 1965 her son's marriage was more or less over.
During 1964-1965 the O'Hairs moved frequently. William was arrested in 1964 because his wife Susan was under the legal age for marriage. Madalyn Murray O'Hair fought with the arresting officers and she herself faced charges. On May 26, 1964 William's father-in-law filed criminal charges against him. The irony of William's being busted on his birthday was not lost on the irate Madalyn Murray O'Hair. It was during this period that she was described as one who "craved to induce chaos."
Shortly after his release, William, his wife, brother and mother fled to Hawaii where Madalyn found her niche there on Atheist Radio, spewing out her inflammatory brand of atheism. The program prided itself on granting "free time to opposing viewpoints" under the Fairness Doctrine. By August of 1964 the O'Hairs were extradited to Maryland.
By early 1965, O'Hair had found an offshoot to express her atheism. She became involved with a Reverend Rhinehart who was an avid mystic. In May of 1965 she flew to San Francisco to dodge law enforcement and by that summer was involved in the disastrous Blake College project. By August of 1965, her older son bought an exit letter to leave Mexico where he was then staying. O'Hair was busted during this period and was sent to San Antonio, Texas and was later extradited to Maryland. She served 31 days and was released by an atheist judge. On October 22, 1965 the charges against O'Hair were dropped.
On November 6, 1967 she appeared on the popular talk show hosted by Phil Donahue. She became infamous for her liberal use of expletives, blasphemy and invectives. During commercial breaks, she shocked the audience with her incindiary diatribes against religion.
A shrewd person, O'Hair had managed to convince a number of people to will all of their worldly possessions to her. Larry Flynt, an infamous porn mogul described her as being the most brilliant person he knew and gave her $300 million.
In yet another stroke of irony, O'Hair's oldest son had a religious epiphany and became a Christian in the 1970s. He claimed to have had a vision of an Angel with a sword and Bible. In 1982 he wrote a book about his road to Christianity. Jon, however, remained an atheist. Ironically, Robin remained an atheist as well.
On February 2, 1993 a David Waters answered an ad in a Texas newspaper for a job as office manager of the Atheist Headquarters. A man with a criminal background, Waters allegedly skimmed funds and O'Hair's son Jon received a New York bank notice that $70,000.00 bearer bonds had been issued, but were missing. By March of 1994 all of the Headquarter's accounts were liquidated and Jon tracked a trail of forged checks Waters had cashed.
The last known photograph of O'Hair was taken on August 11, 1995 and a notice was sent throughout the Atheist community that O'Hair would return on September 15. For three years the Atheist community claimed O'Hair was returning. Legal authorities felt differently and on October 2, 1998 an auction was held in the O'Hair home in Austin, Texas. Diaries Madalyn Murray O'Hair had written from 1959-72 were found. A series of diaries covering the 1989-95 period were missing and on January 31, 1999 an IRS auction was held to conclude the dispersal of her possessions.
O'Hair, son Jon and granddaughter Robin were found on January 27, 2001, charred in a field. David Waters was sentenced for their murders on March 30, 2001.
As a Christian, I could not support O'Hair or anything she stood for. Although I was quite repelled by O'Hair, her blasphemy and conduct, I found the book interesting and informative. I also found her decision to hire Waters unsettling and a sad end to a sad road traveled.
Rating: 
Summary: Giving the Devil Her Due
Review: One has only to read the reviews on the book jacket to know that they are in for a biased account of O'Hair's life and death.
One compares O'hair with her killer, "Her killer was as bright viscious and devious as she was." As if to say that opposition to Christianity and a little conning are as bad as murder. The other reviewer calls O'hair's death "poetic justice". Very Christian like, indeed.
In these times when religion and state are all too intertwined we could use another O'Hair, even with all her faults. We may not be able to stop Bush's mixing state and religion at the poles but Madalyn may have stopped him through the courts.
Unfortunately, for those of us who are curious rather than vengefull, this book doesn't sufficiently recount the tactics O'Hair used to get prayer out of schools.
What it does point out, perhaps inadvertantly, is the bias that officials showed whenever it came to performing their civic duties as they related to O'Hair's predicaments.
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