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Summary: Gein Bible!
Review: Anything and everything you ever wanted to know about Ed Gein is in this gem of a book. I would honestly say that if you are at all interested in Gein and his crimes then pick this up, it's the closest you'll get to a bible being written about the guy!
Of all the books written about Gein this is by far the most superior. It is an unflinching and also at times sympathetic look at one of the wierdest killers in history.
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Summary: Well researched book
Review: Curiosity led me to this book of serial killer Ed Gein. Popular culture influences had led me to beleive otherwise untrue information regarding this long misrepresented stalker. The detailed book revealed an unbiased account of the killings and eventual capture of the small town man who led the nations fear factor for some time. Going into just enough detail as not to lose the reader in innumerable facts, the book gives accurate acocounts of his life and killings,with pop culture reference to spice things up. This is not a book for gorehounds but caters solely to true crime fans. The psychological aspects alone will keep you entranced for days. A solid read that doesnt pander to the blood and guts crowd.
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Summary: Riviting!
Review: Ed Gein was the king of psychopathic losers. In spite of the horrific nature of his crimes it is almost possible to pity such an addlebrained childish idiot, even an idiot of such monstrous evil. In the end though, it is the evil that overshadows the pathetic incapacity of the man. Gein is of course the source for the films 'Psycho', 'The Texas Chainsaw Massacre' and even 'Silence Of The Lambs'. Never has so much been made out of such a loser. Unable to handle the difficulties of even his simple dissolute existence, Gein's addled brain took refuge first in necrophiliac fantasies and eventually in inept sex driven murder. He also made all sorts of totems out of his victims, from kitchenware to 'clothing' and furniture. Schechter tells Gein's pathetic story in graphic detail, and like all of his books, Deviant is riveting. From the description of Gein's trash filled house to the details of the crimes, nothing is left out in this chilling book. The horror of Gein will shock you, his crimes are far worse than those of his on screen copies, but you will be unable to put the book down. This is the first book by Schechter I read, but after finishing it I promptly picked up all the others I could find, all were equally excellent. The book is highly recommended. I also recommend Deranged, Depraved and Bestial.
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Summary: The Plainfield Ghoul lives on! A frighteningly candid book
Review: Ed Gein, America's most bizarre murderer, is finally revealed in this engrossing (no pun intended) work. Millions know about Ed's crimes, but up until now very few knew about his life. A wonderfully creepy book that made me take the long way home one night, instead of the short path I usually take by the graveyard.
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Summary: scary--must read
Review: Eddie Gein was a psychopath much in the mold of Jack the Ripper, et al; a spare, concise book chronicling Eddie's crimes while showcasing the horror that surrounds them. A chilling, concise account of the horror that paralyzed America in the pre-baby-boom era.
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Summary: The Best of Edward Gein
Review: Edward Gein, pronounced Geen, is often credited as the a forefather of America's fascination with serial killers. Because Gein is credited as being the inspiration for such films as Psycho and Texas Chainsaw Massacre, many misconceptions exist about him. Harold Schechter sets the record straight in Deviant.
Schechter begins the story in Gein's bizarre childhood which is noteworthy because of his lazy and abusive father and dominating mother. It is his dominating mother that had the greatest influence on him. She taught him that women were evil. His mother's death left a void in his life that left him longing for her and the saintly image he placed on her. This led Gein to punish women less worthy than his mother to live by killing them. Gein only admitted to killing two people. The body parts that were scattered over his property would indicate more victims. Additionally, Gein believes he has the power to will his mother back to life. While he is unable to bring his mother back from the grave, he does remove many with similarities to his mother from their graves. When Gein's crimes were discovered, little known Plainfield, Wisconsin was forever changed into a tourist attraction for gapers.
Although Gein died largely anonymously in a mental health facility, the stories of his house of horrors prospered. While his story is often obscured in films and other books, Schechter sets the record straight. This is a thoroughly researched, commendable book. It is the best book available on Edward Gein
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Summary: Deviant tells of the man behind the monster.
Review: Edward Theodore Gein has become an infamous name in the legion of serial killers. Certainly others appeared after him, stealing some of the spotlight (i.e. the Zodiac, Son of Sam, David J. Carpenter, Ted Bundy, as well as the Night Stalker, to name but a few), but only Jeffrey Dahmer has come anywhere close to igniting a revulsion of horror at that shear twistedness of his crimes.Harold Schechter does an incredible job at detailing the life of the sick, sad soul whose crimes, as well the urban legends spawned by them (i.e. the practice of cannibalism and taxidermy), gave birth to a slew of fictional, and quite popular, cinematic serial predators (Psyho's Norman Bates, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre's Leatherface, and The Silence of the Lambs's Buffalo Bill to name but a few). The author is also quite careful to separate the true crimes from the sensational hyperbole that erupted after their discovery. He also paints a sad portrait of the tortured family life where Gein's strange mental illness was formed, so that the reader not only comes away from this unputdownable book knowing the monstrous actions. We also know the sad, twisted, and lonely little man behind the monster. Highly recommended.
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Summary: ed gein: The Shy little killer
Review: From what I have read of these reviews I haven't heard from one person that really knew much about Ed Gein. Does anybody reasearch ????? Ed gein killed more than two people, possibly a very young girl and maybe his own brother... I did case studies for school I read news articles,books,doc., everything you could think of.. This wasn't a killer this was a very sick little man who knew not what he was doing. Stop making him out to be this Hanibal Lectortype killer that was not Ed Gein, this man was a very gentle scared tormented person.
He would be upset if he knew people thought this of him....Ed Gein did not want to be a serial killer he wanted to fit in and be normal.....
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Summary: A scholarly examinations of a true psychopath
Review: Given the passage of time and the depth of the author's research, this book reads more like a work of historical scholarship than your typical true crime story, and it is the better for it. Not only does Harold Schechter skillfully tell the story of Ed Gein's infamous crimes, but he also successfully puts the tale in the proper historical and sociological context. In order to understand the deviant Gein became, you have to understand the bleak society and loveless home he came from. His crimes are certainly shocking and unforgiveable, but it's hard not to see Gein as a pathetic figure. The oppressively lonely and essentially passive man Schechter portrays is hardly consistent with the horror story villains based on his story. I appreciated Schechter's research into and explanation of the studies that were done of Gein during his lifetime incarceration in forensic psychological wards. The author does a particularly good job of explaining the subtleties of legal insanity and how Gein could be considered sane enough to be tried but still be found criminally insane.
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Summary: Oh, cousin Ed. What've you done now?
Review: Honestly, whatta nut. Very good documentary about a very strange man from the North Woods. Of course, by now aficianados should expect that Schechter will get it right. And very stylishly so. Apropos of nothing, my family originated pretty near that...and my father used to torment his mother (a very prim and proper lady) by asking for stories about "Cousin Ed." Needless to say, she found that about as amusing as Ed's woman suit. Enjoy, campers! BTW, the REALLY graphic pictures and wonderful line drawings can be found in the book written by the presiding judge at his trial, Judge Robert Gollmar. Hard to find, but well worth it.
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