Rating: 
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.
Rating: 
Summary: A classic case watered down
Review: I am an avid true crime reader, and one of the things that I find most disturbing in the genre is the frequent necessity to write books even when there is little to say. Ed Gein's case is rightly considered a landmark in crime history, yet the facts of his story are quite scant. Schechter, because the story is so old, could obviously not find any new fact in the case. As a result, the book is "watered down" - it could have been easily cut to become a magazine article. Having said that, Schechter is a master teller and his style and rhythm are always first-class.
Rating:
Summary: Who knew??
Review: I can't beleive what a great book this was. I thought it was gonna be another dry biography boy was I wrong and to my delight. I would have everyone read this if I thought they were up to the reality of it. I got not only the gritty details that I thought I wanted, but the feeling of the sheriff and townspeople was captured very effectively. You can walk away from this one really informed and have a subject for that late night at the coffee shop. Don't be surprised if it ends up as a textbook in psyche classes.If this subject was of intrest to you feel free to write me. (no nuts please just truecrime buffs)
Rating: 
Summary: Graphic, yet informative...
Review: I enjoyed Deviant from Harold Schechter very much, and having read Fiend and Deranged, I can easily say this is my favorite among the three (he has also written 2 other books, Bestial and Depraved, if you didn't already know). Although I would have liked a more detailed description of Gein's childhood, I thought the book was very graphic yet informative, and was an enjoyable book to read...and even learn from. Although the subject of necrophilia may not be everyone's cup of tea, Schechter did a good job comparing the Gein case to that of several other historical cases...A must read, overall...
Rating:
Summary: A great piece of detailed research and insightful reporting
Review: I first became aware of Harold Schechter with his book "Depraved". It's about a fellow Chicagoan who may be the first serial killer. I couldn't believe the detail that Schechter uncovered about the case, and with this book, a ton of misconceptions about Ed Gein have flown straight out the window. If you are a true crime fan with brains, you'll love this book.
Rating:
Summary: Great read, highly recommended
Review: I found this book to be extremely well-written and informative. The details of Gein's family history and of his crimes are fairly well covered in the true-crime books that make reference to him, but the aftermath is usually not examined very closely - and this book fills in the blanks, describing not only what led up to Gein's arrest, but also the whole media madness that ensued afterwards. The way Eddie was catapulted to "stardom" literally overnight was astonishing - an estimated 4,000 cars filed past Gein's farm on a single weekend after the news of his deeds had spread throughout the nation, and his story was on the front pages of "Life" and "Time" magazines, as well as just about every major newspaper. The details of Eddie's confessions and the quotes from psychiatric reports are very interesting as well. While it may be impossible to fully understand mental illness, this book makes an attempt to explore the workings of a demented mind. (Note: this book has none of the usual gory photos; for these, see judge Gollmar's book.)
Rating:
Summary: Loved this book
Review: I have read many true crime books, and this is one of the best. I also read the book on Gein by Judge Gollmar, and I'm currently reading Ed Gein: Psycho. This book is very good, although it reads more like fiction. Gein surely must have been the original Boogeyman.
Rating:
Summary: A great, intelligent, and empathetic book
Review: I see Ed Gein as one of the most different serial killers. First of all, he's barely a serial killer himself, since he "only" killed 2 persons. It was bodies that he was interested in. Schechter book does an amazing job of exposing who Ed Gein was. That's what I enjoy a lot with this author, he's very honest and never tries to turn the serial killer into some mythical being. By the end of the book I found myself pitying Ed Gein more than I think I ever would. Personally I don't hold Ed Gein for being mean, again he killed two old women, but that is a case of split personality and he was not even conscious at that moment, supposedly. Nevertheless, these two murders are not those of a sadist, there was no torture or anything like that. Bullet in the neck if I remember well, at any rate, tese deaths were rather painless compared to what other killers have done. Ed was a simple minded person, like a sort of kid playing with toys of his own in the most terrifying loneliness. It's a greatly interesting story, but if you expect some bloodthirsty monster, you may be surprised. Ed Gein is a kind of dark Forest Gump. I recommend that book, for its excellent writing and above all for its brilliant honesty and unbiased approach (very different from that movie texas chainsaw massacre who supposedly base itself on Ed Gein, with that book you'll see that it's a heap of lies). As usual, Schechter draws the reader's attention to the context, the 50es and plenty other things that gives a typically Schechterian richness to the book, as is the case to all the books I have read from him so far. Definitely a GREAT book.
Rating:
Summary: A great, intelligent, and empathetic book
Review: I see Ed Gein as one of the most different serial killers. First of all, he's barely a serial killer himself, since he "only" killed 2 persons. It was bodies that he was interested in. Schechter book does an amazing job of exposing who Ed Gein was. That's what I enjoy a lot with this author, he's very honest and never tries to turn the serial killer into some mythical being. By the end of the book I found myself pitying Ed Gein more than I think I ever would. Personally I don't hold Ed Gein for being mean, again he killed two old women, but that is a case of split personality and he was not even conscious at that moment, supposedly. Nevertheless, these two murders are not those of a sadist, there was no torture or anything like that. Bullet in the neck if I remember well, at any rate, tese deaths were rather painless compared to what other killers have done. Ed was a simple minded person, like a sort of kid playing with toys of his own in the most terrifying loneliness. It's a greatly interesting story, but if you expect some bloodthirsty monster, you may be surprised. Ed Gein is a kind of dark Forest Gump. I recommend that book, for its excellent writing and above all for its brilliant honesty and unbiased approach (very different from that movie texas chainsaw massacre who supposedly base itself on Ed Gein, with that book you'll see that it's a heap of lies). As usual, Schechter draws the reader's attention to the context, the 50es and plenty other things that gives a typically Schechterian richness to the book, as is the case to all the books I have read from him so far. Definitely a GREAT book.
Rating:
Summary: Horrific and un-put-downable!
Review: I've heard of Ed Gein off and on for many years. I've heard his crimes were of an unspeakable, stomach-churning, monstrous nature. Yet again, I wanted to satisfy my somewhat morbid curiosity and see just how morbid his crimes were. I was repelled. Psycho, The Silence of the Lambs, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre...all of these films came to, thanks to Eddie and his crimes. A cannibal, necro-sadist grave robber. Not even in fiction have I seen a person crazier than Gein. Harold Schechter does a job that is, in a word, brilliant. As awkward as it may seem, I sympathize with Gein. If his early life hadn't been as it had, he most probably wouldn't have gone so over the edge as he had done in his later life. It is true to say his crimes are inexcusable, but Schechter looks at it in such an angle that I actually (believe it or not) saw a reason for Gein acting in the way he did...as depraved, as sickly demented as it was. It is highly informative, and written very well. There is not a single boring moment in it. It is impeccably researched. And, believe it or not, it's a true story. This actually happened.
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