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Summary: A historical and sociological account of family violence
Review: ALL GOD'S CHILDREN is a true story about human failure. It is a historical, sociological account that covers four generations of Bosket men, with the last two generations possessing genius IQs. The writer, Fox Butterfield, details both the external forces and the internal forces that may give insight into the perpetuating violence among the Bosket men. Included in the many forces that Butterfield depicts are the family, the psychological, race, and institutionalization. The impacts of their experiences due to these forces are both interesting and hearbreaking. Although the book's focus is on how Willie, the youngest Bosket, came to be the violent person he is today, great detail is given to his father Butch. These two men share strikingly similar beginnings and life circumstances. These seemingly parallel lives of both Willie and Butch create a sense of uneasiness with the reader -- especially because the two men never met! In 1979, Willie Bosket became known due to the passing of the first law in the United States which allows for teenagers who commit murder to be tried and punished as adults. New York has nicknamed this law the Willie Bosket Law. Willie, who has been incarcerated in New York since 1978, is considered to be the most dangerous man in America. Butterfield does an excellent job of tracing the family's history back to the antebellum South, and in identifying the precipitating factors of criminal behavior. If you enjoy history and have an interest in social issues, then this book is definitely worth reading.
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Summary: Far from fictional
Review: During the time when i read this book I was not just learning about a stranger but and actually part of me. I found out after the completion of the book that this was a story about my family's history. I founded the book to interesting and helpful. I read the book last year when I was seventeen. After reading it I passed it all to my peers hoping that they could learn something about themselves as well. I feel that this is a great book not for just African- American teens but all growing up and struggling in the inner-city. Also, this book should be as a tool to use in a social sciences classes. Because it helps people understand the differences between different ethnic groups. It answers alot of the questions that people have today. There is always a debate about slavery and the effects it caused. People argued that its in the past and it time to move on, but fail to realize that it still affects those same people who have yet to even come close to understanding who they are and where their from. All Gods Children is one part of the bridge that is being built to understand our surroundings and I'll recommend this book to any person that is willing to grow.
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Summary: All God's Children
Review: Excellent depiction of what the juvenile justice system in this country can do to a child. The historical perspective of violence has many interesting ramifications. One can argue that we can go back even further, to a time when England conquered the Scots and the Irish. Fox Butterfield has a very clear writing style, and he is non-judgmental in his prose. I recommend this book to any student, or anyone involved professionally with violence-prevention or criminology.
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Summary: Must read
Review: Excellent!! One of the most profounding books I have ever read. Any, and every serious student of Sociology, Criminology, law, psychology, or the black family should read this book and know the story of Willie Bosket.
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Summary: Prolific historical data collection teamed with today's real
Review: Fox Butterfield did an excellent job of detailing the horrific impact that past cultural, racial, and economic deprivation and oppression has had upon the lives of Americans both black and white. The Bosket Family is a sociologists dream because they fit the mold of the theory of "the trickle down effects of hatred and violence. The author details to the reader the hard truth that America has not just become a violent country it has always been a violent country and this is a truth that we as readers and citizens must come to accept and learn from. Butterfields depiction of the terrible cycle of violence within this writing is prolific, it is well documented and well researched. Five stars is must. This should be required reading for every criminal justice student in this country. Great Book!! Loved the historical background information.
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Summary: All God's Children
Review: I borrowed this book from the library several years ago and remain so moved by it that I just ordered a copy for myself. As soon as it arrives I am going to read it again and then I will encourage every adult I know to read it. The book is poignant, illuminating, and heartwrenching. The writer's style as I recall was superb as he wrote it objectively and in a manner that allows readers to come to their own conclusions. I have never written a review of a book, and doubt I will again, but I was affected so much by this book I feel I need to let everyone know what an excellent book it is.
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Summary: Outstanding book!
Review: I borrowed this book from the library several years ago and remain so moved by it that I just ordered a copy for myself. As soon as it arrives I am going to read it again and then I will encourage every adult I know to read it. The book is poignant, illuminating, and heartwrenching. The writer's style as I recall was superb as he wrote it objectively and in a manner that allows readers to come to their own conclusions. I have never written a review of a book, and doubt I will again, but I was affected so much by this book I feel I need to let everyone know what an excellent book it is.
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Summary: victim's daughter
Review: I enjoyed this book because it was really interesting to listen to the events of the day that led up to Willie stabbing my father, corrections officer Earl Porter.
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Summary: Interesting Book!
Review: I found this book interesting as well as heartbreaking. When I first opened it up, I was unable to put it down. Alcoholism, physical abuse, sexual abuse, incest, rejection, and neglect were 6 factors in which had been existent within the Bosket family. It seems as if the only way they had learned to fight were with either weapons or with their bare hands. One of the saddest situations included Butch and the fact that he had raped his girlfriend's 6 year-old daughter, "Kristin". The girlfriend's name was Donna and she seemed to be a weak-willed woman. I couldn't believe that she had actually ignored her daughter's cries while he was raping her. I just kept reading it over and over again: 'Kristin could see her mother standing in the darkened doorway of her room, and she asked her to make Butch stop. When Donna heard her daughter's plea, she said, "No. I won't stop him."' In the end, because she had allowed it to go on, she had lost custody of both "Kristin" and her twin brother, Matthew. She was so taken by Butch that she seemed to care more about him than her own children and they hadn't even known each other that long. She lost her life because she had decided to follow behind him as if she didn't have any backbone. Sad.I think part of Willie Jr.'s anger had been directed toward his grandfather, James Bosket (Butch's father), because he had sexually abused him on numerous occasions. I found it very disgusting and shocking. Willie was a young boy and had no idea what molestation meant and that it was wrong. Another part of his anger seemed to be directed toward his mother, Laura. Although she was trying very hard to raise Willie, she didn't make the situation any better by repeatedly telling him that he was going end up just like his father or giving him more negative feedback than positive. Her neglect and rejection of him was what drove him to threaten to commit suicide by jumping in front of an oncoming train. But then you have to look at it from her side also. She had become a single mother because Butch had gone to prison for killing two people in a pawn shop, leaving her to take care of Willie all by herself. She felt rejected herself because he had promised to be there for her and their son. She thought that she was going to live a happy life with the man she loved and he winds up going to prison. He even forced her to divorce him. I guess she resented him for it and took it out on Willie Jr. By the time Jr. was 21, he had gotten married to a woman named, Sharon (who wanted to bed him right after she had met him), who had a daughter by another man. I think Willie accepted her marriage proposal and had taken on the responsibility of helping her raise her daughter because he wanted to fulfill his dream of wanting a family. On top of that, the relationship seemed to be based on lust, not love. I was glad to read that Jr. had calmed down quite a bit by 1995; I think because he's getting older, he realizes how much time he had wasted and actually does have remorse for the innocent people he had murdered and robbed and their families who suffered losing them. I'm not quite sure if he has been broken by the same system he was against but now, he has no choice but to sit in prison awaiting his release, which will be no time soon. As a matter of fact, he'll be an elderly man by then.
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Summary: Great Book.
Review: I have had this book for over a year and never read it. Now that I have started I can't put it down. I am not a social scientist or an expert on crime, I am a southerner by birth with an interest and education in literature. I bought this book after I saw it reviewed on some morning show because I am from Aiken County, South Carolina (the next county over from Edgefield) I grew up in North Augusta (formerly Hamberg) and have always been baffled by the tendency to violence that prevealed my home county. I also went to school with many Basketts (new spelling I believe). So I bought this book because of a personal interest; it was obvioulsy close to home. I begin to read it with that "oh i know where that is" sort of interest. The skill with which this book was written has been a very pleasant surprise. The emotions it has evoked in me even more of a surprise. The insights it has given me I will always be thankful to Butterfield for. I have come away from this book saddened, enlightened, inspired, and most importantly a much better person. Everyone with a desire to understand our society and the people that make it up should read this book. Everyone with a desire to develop tolerance should read this book. Everyone who supports capital punishment should read this book. The author has put his finger on and lifted up for all to see, the common criminal of our time. It is a picture we as a society need to see.
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