imyourmausoleum's reviews
1690 reviews

 Thomas Bartlett Whitaker was born in Houston, Texas, in 1979. His parents, Kent and Trish, spoiled and coddled this child throughout his life. They bought him a townhouse that they paid the utilities for. They bought him luxury cars. They bought him expensive clothes and accessories. They paid for his education, which he lied about. He was in trouble frequently, being convicted of a string of burglaries at age 17. In December 2003, he lied to his parents about graduating from college, getting them out of the house so that two people he hired to murder them could get prepared. One of the men entered the home, shooting and killing the mother and brother. The father was also shot but survived. Of course, this genius didn't plan his actions very well and was subsequently convicted in these murders. His father plead for him to not be sentenced to death, which I think is absolutely stupid.

This book offered plenty of details about this case that were not covered as in depth on the Dateline episode featuring this case. I like this true crime author and was pleased with the book. I just watched the rerun of this episode the other day, and didn't realize I had the book from the reading list. If you haven't heard about this case, it is a solid book. 

 Mount St. Helens is an active stratovolcano that is located in Washington State. Serious activity began in March 1980, with a series of earthquakes that produced small scale avalanches of snow and ice resting on the volcano. On March 27, phreatic eruptions caused some alarm. Ash and steam erupted for the next several days, and a new crater formed. A noticeable bulge formed in the side of the volcano at the beginning of April, causing even more alarm. On May 18, the big one hit. The bulge that had formed on the side slide off, triggered by a magnitude 5 earthquake. The debris leveled everything in its path, slamming into the lake below and creating a massive wave. Pyroclastic flows, which is something I learned about from the White Island eruption, engulfed the area. The superheated gasses and debris moved at over 200 miles an hour, burning everything in its path.

57 peopled died in or as a result of the eruption. Most of them died from asphyxiation from the flow, but some died as a result of burns. Some people have never been recovered. 200 houses were destroyed, along with over 40 bridges. It is worth noting that there is some misinformation about the exclusion zones. It was assumed that the volcano would erupt from the top, and officials created a "red zone" area of exclusion where people were to evacuate from. People were allowed in the area, most notably loggers working for the company that owned the property. It is assumed by most people that the people that died were there illegally, which is simply not the case. The day before the disaster, people were allowed back into the area to collect pets and belongings. Another group was to be allowed in the day of the eruption, but luckily had not yet arrived. Over 300 loggers working in the area would have died if this eruption had occurred during the work week, because logging operations had not stopped in hopes of getting as much lumber as possible in case of eruption. (Which is insane to me.)

I learned so much about volcanos from this book! I never knew there were so many different characteristics to volcanic activity. I also really liked the end of the book where it was talking about the aftermath. Logs filled the lakes, and the logs remain there to this very day. Some trees that were not sheared off still remain standing, dead. I wasn't aware that you could visit this place, but they did build a visitor's center where you can learn about this event. This book is currently available on Audible Plus and was around five hours to listen to. I really enjoyed this book a lot. 

This book covers the murder of Martin Dillon. Dillon was killed in 1976 at the age of 30. The death was thought to be an accidental shooting, as his best friend was with him at the time while they were skeet shooting. The friend, Stephen Scher, changed his story multiple times. He married the victim's wife in 1978, before moving states and starting a medical practice. He also raised the couple's children as his own. Dillon's family demanded the case be reopened, and a second autopsy was performed, revealing evidence that did not align with an accidental death. 

This case was featured on Forensic Files, and this book is on the Forensic Files reading list for anyone interested in that. It presented the facts of the case in a clear and unbiased way. The telling of the story was entertaining and informative. 

 The author of this book tells the story of his grandfather, Pete Wooten, who shot his son in law over potatoes and then escaped prison. He also tells the story of his life on Sand Mountain in Alabama, living in poverty and extreme abuse by his father. There are so many things about his family that reminded me of some of my own family. My grandmother grew up very much like Neil. She had a mentally ill and abusive mother, with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder running in the family. Her family were in the Holiness cult. This book was interesting and also terribly tragic. 

 Omar Mateen was born in 1986 in New York. His parents were Afghan immigrants. Mateen exhibited behaviors that should have been considered red flags as far back as elementary school. He was known to be rude, aggressive, and a poor student. He exhibited a sense of entitlement throughout his life. He was sent to alternative school for having dozens of incidents in high school. His father claimed to be the president of Afghanistan in exile, and also had a sense of entitlement. After the 9/11 attacks, he mimicked crashing planes and sang the praises of the perpetrators. In later years, he would claim to know the Boston Marathon bombers. He cheated on his wife with multiple women, while making disparaging remarks about women in general. He stalked people, including people who rejected his third application for the police course and women. He also used steroids which could not have possibly helped his attitude and mental capacity. There were so many red flags about this guy, it is insanity that the FBI closed TWO investigations of him. He was able to buy weapons, thanks to lax gun laws and the stupidity of the FBI. He used those weapons to kill 49 people and injure 53 others. He would eventually be killed by police.

There has been considerable debate about his radicalism. There has been considerable debate about having a homophobic motive and targeting Pulse for this reason. There has also been debate about being at Pulse on Latin Night to target the Latin community. It is my personal belief that this dude had mental problems and was also a product of his raising. He did not seem to be very devout or fanatical in his beliefs. There has been no solid evidence to point to the fact that he was in the closet or having same sex relationships with men. By a review of the facts, it appears he had a completely different target in mind to attack. It didn't work out so he went to Pulse. There is no firm evidence he had ever been to Pulse previously, and nothing on his phone to indicate it hit on the cell tower near it before that night. Pulse was open in the middle of the night, people were there, so it was. The narrative presented by the media has really done a lot to damage the LGBTQ+ community, and that is a tragedy on top of a tragedy. It is also my personal belief that his father is a terrible person, a terrible parent, and a scumbag in general. He was also an FBI informant. I do not like to be a conspiracy theorist, but the FBI closed two cases against Marteen and never called his father as a witness. Marteen's FBI file remains "open" so the public cannot view it, which really does lead one to believe the FBI has something to hide, because we all know they are not an honest and forthcoming bunch. Their mishandling of this is atrocious. It is also my personal belief that his first wife should have never been splashed about in the media, as she divorced him after two years of enduring his abusive behavior and had nothing to do with this event. His second wife's handling by law enforcement was also atrocious, and, while I do not believe she aided him or hindered the investigation, I believe she knew something. Perhaps she did not know what he was up to that very second, but she absolutely knew he was abusive, manipulative, and weird. She probably knew he went and bought weapons. She probably knew he wanted his name in the history books one way or another. It is also my firm belief that he did this horrible act because he wanted to be like the people he idolized. He wanted his name in the news, he wanted his face on the internet, he wanted a bigger kill count than those who came before him.

This took only about four hours to listen to. It is currently available on Audible Plus. There are a few things to consider before listening to this. It reads more like a podcast miniseries than a traditional audiobook, which did not bother me, but may not be for everyone. It also includes 911 recordings and recordings from people inside Pulse at the time of the incident. Otherwise, I found this book to be a valuable resource for information about the perpetrator. I also appreciated that it gave a fair amount of time to other people involved, including victims who were willing to give statements, people that knew the perpetrator, lawyers, and law enforcement. It was not a one-sided book, and the investigative journalist who wrote it brought a lot to light about false narratives and FBI shenanigans. 

 Mount Pelee is a volcano located on the island of Martinique. On April 23, 1902, the volcano began exhibiting activity. Steam and ash began erupting out of the volcano, concerning residents nearby. The activity went on with various degrees of intensity and frequency for several days. On May 5, a massive mudslide destroyed a sugar refinery and many people working and living in proximity. Tsunamis from underwater activity inundated the island. Lava began flowing as well. While many people died from these events, the worst part of the event would occur on May 8. A pyroclastic surge exploded down the volcano at hurricane speed, blasting everything in the path with extremely hot steam, gasses, and rocks. Escape was basically impossible, resulting in the deaths of 28,000 people in addition to those that had died in the previous days. Eruptions in the subsequent weeks would cause more deaths of rescue workers and those bringing in supplies. This event would continue sporadically until October of 1902.

For context, many probably remember the volcanic eruption in New Zealand. Whakaari/White Island erupted in 2019 while there were 47 people in the island. This eruption killed 22, including two who have never been recovered but are presumed dead, and injured the other 25. I follow a girl on Instagram who has documented her recovery and the loss of her father and sister on the island. This devastating eruption caused horrific injuries. There is a documentary out, I think on Netflix, about this...and this was just a Phreatic eruption. This type of eruption is what happened on Mount Pelee when the steam and ash were blasting out in the days before the worse eruption that killed 28,000 people. Imagining how horrible this event was and then comparing that to what happened at Mount Pelee is staggering to think about.

This book was really engaging. I wasn't familiar with this disaster, so I learned a lot. I also learned a lot about volcanic activity in general from this book. If you are interested, it only took me about six hours to listen to and is included in the Audible Plus catalog until October 15, 2024. Check it out if you have the opportunity. The physical copy is less than 300 pages if you are interested in that version. 

 Flint, Michigan declared a financial emergency in 2011 and made plans to switch from water purchased from Detroit to the contaminated Flint River as a way to save money. They did this despite a long history of industrial waste and other contamination being dumped into this river. They did this despite multiple people who knew better advising against it. They did this without having proper infrastructure to complete the change, including a water treatment facility that was updated and able to handle the capacity and updated piping not made from lead. In addition to heavy metal poisoning from lead and copper, the water was filled with other contaminates. Fecal matter, other chemicals, parasites, and bacteria were all present (AND ARE STILL PRESENT) in this water. An outbreak of Legionaries Disease was covered up and not reported for years, and there is no way to know exactly how many people died from this due to them not properly tracking and reporting the outbreak. People in the government worked harder to hide this issue and gaslight people into believing they were taking action than they ever did doing anything useful. They tried to tell people that the sicknesses, the cancer, the fatigue, the hair loss, the miscarriages, the learning disabilities, and the rashes were all in their heads and not a big deal and ABSOLUTELY not related to the perfectly clean water. General Motors refused to use the water in their operations due to the nasty water rusting and ruining their parts and machines, yet it was okay for people to drink. Come on. Please be aware that this issue is not resolved. Only a fraction of the lead pipes have been replaced. Pipes in homes have not been replaced. People are not getting medical treatment. People are not being supplied lead filters for their sinks. They have lifted the boil water advisory. People are still getting rashes from showing in this disgusting water. Testing has been done incorrectly to fake positive results. Water is not being supplied, and delivery of water to homebound individuals has stopped. This crisis is not over.

HERE ARE MY HOT TAKES FROM THE BOOK. IF YOU DO NOT WISH TO READ THEM, SKIP TO THE NEXT HEADING FOR COMMENTS ABOUT THE QUALITY OF THE BOOK.

Governor Rick Snyder is a scumbag of a top tier. People in his administration also fit that description. People in subsequent administrations also fit that description. The media who have failed to accurately report this ONGOING crisis by inaccurate reporting, killing stories, and ignoring coverage also fit that description. It is CRIMINAL that these people will not be held accountable for their blatant disregard for human life, and their need to line their pockets and have political power.

This, and other environmental issues, makes more recent administrations cutting EPA funding and power all the more disgusting. This country has a history of making industrial wastelands out of rivers and areas they operate in, and there absolutely should be safeguards in place to prevent this. Cutting programs and funding is exhibiting a blatant disregard for human life, which we have seen multiple times over the years. Nuclear testing sites, industrial contamination, etc. are ongoing issues that require ongoing attention.

People love to yap about how wonderful America is, but when the government is actively poisoning its own citizens, among all the other shenanigans, and refuses to implement necessary infrastructure upgrades...it is really difficult to accept this silly nationalistic idea that this is a superior country. While it has many wonderful qualities, places, and freedoms, it is severely lacking in education, healthcare, environmental protections, lack of racism, lack of sexism, equal rights, and proper infrastructure. People refuse to accept these things and then get upset when people do. Grow up.

The past two presidential administrations, Trump and Biden, have done nothing to help these people. I think Trump is a useless individual who is a bigger scum bucket than the Governor who caused this problem, but the Democratic response to this issue has been just as disgraceful. This is not the only ongoing contamination issue that people are facing, and it is a shame that no administration seems to be concerned enough about it to fix it. Blaming one political party or another is childish and will do nothing to fix the issue. This seems to be a continuous thing to sling mud about, while disregarding the actual problem at hand.

If anyone deserved free healthcare, it is the people of Flint who have been poisoned by their own governments. It is disgusting that they are not getting free healthcare for the horrific health issues that they are facing because of this. It is equally disgusting that proper tracking and reporting were not done to see the types of illnesses, how many, and what areas were most affected.

COMMENTS ABOUT THE BOOK:
The book was extremely interesting. I knew only a little bit about the Flint crisis from some little streaming service documentary I watched about the Flint water crisis and police force a while back. I, like many other Americans not living in Flint being poisoned, thought this issue was resolved. When you google it, it does say WAS a crisis in past tense, which is simply untrue. The author is an investigative journalist, and the interviews and relationships built with the people of Flint gives this book an even stronger level of humanity and hopelessness. This was one of the better books I have read this year. I strongly suggest looking into this issue more, because it is a WHOLE MESS. 

 Dr. John Yelenic was found stabbed to death in his home in 2006. Interestingly, the day his body was discovered also happened to be the day his divorce from his wife, Michelle, was supposed to be finalized. His murderer had left plenty of evidence around the home, and the evidence pointed to it being a male who committed the murder. Obviously, that ruled out Michelle...or did it? Michelle was having an affair with a state trooper. Was it possible she helped facilitate this murder? Did the secret squirrel boyfriend go rouge and murder the soon-to-be ex? I will not spoil the book by giving away the conclusion of this case, but I will say the book was interesting. It presented the facts in an informative way, without being uber gruesome. This case was also featured on Dateline, if you are interested in the reading list for that show. 

 Asa Candler Junior, also known as Buddie, was born in 1880 to Asa Candler, the founder of the Coca-Cola Company. Candler assisted his father with his Coca-Cola business, and also delved into real estate operations for himself. He built an impressive estate, Briarcliff, which now belongs to Emory University. He also had a private zoo on those grounds, but the animals would eventually be given to the Atlanta Zoo at Grant Park, which is still in operation today. He also had a massive organ at this residence that is now owned by Wesleyan College in nearby Macon, Georgia. He was involved in some unfortunate business dealings and scandals involving a laundry business, a cemetery, and an automobile racing track. The title of the book was correct, he did have a weird life and was awfully eccentric.

It was neat to have visited the Atlanta Zoo this past weekend, and also really neat to have visited the World of Coke Museum earlier this year. I actually did not realize this book was about someone from that family who had all of these wonderful connections to Atlanta. My sister and I have been taking my daughters out to explore some of the surrounding areas, and we have enjoyed the couple of places we have been able to visit in Atlanta. I am looking forward to visiting the Westview Cemetery where he worked on constructing a massive mausoleum. This book was very informative about the live of Candler and his dealings in the city. 

I identified so much with this book and the desire for people to leave their churches and get away from organized religion. Living in the area that I do, with the family that I have, this resonated with me strongly. I can completely empathize with people who have religious trauma. Glad I picked this book up.