imyourmausoleum's reviews
1690 reviews

 I really liked the other book by this author, Blitzed, much better than this one. This book was still solid, very informative, and thought provoking. I just preferred the previous work more. I did learn a good bit about drug experimentation, and this will be a valuable resource in my next class because the topic of my final paper is about the ethics of Nazi experimentation and drugs in medicine. 

 John Meehan was born in 1959. John was raised to be a conman by his father, engaging in numerous lawsuits and other scams. He went to law school, where he majored in being a complete scumbag to women. The author of this book, Debra Newell, did not trust her sense and her gut instincts when she met this man. He convinced her that he was a decent person, and she ultimately married him. Surprise, surprise, he was a scumbag. Her children did not buy what he was selling and hired a private investigator to uncover the lies and vile activities this man got up to. The author was shocked and upset to learn how taken advantage of she was and disappointed in her lack of awareness. She told Meehan she wanted a divorce, at which point he went off the deep end. Meehan wound up attacking one of the authors daughters, who stabbed him in an attempt to fight him off. '

This book irritated me. I found myself making a lot of faces while I was listening to this book at work. I think it is often easy for people outside of the situation to see the parade of red flags that people are giving off, but I cannot for the life of me understand why this intelligent woman with good enough vision to be an interior designer could not see these red flags. Thank goodness her children did, otherwise who knows what would have happened to her. I am glad that her daughter is safe. I do not have the patience or the tolerance to deal with a man like this. No thank you. 

 Andrei Chikatilo was born in 1936 in an area of Ukraine that belonged to the USSR. Chikatilo's family was poor, living in a one room house and making ends meet as collective farmers. In the area post-Holodomor, Chikatilo and his family never had enough to eat. Chikatilo experienced World War II, which was traumatic in general, but especially for a child. He was beaten for wetting the bed and was often bullied by bother children. Chikatilo was impotent, which caused him multiple issues with women. Chikatilo became a teacher, giving him access to victims. His first known sexual assault was committed in 1973, and his first known murder was committed in 1978. Chikatilo guessed he killed over 55 women from 1978 to 1990 but was only convicted of 52.

This book is on The Last Podcast on the Left reading list. If you are a fan of the podcast, this is a good reference book with a lot of details that weren't covered in depth on the episode. If you are into serial killers and true crime in general, this is a solid book about this person. A lot has been made about his psychological profile and what influence his childhood may have had on his later crimes. I think it is very important to note the effects of famine and war on a child, and, while this may not have been the actual root cause, the experiences couldn't have possibly helped someone who was very clearly disturbed. 

 Joel Rifkin was born in New York in 1959. He was adopted at three weeks old. Despite being adopted into an upper middle-class family, Rifkin had a difficult time as a child. He had learning disabilities, making school hard and encouraging bullying from classmates. His father developed prostate cancer, and eventually took his life, adding to the stress felt by Rifkin. Rifkin began murdering women in 1989 and is believed to have murdered at least sixteen women. Rifkin was caught in a ridiculous way, which I will not put here in case anyone reading this is unfamiliar with the case and does not want it spoiled. I would like to note that some of his victims remains have never been found. His first victim, Heidi Balch, was not identified until 2013.

This book is on The Last Podcast On The Left reading list. I listened to this episode a while back, and if a corresponding book is mentioned, I like to read it for more details. This book did contain plenty of details about Rifkin as a person and his crimes. I also appreciated the information provided about the victims, as it is important to remember victims were human beings, not just afterthoughts in a morbid story. Overall, it was a decent true crime read. 

 The author of this book recounts his experiences photographing major wildfires in California. California seems specifically prone to wildfires, due to the landscape and climate. Several things can start a wildfire, from hot cars, discarded cigarettes, campfires that are not tended, idiots who do explosions for gender reveals, lighting, unmaintained powerlines, lightning, and drought. The images captured by the author are beautiful, though knowing what is underneath those images is sad and slightly morbid. People often do not think about the losses and fear people experience after immediate news coverage stops. People are less likely to think about the impact of this job on those who do it. First responders are so likely to develop symptoms of post-traumatic stress, depression, and anxiety. This is September, Suicide Prevention Month, and this book was a good reminder that first responders need aftercare services for the things they experience. Suicide amongst firemen and other first responders occurs with more frequency than people often think about.


I have the Audible version of this book, which took me a little over five hours to listen to. I got it finished at work today. If you are interested in the physical copy, it is around 300 pages. I typically find my way to books like this, which I blame on being raised in a fire fighting family. It never really registered to me that there were embedded reporters and photographers for wildfires, but I suppose that makes sense in retrospect. This was a really good, thought-provoking book. If you are interested in topics like this, definitely consider reading this book. You can also look up this author on Instagram to see the beautiful images he captures. 

 Edda Ciano, Countess of Cortellazzo and Buccari was born in 1910 to Benito and Rachele Mussolini. She was born out of wedlock, but her parents did marry when she was around five years old. She suffered extreme poverty, beatings, and neglectful behavior from her parents, especially when younger children (males) were born. She was extremely outspoken and opinionated, and enjoyed liaisons and gambling. She married Gian Galeazzo Ciano, 2nd Count of Cortellazzo and Buccari, who was a loyal Facist and supporter of her father. Eventually, he voted against her father, causing him to be executed for treason. Her support of the Nazis and her father drew much criticism, and still does. Once she was faced with the horrors of war, she did do quite a bit of humanitarian efforts. She also managed to save the wartime diaries of her executed husband, which have been a valuable historical source for this time period. I learned a great deal about this complicated woman and her abhorrent father from this book. I really enjoy this authors work, especially the impeccable research. 

 Asa Carter was born in Anniston, Alabama in 1925. He was a strong believer in segregation and got involved in politics to try to further the agenda. He was also a member of the Ku Klux Klan before branching off to start his own little Klan cult. His members were involved in attacks against Black people, notably Nat King Cole and Judge Aaron, and many assumed it was at his instruction or with his blessing. He was also investigated by the FBI for involvement in fire bombings. When public opinion began to turn against Asa, he absconded to Texas and changed his name to Bedford Forrest Carter, a nod to his racist hero Nathan Bedford Forrest. He also decided to tan himself up and grow a moustache as part of the disguise, while claiming he was Indigenous. I cannot imagine why people believed that, but some apparently did. He decided to become a writer, with Clint Eastwood starring in a movie adaptation of one.

Anniston, Alabama is known for several unfortunate things, such as toxic chemicals and Asa Carter. That is a shame, because when I visited Anniston to check out a couple of museums, the people were so friendly and helpful. It's sad they have such a legacy. When Carter died, someone at his funeral commented about how miserable he looked in death. He was a miserable, sour grape of a person in life, and I can't imagine why he would be different in death. This book definitely packed in the details and disgusting statements and actions made by this man. I will certainly be using some quotes from this book in the Civil War class I just started. 

 This book discusses the Spanish Civil War under Francisco Franco. I didn't know a lot about this, other than Franco was a person and there was a Spanish Civil War. The book was certainly educational, even if I found it slightly dull at times. I did learn a lot about the political and societal issues between the factions, which is really the purpose of the book. The book drew me in with the discussion of mass graves being discovered from the Francisco Franco era. While this was discussed, it featured other things that I found slightly less interesting. There were several descriptions of places and buildings that were very detailed. I found those really neat and googled several of the things to see what they looked like while reading this book. I would actually really love to see a lot of this country in person, despite the fact that basically everyone hates American tourists. I found this book at my favorite used bookstore, and only paid a dollar for it. It was definitely worth that price and the time it took me to read it while waiting in my car for kids and coworkers to get off work. 

 Nancy Cartwright is the voice of one of the most iconic cartoon characters on television. Bart Simpson is easily recognizable, and his catchphrases are often repeated. This book outlines how Cartwright got her start in voice acting and offers some really neat behind the scenes looks into The Simpsons production. I think this was around a five hour listen on Audible, and it was really entertaining and fun. 

 The Columbia River Bar is one of the most treacherous areas for seacraft. There are several reasons why this particular area where the Columbia River meets the Pacific Ocean is known as the Graveyard of the Pacific. There are shifting sand bars, coral reefs, riptides, and changing shorelines. Weather is unpredictable, changing wave height and frequency with little warning. Issues with fog have been reported on many occasions. This has caused over 2,000 ships to wreck and hundreds of losses of life. The author of this book decided he and a friend should try to cross this area in a two-person kayak, which I found insane. It was interesting to hear about his life with a sailor father, and how he planned this trip. I surely would not have done this. I appreciated all of the history that was included in this book as well.