From IT, horror fiction, to Invisible Monster, a different kind of horror fiction, to In Cold Blood, horror "novel non-fiction," it has been a less-than-uplifting reading sort of summer. In the interests of never building any suspense, ever, I will tell you that the next book I read was Elie Wiesel's Holocaust survivor account, Night (which I read because I thought it was on the Buzzfeed list, even though it wasn't on the list, and though it was absolutely worth reading, was not exactly the right book to read directly following In Cold Blood (1)), followed by Toni Morrison's Beloved, so, my "recreational" reading right now is leaving me weak and sad for humanity, at best. It might be time to take a break from this list, because I could use some light and fluffy.
Truman Capote is a polarizing literary figure, both for his creative genius, and his being a manipulative, lying, less than savory sort of human being. On the plus side, he was an important figure in the gay community, as he wrote about homosexuality, and lived as an open gay man, prior to the Gay Rights Movement. On the minus side, he managed to alienate just about every human he ever came in contact with and died a social pariah.
Capote publicly maintained that every word in In Cold Blood was true, while various of the people portrayed in the story point to factual errors. None of the reading I have done would suggest that any of these errors are truly major: a family of four people were brutally murdered for no good reason by a couple of drifter sorts. The disputes are more around exactly who said what and when, rather than disputing that the two accused, Dick Hickcock and Perry Smith, committed the horrifying murders. Hickcock and Smith confessed to the crime apparently without coercion, there was evidence at the scene that linked them to the crime, and they were subsequently hanged.
Buzzfeed has this to say about the book: "This nonfiction novel revolves around the murder of the Clutter family in 1959, and why the murderers, Perry and Dick, committed their crimes. Author Truman Capote leads us in without judgment, and in doing so lets us come up with our own conclusions about the penal system, justice, and the nature of violent crimes."
I'm not sure I came to any "conclusions" about the penal system or justice while reading this book, but it did cause me to spend more time than I care to think about the nature of humans. Given that Night followed on the heels of this particular tome, I would be hard pressed to not think about human nature and the wrongs we do each other.
So what to say about In True Blood? It is beautifully written. Fifty five years after the murders, my heart broke for the Clutter family who lost two teenagers that night. The children came across as lovely people who, coming from a well grounded family who believed in making positive change in the world, would have grown up to become important and well liked members of their community. How awful it was to read this book and feel like a voyeur, peering in on their last moments on earth. And yet, how important to remember them, their lives brutally foreshortened for no good reason.
I suppose that is why a book like this is important. Not to just serve as a warning for the depths that humanity can sink, but as a memorial for those whose lives get in the way of the depraved. As a way to remember the people who did nothing wrong, but suffered the ultimate injury.
Next: Maybe More Vienna, Maybe More Buzzfeed Books, The Magic Eight-Ball Just Says "Maybe"
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(1) If you wonder how such a thing could have happened, it was a classic case of List Confusion. Night is on the reading list that Tom got from his old school for the summer. The list included recommended books for students from grade 5 to grade 10. Night might not be something I would want Tom, age 11, to read right now, but certainly by grade 10 he should be reading and comprehending history at that level.
re Night: I don't think I'm ready to read and comprehend history at that level.
Posted by: Rodneyssaga | August 28, 2014 at 08:05 AM