Customer Reviews

Always in Our Hearts: The Story of Amy Grossberg, Brian Peterson, and the Baby They Didn't Want

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

ALWAYS IN OUR HEARTS is a compelling look at an almost unfathomable true case. In an era where out-of-wedlock pregnancy is no longer much of a shock to anyone, two bright, attractive, privileged young people panicked and did the unthinkable, destroying the baby boy they had conceived. Doug Most's research results in a searing look at a society that may be teaching the doctrine of "me first, ALWAYS. . ." This book is a classic,in that it is both fascinating reading and frightening as it shows us how far we may have come away from personal responsiblity for our children. This is not so much true-crime as it is a sociological study.

I highly recommend ALWAYS IN OUR HEARTS to thoughtful readers. In the end, one must weep for everyone concerned.

Doug Most will be a writer to watch over the next several decades!

On November 13, 1996 Amy Grossberg gave birth to a baby boy in a motel room. She began screaming at her boyfriend, Brian Peterson, to get rid of it. He covered the baby with a towel, went to his car to get a plastic bag, put the baby in the bag, tied the drawstrings, and calmed walked to a dumpster and tossed the baby in. They drove back to college and acted as though nothing had happened.

They might have gotten away with their crime if Amy had not developed eclampsia. She experienced extreme swelling all over her body and was complaining of being sore and tired. Then she started having seizures. The college had her rushed to the hospital. When she was examined, the ER staff called in an OB/GYN. She had not passed the afterbirth and a portion of the umbilical cord was still visible externally.

The OB/GYN recognized the symptoms as soon as he walked in. They knew she had given birth to a baby and prodded her to tell where it was. All she would say was that she did not know.

The hospital told Amy's mother that she had given birth. Her mother called Brian and demanded he tell her everything he knew. Once he learned that everybody knew she had given birth, he admitted it and said he got rid of the baby and that he didn't think it was alive. When they asked where the body was, he refused to tell them, stating that he did not know. He finally admitted that he threw it in a dumpster somewhere. Police began a search of dumpsters in the area where he said he had been. They stopped the garbage trucks from picking and began searching dumpsters. They brought out cadaver dogs.

Lisa Nyland, a dog handler with Maryland Natural Resources Police brought her yellow lab, Jesse to help. When they neared one dumpster, he started barking. She crawled into the dumpster and began searching. She found the bag with the body and radioed it in.

The baby was taken for an autopsy. He had been alive and breathing on his own. There was air in the bowel and lungs, and hemorrhages in the brain: all signs that the heart had been beating and the lungs were picking up air. There was a deep indentation in the top of the baby's skull, roughly thumb sized and shaped. A fracture ran away from the hole and was slightly raised. The baby's skull had been split almost open.

The parents of this couple spent more than a million dollars on their defense. The court proceedings will blow you away, especially the unorthodox move by one of the prosecutors. You likely will not believe the results.

Several things about this case are absolutely unbelievable. When Amy was five months pregnant, she had a physical. The doctor failed to discover that she was pregnant, even though he felt and poked around on her stomach. Her parents failed to notice that she was pregnant. Nobody from the college ever mentioned the pregnancy to her parents. I was left asking myself how this could have happened, especially with the doctor. His license to practice to be suspended and he should be held liable for everything that happened.

This was a wonderful book about a horrible act. It keeps you reading and touches every emotion deep within. This is a must read.

Doug Most should have researched the backgrounds of Amy and Brian in more detail. The book was an extension of a newspaper article. Amy carried the baby and did not choose an abortion or adoption, however, when Brian "flipped" that newborn into the garbage can, he was just as guilty as Amy. Most raised awareness that this is occurring whether in upper or lower class families, however, a young person reading this book does not come away with the knowledge of other options for Amy, Brian or themselves. Too much weight was based on how Amy was raised upper middle class with an over-bearing mother. It seems as if Most would have done more research, he would have found that there is more to the story than the public knows. I came away from this book with anger that we blame our schools, parents, etc. While reading this book, I had to remind myself that these were not "kids" these were adults. Both Amy and Brian should have served life regardless of whether or not that child was born mentally disabled - alive or dead. My thoughts toward the future of Amy and Brian are that someday they will serve their life sentence when they are happily married and their first child is born - looking down on their newborn and realizing what a horrific act they committed. May you shed many tears! Our society is too accepting of this behavior and the exuses made for this type of performance is beyond belief. Hopefully any person reading this book comes away with sympathy for that newborn baby and realizes that we as a society can not excuse this type of behavior and that there are other options - birth control, abortion, adoption. God forgive us for even beginning to excuse this behavior!

After avidly reading all of Ann Rule's and one of Dennis McDougal's true crime stories, this was quite a change. No familiarity with the case via the media, so learned a great deal from the detailed reporting of the author. The crime definitely is one of the most horrendous I've read about. I put the book down several times and wasn't sure if I'd finish it because I found the facts surrounding the case disgusting. Excellent research and reporting, though. Didn't enjoy the mid section with the question/answer area. Felt the author explained away the crime rather than letting it fall where it may in the reader's eyes. There's no social excuses for their behavior and found myself not enjoying hearing all the "experts" telling their opinions as to why they did the crime. The other crime that took place was in the judge's sentencing. Basically, they got their hands slapped and that's about it. Found that very depressing. Would have liked more info on Brian & Amy's personalities over the years, rather than the light explanation of being well-to-do and parent pleasers. It's got to be deeper than that. Thanks for the book suggestion, Ann! Keep writing, Doug! You're well on your way! :)

The author included too much unnecessary detail in the first few chapters, which made for a boring start. But once the first 50 pages are out of the way, things start coming together and you'll realize what an incredible story this is. This book is seen from everyone's point of view and gives an unbiased look at this case. By the time you finish the book, you'll feel like you know Amy and Brian personally. This book gives some insight as to how and why they did what they did.

This book is an excellent choice for readers who like true stories.I think the author did a great job in telling a story about two teenagers who made the wrong decision. And hopefully the author will beable to help other teenagers who find themselves in the same situation to get the right kind of help instead of taking it upon themselves to do what they think is right. Once you pick up this book it is really hard to put it down.

This book provides insight on how this highly-publicized case fits in the big picture of society, of people "looking the other way," and of relationships in families and communities. It's skillfully-researched and very well-written.

A letter from the baby's viewpoint, which was read in court by one of the prosecutors, captures the fact that the victim in this case is the baby, who will never be able to speak for himself. Before, during, and after the baby's birth and death, Amy Grossberg and Brian Peterson had numerous opportunities to get help for themselves and for their baby. It appears that the decisions the couple made were based on the question, "What is best and easiest for us?" What they failed (or were unwilling) to realize is that "best" and "easiest" may not be the same thing. Also, the two teenagers considered the term "us" to mean only the two of them. The baby was never in the equation at all, except as a disastrous inconvenience. They never acknowledged their baby as a human being, and they never contemplated his welfare. Their mistakes may be attributed to youth, panic, or heartlessness, or a combination of any of these. It seems to me, however, that Grossberg and Peterson were able to tell lies pretty effortlessly.

It's inconceivable that so many people, including Grossberg's and Peterson's families, could so consistently look in the other direction, away from any hint of possible trouble. It's also unsettling that a need for self-preservation can overpower conscience in such a manner, that two people can leave a baby in a Dumpster on a cold night, all in an attempt to save themselves and their good names.

Because I read a lot of true crime, I wasn't so sure I'd be interested in a book about this case. So much has already been written. But, I was taken in right away by the tone of the book and I learned things about these two young people I never before knew. Most cast neither as good or bad. In fact, it seemed to me he went out of his way to present a fair case. That he was able to do so in such an interesting manner is certainly a credit to his writing ability. I could have done without the question/answer section in the middle of the book. I think Most should have found a way to incorporate those thoughts in there some other way. He's a good enough writer. I hope he's already working on his next crime book. He sure can tell a story.

I admit that I am a bit biased, as I share with Amy the one unusual behavior she exhibited before she killed her infant: we both brought our mothers into the examining room of the doctor's office after the age of 18. True, my mother's presence did not cause me to deny a pregnancy, as it did for Amy; (I was hoping she could convince the docotor to give me stronger acne medication than he gave me when I went alone.) But the very thought that I would have anything in common with a girl who did something so horrific sent a chill down my spine. The fact that a slight immaturity and dependence on her mother was the only peculiarity Most could find in Amy's background or character--and the fact that nothing was found unusual about Peterson prior to his son's murder--either shows poor reporting skills on the author's part, or something even more frightening: that perfectly normal people are capable of killing a helpless baby for apparently no reason at all. Most made much of the pressures placed on Peterson and Grossberg by their high-achieving parents.That could partially explain why they did why they did, but I suspect there's more that, some dark secret left uncovered. This was a good book, but I suspect the "definitive" true crime, with more interviews by the key players in this drama has not yet been written.

This was a fantastic book! Doug Most really tries to understand and explain to his readers why two intelligent, educated young people would committ such a horrifying act. Since I do not live far from the scene of the crime and feel a personal "UDel" connection to the case, I have found myself going through the book again and again to pore over the details. One question, though--does anyone know what is going on these days? I know that they are not out of prison, but it should be interesting to find out how they are doing now, what feelings they now have for each other (if any), and how they will be received once they get home. Maybe Mr. Most has some additional information for us, or perhaps someone close to the case could happen by and give us some insight? Thanks!