Customer Reviews

Deviant

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In the autumn of 1957, the nation learned of a nightmare unfolding in the little rural town of Plainfield, Wisconsin. A local recluse and simpleton by the name of Edward Gein murdered Bernice Worden, the owner of the local hardware store. A murder, even in 1950's America, wouldn't grab the attention of most folks, but this crime did. Local police searching Gein's farmhouse uncovered a soul shattering house of horrors. Not only did they find murder victim Worden in the most degrading condition, the police also discovered pieces of human bodies inside the house. Gein had fashioned soup bowls out of human skulls, masks out of human faces, and furniture out of human flesh. Every hour spent in the farmhouse turned up even more horrors, enough to make even the most hardened cop sick to his stomach. As the official inquiry deepened, America learned that a human monster lived in the most unlikely of settings, a man who embodied virtually every ghastly psychopathology known to modern science. The name Eddie Gein became synonymous with evil and he quickly became part of the dark side of American pop culture. Author Harold Schechter, a professor of American culture at Queens College, decided to write a factual account of the horrendous crimes of Edward Gein in an effort to finally set the record straight about one of America's premier boogeymen. "Deviant" is the result.

The author adroitly sums up Gein's family tree in a few pages. Despite what must have been a scarcity of information, Schecter reveals Ed's father as an orphan who went on to a successful career as an alcoholic and pest. The only thing Gein's father accomplished in life was his marriage to Augusta, Eddie's mother and an all around terror. According to "Deviant," the complex relationship between this overweening woman and her sons led directly to the seething mass of insanity that was Edward Gein. Augusta preached an ultra conservative Christian theology that saw all women in the world as inferior beings. She constantly railed about the sinfulness of the world to her two sons, making it clear that no woman would ever be good enough for her two boys. When not on a religious tirade, Augusta belittled her husband with a vigor rarely seen in the worst of marriages. After closing down a family run store in La Crosse, Augusta moved the clan to a farm near Plainfield. Ed's father died soon after, a shattered wreck barely missed by the rest of the family. His brother Henry died under mysterious circumstances while fighting a brushfire on the Gein property, a death many attributed to Ed because Henry had the temerity to question Augusta's iron rule. With the death of his mother shortly thereafter, Ed was left alone in the world for the first time.

Plainfield residents always liked Ed Gein. Sure, the guy was a little strange, always walking around with a dopey grin on his face while making the most outrageous statements about shrunken heads and other oddball stuff, but people generally thought him harmless. Many of his neighbors appreciated Ed showing up and helping out when work needed doing, or volunteering to watch the kids when the parents headed into town (!). Not until the police exposed Gein's repulsive activities did anyone have an inkling of what this guy was really about. Once they knew, the questions and outrageous stories started. Ed became a lightening rod for every mysterious disappearance in Wisconsin and neighboring states during the previous fifteen years. Even though police later cleared Gein in all but two murders--Bernice Worden and Mary Hogan--investigators and citizens continued to suspect Ed in a series of crimes. Moreover, townspeople came forward with supposedly "true" tales about close calls with the now exposed killer. The media, writes Schechter, carries most of the blame for printing the most ridiculous stories in an effort to sell papers. These media accounts went a long way towards installing Gein as an enduring pop cultural icon, an icon who continues to exert an influence even today.

I had a few problems with "Deviant" even though I consider the book well written and nicely researched. The biggest difficulty concerns the lack of footnotes. I imagine Schechter had to make a tradeoff with the publishing company since a book marketed to a general audience will not sell well if potential buyers see pages of citations. But a book from a scholar that purports to tell the facts behind the Gein case needs to contain citations so interested readers can reproduce his findings. I hate to harp about footnotes/endnotes since I like to avoid them whenever possible as much as the next guy, but a book that references this many public officials, newspapers, and public documents should have the notes.

"Deviant" does do a good job in several areas. Schechter presents compelling evidence that Gein was not a cannibal, a revelation that may come as a shock to many who consider themselves knowledgeable about the case. Not that it really matters, of course, because Ed indulged in so many appalling excesses that removing one stigma does nothing to lessen the overall horror of his activities. Still, it is nice to see someone finally look closely at all of the case documents in order to write the most truthful account possible. "Deviant" is grim stuff, some of the worst accounts of human atrocities captured on paper, but true crime buffs will appreciate Schechter's attention to detail concerning the man who many consider to be one of the worst criminals in American history. I also recommend "Deviant" for first time readers with an itch to learn about the guy who inspired Norman Bates, Leatherface, and nearly every horror film psycho since the 1960s.

This is a well-researched book about Ed Gein, the mild mannered, Midwestern psychopath from Plainfield, Wisconsin who, in the nineteen fifties, would shock the nation with his gruesome crimes. Ed Gein would become the basis for the best selling book by Robert Bloch, "Psycho", as well as for the Hitchcock film of the same name. Accounts of Ed Gein's heinous crimes would also enter the consciousness of a young Tobe Hooper who, as an adult, would write and direct the classic cult film, "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre".

The author writes a cogent, factual account of the life of Ed Gein and the grisly crimes that shocked the nation at the time of their discovery. It details the hold that Ed's domineering mother had on him, a hold that would manifest itself in unimaginable ways. It is almost hard to believe that this small, inoffensive man could be such a madman, but who but a madman would do what he did? Ed Gein, it was discovered, had turned his small farmhouse into a gruesome charnel house, replete with furnishings adorned with human flesh and bones.

Aficionados of true crime will find this book fascinating, as it is a well-written account of one of the most horrifying and bizarre series of crimes ever to be committed. Eight pages of photographs are included in the book and serve to provide the reader with a brief, visual glimpse into the life of Ed Gein, a man with a secret hobby so depraved that it would shock the entire nation when it came to light. Lovers of true crime accounts will be fascinated by this well researched foray into the life of a seemingly innocuous man from America's heartland who ended up being so deviant from the norm.

I found this book to be extremely well-written and informative. The details of Gein's family history and of his crimes are fairly well covered in the true-crime books that make reference to him, but the aftermath is usually not examined very closely - and this book fills in the blanks, describing not only what led up to Gein's arrest, but also the whole media madness that ensued afterwards. The way Eddie was catapulted to "stardom" literally overnight was astonishing - an estimated 4,000 cars filed past Gein's farm on a single weekend after the news of his deeds had spread throughout the nation, and his story was on the front pages of "Life" and "Time" magazines, as well as just about every major newspaper.

The details of Eddie's confessions and the quotes from psychiatric reports are very interesting as well. While it may be impossible to fully understand mental illness, this book makes an attempt to explore the workings of a demented mind.

(Note: this book has none of the usual gory photos; for these, see judge Gollmar's book.)

Edward Gein, pronounced Geen, is often credited as the a forefather of America's fascination with serial killers. Because Gein is credited as being the inspiration for such films as Psycho and Texas Chainsaw Massacre, many misconceptions exist about him. Harold Schechter sets the record straight in Deviant.

Schechter begins the story in Gein's bizarre childhood which is noteworthy because of his lazy and abusive father and dominating mother. It is his dominating mother that had the greatest influence on him. She taught him that women were evil. His mother's death left a void in his life that left him longing for her and the saintly image he placed on her. This led Gein to punish women less worthy than his mother to live by killing them. Gein only admitted to killing two people. The body parts that were scattered over his property would indicate more victims. Additionally, Gein believes he has the power to will his mother back to life. While he is unable to bring his mother back from the grave, he does remove many with similarities to his mother from their graves. When Gein's crimes were discovered, little known Plainfield, Wisconsin was forever changed into a tourist attraction for gapers.

Although Gein died largely anonymously in a mental health facility, the stories of his house of horrors prospered. While his story is often obscured in films and other books, Schechter sets the record straight. This is a thoroughly researched, commendable book. It is the best book available on Edward Gein

In "Deviant," Harold Schecter presents an interesting, informative, and meticulously-researched treatment of one of the most notorious figures in the annals of American crime. Without resorting to sensationalism, Schecter creates a factual, in-depth portrait of Ed Gein, who has both horrified and fascinated Americans for over four decades. Schecter's work is well-organized and highly readable, and gives the reader an unsettling glimpse into the twisted mind of a maniac, without the luridness which is so often encountered in other works of this genre. A wealth of background information provides great insight into the making of a modern-day monster. Highly recommended!

I've heard of Ed Gein off and on for many years. I've heard his crimes were of an unspeakable, stomach-churning, monstrous nature. Yet again, I wanted to satisfy my somewhat morbid curiosity and see just how morbid his crimes were. I was repelled. Psycho, The Silence of the Lambs, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre...all of these films came to, thanks to Eddie and his crimes. A cannibal, necro-sadist grave robber. Not even in fiction have I seen a person crazier than Gein. Harold Schechter does a job that is, in a word, brilliant. As awkward as it may seem, I sympathize with Gein. If his early life hadn't been as it had, he most probably wouldn't have gone so over the edge as he had done in his later life.

It is true to say his crimes are inexcusable, but Schechter looks at it in such an angle that I actually (believe it or not) saw a reason for Gein acting in the way he did...as depraved, as sickly demented as it was. It is highly informative, and written very well. There is not a single boring moment in it. It is impeccably researched. And, believe it or not, it's a true story. This actually happened.

Harold Schechter presents 'Deviant', the true crime book about Ed Gein, the inspiration for Psycho, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and Buffalo Bob in Silence of the Lambs. Schechter gives us a run down of Gein's life from childhood up to around age 12, then jumps forward into his adult life with the death of his father, brother, and mother. From there we get into the public interest of this man, the murders and grave-robbing followed by his arrest and institutionalization and eventual trial. The atrocities Gein performed are covered almost a tad bit lacking in detail but that's one of the good things of the book is the presentation of the facts rather than the exploitation of the crimes.

I'm split on this book. Schechter presents a pretty thorough covering of the events of Ed Gein and the media circus surrounding it. However, he spends a lot of time naming police officers, judges, and doctors that have little interest to us, the readers. After reading Schechter's excellent book on Albert Fish, I just expected more from this one on Ed Gein. Don't get me wrong, it's a good book but the flow just didn't work for me this time around.

This was a really well-written account of the Gein murders. I got into it very quickly and didn't want to put it down, even though it was getting near bedtime...gave me nightmares! You really felt as though you were in Plainfield, Wisconsin dealing with the grimness of the landscape and that Gein farmhouse. I thought the implied murder of his brother by Gein years before all the grave-robbing started was fascinating, and the depiction of Gein at the end as giving the impression a mild mannered old guy was interesting. Can't wait to read Schechter's story of H.H. Holmes!

What hath Ed Gein wrought? If he had gotten a cut of the profits of all the books and movies containing variants of his unique persona, he'd have died a millionaire. Schechter's book cuts through one myth about Gein in presenting the facts of his tragic life--- namely, he was not a serial killer. He may have killed his own brother, and certainly killed two middle-aged women, but only when he ran out of fresh graves of middle-aged female corpses to rob! Technically, he is a necrophile who was driven to murder, not a serial killer. A typically well-researched book by this praiseworthy author.

Curiosity led me to this book of serial killer Ed Gein. Popular culture influences had led me to beleive otherwise untrue information regarding this long misrepresented stalker. The detailed book revealed an unbiased account of the killings and eventual capture of the small town man who led the nations fear factor for some time. Going into just enough detail as not to lose the reader in innumerable facts, the book gives accurate acocounts of his life and killings,with pop culture reference to spice things up. This is not a book for gorehounds but caters solely to true crime fans. The psychological aspects alone will keep you entranced for days. A solid read that doesnt pander to the blood and guts crowd.