Customer Reviews

If Loving You is Wrong

5 star:		(50)
4 star:		(18)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I passed the Mary Kay Letourneau book "If loving you is wrong" several times before finally picking it up. Although it said true crime I knew there was no physical violence. Since I am a avid true crime reader, having read books like "In cold blood" and "Buried Secrets" I know that most true crime books have bodies that are destroyed. No, this was not a crime where bodies did not survive, it is a crime where minds may may not survive.

Although the book was a quick read for me I noticed that the crime was hardly mentioned until the book was half over. I realized that Mr Olsen wanted to get as much information as he could to the reader to help explain things and people before the events had unfolded. For me that is the most important part of a book on any true crime. Also although the author let us reader's know what help and information he personally did or didn't get to put this story together, as a crime journalist he did an excellent job of using the resoures he had.

I believe he truely gave this sorry state of affairs not only it's just due, but left a soft cushion for the six young lives involved. For now the sad crime is physically over, but down the line after the young people witness taboids and movies about it, hopefully this non-malicious, well written book on the events they had no control over will help let them assimulate what has happened to their family and why. In fact I believe they may be the only ones there for her after it's all said and done.

Personally for a true crime book that was minus blood and gore, and that has the possibility of a follow-up I'd give it 6 stars and a thumb up.

This is a story of a very unhappy woman who tended to always put others before herself. Somewhat of a perfectionist in her job, devoting hours daily to her students and always had to look prim and proper, Mary Kay Letourneau made her mistake when she began to have an affair with one of her former students who happened to be 13 years old (a mere 1 year older than her son, Steven). Although I do understand the powers of love and that age should not be a hinderance, we do have laws, and some of our laws are not written but are morally understood. I was very much impressed with the research Gregg Olsen put into this book and, to the reader, this book comes across as non-judgemental. He gives you the choice to reach within your own morality and decide for yourself if she was rapists, just a woman in love, or a woman who just felt she was above the law. In my opinion, the age is a compelling factor here. As a parent, I wouldn't want my child (boy or girl) at the age of 13, sleeping with a former teacher (someone who is supposed to value education and teach a child good morals and values). Young Vili's future has been forever altered. He had to grow up far too fast. At the age of 15 he is a father of 2 and he doesn't even have a driver's license. If she truly loved him, then she should have done the MORALLY correct thing and wait. Let him grow up to be a man and choose some of his own paths in life rather than deciding his fate for him. My biggest questions are this: Might society have felt differently had this been a male teacher and a 13 year old girl? Has anyone thought about the effects this has had on all of the children? If you were the parent of Vili Fualuaa, what would you have done? Would you have wanted her prosecuted or would you have overlooked it? Read this book and see if you can answer the questions.

This well-written book thoroughly examines the Mary Kay LeTourneau scandal from all sides. To me, the TV movie was too Pro-LeTourneau and presented an extremely flattering depiction of a complex woman who was sweet, caring, endearingly scatterbrained yet conceited, snobbish, selfish and delusional. The book examines all aspects of Mary's personality, good and bad. At times the reader will want to club LeTourneau on the head for her incredible stupidity and blatant disregard for the law and how her actions would affect her children and her teaching career. BUT--at the same time, the reader will also feel immense sympathy and pity for Mary, given her terribly dysfunctional family life and loveless marriage. One of the saddest things the author pointed out is how Letourneau's ex-attorneys and Vili's family are trying to make money off of this entire affair by selling Vili's "Story" to the tabloids and TV talk shows. One of the most chilling quotes was from a fellow inmate of Mary's as saying, "She [Mary] kept saying that Vili was working on getting her out of here...I wouldn't count on Vili for anything. He's just a kid...As long as she's in here [prison], she's worth something to them. Sad isn't it? Isn't she something more than a way to make money?" One can only shudder of the media circus the lawyers and family will try to generate should Mary be allowed to marry Vili once she is released from prison.

I, like most sane people, have long thought Mary Kay Letourneau was a nut case. How in the world, I asked myself, could a woman just a year older than I be in love with a 12-year-old, much less have sex with him? After reading this book, I feel a little differently. I still think what she did was wrong, wrong, wrong--but Gregg Olsen shed light on WHY she might've done it. (I disagree with the other reviewers who said differently.)Mary Kay (who actually has gone by Mary for years--the "Kay" was added by the media)was from a priveleged upbringing, but didn't receive a lot of love and support from her parents. Her mother was very cold towards her--Mary's lifelong best friend is quoted in this book as saying she never once saw Mrs. Schmitz (Mary's mom)show any type of affection towards her. Her father, as many of you know, was an ultra-conservative John Birch Society member who didn't practice what he preached--he fathered 2 children by a mistress. Her husband, Steve, who has been portrayed in the media as a poor victim in all this, also fathered 2 children by mistresses while he was married to Mary, not to mention he physically abused her, once hitting her with his car when she was pregnant. In this book, you gradually see how she never really received the unconditional love she craved, from anyone. This is not excusing her actions--but if you read the book, you can kind of see her gradually separating from reality. She honestly saw Vili (the young boy) as her equal--and truly, in her mind, fell in love with him. She believes him to be her soul mate. And Vili was no pathetic little-boy victim. He was a very street-wise young man who bet his friends he could "nail his teacher" (although he professes undying love for her as well). To me, Mary is definitely somewhat disturbed, to actually think the way she does, and to defy the law after she had been given a second chance. I mean, who in their right mind would risk going to jail for 7 years after they got probation the first time? That's not normal behavior. She was just like a petulant teenager, saying, "Well, I'm NOT going to do that." She was not like a normal 30-something wife and mother of 4. It is actually a very sad story. Like I said, I am not defending her, or excusing her actions. But in this case, I don't believe it was rape. I also don't think she would have done this with any other young boy. It was just the situation, and the two people involved, coming together at that time. In reading the book you learn who Mary Kay Letourneau is, and what makes her tick. I was a fan of Gregg Olsen's after reading "Bitter Almonds" several years ago, and I became more of a fan after reading this book. I think he is an excellent true-crime author on the level of Ann Rule. Read this book, and see if it doesn't sway your opinion just a little bit. Even if it doesn't, it's definitely worth the read.

I had read so much about this story in the media, that I almost didn't bother to buy the book. I'm so glad that I did, and found myself quickly caught up in the new insights to the Mary Letourneau story provided by the author.

The writing style is clear and uncluttered by insignificant details, while at the same time answering almost all of the questions I would like to have asked Ms. Letourneau myself if I'd had that opportunity.

I read true crime books because I am interested in the thought process of those who commit what are considered to be unthinkable acts by the majority of society. How do they justify their actions, both to themselves and to others? While Mary Letourneau will always be a bit of a mystery, Olsen's non-judgemental writing helped me see some of what happened from her point of view.

Gregg Olsen has established himself as one of the top true crime reporters in the business. He ranks right up there with the best of the best - Ann Rule and Jack Olsen.

I read this book recently, and was happily surprised to note that it was clearly written without bias. The author looked at all aspects of the story, and took into consideration opinions on both sides of the controversy. He did the nearly impossible by not imposing his perspective of the case upon the reader. After reading the book, I still don't really know Gregg Olsen's opinion...although, since the story was so thoughtfully written, I tend to think that he may view it as a love story!

Mark Twain once said, "Truth is stranger than fiction, but it is because Fiction is obliged to stick to possibilities; Truth isn't." Olsen's book lends strong support to this timeless statement.

This book lays out in sad and shocking detail how a grown woman with four kids badly in need of support sexually entices, entangles, and manipulates an unremarkable boy who is not much older than her oldest son. Much has been made of this high shock-value, fit-for-the-tabloids case, but when all is said and done, we are left with a miserable, pathetic wretch of a woman who manages to ruin not only her own life, but also those closest to her.

At first glance, this book is a fluff read and a classic example of tabloid journalism. However, those of us who can put our outrage, disgust and contempt aside will find that the book presents us with a very interesting criminal psychological profile. It is most likely the best representation of how a disturbed mind can distort reality to his or her unconscious, selfish and depraved desires- and how public opinion can further add to such delusions. Olsen's thinly veiled attempt to portray Ms. Letourneau as 'a victim of circumstance' falls flat once the various sordid details of the book are clearly laid out.

The book gives good background information on Mary, Vili, her youthful, juvenille victim/lover, and other major and minor players. Olsen presents a cohesive story in the beginning, but the yarn slowly devolves into anecdotal hearsay towards the middle. Early on in the book, we learn of Mary's wrongfully and inappropriately ascribed involvement in the drowning death of her younger brother when she was a child, her ultra-conservative, philandering, Republican father, and her hasty, forced marriage due to an unplanned pregnancy to her hardworking but philandering husband. One the one hand, all of these things are thrown out as excuses for her pathological behavior; however, the net result of this and other background information on Mary only served to demonstrate that she spent a little more than three decades preparing to become the reproachable and pathetic person she is today. Much of what we learn in the book comes from friends, associates, and co-workers of Mary- almost all of them are uncommonly and overwhelmingly sympathetic to her plight.

What was truly scary about this tale was that folks close to and acquainted with her knew that something was amiss, yet did not come forward. Starting from the middle of the book, folks go from not knowing or suspecting anything to ultimately knowing all along- and offering various sordid recollections. Those involved with Mary who were truly appalled and outraged by her behavior, however central or tangential they were, were a conspicuous minority.

Although the incorrigible anti-heroine of this book is described as a 'magnetic personality' by all close to her, she is in fact a master manipulator who managed to dupe friends, loved ones, co-workers and supporters. Her story is not a tragic error in judgement, but a carefully planned, delusional mistake. She comes across not as the tragic figure many see her as, but as a thoroughly selfish, materialistic, moneyed Jezebel. She and her supporters poetically describe her illicit liaison as a 'great love', 'soul mates' united, or worse, 'Romeo and Juliet' (at least those two died- these people linger around to torment us with their shame). This case goes far beyond being an American tragedy and becomes without a doubt an American shame.

With this book, trailer trash has truly descended to a new low. If you are looking for shock value and sexual innuendo, this case and Olsen's skillful writing clearly deliver.

Mr. Gregg Olsen showed up unanounced on my door step well over two years ago. He was is dire search of people who had known Mary. Since I had been her neighbor for close to 8 years, he thought my home would be a good place to begin gathering information for his new book: "If Loving You Is Wrong". Would I help him? Could I give him names of other people who knew Mary? You see, Mr. Olsen was having a very difficult time finding people who would talk openly about Mary's situation. So, being an aspiring writer myself,I was sympathetic to his situation and said, "Sure, come on in". Let me begin by saying I liked Mary. I did not agree with what she did, but I did like her, and was saddened by her state of affairs. When Mr. Olsen interviewed me he told me his book, "If Loving You IS Wrong" would be a non-fiction book. Therefore, you can understand my shock and saddness when I read the book after it's release. It read like fiction, was filled with many untruths, and, I can honestly say I would be surprised if 60% of what he wrote was actual fact. I say this because I know the whole true story of Mary, and I know most of the people he wrote about. My name is Leslee Browning, and Mr. Olsen used my real name in his book. What he wrote about me, and what he said I said in my interview with him, was almost a complete fabrication of his imagination. I found this fabrication to be a constant theme throughout his writing in both describing the character of those who contributed to his book, and when quoting what my family, neighbors and friends actually told him when he interviewed them. Why am I so late in writing this review? Because I am a cautious woman, and needed much time to pass for my anger to quiet, and my spirit to heal, before I could write objectively, without losing my temper. Mr. Olsen took the friendship and kindness that I offered him, and turned it into a mockery. He made a mockery of me, my career, of Amber and Angie (The twins who knew Mary well), my neighbors, and my mother. For this, I think he is indeed a very small man. I will never again grant him another interview of any kind. I do not accept Mr. Olsen's book as a piece of non-fiction work. Leslee D. Bronwing January 4,2001

I just finished reading "If loving you is wrong". Gregg Olsen does a good job of pulling back the layers of Mary K, to expose the raw nerves. She is not dealing with real life, just fairy tales. I find it hard to believe she would throw away her first 4 kids to have kids with a kid! There are many victims in this story, and as far as I'm concerned, Mary K is not one of them!

When I picked up this book, I thought for sure it would be a "fluff" read. The type where you finish it in a night, and come away with nothing. How wrong I was. I never would have thought that the book would be as interesting as it was, without resorting to a rehashing of the tabloid stories. I won't give a lot away, but the background on the main character is just as interesting as her relationship with the young teenager. The best part about the book is that Mr. Olsen lets the reader make their own judgement call-no leaning. Pick it up and enjoy!!1 B. Kluge