We will never have the answer to many of the questions raised by what has become known as the Duke Lacrosse case. What we do know is that lives were changed one night in March 2006 during a chance encounter that should never have taken place. The one person whose life has changed the most is the one that few really know. Crystal Gail Mangum was a single mother struggling to make a living for herself and her children while pursuing a college education. Believing that her options were limited, Crystal made a decision that she now admits was the biggest mistake of her life, which up to that point had already been punctuated by big and small mistakes that landed her in a desperate situation. Becoming an exotic dancer seemed to be the answer to all of Crystals problems. The money was fast and the lifestyle appeared glamorous. She learned that there was money to be made, but it came with risks. As for the glamour, that was all an illusion, too. But Crystal is not unique. Even if we do not know Crystal Mangum, we can agree with her realization that dancing is not the easy path to a better life. Her short stint as a dancer convinced her to work to encourage women to think about other career choices.Crystal has been through sexual, physical, and emotional abuse that left her with deep psychological scars. The Last Dance for Grace is Crystals attempt to set the record straight about her life and the circumstances around one of the most controversial cases in American history. 252 page paperback.
The Last Dance for Grace:The Crystal Mangum Story
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Customer Reviews
“ Just absolutely disgusting and I hope she doesn't make a dime off of this and I would recommend this piece of garbage to absolutely no one. ”
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
139 of 156 people found the following review helpful
By Scott Walton
Format:Hardcover
You can't get grape juice by squeezing a lemon. You can't get watermelons to grow from an apple seed and you aren't going to get anything truthful from a perjurer and a liar. (And now, in 2011, a murderer.)
This young woman, in an act of selfishness, lied & defended her lies and negatively impacted the lives of many people in our area. Some lost jobs, some had their careers destroyed, some lost scholarships, many had their entire lives dominated with defending themselves against something that never happened.
If this weren't being pawned off as someone's memoirs it MIGHT make for interesting grade-B pulp fiction.
Save yourself the time, money and mental anguish and buy something worthwhile to read.
This young woman, in an act of selfishness, lied & defended her lies and negatively impacted the lives of many people in our area. Some lost jobs, some had their careers destroyed, some lost scholarships, many had their entire lives dominated with defending themselves against something that never happened.
If this weren't being pawned off as someone's memoirs it MIGHT make for interesting grade-B pulp fiction.
Save yourself the time, money and mental anguish and buy something worthwhile to read.
57 of 66 people found the following review helpful
By Ominous
Format:Hardcover
I thought this might be a good insight into the case.... wrong. Absolute junk, I cant believe someone published this. Horrible. Save your money.
32 of 37 people found the following review helpful
By Kim
Format:Hardcover
This is a horribly-written book in which the subject takes no responsibility for her poor life decisions, and the consequences of those decisions. It is a stretch to call this snapshot of the prostitute's life a "memoir". I re-donated it to Goodwill.
20 of 23 people found the following review helpful
By Simple Woman
Format:Hardcover
Nothing more than pages and pages of absolute trash, distortion, dishonesty and poorly written dribble. Crystal Mangum wouldn't know the truth if it took her out to lunch. Shame on any promoter for trying to make money off this so-called "book". Last time I checked, she's in trouble with the law again, and has popped out another baby. (Three now) The REAL victims are her children who are exposed to this grossly unfit mother.
An update: Well, for those of you who don't follow Durham's professional victim-in-residence, Mangum is charged with murder. She apparently stabbed a man. So much for poor Sister Survivor trying to her life back on track. I guess the evil white people who she blames for her every problem, somehow held her hand and made her kill another human being
An update: Well, for those of you who don't follow Durham's professional victim-in-residence, Mangum is charged with murder. She apparently stabbed a man. So much for poor Sister Survivor trying to her life back on track. I guess the evil white people who she blames for her every problem, somehow held her hand and made her kill another human being
35 of 43 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Some very confused people, like a few of the reviewers herein, believe that everyone has the right to have their story heard. Indeed, people may have the right to tell their story, but not the right to have it heard. No one is obligated to listen. It is difficult to find a better example of a story that sharply delineates the difference between these two points than Crystal Gail Mangum's ghost written opus.
One day we will be treated to a thoughtful recounting of the horrific saga of the Duke rape hoax. We will revisit the night when a drug-addled stripper with a lengthy criminal record and a set of morals that, comparatively speaking, would entitle an alley cat to canonization, drifted into and out of a stag party, the details of which she can't even remember. We will review the sordid spectacle of 88 cowardly Duke professors who rushed to stoke racial hatred and bigotry when only the sketchiest of details about perjured accusations had been surfaced. We will recall the pitiful cowardice of Duke President Richard Brodhead who secured his place in infamy by firing the coach of the Duke lacrosse team within days of the false allegations being made public, an act for which he has yet to apologize or be held fully to account. We will avidly recount how an out-of-control Durham county prosecutor intent of winning reelection in a largely black voting district sought to enflame racial tensions by deliberately misrepresenting the truth and undertaking a consistent pattern of falsification, perjury, evidence tampering, subornation of perjury and obstruction of justice in order to sustain indictments against three Duke students he knew to be innocent.... Read more ›
One day we will be treated to a thoughtful recounting of the horrific saga of the Duke rape hoax. We will revisit the night when a drug-addled stripper with a lengthy criminal record and a set of morals that, comparatively speaking, would entitle an alley cat to canonization, drifted into and out of a stag party, the details of which she can't even remember. We will review the sordid spectacle of 88 cowardly Duke professors who rushed to stoke racial hatred and bigotry when only the sketchiest of details about perjured accusations had been surfaced. We will recall the pitiful cowardice of Duke President Richard Brodhead who secured his place in infamy by firing the coach of the Duke lacrosse team within days of the false allegations being made public, an act for which he has yet to apologize or be held fully to account. We will avidly recount how an out-of-control Durham county prosecutor intent of winning reelection in a largely black voting district sought to enflame racial tensions by deliberately misrepresenting the truth and undertaking a consistent pattern of falsification, perjury, evidence tampering, subornation of perjury and obstruction of justice in order to sustain indictments against three Duke students he knew to be innocent.... Read more ›
22 of 26 people found the following review helpful
By N
Format:Hardcover
Even as a die-hard UNC fan and graduate I could not believe the fact that this stripper would try to profit off the way she ruined the lives of the Duke lacrosse players. Just absolutely disgusting and I hope she doesn't make a dime off of this and I would recommend this piece of garbage to absolutely no one. Maybe she should take the profits and pay for the ruined opportunities experienced by those players or their legal fees. She is one of the most awful people I have ever heard of and I am ashamed to even know that she exists.
11 of 16 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
please don't buy this book. the author makes excuses for this horrible women, who now is being charged with stabbing to death her boyfriend. the one she was charged with burning his clothes in the bathtub while her two children where in the house. please don't let either of these two profit from these horrific events.
6 of 10 people found the following review helpful
By Roloff
Format:Paperback
I am truly amazed at the passion some people have for this book. The conspiracy theory nuts have had Amazon remove my reviews several times, all it stated and I will state again, this person who wrote this book is the worst humanity has to offer and instead of removing my reviews, I hope somebody would remove Crystal Mangum's book from existence. In fact now that my review has been taken down three times, which is Amazon's right to do so, I will practice my right of not buying another thing from Amazon till they take this book off this website. Allowing that evil human being to profit is a crime that Amazon is guilty as hell. There is a really passionate conspiracy theorist that post here all the time, Myra Kindersomething she really makes me laugh quoting the same BS all the time, it is amazing that there are still people who beleive there is any bit of credibility in Crystal Mangum, I guess there are still people who beleive the earth is flat too.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
People always rear their ugly heads
I bet most reviewers didn't even read this book. Yet their writing their opinions because they have certain bias. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Moe
1.0 out of 5 stars
Deserves zero stars
If you are curious about this book, my advice would be don't buy it. I can sum up the whole story in 4 words..."It's not my fault". Read more
Published on April 20, 2011 by Mark H. Orgel
1.0 out of 5 stars
What is wrong with typical Black thinking in the US today
Myra's comment (above) typifies most of "Afro-centric" thinking in the US today. Just look at the African-American Studies professors and Black "activists" who continue to defend... Read more
Published on February 21, 2011 by L. Byron
4.0 out of 5 stars
The Last Dance for Grace
Well written. I could not put the book down. A very honest but also a very sad life story.
Published on August 15, 2010 by Houston Bookreader
4.0 out of 5 stars
Crystal Mangum's story in her own words
Crystal Mangum was a student at NC Central who in 2006 worked as an exotic dancer. In March of that year she went to a house to dance for a bachelor party being held for Duke... Read more
Published on March 26, 2010 by F. Orion Pozo
4.0 out of 5 stars
Finally!!
This is the day I've been waiting for, to finally hear from the woman who was at the very center of one of the most infamous cases. Ms. Read more
Published on December 4, 2008 by B. Johnson
