Due to the nature of the book, I felt that cooking a recipe would be somewhat insensitive. I had never heard of this book or this story but saw it on Amazon with over 30,000 reviews. I had it in my Wish List and just learned it is part of Amazon’s Prime Reading program.
This book may not be for everyone but I was “captivated” by the story (if “captivated” is the right word…more like appalled). It tells the story of a sadistic psychopath, Shelly Knotek, who (along with her third husband) abused her three daughters and committed murder (s) (not going into details in case you want to read the book). I know what you are thinking? Why would you want to read something like this? Well, for several reasons…
1) I have always been fascinated with criminal procedures/stories/justice… I would not say I am “obsessed” with serial killer stories but more like amazed that someone could be so demented that they do that type of stuff. Which leads to second point…
2) What makes some people so evil that they take pleasure out of another person’s pain/death? No doubt it is by the grace of God that Shelly’s daughters became who they are today. Also, there is no doubt that some people may just be evil, with no cause that helps you understand why they would choose to inflict pain and cause harm. As awful as some of these events are, it is also pretty awesome to read how some of these people turn to Christ in prison (Son of Sam, for example).
3) What causes people to act so irrational, even convincing themselves the lie told is truth? (I will not even go into the time that I was called a “b****” by a mom in the car rider line…that’s a story to be told over a glass of wine…still trying to understand that irrational behavior)
4) Why do abused people stay with the abuser (like when Shelly’s kids were teenagers or the adults that Shelly abused…the adults could have easily walked away)? At the end of the book, a forensics psychologist talks about why those abused don’t leave. This is what I struggled with to understand while reading this book. I can’t fathom why an adult would submit to abuse and not leave. The forensics psychologist who wrote the Afterward in the book writes for Psychology Today (I have read several of her articles about the spouses and children of people like Shelly). What I find so scary is the number of abused children who go to school and never tell, even wearing long sleeves to cover the abuse. How many students have I taught who may have been in an abusive home? This was the worse part of the story…
Although many may not like reading books like this, I think many will like reading it. On Amazon, it is 4.5 stars out of 35,000 reviews which is pretty amazing. The author talks about how the three daughters contacted him on writing this book. Many times, people may want their story told for fame or for money but more for healing purposes. For them, it was more for a warning to everyone. Their psychopathic mom will be released from prison in 2022, after serving around 18 years in prison for the crimes she committed. Knowing she has probably not changed, they want their story told as a warning for anyone who comes in contact with her. So, “happy” reading?
Side note: this book does have some language (um…psychopathic mom so yea…). Although I think my 14-year old would be fine reading it, I told her the lady’s name so she googled her… then we talked about everything that happened and what I had read by the forensics psychologist. It also led to a great opportunity to talk about how even the worse of the worse can still be in Heaven with us one day if they are saved by grace through faith (2 Cor. 5:17 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”).
