A Death in Belmont

[abcdefz]

Oh, yeah. For what it's worth -- I just finished reading A Death in Belmont (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0393059804/sr=8-1/qid=1155502998/ref=pd_bbs_1/002-2007711-2748002?ie=UTF8).

Sebastian Junger, the guy who wrote The Perfect Storm (way way way way way better than the movie), wrote this one. It's about a murder in his neighborhood which was sort of attributed to the Boston Strangler, but the guy they actually pinned it on likely wasn't him; the real murder/Strangler was most likely the laborer who was in the neighborhood working on an addition to Junger's house and being kinda creepy with his mom and a young artist she was tutoring.

Really good stuff. Really really good stuff. I put it down just to go to sleep and woke up early to finish reading it. Very compelling, with some nifty insight into the jail and judicial systems.

A. (y)

[HEIRESS]

I just finished Gulag: A History (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0767900561/103-8862156-4214206?v=glance&n=283155)
Im obsessed with books on soviet work camps
I need to chill and read some goddamn fiction for once...

[abcdefz]

Oh, man. There's some other fairly famous book about the Gulag. I don't have the stomach for it in great detail.

This goes into some of the circumstances at a notorious prison in Oxford, Mississippi where prisoners were literally worked to death. It was kind of a holdover from the slavery system.

[HEIRESS]

if you are interested

he wrote two:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0451527097/102-6822002-6897761?v=glance&n=283155
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0060007761/ref=pd_bxgy_img_b/102-6822002-6897761?ie=UTF8

this is the best in my opinion
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0140186956/sr=1-1/qid=1155582050/ref=pd_bbs_1/102-6822002-6897761?ie=UTF8&s=books

my dad actually knew someone who was in one of the camps and survived and then moved to Canada, my dad worked for him as a teenager helping him in his hay fields and he'd sometimes tell him stories but not often
he was physically disabled for the rest of his life because he spent so many years digging holes with a spade that didnt have a bent over lip at the top to save your foot
he used to try and make some sort of cushioning device out of wood or whatever so prevent the damage but someone would always beat him and steal it during the night

[abcdefz]

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0140186956/sr=1-1/qid=1155582050/ref=pd_bbs_1/102-6822002-6897761?ie=UTF8&s=books



I think that's the one I've heard of. Unless there's something by Gogol?

Anyway.... yeah; the anecdote about the shovel is nuts. It amazes me, sometimes, what people will do to each other.