Murder American Style

This book was much more general in nature than I expected. This more general approach left the account somewhat shallow, but what it lacked in depth it more than made up for in readability which made the information easy to to digest and understand. Because of the approach the authors took with this book they made it very palatable for a more general readership, so the potential reader thinking about this book should not be intimidated by this book because it is an easy read. With that said the book does a great job detailing murder in the United States. The authors do a good job detailing the many different methodologies for studying or looking at violence and murder in U.S. society. They discuss the numerous problems with attempting to label and box a crime as complex as murder. What comes through is just how difficult this subject is to study and quantify because each different methodology inevitably overlaps in certain cases. While it may be good to look at murder from the biological or psychological method these methodologies are rarely able to explain an individual crime fully without resort to other methods. This is a major problem when trying to understand this crime. One of the aspects I was happy to see this book go into a greater detail was the role of media in distorting our perceptions of crime in general but murder specifically. In the seven or eight years since this book was written the problem with media has become even more acute. With shows dedicated to nothing but exploiting crime for ratings this problem has become even worse. With 24 hour cable news channels covering the sensational and headline grabbing incidents while ignoring the broader picture it seems that the average American has no opportunity to grasp the real situation. Instead people are fed hyped up accounts that brings in ratings but grossly misinforms viewers. This book will give the reader a sense of where we are at in this country as regards murder and violence. It cuts through the hype and takes a very rational look at how murder in the U.S. is different from other nations and why it is so prevalent in this country. It looks at our history and our culture for clues to explain this uniquely American phenomenon. They look at regional differences along with economic and social factors that contribute to our violent society. This more general approach actually helps brings the whole picture into focus. While it may not give readers that greater detail that comes with a micro approach, it also doesn't narrow the topic so much that the reader misses the forest for the trees. Anyone interested in this topic or violence in general will do well by giving this book a read. It is a well done and quick read that will help bring the picture into focus for those interested in American violence. I recommend this book.