Nothing Is Strange with You: The Life and Crimes of Gordon Stewart Northcott

If you are compelled to learn more about the film 'Changeling' and the true story of these Characters (Walter, the other boys, Sanford Clark, Gordon Northcott, the trial, the testimony, the police search, Gordon's mother and father and sister, prison) then I cannot urge you strongly enough to purchase this book. (Nothing in here about Mrs. Collins point of view..........that was covered in the movie). After you read this book, you will then be able to objectively compare what happened in real life to what happened in the movie and many of your questions will be answered for you for the first time...........your heart will know the truth of Walter.

Nothing is Strange with You: The Life and Crimes of Gordon Stewart Northcott James Jeffrey Paul's book on Gordon Stewart Northcott is a fascinating yet disturbing glimpse into the life of a serial pedophile and murderer. The book is meticulously researched and documented. It is simultaneously a tale of Northcott's path to ultimate damnation and Sanford Clark's final redemption. Mr. Paul re-assembles and clearly recounts a long forgotten true-life horror story set in Riverside County, California 80 years ago that was convoluted by conflicting information and intentional lies of a family of pathological liars, Gordon Stewart Northcott, Sarah Louise Northcott and Cyrus George Northcott. The text is literate with 411 citations to original research, interviews, trial transcripts, news stories and other official sources. The book is an obvious labor of love that is the culmination of fifteen years of research. I became interested in the Northcott case two years ago when I first learned of the case but was frustrated that the news accounts from the Los Angeles Times, other newspapers and other sources gave a superficial view of Northcott. When I found out about Mr. Paul's book earlier this year, I looked forward to reading it. While reading the book, I came to understand why Mr. Paul devoted fifteen years of his life to researching this case. According to News & Observer - Raleigh, NC, USA, Local writer digs into 'Changeling' history By Matt Ehlers, Staff Writer, October 31, 2008 (http://www.newsobserver.com/105/story/1275864.html): "Before James Jeffrey Paul entered the library that day in 1989, he had never heard of Gordon Stewart Northcott, a pedophile whose crimes put the plot of 'Changeling' in motion. "But Paul became intrigued when he came across an old crime-history volume that chronicled the sins of Northcott, one of America's most evil, but least well-known, serial killers. Later, he found a photograph that helped cement his interest in the case. ..." Since the focus of the book is on Gordon Stewart Northcott, by necessity information on the victims and other people affected by the case is somewhat cursory. It would be interesting to have a companion volume that more fully explores the impact that Northcott had on these people.

After seeing promos of the movie "Changeling" being based on a true story, I decided to look up the "true story" of which led me to this book. If you would like to know the entire details of this tragic case and the young man behind it all, than this is the book. The life of the serial killer Stuart Northcott and the Wineville chicken murders was very well researched considering almost everyone had forgotten about this case.

I was interested in reading up on G.S. Northcott after hearing about the movie coming out based loosely on his life and crimes. Of course there is very little out there, and much of it is inaccurate. This book has turned out to be a great, thorough resource. The story of this family and their crimes is compelling and I couldn't put the book down. The author did an amazing job researching this now nearly forgotten case, that shocked America in 1928. GS Northcott is a disturbing individual his story really makes you think about the horrors that man is capable of. Every member of this family is like a character in a movie, it's hard to believe this story was almost lost to history. The author has done a great job, and I highly recommend.

Clint Eastwood's movie, Changeling, is an examination of some very unusual circumstances whose occurrence hinges upon a crime committed by Gordon Stewart Northcott; but Changling only tells half of the story, the relatively sane half of the story. It is the other half of the story that James Jeffrey Paul brings to us so effectively in this work. Cold and unfeeling as only a tiny percentage of our society's misfits could be without collective social reason breaking down, Northcott is revealed in a stunningly matter-of-fact style, allowing readers to be rational witnesses to true horrors irrationally committed. Paul doesn't sensationalize, doesn't titillate, doesn't exaggerate...and that is the genius of his style for this particular topic. It enables us to recognize how very damaged Northcott's personality must have been to enable his coldhearted commission of such foul acts. This book is not drama, not formula, not engineered terror. It is historical reality horror revealing a personality the likes of which each of us can only hope we never run across. I recommend this book highly. Can't wait to see what they do with the movie.