|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||
Frequently Bought Together
Product Details
|
Product Description
Review
"A searingly tragic look behind the headlines that broke America's heart. Brilliantly researched, wonderfully written."--Anne Rule
"A riveting and deeply disturbing chronicle of true crime. Olsen has done a superior job."--Cleveland Plain Dealer
"Among the top true crime books published. Once picked up, it's hard to put down."--New Philadelphia Times Reporter
"A superior true crime account that should not be missed."--Jack Olsen, author of Doc and I: The Creation of a Serial Killer
"A tough new voice rises in the ranks of true-crime writers. Even the reigning giants of the genre are taking notice and offering praise."--Seattle Post-Intelligencer
"A riveting and deeply disturbing chronicle of true crime. Olsen has done a superior job."--Cleveland Plain Dealer
"Among the top true crime books published. Once picked up, it's hard to put down."--New Philadelphia Times Reporter
"A superior true crime account that should not be missed."--Jack Olsen, author of Doc and I: The Creation of a Serial Killer
"A tough new voice rises in the ranks of true-crime writers. Even the reigning giants of the genre are taking notice and offering praise."--Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Product Description
On Christmas Eve in 1985, a hunter found a young boy's body along an icy corn field in Nebraska. The residents of Chester, Nebraska buried him as "Little Boy Blue," unclaimed and unidentified-- until a phone call from Ohio two years later led authorities to Eli Stutzman, the boy's father.
Eli Stutzman, the son of an Amish bishop, was by all appearances a dedicated farmer and family man in the country's strictest religious sect. But behind his quiet façade was a man involved with pornography, sadomasochism, and drugs. After the suspicious death of his pregnant wife, Stutzman took his preschool-age son, Danny, and hit the road on a sexual odyssey ending with his conviction for murder. But the mystery of Eli Stutzman and the fate of his son didn't end on the barren Nebraska plains. It was just beginning. . .
Eli Stutzman, the son of an Amish bishop, was by all appearances a dedicated farmer and family man in the country's strictest religious sect. But behind his quiet façade was a man involved with pornography, sadomasochism, and drugs. After the suspicious death of his pregnant wife, Stutzman took his preschool-age son, Danny, and hit the road on a sexual odyssey ending with his conviction for murder. But the mystery of Eli Stutzman and the fate of his son didn't end on the barren Nebraska plains. It was just beginning. . .
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
First Sentence
It was time for a haircut. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
It was time for a haircut. Read the first page
Explore More
Concordance
Browse Sample PagesConcordance
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
Suggested Tags from Similar Products(What's this?)Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product)
|
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most helpful customer reviews
3.0 out of 5 stars
LITTLE BOY BLUE...,
By
This review is from: Abandoned Prayers: An Incredible True Story of Murder, Obsession, And Amish Secrets (Mass Market Paperback)
Since I have always been fascinated by the Amish and their lifestyle, and I also enjoy true crime stories, I was drawn to this book. Moreover, I remembered the story People magazine did many years ago regarding the young boy, wearing a blue sleeper, whose lifeless body had been found near a corn field in Nebraska in the dead of winter. Abandoned and discarded by the one entrusted with his care, this unknown boy, named "Little Boy Blue", stirred the hearts of the hearts of the citizens of Chester, Nebraska, who gave him a formal burial. The heart of the nation was also stirred by the People magazine article, as its citizens wondered aloud as to the identity of this little boy.It would be sometime before that question was answered. "Little Boy Blue" turned out to be nine year old Danny Stutzman, a young boy whose angelic countenance belied a life of abuse and neglect at the hands of his father, Eli Stutzman, a man who turned his back on his Amish inheritance and left a trail of dead bodies in his wake. After the suspicious death of his Amish wife, Ida, Eli eventually abandoned all that he knew and adopted the lifestyle of the non-Amish. He also came out of the closet, as he was gay, something not tolerated by the Amish. This is a well-researched book, but I was disappointed by it. Perhaps my expectations were too high, but I felt that this was definitely not the author's best work, however potentially compelling the story. I found the writing to be sub-par, often choppy. While highly detailed, some of the details came across as needless clutter, as they were not particularly relevant to the state of affairs that was propelling Danny and others to their doom. In addition, there was a certain homophobic ring to the author's prose that was disconcerting and off-putting. There is little doubt that Eli Stutzman was a dysfunctional human being and an abusive parent that exposed his young son to adult behavior that clearly was not in the best interest of the child. He did not, however, act this way towards his son because he was gay. He acted this way because he was a seriously disturbed human being. Unfortunately, from the author's writing one might infer that it was Eli Stutzman's sexual orientation that was at the heart of the murders and Danny's tragic end. Despite the many rave reviews of this book, I found it mediocre fare, at best. Still, fans of the true crime genre might want to give it a whirl.
2.0 out of 5 stars
Sad Story but not very compelling writing,
By Holden (Ontario Canada) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Abandoned Prayers: An Incredible True Story of Murder, Obsession, And Amish Secrets (Mass Market Paperback)
I see that generally this book has received positive reviews here. However, I must say that as someone who enjoys true crime books from time-to-time this one was a disappointment. The writing style was choppy and confusing. There were a lot of details included that I'm not clear were relevant. Danny, the victim, in the story actually gets very little space in the whole text. Instead the Author focuses excessively on the abusers relationships with other men. Some of these relationships were relevant as the abusive father exposed his child to adult behaviour inappropriate for a child. However there is a bit of moral tone here by the author that might lead one to believe that he is not a big fan of gay men in general. The best example I can think of his habit of directly quoting very red-neck statments by some of the officers and others involved. Unfortunately by talking too much about Stutzmans sexual orientation (author mainly uses the word homosexual as opposed to the more modern term gay), he may have blended those old stereotypes that gay men = child abusers. In this case Stutzman was both, but the writing and the presentation leaves a progessive reader wondering. A very sad story, but I think the book could have better.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Abandoned Prayers, Abandoned Justice,
By Susan McKay (Pennsylvania) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Abandoned Prayers: An Incredible True Story of Murder, Obsession, And Amish Secrets (Mass Market Paperback)
In Abandoned Prayers, Gregg Olsen describes the journey of exAmishman Eli Stutzman as he travels across the heartland of America after murdering five people including his wife and son. The conclusion of the book will leave you speechless--- Mr. Stutzman gets a mere slap on the wrist after committing unspeakable crimes and instilling fear in the hearts and minds of the Amish community he turned his back on. This is a disturbing account of a man whose punishment certainly does not fit the crime. It will leave you angry at the apathy and ineptitude of various local law enforcment agencies in our land.This book is an easy read and will hold your attention. If you are a true crime afficianado, put Abandoned Prayers at the top of your list.
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
Want to see more reviews on this item?
|
Most recent customer reviews |
Listmania!
|
|
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
