Life For Death
by Michael Mewshaw
- Used
- first
- Condition
- Mass Market Paperback
- ISBN 10
- 0380545934
- ISBN 13
- 9780380545933
- Seller
-
Mulvane, Kansas, United States
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
Tinge of toning, else content appears as new, unopened, unread and unblemished with fine pictorial wraps displaying minimal surface/edge wear, as shown.
Novelist Mewshaw (Land Without Shadow, 1979) turns to nonfiction to narrate the grim story of Wayne Dresbach who, at age 15 in 1961, shot to death his adoptive mother and father. Mewshaw, two years older than the killer, was a summertime neighbor on Maryland's Chesapeake Bay; his family tried to help Wayne--raised money for his appeal, visited him weekly, took in his surviving (and disloyal) younger brother. Using that firsthand experience, interviews with Wayne and other family members and friends, and various documents (from the trial transcript to Dresbach's high school records), Mewshaw retells the formerly inexplicable story of parricide. It is not a pretty tale. Wayne, a quiet, soft-spoken boy whose aim is to be nice to everyone, is driven gradually into inarticulate rage and paranoia by his father's constant mockery, unflattering comparisons to his favored (and physically bigger) younger brother, unrealistic demands, rigorous punishments, and frequent beatings. Daddy Dresbach, a successful Washington divorce attorney, regularly beat his wife as well, drank excessively, led home-made wife-swapping and ""daisy chain"" orgies on a white fur rug in the living room, amassed and probably sold pornography; and when Wayne repeatedly ran away from home, he had him arrested and thrown into jail. Mrs. Dresbach, Wayne's other and apparently unintended target, is portrayed as a terrified battered woman, largely a victim but partly an accomplice in the psychological destruction of Wayne. Those who had hints of Wayne's plight--neighbors, school and juvenile authorities--never quite got around to helping him. And after the killings, little of the Dresbach home and social life--which included prominent Washingtonians--was judged "relevant" to the trial. Sentenced to life, Wayne grew up in prison; after ten years he was paroled to odd jobs. And even today, Mewshaw found, few people would talk about the bizarre suburban life style that drove a boy to murder and then let him take the rap. A terrible story of all-American destruction, quietly and feelingly told.
Insurance & handling is included free. Extra Charges/Fees apply on Shipments Outside The U.S. and Expedited Shipments. Oversize and/or heavy books may require additional fees. Will advise Written 10.21.2023Biblio 10.23.2023 #7201.10.2323.10.2323 Img.8781
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Details
- Bookseller
- Eve's Reads (US)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 7201.10.2323
- Title
- Life For Death
- Author
- Michael Mewshaw
- Format/Binding
- Near As New
- Book Condition
- Used - Mass Market Paperback
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Edition
- 1st Avon Ed. 1st Prt’g.,
- Binding
- Paperback
- ISBN 10
- 0380545934
- ISBN 13
- 9780380545933
- Publisher
- Avon Books
- Place of Publication
- New York, NY
- Date Published
- October, 1983
- Pages
- 277
Terms of Sale
Eve's Reads
Shipping/Handling/Insurance/Tracking Included within the continental U.S. (Free Shipping). Extra Charges/Fees apply on ALL Shipments Outside The U.S. and Expedited Shipments. Oversize and/or heavy books require additional fees. Will advise and will send invoice via Paypal for extra charges.
About the Seller
Eve's Reads
About Eve's Reads
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- New
- A new book is a book previously not circulated to a buyer. Although a new book is typically free of any faults or defects, "new"...
- Unopened
- A state in which all or some of the pages of a book have not been separated from the adjacent pages, caused by a traditional...
- Fine
- A book in fine condition exhibits no flaws. A fine condition book closely approaches As New condition, but may lack the...
- Pictorial Wraps
- Pictorial wraps are color illustrated covers for paperback books. Preceding mass-market paperbacks, this format brought popular...