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While They Slept: An Inquiry into the Murder of a Family
by Harrison, Kathryn
- Used
- Very Good
- Hardcover
- first
- Condition
- Very Good/Very Good
- ISBN 10
- 1400065429
- ISBN 13
- 9781400065424
- Seller
-
Southampton, New York, United States
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
Random House, 2008. First Edition. Hardcover. Very Good/Very Good. First Edition, 4th Printing. Not price-clipped ($25.00 price intact). Published by Random House, 2008. Octavo. Blue cloth over gray boards stamped in silver. Book is very good; with no writing or names. Sharp corners and spine straight. Binding tight and pages crisp. Dust jacket is very good with light shelf wear and a small tear on bottom of spine. 290 pages. ISBN: 9781400065424. 100% positive feedback. 30 day money back guarantee. NEXT DAY SHIPPING! Excellent customer service. Please email with any questions or if you would like a photo. All books packed carefully and ship with free delivery confirmation/tracking. All books come with free bookmarks. Ships from Southampton, New York.
Synopsis
Early on an April morning, eighteen-year-old Billy Frank Gilley, Jr., killed his sleeping parents. Surprised in the act by his younger sister, Becky, he turned on her as well. Billy then climbed the stairs to the bedroom of his other sister, Jody, and said, "We're free."But is one ever free after an unredeemable act of violence? The Gilley family murders ended a lifetime of physical and mental abuse suffered by Billy and Jody at the hands of their parents. And it required each of the two survivors--one a convicted murderer, the other suddenly an orphan--to create a new identity, a new life. In this mesmerizing book, bestselling writer Kathryn Harrison brilliantly uncovers the true story behind a shocking and unforgettable crime as she explores the impact of escalating violence and emotional abuse visited on the children of a deeply troubled family. With an artistry that recalls Truman Capote's In Cold Blood, Norman Mailer's The Executioner's Song, and her own The Kiss, Harrison reveals the antecedents of the murders--of a crime of such violence that it had the power to sever past from present--and the consequences for Billy and for Jody. Weaving in meditations on her own experience of parental abuse, Harrison searches out answers to the question of how survivors of violent trauma shape a future when their lives have been divided into Before and After.Based on interviews with Billy and Jody as well as with friends, police, and social workers involved in the case, While They Slept is Kathryn Harrison's unflinching inquiry into the dark heart of violence in an American family, and a personal quest to understand how young people go on after tragedy--to examine the extent as well as the limits of psychic resilience. The New York Times called Kathryn Harrison's The Kiss "a powerful piece of writing, a testament to evil and hope." The same could be said about While They Slept.PRAISE FOR WHILE THEY SLEPT"Harrison does a magnificent job of sorting through the heartbreak of a family tragedy. By adding insights into her own life, she brings us a little closer to understanding the resilience of the human spirit and the irrevocable damage and unforeseen consequences of child and sexual abuse."--USA Today"The result of Harrison's masterful embellishment is a fascinating and comprehensive examination of the before and after of a brutal triple murder, of the cyclical nature of violence and of the tragic ineffectiveness of our social support systems...While They Slept does not provide the easy answers we hope to discover in 'just the facts,' but it offers instead the richer and more enduring illumination of 'the story.'"--L.A. Times"Her telling brings moral clarity to the dark fate of a family: the daylight gaze of narrative itself as a form of empathy."--New York Times Book Review, cover review"A powerful account...This excellent book will be devoured by educators who try to come to grips with the lasting effects of the traumas of childhood."--Deseret Morning News"Harrison offers careful research and obvious concern... While They Slept's real horror is in how many potential helpers were aware of the abuse and were unable to help. This is a heartbreaking read."--Rocky Mountain News"Kathryn Harrison pulls the reader through the story of the 1984 triple murder in Medford--our own backyard--with such speed and excitement it feels like you're watching an episode of Law & Order: Criminal Intent...Harrison perfectly paces the...
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Details
- Bookseller
- Southampton Books
(US)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 157974
- Title
- While They Slept: An Inquiry into the Murder of a Family
- Author
- Harrison, Kathryn
- Format/Binding
- Hardcover
- Book Condition
- Used - Very Good
- Jacket Condition
- Very Good
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Edition
- First Edition
- ISBN 10
- 1400065429
- ISBN 13
- 9781400065424
- Publisher
- Random House
- Place of Publication
- Westminster, Maryland, U.s.a.
- Date Published
- 2008
- Keywords
- , , , , , , , ,
Terms of Sale
Southampton Books
30 day return guarantee, with full refund including original shipping costs for up to 30 days after delivery if an item arrives misdescribed or damaged.
About the Seller
Southampton Books
Biblio member since 2022
Southampton, New York
About Southampton Books
Southampton Books & Sag Harbor Books - Independent bookstores located in the villages of Southampton & Sag Harbor, New York. Selling new and collectible books in all categories. We Buy Books! Do you have books to sell? Call or email or visit our website. Collections - Libraries - Individual Titles.
Glossary
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- Spine
- The outer portion of a book which covers the actual binding. The spine usually faces outward when a book is placed on a shelf....
- Shelf Wear
- Shelf wear (shelfwear) describes damage caused over time to a book by placing and removing a book from a shelf. This damage is...
- Cloth
- "Cloth-bound" generally refers to a hardcover book with cloth covering the outside of the book covers. The cloth is stretched...
- Jacket
- Sometimes used as another term for dust jacket, a protective and often decorative wrapper, usually made of paper which wraps...
- Octavo
- Another of the terms referring to page or book size, octavo refers to a standard printer's sheet folded four times, producing...
- Tight
- Used to mean that the binding of a book has not been overly loosened by frequent use.
- First Edition
- In book collecting, the first edition is the earliest published form of a book. A book may have more than one first edition in...
- 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"...
- Crisp
- A term often used to indicate a book's new-like condition. Indicates that the hinges are not loosened. A book described as crisp...
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