| In True Story: Murder, Memoir, Mea Culpa, disgraced New York Times writer Michael Finkel recounts the story of the murderer who assumed his identity and examines the reasons for his own fall from journalistic grace, in a memoir that is gripping, perceptive, and bizarre. In 2002, Finkel, a rising star at the Times, was fired for fabricating a character in a story about child laborers in Africa. Just as the story of his downfall was about to become public, he learned that a man named Christian Longo, arrested in Mexico for the murder of his wife and three small children in Oregon, had been living under an assumed identity: Michael Finkel of The New York Times. Sensing a story--and an opportunity for redemption--Finkel contacted Longo, initiating a relationship that would grow increasingly complex over the course of Longo's trial and conviction. Finkel makes no excuses for his actions. Nor does he deny his own narcissism--a narcissism that allowed him to rationalize his own lies as surely as Longo rationalized his crimes. Ultimately, Finkel says, his year with Longo taught him "how a person's life could spiral completely out of control; how one could get lost in a haze of dishonesty; and how these things could have dire consequences." The lesson, Finkel need not add, applies as much to the disgraced writer as it does to the killer. --Erica C. Barnett |
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 scary |
| Review Date: July 6, 2009 |
| Reviewer: writer wannabe, |
| This book makes you think/question.....deeply. I truly honestly completely believed Chris Longo's first version of the killings. That he killed his wife and last child and someone else (his wife) killed the 2 older kids. I just believed it in the bottomless pits of my stomach. And to later read that Longo lied?!?!?!??!?! I had to put down the book for a day and re-access my ability to read/understand people. I am truly shattered, I can tell you. I am not stupid to believe in the truthfulness of mankind. We all lie for one reason or the other. But Longo???? He is con artist. A cruel man. A liar liar liar. I am so hurt. I cant even imagine how Finkel feels. This book...em em em! I recommend again and again and again. |
What if a child-killer stole your identity?
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| Review Date: January 12, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Katherine Wertheim, Southern California |
What if your worst moment was someone else's dream? In True Story, journalist Michael Finkel tells the story of how his identity was stolen at the worst moment of his life. As he is being fired from his dream job at the New York Times, a man is being arrested, a man who was pretending to be Michael Finkel who was alleged to have killed his own wife and three children. The man stole Michael Finkel's identity because he wished to be Michael Finkel.
Michael Finkel gets to know Christian Longo, and in the process of writing about this man accused of killing his family, he must also reveals his own flaws and worst traits. It's a profoundly affecting book, as Finkel explores how his own excesses led to his downfall, at the same time talking about how Longo's problems led to his making heinous choices. That the two share some traits is very disturbing. The book asks the question, "What separates the journalist from the subject? What separates the writer from the murderer?"
I recommend this highly. |
Fascinating non-fiction
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| Review Date: August 26, 2008 |
| Reviewer: K. Roberts, PA, USA |
I read this book when it was first released and it still sticks with me. The best aspect of the book is the interweaving of the author's personal story and that of the man who supposedly killed his family then fled the country. When he was caught, he was using Michael Finkel's name and identity at a Mexico resort area living the good life.
Imagine getting a call to find out someone was using your identity -- and that person was suspected of murdering his family. Wouldn't you be compelled to find out why?
The author is looking for redemption from his own journalistic mistakes by finding and writing the truth of a news-worthy event. Other reviewers found Finkel to be self-serving but I'd have to disagree with that. He was PART of the story itself because the suspected murderer identified with him enough to use his identity. Gradually, that identification allowed him to open up to Finkel through the taped conversations. If they had not shared that link, there would be no story.
Maybe readers of murder mystery are accustomed to having an "aha moment" when the crime is solved and all the pieces of the puzzle are revealed. This book reveals more of the main characters' inner selves without having a tidy ending. I love ambiguous endings.
Well worth a few intense nights of reading. |
Just
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| Review Date: May 17, 2008 |
| Reviewer: Christopher Cameron, Evanston, IL USA |
There were times throughout this CD when I wanted to just turn it off, but somehow I made it through. The events depicted are well worth knowing about, and Mr. Finkel can ply the skills of his trade when he wants to. The research and facts are all done quite well.
But long before the story was finished, I had complete understanding of why the author had gotten in trouble at the NY Times. He can't see past his own shiny self-image. The same ego that caused a talented young reporter to throw his career away while attempting to make a name for himself is the driver of the hubris that bloats this book. We know he's being taken in by a lifelong con artist ages before he can admit it to himself.
The author tried to build up suspense that would lead to a moment of truth at the climax of the story, but just like his fabricated articles for the newspaper, there was no truth to be told. We know not to trust a habitual liar, but apparently another habitual liar doesn't. I would get so frustrated with his naiveté while driving in my car listening that I'd yell at Finkel as if he was a pedestrian stopped in the middle of the street before me, trying to decide whether to continue crossing the road or head back to the curb he just came from!
Despite the unique nature of this bizarre tale I can't recommend the book. I'm all for author involvement ala Ira Glass' "The New Kings of Nonfiction", but in this case you'd be better off reading someone else's coverage of the same material. |
Outstanding
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| Review Date: December 4, 2007 |
| Reviewer: Charles Price, Phoenix, AZ USA |
| A thoughtful, well written description of a horrendous crime that explores the psyche of the killer; the author's growing understanding of the killer's psyche as he gets to know him; and the author's own travails while all this is going on. |
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