Why They Kill: The Discoveries of a Maverick Criminologist

by Richard Rhodes

Book Overview

Richard Rhodes, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Making of the Atomic Bomb , brings his inimitable vision, exhaustive research, and mesmerizing prose to this timely book that dissects violence and offers new solutions to the age old problem of why people kill. Lonnie Athens was raised by a brutally domineering father. Defying all odds, Athens became a groundbreaking criminologist who turned his scholar's eye to the problem of why people become...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0375702482
• ISBN13: 9780375702488
• Release Date: October 2000
• Publisher: Vintage
• Length: 384 Pages
• Weight: 0.73 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.3" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

A Wonderful Book on a Strangely Overlooked Topic

It may sound odd to talk about violence as an "overlooked topic," but as much as we talk about it and read about it and watch "real life" cop shows, Americans don't really do much thinking about the real causes of violence. It's easier to enjoy the drama of good vs. evil, to revel in our moral superiority to violent criminals while taking a morbid interests in their deeds."How can people do this sort of thing?" is the question every time there is another heinous murder or massacre.Well, the answer isn't really all that mysterious, if you buy what Rhodes and Lonnie Athens say (and by and large, I do). I find Athens description of "violentization" compelling, and it matches what I've personally experienced. I've met plenty of nice people who somehow survived horrible childhoods, but I've never met a horrible person who had a nice childhood.Rhodes is a wonderful writer, and his presentation of Athens' life and theories is deft.My only problem with the book is that Rhodes and Athens focus so exclusively on socialization as the root of violence that they overlook neurologic issues. I actually got to talk about this with Rhodes online, and he disagreed, but didn't convince me. Head injuries and alcohol intoxication clearly play a major role in violent crime, and Athens seems so bent on awakening us to the process of violentization that he downplays or ignores this.In fact, it's not an either/or -- people who are abused and brutalized as kids usually get more than their share of knocks on the head and are more likely than average to be from alcohol-abusing families.But in a field where so little light is shed, you don't have to have the entire puzzle to get my vote. This is a terrific book, and should be read by anyone interested in the subject.

The Maverick hits the mark...

I've read a fair share of the latest crop of books on the topic of violence and the criminal mind, and this book is in the top five. Rhodes has done a stellar job in presenting the theories and findings of criminologist Lonnie Athens. I'm in contact with some of the country's worst criminals - those that sit on Death Row. This book has been most beneficial in understanding the hows and whys that landed these people there. If you're interested in understanding how the criminal mind works and want to read a book that you can actually understand and process, this is the book for you. Written for both the professional and the layman, this is a wealth of insight into what makes a mind go criminal, and why violent actions result. Excellent work, Dr. Athens - you have my highest praise. Oustanding writing, Mr. Rhodes. I look forward to your next work.

Brilliant

Richard Rhodes is an outstanding writer as anyone who has read "The Making of the Atom Bomb" can attest. His writing is well researched, clearly written and often hard to put down.His latest book, " Why They Kill : The Discoveries of a Maverick Criminologist" is an eye opener. Criminologist, Dr. Lonnie Athens new approach to understanding violence in humans turns some psychiatric theories upside down. His discoveries originated from his own extremely violent background. Athens claims that rapists, violent killers (including serial killers) know what they are doing and why. To the majority of us it is incomprehensible that anyone would commit such heinous acts with what appears to be little or no provocation. He shows, by example, how those who have gone through what he calls the four stages of violentization, think and react. Athens states that if an individual is interrupted at any stage before he or she has gone through the fourth stage of violentization, the individual can be reformed. However, once the fourth stage has been completed, there is no hope of redemption. What lends a particularly reactive note on the part of the reader is the inclusion of well known personalities and their individual stories of violentization. Athens describes the backgrounds of Mike Tyson, Alex Kelly, Lee Harvey Oswald and other infamous characters. He also points out how and why soldiers were affected by the violence during the Vietnamese war and its aftermath.Toward the end of the book Athens suggests how the cycle of violence can be broken. The cycle was broken in time for Athens and for Rhodes, who was also on his way to a violent outcome. Their redemption was serendipitous. For the majority of those who are on the road to violentization and are not so lucky, society must intervene in order to prevent the terrifying result.

Best book I've read on how people become ultraviolent

I agree with the comments of Mr. Olsen. Lonnie Athens' ground-breaking work on the developmental process of violent criminals--which he calls "violentization"--is lucidly described by Rhodes. The book is fascinating and logical, supported by Athens' field work and personal experience. Human evil is rooted in human experiences and this book is a refreshing antidote to mystic speculations on why people commit "unthinkable" crimes. I've read numerous books on crime and violence and almost never end up with a clearer understanding of the motivations of violent actors. I discovered this book by happenstance at a small bookstore in Michigan and did not read the review in the New York Times Book Review. This book deserves a wide audience. I did not find it dry at all.

A Superb New Work by a Superb Reporter

I regard WHY THEY KILL as the most important book on the mind of the criminal since Dr. Hervey Cleckley's monumental study of psychopathy: THE MASK OF SANITY. Unlike self-ordained crime guru and speed-writer Joyce Carol Oates, who damned this book with her customary hauteur in the New York Times, I have been studying violent criminality at close range for 50 years, and Richard Rhodes showed me something valuable and new on every page. His ability to explicate and illuminate the most complex processes is in the tradition of great journalists like John McPhee, Gail Greene, Norman Mailer, Joseph Mitchell, Shana Alexander, James Stewart and Fox Butterfield. I hope this book gains Richard Rhodes another shelf of well-deserved awards.