Kitty Genovese the murder, the bystanders, the crime that changed America
"New York City, 1964. A young woman is stabbed to death on her front stoop -- a murder the New York Times called " a frozen moment of dramatic, disturbing social change." The victim, Catherine "Kitty" Genovese, became an urban martyr, butchered by a sociopathic killer in plain sight of thirty-eight...
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| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Books Print Book |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
New York :
W. W. Norton & Company,
[2014]
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| Edition: | First edition. |
| Subjects: | |
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| Summary: | "New York City, 1964. A young woman is stabbed to death on her front stoop -- a murder the New York Times called " a frozen moment of dramatic, disturbing social change." The victim, Catherine "Kitty" Genovese, became an urban martyr, butchered by a sociopathic killer in plain sight of thirty-eight neighbors who "didn't want to get involved." Her sensational case provoked an anxious outcry and launched a sociological theory known as the "bystander effect." That's the narrative told by the Times, movies, TV programs, and countless psychology textbooks. But as award-winning author Kevin Cook reveals, the Genovese story is just that, a story. The truth is far more compelling -- and so is the victim. Now, on the fiftieth anniversary of her murder, Cook presents the real Kitty Genovese. She was a vibrant young woman -- unbeknownst to most, a lesbian -- a bartender working (and dancing) her way through the colorful fast-changing New York of the '60s, a cultural kaleidoscope marred by the Kennedy assassination, the Cold War, and race riots. Cook also reconstructs the crime itself, tracing the movements of Genovese's killer, Winston Moseley, whose disturbing trial testimoney made him a terrifying figure to police and citizens alike, especially after his escape from Attica State Prison. Drawing on a trove of long-lost documents, plus new interviews with Kitty's lover and other key figures, Cook explores the enduring legacy of the case. His heartbreaking account of what really happened on the night Genovese died is the most acccurate and chilling to date."--Book jacket. |
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| Physical Description: | 242 pages ; 25 cm |
| Bibliography: | Includes bibliographical references and index. |
| ISBN: | 9780393239287 (hardcover) 0393239284 (hardcover) |
| Author Notes: |
