Deviant: The Shocking True Story of Ed Gein, the Original Psycho

My grandmother owned a cabin and some land in Plainfield, Wisconsin near the Gein farm. We used to go there some summers back in the 1950s when I was just a kid. My parents told me I met Gein, but I don't remember him. I do remember one of his victims, Mary Hogan. She owned a bar in the area. I think she also served food. The bar had a coin operated game with a bear that ran around a tree - if you "shot" the bear it would stand up, growl, and its eyes would flash. Lots of fun for a little kid. Mary would give me dimes to play that game. When we went back to Plainfield in the summer of 1955, Mary had disappeared. At the time the area was heavily wooded and rather remote. Speculation was that Mary had been murdered and buried somewhere where she would never be found. The arrest of Ed Gein and the gruesome discoveries came as quite a shock to everyone.I didn't know the details of his crimes because I was just a little kid when this all happened. This book does a good job of telling Ed Gein's story. The author obviously did a lot of research about the case. It proves the point that fact can be a lot stranger than fiction. I thought the book was well written and a good read.

I read "Deranged" not too long ago. Although I believe that I've seen Harold Schechter quite a few times on various true-crime television shows -- most likely on the Investigation Discovery (ID) network -- that was my first read from him. I thought that it was a very good effort about the life and crimes of one Albert Fish, and so I decided to give this one a try. Naturally, from my rating, I wasn't disappointed with this one either.I like how Mr. Schechter tends to choose one word titles for his books: "Deranged," "Deviant," "Fiend," etc. etc. While it doesn't necessarily give you a clue about who the book is about, it tends to describe each of these serial killers in a nutshell. But more than that, I really appreciate the effort that the author obviously puts into research. It seems that he must travel to the area where each of the killers lived, and then spend a lot of time searching microfiche for at least old newspaper information. After all, most of his books are about really old cases, and most of the newspapers from the era of his books still aren't available online. (Periodically, I did a Google search here and there for newspaper articles that he mentions in the book, and even Google couldn't find them.)At any rate, while it appears that Mr. Schechter is a professor of American literature and pop culture, he comes off to me more as an historian. Maybe that was his minor? Maybe it's more of a hobby? Either way, he seems to be fairly knowledgeable about history as well.I'm nearly finished with "Deviant," and about the only thing that I didn't necessarily like about it was how the author called Ed Gein a "little man." Over and over. Personally, I just thought that it was an unnecessary ad hominem. Taking a peek around the web, I guess that Mr. Gein was around 5 foot 7, so I guess that he was a "little man," but I'm not convinced that it added to the story. Perhaps the motivation for this was to remind the reader that even someone diminutive in stature can be bigger than life as a killer?It is interesting how this story unfolds, and while reading, I'm not exactly convinced that Mr. Gein was your standard "evil" guy. He seems to me to be more of an enigma, at least from a serial killer perspective. It really isn't clear if he himself even understood the nature of his crimes; to him, it was as if there was no difference between field dressing a deer and field dressing a human. (I'm quite convinced that many people throughout history have attempted to argue this position, and while I believe that it's a good argument to have from an academic perspective, it might be a tricky one to win. If I were to argue against it, I would start by saying that most species do not condone the killing of their own kind, but it surely doesn't always hold. I believe that many monkey species kill their own, as an example. At any rate, I would like to read a valid and sound argument against it, as these types of arguments usually devolve into "appeals to emotion" -- or perhaps more likely "circular reasoning", or something like, "it's bad because it's bad," which I've heard one too many times in my life -- which are obviously invalid immediately.)While my favorite true-crime author is probably Jack Olsen, he hasn't been with us for over a decade now, and unfortunately, most of his books are not available on Kindle. And I hate buying "real" books anymore; I far prefer e-books. Luckily for us, it appears that most of Mr. Schechter's books are available on Kindle, and I have quite a few left to go. It should keep me busy for a while, and I'd recommend that you'd consider reading them as well.

This is a well-written, engrossing account of the particular kind of madness that overtook Ed Gein, the man on whom Norman Bates is supposed to be loosely based. (The similarities between the "Psycho" character and this real-life "Deviant" are VERY loose indeed.)Schecter does a good job describing the bleak surroundings of Gein's frame house in Wisconsin, where Gein started his collection. Whereas Gein's mother had been a stickler for religious observance and neatness - Ed went the other way and let the house he inherited from her fall into terrible disrepair. It became a nightmare of squalor and clutter. However the kind of clutter that Ed allowed to accumulate behind his darkened windows was well beyond what any modern de-cluttering guru could possibly help him manage.This book eases us into the nightmare, as indeed Gein himself probably eased by degrees into the most extreme forms of his obsession. Earlier in the book, as we already get an idea that his living circumstances have gone beyond the usual disorder associated with bachelorhood - we read about Ed opening a can of beans for himself and dishing them into the usual wobbly bowl he ate out of. At the time, a reader might barely think to ask, "Why is his bowl so wobbly?" The shocking answer comes later, along with the full revelation of the extent to which Gein has departed from any human norms.Many, but certainly not all, of his depredations centered on the already dead. At first doubtful that such a relatively small man could have successfully indulged his necrophiliac tendencies by digging up graves even in the middle of the worst winter freezes - local officials eventually proved that it could be done readily enough, even by a lone individual armed with just a shove and a crowbar.While Gein's neighbors thought him perhaps a little odd, their general image of him all along had been that of an accommodating, neighborly fellow, always available to help someone start a truck or do odd jobs around a struggling farmstead. Almost everyone thought of him as a harmless enough coot, a vaguely pitiable bachelor deserving to be treated with a good home-cooked meal occasionally. That's how he was regarded - until the final reveal.Schecter doesn't go deeply into any psychological analysis here, although we are provided with a good idea of the skewed nature of Ed's upbringing. It's especially apparent that Gein's mother was suffering from sever psychological problems of her own.The advertising blurbs for almost all books contain some line to the effect, "You won't be able to put this book down." Usually, that's a gross overstatement, certainly for me, a slow reader. But this was one case when I literally could not put the book down, and read it through in one long sitting, even skipping dinner in order to find out how Gein's life turned out.My only criticism of the book would be its title. Schecter has written a series of books about notorious killers, all of them with one-word titles that are sensationalized synonyms for "insane." Schecter has done "Bestial," "Depraved," and "Deranged." These one-word titles are interchangeable, and we wouldn't know which killer we're going to read about unless we take in the full subtitles. Schecter might have done better to give his books more individualized, less lurid titles.You might want to check out the movie "Ed Gein" to view in conjunction with reading this book. Many of the movies that have been made about serial killers have been cranked out as low-budget exploitation flicks. However "Ed Gein," the movie with Steve Railsback channeling the unassuming, almost elfin oddity of Ed Gein, is an exception in this string of bio-pics. I often found myself thinking back to scenes from the movie as telling illustrations of Schecter's book.

Really informative book covering the life and crimes of Ed Gein. It’s well written in a chronological order.It starts with telling us about his parents and his upbringing which in many cases can be attributed to his crimes.He always claimed he couldn’t remember killing or butchering Worden was this true or just a bizarre way of trying to claim his innocence.He was immortalised by Alfred Hitchcock who based Norman Bates on him as was Leather Face in Texas Chainsaw Massacre.Well worth a read to get a true idea of what turned this lonely man to become a grave robbing murderer.

I have read a couple of books over the years about Ed Gein and have to start off by saying that this is the best researched and written account of Geins darker activities I have come across. The book provides; and in fairly good detail; the actual reports and witness accounts from the time of the murders. Schecter gives the reader exactly what they're after in the form of an objective account of what actually is known about the darker of Eddies activities.The book does a very good job of also detailing the Gein family troubles and movements prior to Geins progression into one of the most infamous killers in modern times. Schechter really has a fluid and engaging style of writing that moves this quite gruesome tale along. There aren't many pieces of Geins personal life, habits and relationships that aren't explored in as much detail as possible. This is where the book engaged me the most. To know how Gein conducted himself in public is the piece of the puzzle that can be left out in the more sensational accounts of "the real American Psycho". This account provides as much information about his childhood, upbringing and inability to transform into a rounded adult, because of his overpowering mother's influence (this also transcended from the grave, according to Eddie), as it does the murders and grave robbing.The author also seems to capture the mood of the Plainfield community at the time. The speculation, anger, frustration and media circus that surrounded this quiet, unassuming town as it went through when the truth came out.All-in-all a gripping read. I say this as I finished this book in 2 days.

Brilliant book and I read a lot. Couldn’t put it down gave you the whole picture of the time in history his growing up etc but not too much so you were like get on with it. Just a brilliant read. Detail was great. Amazing how a mind can flip. Definitely recommend this book best in years

I have read some strong books in my time but so ville surprised it was even published be warned this is very strong reading to anyone who buys it

I have been stunned by this book and have to say if this is what you like to read order it ASAP you will not regret it and excellent. Review to the company. Nothing too much trouble l will be ordering from them again. Jackie liverpool