I chose to read this non-fiction book because it has some significance in our family tree. Winnie Ruth Judd is my 5th cousin on my dad’s side of the family. We found out a few years ago when my aunt was working on our
family tree but no one still living remembers meeting her. I thought it would be cool to read about something from history that was connected to our family.
I found the book very confusing to read. The book was a documentation of facts that the author discovered but was not written in chronological order to show how events happened. The author also referenced a lot of names that were hard to keep track of. It started to feel like a lot of facts that I was supposed to memorize for a test. Trying to figure out who was involved at what stage of the investigation or trial was difficult because the author talked to a lot of witnesses and even interviewed their grown children. The story seemed to jump around throughout different time periods, sometimes even in the same paragraph. I would have preferred that it was written like a more traditional “murder mystery” story with a clear beginning, middle and ending.
The author did do a great job investigating this case and tracking down never-seen-before evidence and written testimony. In fact, Winnie’s written confession made after her sentencing, was locked away for thirty years after having been seen and dismissed by the judge. It was never considered in any further trials because no one knew it existed. The author also did a good job of interviewing people who knew Winnie and getting their perspectives. She made me see Winnie as a victim of corruption, not a murderer. She painted a picture of a naïve, sweet, and caring woman who got herself involved with the wrong crowd. I also liked that the fact that the author visited Winnie in person before her death to try to get answers to the confusing “facts” of the case. I don’t think even Winnie Ruth Judd knew the truth of what happened to Anne LeRoi and Hedvig “Sammy” Samuelsen. I think she believed that she had killed both women but that probably isn’t true due to the evidence the author uncovered. The author didn’t give the reader much information about the two victims other than a few short paragraphs at the end of the book about where they were buried. The author also reports that someone claiming to be from the Arizona parole board found Winnie’s unpublished phone number after it became known that Winnie had given personal interviews for this book. The caller threatened to revoke the parole if Winnie told her story. The author was never able to get in contact with Winnie again. The crime took place in 1931. This book was written in 1992. Winnie Ruth Judd was still terrified of the establishment in Arizona after six decades. This book definitely leaves the reader feeling like the truth still hasn’t been told.
family tree but no one still living remembers meeting her. I thought it would be cool to read about something from history that was connected to our family.
I found the book very confusing to read. The book was a documentation of facts that the author discovered but was not written in chronological order to show how events happened. The author also referenced a lot of names that were hard to keep track of. It started to feel like a lot of facts that I was supposed to memorize for a test. Trying to figure out who was involved at what stage of the investigation or trial was difficult because the author talked to a lot of witnesses and even interviewed their grown children. The story seemed to jump around throughout different time periods, sometimes even in the same paragraph. I would have preferred that it was written like a more traditional “murder mystery” story with a clear beginning, middle and ending.
The author did do a great job investigating this case and tracking down never-seen-before evidence and written testimony. In fact, Winnie’s written confession made after her sentencing, was locked away for thirty years after having been seen and dismissed by the judge. It was never considered in any further trials because no one knew it existed. The author also did a good job of interviewing people who knew Winnie and getting their perspectives. She made me see Winnie as a victim of corruption, not a murderer. She painted a picture of a naïve, sweet, and caring woman who got herself involved with the wrong crowd. I also liked that the fact that the author visited Winnie in person before her death to try to get answers to the confusing “facts” of the case. I don’t think even Winnie Ruth Judd knew the truth of what happened to Anne LeRoi and Hedvig “Sammy” Samuelsen. I think she believed that she had killed both women but that probably isn’t true due to the evidence the author uncovered. The author didn’t give the reader much information about the two victims other than a few short paragraphs at the end of the book about where they were buried. The author also reports that someone claiming to be from the Arizona parole board found Winnie’s unpublished phone number after it became known that Winnie had given personal interviews for this book. The caller threatened to revoke the parole if Winnie told her story. The author was never able to get in contact with Winnie again. The crime took place in 1931. This book was written in 1992. Winnie Ruth Judd was still terrified of the establishment in Arizona after six decades. This book definitely leaves the reader feeling like the truth still hasn’t been told.