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The Anatomy of Evil
The crimes of Charles Manson, Ted Bundy, Jeffrey Dahmer, John Wayne Gacy, Dennis Rader, and other high-profile killers are so breathtakingly awful that most people would not hesitate to label them 'evil'. In this ground-breaking book, renowned psychiatrist Michael H Stone - host of Discovery Channel's former series "Most Evil" - uses this common emotional reaction to horrifying acts as his starting point to explore the concept and reality of evil from a new perspective. In an in-depth discussion of the personality traits and behaviour that constitute evil across a wide spectrum, Dr Stone takes a clarifying scientific approach to a topic that for centuries has been inadequately explained by religious doctrines. Basing his analysis on the detailed biographies of over 600 violent criminals, Stone has created a 22-level hierarchy of evil behaviour, which loosely reflects the structure of Dante's Inferno. He traces two salient personality traits that run the gamut from those who commit crimes of passion to perpetrators of the worst crimes - sadistic torture and murder. One trait is narcissism, as exhibited in people who are so self-centred that they have little or no ability to care about their victims. The other is aggression, the use of power over another person to inflict humiliation, suffering, and death. Stone then turns to the various factors that, singly or intertwined, contribute to pushing certain people over the edge into committing heinous crimes. They include heredity, adverse environments, violence-prone cultures, mental illness or brain injury, and abuse of mind-altering drugs. All are considered in the search for the root causes of evil behaviour. What do psychology, psychiatry, and neuroscience tell us about the minds of those whose actions could be described as evil? And what will that mean for the rest of us? Stone discusses how an increased understanding of the causes of evil will affect the justice system. He predicts a day when certain persons can safely be declared salvageable and restored to society and when early signs of violence in children may be corrected before potentially dangerous patterns become entrenched.
Hardcover
First published July 28, 2009
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About the author
Michael H. Stone
19 books74 followersMichael H. Stone, MD (New York, NY) is professor of clinical psychiatry at the Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons. He is the author of ten books, most recently Personality Disorders: Treatable and Untreatable, and over two hundred professional articles and book chapters. He is also the host of Discovery Channel’s former series Most Evil and has been featured in the New York Times, Psychology Today, the Christian Science Monitor, CNN, ABC News, CBS News, NBC News, the New York Post, the London Times, the BBAC, and Newsday, among many other media outlets.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 218 reviews
December 15, 2009
I loved reading this book! I enjoyed the series, Most Evil. I am fascinated by the psychology of such people. It is interesting to read that several killers had injured their head when young. There must be a connection to brain trauma in some cases. Of course, in my heart I believe some people just have evil in them, even if that goes against science. I do realize a good majority has been injected with their inhumanity due to early trauma, abuse, genetics and environment. There are certainly enough cases within this book that makes you think 'well of course after being subjected to such darkness this person grew up to kill' but then there is always the argument that many people who have survived epic abuse and torture went on to live good lives and helped others, rather than murdering or torturing. Why do some chose a dark path? These are answers we may never know. There are those who come from good families who turn to evil acts.
I think the world would benefit from studying such criminals. The scale Stone created makes sense, I don't think you can place a parent who kills the person who abused their child at the same level of evil as say, Ted Bundy. So such a scale surely is necessary.
I enjoyed his mention of the atrocities of war and mob behavior aren't quite the same as individual evil. That many that take part in killing or rioting as a group have a tendency to say WE when speaking of the crime, as if it wasn't an individual choice. Michael Stone is very interesting to read, I can't imagine stomaching such criminals in the name of science, but thank God some people can. Wondeful book! Highly recommended. I need to mention that his novel isn't about glorifying the killers, as some crime literature tends to do.
I think the world would benefit from studying such criminals. The scale Stone created makes sense, I don't think you can place a parent who kills the person who abused their child at the same level of evil as say, Ted Bundy. So such a scale surely is necessary.
I enjoyed his mention of the atrocities of war and mob behavior aren't quite the same as individual evil. That many that take part in killing or rioting as a group have a tendency to say WE when speaking of the crime, as if it wasn't an individual choice. Michael Stone is very interesting to read, I can't imagine stomaching such criminals in the name of science, but thank God some people can. Wondeful book! Highly recommended. I need to mention that his novel isn't about glorifying the killers, as some crime literature tends to do.
November 14, 2017
I have always been fascinated with how the human mind works - especially in the cases of abnormal psychology and what actually causes a person to be "evil" or how they can justify the actions they've taken - rape, murder, manipulation, etc. Nature vs. Nurture has been a debate that's been going on for ages. Can a human being be born evil? There are cases of kids growing up in perfectly normal houses, with a normal social atmosphere that kill. Are they crazy? Were they born that way? Or what, if anything, triggered them?
Michael Stone doesn't believe in the inherent "bad seed"... that people are born evil. While there are cases that can be seen that way, if you look further, there seems to be a base of where their behavior came from and the author's theories are hard to argue with.
I have done hours upon hours of studying serial killers/true crime. I make no apologies for my morbid curiosity. Stone not only references the big names that we know such as Manson, but also recounts up to 600 different cases - not just regurgitating them for our morbid brain food, but also providing theories about them as well. FASCINATING. Simply. Fascinating.
I may not read much nonfiction, but when I do... it's almost always in this type of genre. What do you believe? Can people just be evil? What's your definition of this word? As society changes, what becomes more "acceptable" and how can we justify people's actions. If any of this intrigues you, I highly recommend picking up this book and seeing how the author brings cases, logic and his 22-level hierarchy of evil behavior into the mix. I surely will be side-eyeing and being even more skeptical of the human race. So thank you, Mr. Stone... all jokes aside, you've certainly re-opened my interest into the psychology/psychiatry/neuroscience of human behavior.
Michael Stone doesn't believe in the inherent "bad seed"... that people are born evil. While there are cases that can be seen that way, if you look further, there seems to be a base of where their behavior came from and the author's theories are hard to argue with.
I have done hours upon hours of studying serial killers/true crime. I make no apologies for my morbid curiosity. Stone not only references the big names that we know such as Manson, but also recounts up to 600 different cases - not just regurgitating them for our morbid brain food, but also providing theories about them as well. FASCINATING. Simply. Fascinating.
I may not read much nonfiction, but when I do... it's almost always in this type of genre. What do you believe? Can people just be evil? What's your definition of this word? As society changes, what becomes more "acceptable" and how can we justify people's actions. If any of this intrigues you, I highly recommend picking up this book and seeing how the author brings cases, logic and his 22-level hierarchy of evil behavior into the mix. I surely will be side-eyeing and being even more skeptical of the human race. So thank you, Mr. Stone... all jokes aside, you've certainly re-opened my interest into the psychology/psychiatry/neuroscience of human behavior.
October 16, 2014
My favorite dubious conclusion was that serial killers who have issues with women start off killing cats because cats have faces like beautiful women.
Not entirely made up of bad arguments, but some of his ideas are definitely outdated. Also the rating system is entirely too subjective and without any real point, except as a way to organize his book.
Not entirely made up of bad arguments, but some of his ideas are definitely outdated. Also the rating system is entirely too subjective and without any real point, except as a way to organize his book.
September 13, 2010
Eh. I think this guy's entire premise is pointless.
September 2, 2015
Prepare for a journey though the dark side with today's most widely recognized forensic psychiatrist, Dr. Michael Stone. After years (and hundreds of killers studied) Stone created the Graduations of Evil Scale, and this book is his explanation of the process. The Anatomy of Evil is intense, featuring many profiles of killers, and none of the ones you'd expect. There are no Bundy or Gacy or Dahmer profiles here. And the focus doesn't stay on serial or mass killers at all.
Stone also doesn't give a text book regurgitation of facts, but also adds theories on how religion, media and social influences what our ideas of evil are, and how these notorious (often unrepentant) killers fit into that. The Anatomy of Evil is THE definitive work on killer psychology and likely will remain so for a while to come. It also tackles the difficulty of defining evil itself, the causes, effects and way society can deal with it. Stone's style, while academic is not beyond the understanding of even casual interest. The book is an incredible read, infinitely fascinating and should be a mandatory part of every public collection. Its value to research, be it to writers or budding psychiatrists and law enforcement, or just people trying to understand the motives of those around them, is immense. While Stone handles the horrible details without allowing the book to become profane, or gorish it is a hard read just because of the depths of the depravity it explores. But Stone handles the rough subject matter with delicacy and skill, and most of all composure, that most would struggle with.
Contains: descriptions of true, horrifying criminal acts including torture, rape and murder
Stone also doesn't give a text book regurgitation of facts, but also adds theories on how religion, media and social influences what our ideas of evil are, and how these notorious (often unrepentant) killers fit into that. The Anatomy of Evil is THE definitive work on killer psychology and likely will remain so for a while to come. It also tackles the difficulty of defining evil itself, the causes, effects and way society can deal with it. Stone's style, while academic is not beyond the understanding of even casual interest. The book is an incredible read, infinitely fascinating and should be a mandatory part of every public collection. Its value to research, be it to writers or budding psychiatrists and law enforcement, or just people trying to understand the motives of those around them, is immense. While Stone handles the horrible details without allowing the book to become profane, or gorish it is a hard read just because of the depths of the depravity it explores. But Stone handles the rough subject matter with delicacy and skill, and most of all composure, that most would struggle with.
Contains: descriptions of true, horrifying criminal acts including torture, rape and murder
September 23, 2017
Fantastic! I LOVED this book. I am a forensic psychiatrist and so work with a lot of people on this spectrum of "evil". This book gave overviews of several different cases, where the author (Dr. Michael Stone, a forensic psychiatrist) had made a gradations of evil scale. There was a lot of discussion on what causes people to do the things they do, from genes, trauma, experiences, brain injury to people just born bad. I read the entire thing in two days. It was not a dense book, it flowed. Highly recommend!
December 21, 2012
I had my fears in the beginning that this book was going to be dry and boring... It started out with a few definitions of evil that sort of made my head spin (then again, I started it at 3am on a night shift... brains don't function adequately at that time...) But very quickly I realized that my first assumptions were completely negative. This book was written in such a fluid motion that putting it down was next to impossible, despite how uncomfortable I was by reading about such horrible acts. Dr. Stone has a gift for writing about the horrible and despicable of the human race. There was even a part where, at first, I disagreed with him on how he could possibly have compassion or sympathy for a serial killer on death row after reading about the disgusting things that he had done. He felt the compassion after the killer's frank discussion of how his caregiver had abused him as a child. At first, I still couldn't find any compassion in myself. I do agree that no person should ever be subjected to something as heinous as abuse by a parent or loved one, but I did not understand how that could translate into being a serial killer, when there are people in the world who are victims of horrible acts, but go on to lead fulfilling and peaceful lives. Dr. Stone later discusses this same fact and explains that being abused as a child is not a guaranteed code for developing psychopathic traits later in life, but it is a strong influence. And while he does not feel that this killer deserves at any time to be released from jail, he does regret that as a boy, this killer was never allowed the opportunity to feel compassion or love from a caregiver.
Definitely an excellent, excellent read... it compels me to want to read a lot more!
Definitely an excellent, excellent read... it compels me to want to read a lot more!
July 9, 2013
I really loved this book. It gives good, detailed information as to what traits may exist that can be interpreted as evil. Being a counselor, I found this book fascinating in the author's attempt to organize the traits and how it relates to "gradations" of evil. He provides incredible case studies and examples of real life persons who have been considered evil and what their lives may have been like that contributed to their acts. Pretty easy read, very interesting!
March 21, 2020
While this book was fairly interesting, it does seem like the Categorization of Evil was created simply so that Dr. Stone would have a topic to write about other than “here are stories about serial killers”—which let’s be real, is pretty much exactly what I was looking for by reading this book. The psychological insight as to why serial killers commit these evils was relatively limited, and there were no theories that I’ve never heard before.
Nevertheless, it was entertaining.
Nevertheless, it was entertaining.
January 11, 2018
I did like the analogies and so many examples he used to make a scale as such for 'evil' itself. I did however feel towards the end of the book with the after thoughts ect it was dragging on and not bringing anything new to the table. Very interesting concept though and very easy to read, also interesting.
September 24, 2018
YAWN! Thought I would enjoy is, I was sadly mistaken.
July 21, 2022
If you’re looking for a true crime book, The Anatomy of Evil is not it. If you haven’t studied in the field or read similar textbooks, you might not find it nearly as fascinating as it is.
This is an in-depth study of the personality traits and behaviours that lead to criminal behaviour. From what I learned studying criminal behaviour and abnormal psychology at university, and years of continuing to read up on the subject matters, I applaud the author for creating the Gradations of Evil Scale. However, as mentioned throughout the book, ‘evil’ is subjective.
I’m still on the fence regarding the term and classification of “secondary psychopath”. You can be sure I will study this more in-depth as I will forever be a student of criminal/forensic psychology.
My opinion since first learning about the flaws in the judicial systems across the world, still stands – first-time offenders of violent crimes should receive harsher punishments. And not be eligible for parole, no matter how much they portray themselves as model prisoners or reformed.
The New Evil is already on my bookshelf and I can’t wait to learn even more.
This is an in-depth study of the personality traits and behaviours that lead to criminal behaviour. From what I learned studying criminal behaviour and abnormal psychology at university, and years of continuing to read up on the subject matters, I applaud the author for creating the Gradations of Evil Scale. However, as mentioned throughout the book, ‘evil’ is subjective.
I’m still on the fence regarding the term and classification of “secondary psychopath”. You can be sure I will study this more in-depth as I will forever be a student of criminal/forensic psychology.
My opinion since first learning about the flaws in the judicial systems across the world, still stands – first-time offenders of violent crimes should receive harsher punishments. And not be eligible for parole, no matter how much they portray themselves as model prisoners or reformed.
The New Evil is already on my bookshelf and I can’t wait to learn even more.
July 16, 2010
I like the show---kind of interesting theory of evil existing on 22 levels. Book is really really good....goes into the science and rationale behind the groupings, the triad (bedwetting, animal abuse, setting fires) of childhood suggestive behavior)...really really good...uses lots of ancedotal evidence and references a ton of sources. I am looking at two of the other books referenced by this book right now. Of course you kind of have to be into this sort of thing (serial killers, child killers, etc)
September 5, 2010
A fascinating scientific approach to what is typically lobbed about as a moral term. Way better than his show, Most Evil, by the way.
December 14, 2023
Jak rodzi się zło? Co sprawia, że w człowieku budzi się agresja? Na te, jak i wiele innych pytań, dr Michael H. Stone próbuje nam odpowiedzieć w swojej książce „Anatomia zła”.
Dr Michael H. Stone podjął się arcytrudnego zadania. Na kartach swojej książki wkracza w głąb najbardziej przerażających umysłów, analizując powstałe w nich zło od podszewki. Opierając się na przykładach jednych na najbardziej znanych seryjnych morderców, takich jak Charles Manson, Richard Ramirez, Jeffrey Dahmer, czy Ted Bundy w bardzo szczegółowy sposób analizuje cechy osobowości, rozkładając na czynniki pierwsze to, co mogło być powodem powstania w ich umysłach pragnienia czynienia niewyobrażalnego zła.
„Anatomia zła” to bez wątpienia przerażająca lektura, ale również bardzo fascynująca. Osoby, które interesują się tematem seryjnych morderców, nie mogą nie sięgnąć po tę książkę. Autor oddał w nasze ręce rzetelny i bardzo szczegółowy reportaż, w którym dogłębnie analizuje wiele przykładów zła. Lektura dostarcza mnóstwo emocji. Niektóre opisy zamieszone w książce powodują, że przez ciało czytelnika przechodzą ciarki.
To nie jest moja pierwsza lektura, w której autor nie stroni od wstrząsających opisów zbrodni. Z wieloma wymienionymi przed Dr Michaela Stone'a seryjnymi mordercami miałam „do czynienia” na kartach innych reportaży. Każda z tych osób miała w sobie niewyobrażalnie ogromne pokłady zła. I, pomimo iż autor w swojej książce naprawdę dogłębnie przeanalizował czynniki, które mogą być odpowiednie za popełnione przez nich czyny, ciężko jest mi zrozumieć ich postępowanie.
Zapraszam Was w tę fascynującą podróż w głąb najbardziej przerażających umysłów. Jest to lektura dla osób interesujących się psychologią i tym, jak działa umysł przestępcy. Jestem niemal przekonana, że fani gatunku znajdą w tej książce odpowiedzi na najbardziej nurtujące pytania: czym jest zło, jak powstaje i jak się objawia. Jakie czynniki mają wpływ na rodzące się w naszych umysłach zło, a może zło rozwija się w nas od pierwszych chwil życia? Jeżeli chcecie znać odpowiedzi na te pytania, zapraszam Was do lektury „Anatomii zła”.
Dr Michael H. Stone podjął się arcytrudnego zadania. Na kartach swojej książki wkracza w głąb najbardziej przerażających umysłów, analizując powstałe w nich zło od podszewki. Opierając się na przykładach jednych na najbardziej znanych seryjnych morderców, takich jak Charles Manson, Richard Ramirez, Jeffrey Dahmer, czy Ted Bundy w bardzo szczegółowy sposób analizuje cechy osobowości, rozkładając na czynniki pierwsze to, co mogło być powodem powstania w ich umysłach pragnienia czynienia niewyobrażalnego zła.
„Anatomia zła” to bez wątpienia przerażająca lektura, ale również bardzo fascynująca. Osoby, które interesują się tematem seryjnych morderców, nie mogą nie sięgnąć po tę książkę. Autor oddał w nasze ręce rzetelny i bardzo szczegółowy reportaż, w którym dogłębnie analizuje wiele przykładów zła. Lektura dostarcza mnóstwo emocji. Niektóre opisy zamieszone w książce powodują, że przez ciało czytelnika przechodzą ciarki.
To nie jest moja pierwsza lektura, w której autor nie stroni od wstrząsających opisów zbrodni. Z wieloma wymienionymi przed Dr Michaela Stone'a seryjnymi mordercami miałam „do czynienia” na kartach innych reportaży. Każda z tych osób miała w sobie niewyobrażalnie ogromne pokłady zła. I, pomimo iż autor w swojej książce naprawdę dogłębnie przeanalizował czynniki, które mogą być odpowiednie za popełnione przez nich czyny, ciężko jest mi zrozumieć ich postępowanie.
Zapraszam Was w tę fascynującą podróż w głąb najbardziej przerażających umysłów. Jest to lektura dla osób interesujących się psychologią i tym, jak działa umysł przestępcy. Jestem niemal przekonana, że fani gatunku znajdą w tej książce odpowiedzi na najbardziej nurtujące pytania: czym jest zło, jak powstaje i jak się objawia. Jakie czynniki mają wpływ na rodzące się w naszych umysłach zło, a może zło rozwija się w nas od pierwszych chwil życia? Jeżeli chcecie znać odpowiedzi na te pytania, zapraszam Was do lektury „Anatomii zła”.
November 2, 2021
If you are after an in-depth psychological look at the motivations that make humans evil, this is not the book. Clearly a lot of research has gone into this book, but I’m not sure what good these categories of evil would be to anyone.
December 1, 2022
This book deserves a standing ovation. It is incredible. The author takes you through evil gradations is extensive detail, and I love it.
April 9, 2017
At turns fascinating and horrifying, Doctor Michael H. Stone's analysis of Evil in mankind is quite well done. Starting out with Dante Alighieri's different levels of hell, Dr. Stone attempts to classify levels of evil according to a certain standard. This is something that is difficult to do, seeing as how people do not all come from the same mold. There are signs that one can follow; like when a child enjoys torturing animals, but even that is not decisive.
Anyway, Stone's system is called The Gradations of Evil. In it, there are 22 different levels, going from justified self-defense killing all the way to sadistic torture murders. In the book, there are short biographies of the criminals or perpetrators, the crimes they committed and a supposed rating on the scale. Some of these atrocities go beyond imagination and defy our sense of decency, justice, and a loving God.
Some of the criminals I have heard of, mostly from the news, but most I have not. This is mostly because I don't really gain joy from reading about horrible things people do to each other. The one that stays in my mind the most is probably the one where a father injected his own 5-year old son with HIV positive blood, giving him AIDS just so he could avoid being a parent.
Anyway, Stone's system is called The Gradations of Evil. In it, there are 22 different levels, going from justified self-defense killing all the way to sadistic torture murders. In the book, there are short biographies of the criminals or perpetrators, the crimes they committed and a supposed rating on the scale. Some of these atrocities go beyond imagination and defy our sense of decency, justice, and a loving God.
Some of the criminals I have heard of, mostly from the news, but most I have not. This is mostly because I don't really gain joy from reading about horrible things people do to each other. The one that stays in my mind the most is probably the one where a father injected his own 5-year old son with HIV positive blood, giving him AIDS just so he could avoid being a parent.
October 20, 2017
For my first Dr. Michael Stone book I was preparing myself for a long, dense read however I found this book very informative and engaging using many examples starting from murders of passion to sadistic psychopaths.
What I learnt from this book is that murders labeled as evil can't be tarred with the same brush.
Dr Stone picks a part how we apply the term evil, not just based off the criminal act but how a combination of neurological abnormalities, mental health, genetics and environment could eventually drive someone to inflict harm on another person.
At times I did have to put the book down, specifically when David Parker Ray was brought up but if you are like me and have a big interest in crime beyond it's shock value this book is an essential read.
What I learnt from this book is that murders labeled as evil can't be tarred with the same brush.
Dr Stone picks a part how we apply the term evil, not just based off the criminal act but how a combination of neurological abnormalities, mental health, genetics and environment could eventually drive someone to inflict harm on another person.
At times I did have to put the book down, specifically when David Parker Ray was brought up but if you are like me and have a big interest in crime beyond it's shock value this book is an essential read.
February 16, 2011
I found this book very interesting, not only for its theme, but for its incorporation of "evil" as a social category and its attempto to scale evil degrees. It is quite easy to read, even for someone who is not familiar with neuroscience and its terms, and it provides an excellent compilation of references for further information. However, I think the last chapter, which focuses on neuroscience and evil, could have been longer, maybe it could be updated as research provides new knowledge on the theme. Overall, a great reading.
October 24, 2012
I can't believe anyone would give this 5 stars. I suppose if this was the first book you ever read on sociopathy and had short term memory loss, I could see giving it a 3 or 4 star review. The stories are interesting enough, but there are a lot of inaccuracies in the science talked about in this book. It wasn't terribly impressive work in any respect.
September 19, 2019
Though the content that is displayed is interesting enough, and the Gradation of Evil is extremely intriguing to ponder about, I was hoping for a far more in depth analysis of the psychological nature of "evil" men and women instead of a more general approach of the various subjects. This details the what but never fully delving into the why.
July 26, 2017
Basically, he lists a bunch of people doing bad things or being bad in general and puts them on a scale. The book itself was very informative if you can get past the brutality. My problem with the book is the way it was organized. I would expect a chapter for each level and its kind of a cluster in that regard making it difficult to follow along.
August 21, 2009
I guess this book would only be of interest to people who read "true crime", but according to Newsweek, that's most of us. Written by a forensic psychologist, the book outlines his scale for analysing murderes, citing true cases. Very interesting when read in the daytime.
March 18, 2010
Landmark book for those (of us) with an interest in understanding the minds of serial killers. Kind of off-putting for most everyone else. A little heavy on the science, but that's what attempts to explain these behaviors that defy explanation.
April 27, 2010
I learned that there are some sick individuals in this world! I also learned that homicide is the leading cause of death among pregnant women in the US!
January 21, 2011
Great insight into the psychology of killers.
July 10, 2011
Interesting so far
February 8, 2018
You must never believe that you've seen the limits of man's inhumanity against man. There is no bottom to human depravity.
May 22, 2025
Stumbled across this book while doing research for my foray into the Divine Comedy I just finished reading not long ago. The true-crime enthusiast in me couldn't pass it by.
I'll admit I'm a bit dubious when Drs and psychiatrists etc start throwing sensational, blanket words like "evil" around. Because I think 'evil' acts are always nuanced. It's difficult to define such an abstract term and I did appreciate how Stone attempt to break these nuances down. He provides myriad examples to support his ideas, but ultimately, I came out of this book unconvinced.
There were some cases where I genuinely felt like we weren't given enough about the examples that were mentioned. And other times when I got the impression that Stone may have had a bias against or for the 'evil' doer he was discussing. In fact, there was more than once where it felt genuinely like Dr. Stone was fanboying over these violent offenders. To say it rubbed me the wrong way is an understatement.
And, the fact that he's given us SO MANY examples doesn't help this case - even though I understand his reason for trying to show us as broad a group as possible to convince us of his systematic categorization of vile acts.
Add to that the fact that some of the terms and concepts Stone employs have been debunked and outdated for DECADES, even for the time this book was written (twenty years ago). Why are we still discussing Freud and Cleckley in the 21st century? Why are we still leaning on ideas conjured up in the 70's rather than exploring more modern thought practices in line with present-day psychiatry?
Just like in Dante's Inferno, I found the deeper we got into this 'list of evil', the less I aligned with Stone's ideas. The fact that he essentially writes TED BUNDY off as less evil because he "didn't torture his victims" is, frankly, insane. I respectfully request a better definition of the word "torture". As a psychiatrist, I'd think Dr. Stone should have a way better sense of what constitutes torture and suffering than he makes known in this book. It's not always about physical pain and gore. Psychological, exploitative, emotional, and mental traumas can sometimes be WAY worse than mere physical pain. We all know this. And most of us aren't even remotely educated in psychiatry.
Why do you think all those women gleefully chose the bear?
Stone also doesn't even ONCE consider the ripple effects his examples do to their victims' families. If we're going to categorize evil, we need to consider ALL aspects of the 'evil deed'. The ramifications not only to the immediate victim, but the impact that deed has on the friends, families, and community - and dare I say it - even the collective zeitgeist, if the deed is sensational enough to reach national or international headlines.
Entire generations have been molded by fears and urban legends that were based on the horrible deeds of one or two people.
So, in some ways, despite giving us 300+ examples, Stone fails sometimes to consider every aspect of these evildoers' crimes.
Several other reviews of this book have led me to believe this author had an ego, that he often discounted and refuted valid facts in modern cases, sometimes shouting down and discouraging law enforcement in their pursuit of justice because he believed he knew the perpetrator's intentions better. And after reading this book, I'm inclined to believe them.
Needless to say, while there were a few interesting things in this book, there was also a lot that felt dated, biased, and frankly, offensive to a modern reader's eyes (especially if those eyes happen to belong to a female survivor of violence). I didn't find the research to be very thorough, either, which was really disappointing.
I'll admit I'm a bit dubious when Drs and psychiatrists etc start throwing sensational, blanket words like "evil" around. Because I think 'evil' acts are always nuanced. It's difficult to define such an abstract term and I did appreciate how Stone attempt to break these nuances down. He provides myriad examples to support his ideas, but ultimately, I came out of this book unconvinced.
There were some cases where I genuinely felt like we weren't given enough about the examples that were mentioned. And other times when I got the impression that Stone may have had a bias against or for the 'evil' doer he was discussing. In fact, there was more than once where it felt genuinely like Dr. Stone was fanboying over these violent offenders. To say it rubbed me the wrong way is an understatement.
And, the fact that he's given us SO MANY examples doesn't help this case - even though I understand his reason for trying to show us as broad a group as possible to convince us of his systematic categorization of vile acts.
Add to that the fact that some of the terms and concepts Stone employs have been debunked and outdated for DECADES, even for the time this book was written (twenty years ago). Why are we still discussing Freud and Cleckley in the 21st century? Why are we still leaning on ideas conjured up in the 70's rather than exploring more modern thought practices in line with present-day psychiatry?
Just like in Dante's Inferno, I found the deeper we got into this 'list of evil', the less I aligned with Stone's ideas. The fact that he essentially writes TED BUNDY off as less evil because he "didn't torture his victims" is, frankly, insane. I respectfully request a better definition of the word "torture". As a psychiatrist, I'd think Dr. Stone should have a way better sense of what constitutes torture and suffering than he makes known in this book. It's not always about physical pain and gore. Psychological, exploitative, emotional, and mental traumas can sometimes be WAY worse than mere physical pain. We all know this. And most of us aren't even remotely educated in psychiatry.
Why do you think all those women gleefully chose the bear?
Stone also doesn't even ONCE consider the ripple effects his examples do to their victims' families. If we're going to categorize evil, we need to consider ALL aspects of the 'evil deed'. The ramifications not only to the immediate victim, but the impact that deed has on the friends, families, and community - and dare I say it - even the collective zeitgeist, if the deed is sensational enough to reach national or international headlines.
Entire generations have been molded by fears and urban legends that were based on the horrible deeds of one or two people.
So, in some ways, despite giving us 300+ examples, Stone fails sometimes to consider every aspect of these evildoers' crimes.
Several other reviews of this book have led me to believe this author had an ego, that he often discounted and refuted valid facts in modern cases, sometimes shouting down and discouraging law enforcement in their pursuit of justice because he believed he knew the perpetrator's intentions better. And after reading this book, I'm inclined to believe them.
Needless to say, while there were a few interesting things in this book, there was also a lot that felt dated, biased, and frankly, offensive to a modern reader's eyes (especially if those eyes happen to belong to a female survivor of violence). I didn't find the research to be very thorough, either, which was really disappointing.
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