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Final Truth - Autobiography of a Serial Killer
On September 6th 1991, the state of South Carolina executed Donald 'Pee Wee' Gaskins in the electric chair.
In the year prior to his execution, as he sat in Death Row, he revealed his life story to journalist Wilton Earle.
Without remorse, and in graphic detail, he told of the brutality of his childhood and the years in prison and on the streets. He described the escalation pattern of violence that brought him inexorably to the morning when he committed the first in a series of murders of teenage hitchhikers - obsessive random carnage to relieve the rage inside him.
He told how this made it easier for him to commit what he called his 'Serious Murders': killing victims he knew, including his family and friends.
He held nothing back; recounting each murder in ghastly detail, in his desire to stat the 'final truth' about himself.
His story is one of the most chilling you will ever read.
In the year prior to his execution, as he sat in Death Row, he revealed his life story to journalist Wilton Earle.
Without remorse, and in graphic detail, he told of the brutality of his childhood and the years in prison and on the streets. He described the escalation pattern of violence that brought him inexorably to the morning when he committed the first in a series of murders of teenage hitchhikers - obsessive random carnage to relieve the rage inside him.
He told how this made it easier for him to commit what he called his 'Serious Murders': killing victims he knew, including his family and friends.
He held nothing back; recounting each murder in ghastly detail, in his desire to stat the 'final truth' about himself.
His story is one of the most chilling you will ever read.
230 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 1992
90 people are currently reading
4797 people want to read
About the author
Donald H. Gaskins
1 book2 followersDonald Henry "Pee Wee" Gaskins, Jr. (né Parrot; March 13, 1933 – September 6, 1991) was an American serial killer.
While on death row, Gaskins told his life story to a journalist named Wilton Earle. He confessed to having committed between 100 and 110 murders, however, law enforcement sources found it impossible to verify all of his claims. In his autobiography, Final Truth, Gaskins wrote that he had "a special mind" that gave him "permission to kill.
While on death row, Gaskins told his life story to a journalist named Wilton Earle. He confessed to having committed between 100 and 110 murders, however, law enforcement sources found it impossible to verify all of his claims. In his autobiography, Final Truth, Gaskins wrote that he had "a special mind" that gave him "permission to kill.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 129 reviews
November 20, 2023
I was so creeped out and disturbed by the book that I called out of work so I could finish reading it. This man lived on the same street as I did, went to places I see everyday, and talks about going different locations I've gone to without even knowing their connection to him.
December 17, 2008
Being from SC, I have always heard about Pee Wee Gaskins. This book is very disturbing and quite graphic. Only about half of the book has been confirmed by police. Lies or not it is extremely upsetting and scary to think about these crimes. I found it very interesting and disturbing at the same time. Not for the weak, must enjoy psychology/criminology.
January 1, 2010
In his commentary of the celebration of sadistic murder, Final Truth: The Autobiography of a Serial Killer, Colin Wilson refers to the first particularly gruesome passage involving the death of an innocent girl as one which “may well be the point at which most readers will stop reading Final Truth. That was certainly my own reaction the first time I read the book.”
Score one more person for that side.
Final Truth is the quasi-autobiography of Donald “Pee Wee” Gaskins, a lifelong criminal who left a trail of countless bodies buried and/or submerged all along the eastern U.S. Coastline. “Co-author” Wilton Earle claims to be recreating the words of Gaskins, who was on Death Row during the formulation of the book, by sneaking cassette tapes out of the prison where he was interviewing Gaskins. In fact, Earle goes so far as to write the book with Gaskins himself as narrator, along with his particular idiolect. Gaskins is seemingly obsessed with excremental argot, along with vile descriptions of sexual acts, and comparisons usually involve some manner of bodily function alongside foodstuff.
But then, it can be argued that the life of a serial killer cannot be considered “pretty.” This book truly is not. However – the catch comes toward the end, when Earle himself writes: “I made no attempt to corroborate everything Gaskins told me – it being generally accepted that all autobiographical narration, by persons great or small, famous or infamous, is inherently biased and therefore subject to close scrutiny and a measure of skepticism.” The “co-author” did not verify a hefty portion of this graphic, stomach-turning material. Essentially, he was Gaskins' mouthpiece from outside Death Row. This does not seem so bad – until one realizes that this book is not so much an autobiography as it is a cold and calculating depiction of some of the most horrific acts perpetrated against other human beings. Rapes (both hetero- and homosexual, of adults and children alike), brutalization (including blatant descriptions of the wounds made as the story is being told), and prologued, slow, painful murders...
That's not “autobiography.” That's base perversion, with prurient appeal to the lowest common denominator. It's unnecessary, gratuitous, and something which the “co-author” alleges almost sent him into psychiatric despair.
And Gaskins talks a lot of machismo. He's The Strongest Man There Is, etc. How much of what he allegedly says in this book is dubious, let alone whether or not the words themselves are truthful. Every night, it seems, the man would steal a car, marry another woman (I lost count after four or five concurrent wives in various states), set fire to a house/barn/warehouse, murder a woman/child/convict, run away from prison or a holding cell, etc. Gaskins' story reads like a fucked-up version of Forrest Gump, complete with awkward parlance. He “knowed” tone thing or another, or the “onliest” this-or-that, or that the age of 42 was his “killingest year.”
Who talks like that? Really?
The impenetrability of the foul material aside, the writing style is itself is obvious and forced. It's painful to traipse through such deliberately mangled verbiage typed by an apparently educated man (Earle).
There is no redeeming value to Final Truths. It's snuff, plain and simple. Exploitative, over-the-top, and without merit of any kind. Gaskins never comes across as a sympathetic person of any sort, despite himself, not only because of his horrifying crimes, but because of his own portrayal of himself as a child rapist, murderer, repeat offender with no hope of rehabilitation.
In Final Truth, the greatest anti-hero turns out to be the electric chair.
Score one more person for that side.
Final Truth is the quasi-autobiography of Donald “Pee Wee” Gaskins, a lifelong criminal who left a trail of countless bodies buried and/or submerged all along the eastern U.S. Coastline. “Co-author” Wilton Earle claims to be recreating the words of Gaskins, who was on Death Row during the formulation of the book, by sneaking cassette tapes out of the prison where he was interviewing Gaskins. In fact, Earle goes so far as to write the book with Gaskins himself as narrator, along with his particular idiolect. Gaskins is seemingly obsessed with excremental argot, along with vile descriptions of sexual acts, and comparisons usually involve some manner of bodily function alongside foodstuff.
But then, it can be argued that the life of a serial killer cannot be considered “pretty.” This book truly is not. However – the catch comes toward the end, when Earle himself writes: “I made no attempt to corroborate everything Gaskins told me – it being generally accepted that all autobiographical narration, by persons great or small, famous or infamous, is inherently biased and therefore subject to close scrutiny and a measure of skepticism.” The “co-author” did not verify a hefty portion of this graphic, stomach-turning material. Essentially, he was Gaskins' mouthpiece from outside Death Row. This does not seem so bad – until one realizes that this book is not so much an autobiography as it is a cold and calculating depiction of some of the most horrific acts perpetrated against other human beings. Rapes (both hetero- and homosexual, of adults and children alike), brutalization (including blatant descriptions of the wounds made as the story is being told), and prologued, slow, painful murders...
That's not “autobiography.” That's base perversion, with prurient appeal to the lowest common denominator. It's unnecessary, gratuitous, and something which the “co-author” alleges almost sent him into psychiatric despair.
And Gaskins talks a lot of machismo. He's The Strongest Man There Is, etc. How much of what he allegedly says in this book is dubious, let alone whether or not the words themselves are truthful. Every night, it seems, the man would steal a car, marry another woman (I lost count after four or five concurrent wives in various states), set fire to a house/barn/warehouse, murder a woman/child/convict, run away from prison or a holding cell, etc. Gaskins' story reads like a fucked-up version of Forrest Gump, complete with awkward parlance. He “knowed” tone thing or another, or the “onliest” this-or-that, or that the age of 42 was his “killingest year.”
Who talks like that? Really?
The impenetrability of the foul material aside, the writing style is itself is obvious and forced. It's painful to traipse through such deliberately mangled verbiage typed by an apparently educated man (Earle).
There is no redeeming value to Final Truths. It's snuff, plain and simple. Exploitative, over-the-top, and without merit of any kind. Gaskins never comes across as a sympathetic person of any sort, despite himself, not only because of his horrifying crimes, but because of his own portrayal of himself as a child rapist, murderer, repeat offender with no hope of rehabilitation.
In Final Truth, the greatest anti-hero turns out to be the electric chair.
June 29, 2023
I don't know if it is still the only 'autobiography' of a serial killer, but it is the only one I have ever read. I didn't know anything about Gaskins, and I thought I had read about most of the known killers. Perhaps because he operated in the Southern states he didn't receive much attention in other parts of the country. Gaskins almost seems sympathetic at the start, growing up poor in rural South Carolina. Before the reader gets to far the horrors of his random killings combined with targeted victims are overwhelming. I found his accounts of serving time in prison interesting, and the seemingly impossible murder of his last victim--a fellow inmate on death row that he managed to blow up. I don't know if this is a testament more of his conniving mind, or the ineptness of prison authorities at the time. If you're into this type of book, it's a quick read and interesting. If you're squeamish but want to know more look Donald Gaskins up on Wikipedia.
September 19, 2011
I've always enjoyed a good true crime book. Being from South Carolina, I have heard a lot about Pee Wee Gaskins because he is from here (and actually one of his murders was someone my mom went to school with). I am not a squeamish person or easily disturbed, but this novel is VERY graphic and goes into depth with each murder. At times I was literally cringing while reading it. I should have known how graphic it was because upon purchasing it the novel is kept behind the counter and I had to present two forms of ID before I could purchase it. I actually considered donating it simply because I did not know if I wanted it even on my bookshelf. If you are new to the true crime genre I do not know if this is the first book I would test the waters with!
January 10, 2011
As sick as this book is, I have to say it is strangely good. Don't get me wrong the man Pee Wee Gaskins was a sick, demented, sadistic, twisted, mad man but he was a smart man. It is true that the South Carolina law never once solved a case of his or found a body that they were not led to.
I had to take a few breaks in the book in order to keep the pictures created in my head from becoming too vivid and making me sick. But all in all the book was very interesting. It was like talking to him first hand. It tells you what makes a serial killer such as him tick. I also think it is a great psychological book and would be a great read for psychology students.
I am from Florence, South Carolina so I know a lot of Pee Wee's family and I know most of the places which he talks about in the book. I grew up hearing stories about Pee Wee Gaskins the mass murderer with the bloodiest criminal record in South Carolina. He was the man of our nightmares as kids.
Anyway enough said. Here is my disclaimer: It is a quick read and very interesting BUT I do not recommend the book for those with weak stomachs and those who can not handle very detailed descriptions of the raping and sodomizing of children. Also if cannibalism is high on your list of "things that make me vomit," avoid the book like the plague.
I had to take a few breaks in the book in order to keep the pictures created in my head from becoming too vivid and making me sick. But all in all the book was very interesting. It was like talking to him first hand. It tells you what makes a serial killer such as him tick. I also think it is a great psychological book and would be a great read for psychology students.
I am from Florence, South Carolina so I know a lot of Pee Wee's family and I know most of the places which he talks about in the book. I grew up hearing stories about Pee Wee Gaskins the mass murderer with the bloodiest criminal record in South Carolina. He was the man of our nightmares as kids.
Anyway enough said. Here is my disclaimer: It is a quick read and very interesting BUT I do not recommend the book for those with weak stomachs and those who can not handle very detailed descriptions of the raping and sodomizing of children. Also if cannibalism is high on your list of "things that make me vomit," avoid the book like the plague.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 15, 2023
I keep typing sentenced and erasing them, because it's hard to express my feelings an opinions about this book. Here goes nothing..
When I was in high school I took psychology. I was fascinated with the human mind. Once we got to learning about serial killers, we had to pick names out of a hat to do a report on. My name happened to be Pee Wee Gaskins. At the time, I had no idea who he was. I remember reading his name out and my teacher saying "I can remember seeing him driving around in his herse. Something was always creepy about him." I then asked her some questions. She told me to research for my paper, and she'd answer questions after I turned it in. This has absolutely nothing to do with anything in this book other than how I got interested in learning more as an adult. What I can say is this, I did a heck of a job researching, because I already knew majority of all of this. This just had a lot more graphic details than what I found. I see some reviews talk about how this can't be him because of how he talks, but he's from the south and very uneducated. I've seen videos of him, it's exactly how he talked. I remember learning he got to actually write some of his book, and it shows. It's got errors all over the place, but that really puts you in his mind. I like that the guy that helped him write this book didn't try and dress it up to make him seem smart or a better person. Let's get one thing straight, Pee Wee is a garbage human. This entire book is his life, from early on to closer to the end. You get to see into his mind and see when he realized he was "different". What he did was absolutely horrible. I will say this, DO NOT read this book if you have any triggers whatsoever. This is about a serial killer. Nothing in this book is butterflies and rainbows. It's gory, disgusting, graphic, and just plain brutal. At the end of the day, I have to give this a five star. It did what it was supposed to do, give you a glimpse into his mind. Sometimes you go deep into his mind, but you're there. I don't know how Wilton Earle went in for months listening and talking to him about all this. I don't know that I could have.
When I was in high school I took psychology. I was fascinated with the human mind. Once we got to learning about serial killers, we had to pick names out of a hat to do a report on. My name happened to be Pee Wee Gaskins. At the time, I had no idea who he was. I remember reading his name out and my teacher saying "I can remember seeing him driving around in his herse. Something was always creepy about him." I then asked her some questions. She told me to research for my paper, and she'd answer questions after I turned it in. This has absolutely nothing to do with anything in this book other than how I got interested in learning more as an adult. What I can say is this, I did a heck of a job researching, because I already knew majority of all of this. This just had a lot more graphic details than what I found. I see some reviews talk about how this can't be him because of how he talks, but he's from the south and very uneducated. I've seen videos of him, it's exactly how he talked. I remember learning he got to actually write some of his book, and it shows. It's got errors all over the place, but that really puts you in his mind. I like that the guy that helped him write this book didn't try and dress it up to make him seem smart or a better person. Let's get one thing straight, Pee Wee is a garbage human. This entire book is his life, from early on to closer to the end. You get to see into his mind and see when he realized he was "different". What he did was absolutely horrible. I will say this, DO NOT read this book if you have any triggers whatsoever. This is about a serial killer. Nothing in this book is butterflies and rainbows. It's gory, disgusting, graphic, and just plain brutal. At the end of the day, I have to give this a five star. It did what it was supposed to do, give you a glimpse into his mind. Sometimes you go deep into his mind, but you're there. I don't know how Wilton Earle went in for months listening and talking to him about all this. I don't know that I could have.
October 10, 2019
To be honest, I feel slightly disgusted even giving this four stars. I decided to read this because despite how many books about killing I read I still can't fathom how other people decide to kill. So obviously I didn't expect this to be a pleasant book, but I do think that the co-author did sensationalize parts that he didn't need to. In addition, I also think that a lot of Gaskins' claims are lies. It's pretty clear in certain parts that he was saying things to either get others to sympathize with him or to impress people with how special he thought he was. I can't really mark that down at all since that's exactly what many serial killers do, but I think adding footnotes or such would have helped readers to put events into perspective. Further, the contrast between extremely uneducated words and phrases interspersed with very well-written sentences and college level words felt very inconsistent and made me wonder exactly what the co-author's thought process was when he prepared this book.
Overall, this is not something light and fun to read. It's definitely intended to put you in the headspace of a killer, although I would firmly say it doesn't allow you to empathize with them. To reiterate a point I already made, the whole book feels sensationalized which just exacerbates the feelings of disgust I had while reading this. So this book does its job of showing what a killer thinks to a good extent, but I also think it the key motivation in writing this was to make money.
Overall, this is not something light and fun to read. It's definitely intended to put you in the headspace of a killer, although I would firmly say it doesn't allow you to empathize with them. To reiterate a point I already made, the whole book feels sensationalized which just exacerbates the feelings of disgust I had while reading this. So this book does its job of showing what a killer thinks to a good extent, but I also think it the key motivation in writing this was to make money.
May 30, 2017
I'm at once completely fascinated and horrified. Since the story is told from the perspective of Pee Wee, I can't help but to empathize with him. He is very direct and honest, going through the stories of his killings with logic and bluntness. I was always waiting to hear guilt or regret in his voice, but this is never the case. There's a reason this man was able to kill so many people. What an incredible life.
April 28, 2011
I recommend this book, not because it is a fluffy feel-good type book, nor for any voyeuristic appeal to anyone's sadistic side. Rather, it is a disturbing book that should be read by any who can stomach it and at least understood by those who can't. It is important to realize that there are people like this in the world and to take precautions against them.
November 13, 2019
By far the most disturbing book I've ever read. Very graphic, explicit details. Not for the faint of heart. It's hard to rate a book like this. The 5 star is not because I enjoyed the content but because I truly think this is the most disgusting thing ever written.
February 16, 2025
What a sick man. This book makes you feel uncomfortable when reading it.
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June 9, 2025One of the most "fascinating" books I´ve read but disturbing beyond words. I don´t want to rate it because I don´t want to give any credit to this creep, he is one of the most vile individuals ever. I can´t really describe the things that make this book enjoyable because it´s all so wrapped up in the most heinous evil imaginable, but still, it´s a glimpse into a by-gone era, a way of life and the way a predator operates. He paints a vivid picture of the people he knew and places that were his home and his hunting grounds. He´s also unintentionally funny sometimes, like when he´s telling us that he´s not racist and not a wife-beater, as if that would make him better than the non-murderes who were racists or wife-beaters... I hated myself for smiling a bit on the inside when he said stuff like that. This guy wasn´t educated but he was very cunning and smart. Please don´t read this book unless you are absolutely desensitized to brutal child-murders (I´m not quite there, what helped me through are the passages where he is in jail getting gang-raped and kicked in the nuts over and over again).
What makes this book special imo is that it totally immerses the reader in the thought process and memory of a psychopath. I´ve read a lot of true crime books written by all kinds of people, good authors, journalists, armchair sleuths etc but never before have I experienced anything like this, and it´s because here the descriptions and facts come straight out of the horse´s own mouth and there´s hardly any distance from the subject matter like there usually is in other such books.
My conclusion is that the thing that drives these guys is just bottomless boring old evil and the only good thing I can say about Pee Wee is that he was refreshingly honest about that.
What makes this book special imo is that it totally immerses the reader in the thought process and memory of a psychopath. I´ve read a lot of true crime books written by all kinds of people, good authors, journalists, armchair sleuths etc but never before have I experienced anything like this, and it´s because here the descriptions and facts come straight out of the horse´s own mouth and there´s hardly any distance from the subject matter like there usually is in other such books.
My conclusion is that the thing that drives these guys is just bottomless boring old evil and the only good thing I can say about Pee Wee is that he was refreshingly honest about that.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 1, 2012
Graphic. Gory. Detailed. Not for the squeamish. Donald "Pee Wee" Gaskins is at the top tier of serial killers with the likes of Bundy and Dahmer but without the notoriety. Something that surprises me after reading this book which is in his own words. Reading these types of books is a study in how sociopaths think yet one can never really know unless you yourself lacks empathy, morals and a conscious. If you are able to get your hands on this harder to find book and can handle details of murders, then it's an interesting read. Otherwise stick to Ann Rule and more light weight true crime novels.
March 30, 2025
In case any of you are unfamiliar with Donald Pee Wee Gaskins, he was born in South Carolina in 1933. He had a criminal record a mile long before he started murdering people. Most of those crimes involved theft, assault, and rape. He then went on a killing campaign, killing at least fifteen people by various methods. He would later claim to have killed 110, but police are of the opinion that was to make himself famous. I think it could go either way.
I am always interested to hear from a killer in their own words. Often, you do not have the opportunity to hear from people like this directly, though that has changed quite a bit in the years since the Internet has become a thing. I could do without hearing from Pee Wee Gaskins. This man was a habitual liar and braggart. He was certainly proud of the crimes he had committed and relished all the gruesome details. At the same time, you simply cannot believe a word he says. He seems like a person that would be insufferable to be in the same room with. This book was listed on the reading list for The Last Podcast on the Left, which is why I had it on my to read list. I think a much more informative, less obnoxious book on this man and his crimes could be found. I would never read this again.
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I am always interested to hear from a killer in their own words. Often, you do not have the opportunity to hear from people like this directly, though that has changed quite a bit in the years since the Internet has become a thing. I could do without hearing from Pee Wee Gaskins. This man was a habitual liar and braggart. He was certainly proud of the crimes he had committed and relished all the gruesome details. At the same time, you simply cannot believe a word he says. He seems like a person that would be insufferable to be in the same room with. This book was listed on the reading list for The Last Podcast on the Left, which is why I had it on my to read list. I think a much more informative, less obnoxious book on this man and his crimes could be found. I would never read this again.
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August 17, 2024
I found that reading the autobiography of a serial killer is... Surprisingly boring. It's a heavily biased and unreliable account of events, it's a 200 page manifesto. The most interesting part of this book was the author's notes at the end of writing the book and conducting interviews with the subject.
May 20, 2025
Gruesome & horrific.
Probably wouldn't recommend...
Probably wouldn't recommend...
April 13, 2025
What a horrible man. I found it really hard to read, nearly gave in a couple of times.It was almost like he was bragging what he'd done.
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January 30, 2024he’s insane !
August 21, 2020
"Once you decide to kill...I'm talking about killing anybody you want, anytime you want, anywhere you want, you set yourself free to live the best kind of life there is." This is not even the most disturbing line in the book, but it sums up Gaskin's worldview. This was a man completely devoid of a conscious. I've always been fascinated to learn about the minds of serial killers and have consumed many books and shows and movies on the subject but I can say Final Truth was hands down the most disturbing shit I've ever read. I'm used to there being filters on this stuff, but this was unfiltered commentary straight from the man himself. His recall on the events and murders that took place is astonishing and he and his co-writer did an excellent job piecing it all together. I'm flummoxed that this has never been made into a movie because that's just what it felt like as I read. Much of it is so wild it feels fictionalized for dramatic effect, and maybe some of it was, who knows, but hearing it straight from the horses mouth really adds to the disturbing nature of the story. I wish that's all it was, just a fictional story about a serial killer from my home state, because it could have made a good one and with an ending that fulfills justice too. But what we have instead is a deeply troubling read that is hard to get through in many parts, but that is extremely well told at the same time.
May 30, 2020
This is maybe the hardest book I have ever had to rate. The story of a serial killer/rapist in his own words. It is brutal, especially one which his description of will probably stay with me for the rest of my life. It’s definitely not a nice read & if you’re not interested in this stuff at all probably best staying well clear. Even for the more ‘casual’ if that’s the right word, true crime work rarely reaches this level & personally it is made all the more brutal because it’s the killer’s description. Not just the facts, which would’ve been tough enough. But how much he enjoyed it.
Yet, this is fascinating From a criminal psychological perspective. For profiling & finding out his (well supposed thoughts technically but taking it the other author isn’t lying) views. It is very mind blowing. Obviously anything he says has to be taken with a whole pile of salt. SKs are notorious liars, somethings are likely inflated to boost his name post execution. But even then. The book ends with him comparing himself to god & how happy he was with this life. The lack of repenting for his crimes is clear. He definitely understands these acts are illegal but just doesn’t care in the slightest. Sometimes showing such a lack of awareness. Saying he thought a victim was fine to kill because he had mistreated his girlfriend (or wife, sure it was gf), this is after he himself has killed & raped many female victims but seemingly sees no hypocrisy at all. Earlier in the book he rejects a plea bargain because he thought the Jury would sympathise with him & let him off because they would find it acceptable he raped a thirteen year old girl.
Even from that you can begin to see why this is tough to read. But as an insight into a killers mind it is very interesting. Beyond third party descriptions of their acts. It is probably five stars in that sense. If you interested in that get a copy (it sells for hundreds but the web is your friend with a quick google search) it is worth the rough read.
I just couldn’t bring myself to rate it 5stars however. I’m not entirely sure why. It just kinda felt wrong to do that but see above in terms of interest in regards to what it is, it probably is.
Yet, this is fascinating From a criminal psychological perspective. For profiling & finding out his (well supposed thoughts technically but taking it the other author isn’t lying) views. It is very mind blowing. Obviously anything he says has to be taken with a whole pile of salt. SKs are notorious liars, somethings are likely inflated to boost his name post execution. But even then. The book ends with him comparing himself to god & how happy he was with this life. The lack of repenting for his crimes is clear. He definitely understands these acts are illegal but just doesn’t care in the slightest. Sometimes showing such a lack of awareness. Saying he thought a victim was fine to kill because he had mistreated his girlfriend (or wife, sure it was gf), this is after he himself has killed & raped many female victims but seemingly sees no hypocrisy at all. Earlier in the book he rejects a plea bargain because he thought the Jury would sympathise with him & let him off because they would find it acceptable he raped a thirteen year old girl.
Even from that you can begin to see why this is tough to read. But as an insight into a killers mind it is very interesting. Beyond third party descriptions of their acts. It is probably five stars in that sense. If you interested in that get a copy (it sells for hundreds but the web is your friend with a quick google search) it is worth the rough read.
I just couldn’t bring myself to rate it 5stars however. I’m not entirely sure why. It just kinda felt wrong to do that but see above in terms of interest in regards to what it is, it probably is.
April 6, 2018
I teach a college class on psychopaths in popular culture, and we spend the first half of the semester learning what it means to label someone a psychopath by using Robert W. Hare's Psychopathy Checklist. I read Pee Wee Gaskins' autobiography because one of my students wanted to write a paper about him. (I teach at a school in South Carolina, and Gaskins is South Carolina's most notorious serial killer.) From this perspective, Final Truth was an amazing book. Gaskins claims to have killed more than 100 people, including more than 80 hitchhikers whom he picked up along the South Carolina/Florida coast. Remarkably, these "Coastal Killings" (as Gaskins calls them) were unknown until this book was published after Gaskins' death in South Carolina's electric chair. Gaskins' chilling narrative reads as though he set out to provide vivid illustrations of each item on the Psychopathy Checklist. Memorable, and not for the faint of heart.
June 30, 2020
Truly twisted and darkly disturbing (to the right audience). A very fascinating deep dive into the psychology of a killer. Highly recommend to anyone who wants to look at murder from a different POV than we normally get. Hard to find but harder still to put down. I'm a slow reader and I finished in 2 days. It was truly captivating and engaging just don't believe everything you read 100%. Try to see what's being said but look beyond it and try to see from his eyes, if you dare. There are parts that may be triggering to some so be warned it's not always easy but it's definitely memorable.
January 28, 2013
This was the most repulsive book I've ever read, and I think the only one I've ever intentionally destroyed for the purposes of preventing it from being read by others.
In the book Gaskins tells in horrific detail about the crimes he committed both in and out of prison. If true, this was one of the most dangerous psychopaths in American history. He was tremendously cold-blooded and sadistic.
I don't recommend it.
In the book Gaskins tells in horrific detail about the crimes he committed both in and out of prison. If true, this was one of the most dangerous psychopaths in American history. He was tremendously cold-blooded and sadistic.
I don't recommend it.
January 29, 2016
Nightmarish. There are more than a few depraved serial killers on the record by now, but this one is a prizewinner. May we never see his like again. The text was bizarrely puncuated and randomly capitalized, as if the author did not have access to a copyeditor. Even Colin Wilson's introduction was similarly mangled. A lot of serial killers brag about exploits that never happened -- I sure hope this is one such case.
January 12, 2008
possibly the most fucked up and twisted killer from America. forget Bundy and Dahmer, throw out Berkowitz and Gacey, this is the most demented and relentlessly evil man of our country's history. you will not be the same after hearing his one and only, no holds-barred, recollection of his life and crimes. NOT for the squeamish.
Currently reading
December 6, 2013Does any know how I can get this book?
January 2, 2020
One of the most sick and twisted serial killers I ever found myself rooting for to have one last getaway.
September 9, 2025
An interesting read if you wish to gaze inside the mind of a wicked wretch of a man, ideally with deliberate intention to see how low and how pathetic the existence of one individual can amount to be.
There's not many more words that I can say, I think I summed it up really well. This is one of the weakest and most dimwitted men I've ever seen.
I believe the book did a fine job at whatever it is that it was aiming to do. The character of Donald Gaskins really translates through the pages. All his foul behavior, his ever malicious intentions and victim mentality, as well as all his insecurities and constant coping. The man was the size of a hobbit and looked just as harmless, without even receiving God's grace in at the least developing a good intellect or possessing some kind of natural charisma in order to make up for his shortcomings (pun quite intended). The man was a coward all his life, which seems to be a required trait for all mass murderers and serial killers, now that I think about it. His ridiculously small size would not even allow him to victimize anything bigger and more menacing than a badger with Lou Gehrig's disease had it not been for his deception and most importantly his tendency in picking the most vulnerable and most gullible victims, basically young women and children. He was also a complete idiot who would murder people in his immediate circle, something that made the police very thankful as their job was a lot easier than it had to be.
All in all, I consider the value of this work to be in doing a fine job at demystifying the perception around abhorrent monsters as all-powerful and menacing. This man wasn't only small in stature, he also had the smallest mind I've ever had the privilege to read. It comes as a good reminder that all hateful people are inherently weak minded. And that there are some people in this world that are as good and as full of potential as a roach could ever be.
There's not many more words that I can say, I think I summed it up really well. This is one of the weakest and most dimwitted men I've ever seen.
I believe the book did a fine job at whatever it is that it was aiming to do. The character of Donald Gaskins really translates through the pages. All his foul behavior, his ever malicious intentions and victim mentality, as well as all his insecurities and constant coping. The man was the size of a hobbit and looked just as harmless, without even receiving God's grace in at the least developing a good intellect or possessing some kind of natural charisma in order to make up for his shortcomings (pun quite intended). The man was a coward all his life, which seems to be a required trait for all mass murderers and serial killers, now that I think about it. His ridiculously small size would not even allow him to victimize anything bigger and more menacing than a badger with Lou Gehrig's disease had it not been for his deception and most importantly his tendency in picking the most vulnerable and most gullible victims, basically young women and children. He was also a complete idiot who would murder people in his immediate circle, something that made the police very thankful as their job was a lot easier than it had to be.
All in all, I consider the value of this work to be in doing a fine job at demystifying the perception around abhorrent monsters as all-powerful and menacing. This man wasn't only small in stature, he also had the smallest mind I've ever had the privilege to read. It comes as a good reminder that all hateful people are inherently weak minded. And that there are some people in this world that are as good and as full of potential as a roach could ever be.
October 2, 2020
"Final Truth" is hard to rate.
On one hand, it's Donald Gaskins's uncensored, partly-unverified monologue in which he describes, in gut-wrenching, horrifying detail, the nearly countless crimes he perpetrated. From insurance fraud and arson to the rapes and murders of boys, girls, men, women -- even a toddler -- Gaskins committed so many crimes, it's hard to turn more than a page before a new one is described. Remorseless brutality defined Pee Wee Gaskins as warm kindness defined Fred Rogers. I had to take several breaks to get through "Final Truth." The details can be nauseating.
The book, however, is well-written; his voice and turns of phrase, while irritating to some readers, are authentic of a Southerner raised through the Depression. The detail in which he described his heinous slaughters is present, too, in his descriptions of the Low Country and Pee Dee. Graphic images of blood and bone contrast starkly with the silent no-man’s land of South Carolinian swamps and gnarled cypresses.
The book touches on themes of childhood trauma and its cross-generational echoes, racism, classism, narcissism, misogyny and the objectification of women, grief, loss, ego defenses, and, of course, antisocial behavior. Few to none of these are discussed in any useful way but are rather dredged up by Gaskins's descriptions of his thoughts, actions, or justifications of these. Throughout, his cruelty, misogyny, racism, and total lack of regard for human life are detailed in first person with ironic denial and remorselessness.
Certainly worth a read.
On one hand, it's Donald Gaskins's uncensored, partly-unverified monologue in which he describes, in gut-wrenching, horrifying detail, the nearly countless crimes he perpetrated. From insurance fraud and arson to the rapes and murders of boys, girls, men, women -- even a toddler -- Gaskins committed so many crimes, it's hard to turn more than a page before a new one is described. Remorseless brutality defined Pee Wee Gaskins as warm kindness defined Fred Rogers. I had to take several breaks to get through "Final Truth." The details can be nauseating.
The book, however, is well-written; his voice and turns of phrase, while irritating to some readers, are authentic of a Southerner raised through the Depression. The detail in which he described his heinous slaughters is present, too, in his descriptions of the Low Country and Pee Dee. Graphic images of blood and bone contrast starkly with the silent no-man’s land of South Carolinian swamps and gnarled cypresses.
The book touches on themes of childhood trauma and its cross-generational echoes, racism, classism, narcissism, misogyny and the objectification of women, grief, loss, ego defenses, and, of course, antisocial behavior. Few to none of these are discussed in any useful way but are rather dredged up by Gaskins's descriptions of his thoughts, actions, or justifications of these. Throughout, his cruelty, misogyny, racism, and total lack of regard for human life are detailed in first person with ironic denial and remorselessness.
Certainly worth a read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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