Waste Land: The Savage Odyssey Of Charles Starkweather And Caril Ann Fugate

by Michael Newton

"Eleven years before another Charlie--Manson--told Americans to watch out for their homicidal children, [Charlie] Starkweather and Caril Ann Fugate drove the message home with blades and bullets, stopping only when their car ran out of gas and they ran out of luck. If [James] Dean and [Marlon] Brando were the poster children for a generation run amok, then Starkweather and Fugate were the word made flesh. Their bloody trek across the heartland represents a turning point as grim and critical as Dallas or Kent State. It taught Americans to look for enemies around the breakfast table, rather than in Moscow or Havana."

Michael Newton, author of Bad Girls Do It! and other books about serial murder, combines an energetic prose style with extensive research to tell the tale of this famous 1958 pair of spree killers from Lincoln, Nebraska. Caril is a bit of a blank--just a sullen, peevish 14-year-old--but Charlie comes eerily alive in this book: his red hair, his slanted green eyes, his bowlegged strut, his resemblance to James Dean before he'd even seen Dean in a movie. He was the third child of seven in an outwardly normal family, but somehow he got a chip on his shoulder and thought the world had him "numbered for the bottom." Waste Land invites us into Charlie and Caril's world, then takes on a creepy, suspenseful ride through the eight days that left 11 people dead. --Fiona Webster

Genres: True Crime, Nonfiction, Crime, History, 20th Century

392 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1998

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.

From Wikipedia:
"Michael Newton (born 1951) is an American author best known for his work on Don Pendleton's Mack Bolan series. Newton first began work on the Executioner series by co-writing "The Executioner's War Book" with Don Pendleton in 1977. Since then he has been a steady writer for the series with almost 90 entries to his credit, which triples the amount written by creator Don Pendleton. His skills and knowledge of the series have allowed him to be picked by the publishers to write the milestone novels such as #100, #200, and #300.

Writing under the pseudonym Lyle Brandt, Michael Newton has also become a popular writer of Western novels. He has written a number of successful non-fiction titles as well, including a book on genre writing (How to Write Action Adventure Novels). His book Invisible Empire: The Ku Klux Klan in Florida won the Florida Historical Society's 2002 Rembert Patrick Award for Best Book in Florida History. Newton's "Encyclopedia of Cryptozoology" won the American Library Association's award for Outstanding Reference Work in 2006."

Pen names: Lyle Brandt, Don Pendleton, Jack Buchanan

Bibiliography available here.

Reviews

[Diane in Australia · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the first book I've read about Starkweather, and Fugate, so, I haven't anything to compare it to, unfortunately.

If you don't know anything about them, as I didn't, this book will fill you in on the details. It was a fairly quick read. Is it the best book on them? No idea.

3 Stars = Okay. Glad I read it.

[Margie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Living in Nebraska from the late 70s through the early 90s, I heard about Charles Starkweather periodically, but never learned anything about him or the murders. I had no idea, for example, how young he and Caril Ann Fugate were at the time (Caril Ann was 14!).

This book draws on a lot of the previous literature about Starkweather and Fugate. Newton seems to do a good job of sifting through the various sources. Of course, it's difficult to know where bias comes in when writing a book where the guilt or innocence of real people is in question. Newton clearly believes that both of them were guilty. It'll be interesting to read Pro Bono The 18year defense of Caril Ann Fugate to compare his outlook to that of Caril Ann's defense lawyer.

It's a difficult read, not because Newton gives a ghoulish, graphic description of the murders, but because Starkweather was so clearly a psychopath and Caril Ann very much a liar. Their indifference to the murders they committed was horrifying.

Very well written, but will probably only appeal to a select group.

[Katherine Addison · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm of two minds about this book. On the one hand, it's all compiled from secondary sources; on the other, Newton collates his sources carefully, talks about discrepancies, and is clearly doing his own thinking, which I appreciate. He's an engaging writer, and he lays out the facts of Charles Starkweather and Caril Ann Fugate's killing spree about as clearly as can be hoped for. I guess my problem is that I can't get a good read on how trustworthy he is--just because it's well-written doesn't mean it's a reliable source.

And the nature of the Starkweather/Fugate case foregrounds the question of reliability, with Starkweather's umpteen different confessions, all of them muddled, and Fugate's proclamations of terrorized innocence, so starkly at odds with basically EVERYTHING ELSE (including the self-contradictions in her testimony). Today she could probably make a case on Stockholm Syndrome, but I'm not even sure that that was what was going on. The fact that she and Starkweather dreamed up a clumsy "hostage" scenario before they even left the Fugate home tends to militate against the plausibility of any claim that Caril Ann Fugate, fourteen years old or not, did not know exactly what she was doing. But, on the other hand . . .

[♥ Marlene♥ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finally read a book about these 2. This was a good book. After reading this which a reasonable view on the 2I do think Caril was not as innocent as she claimed and still claims.

14 years old though. To my surprise I can´t find any words to review this book. This is my second attempt. Yes I am glad I finally wanted to read about Starkweather. (the name reminds me of Stephen King)

Back in the day it did not take 15 years and tons of money to punish the killers even when they were sentenced to die. Not sure what is best now though but not as it is now.

[Jill Crosby · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solid introduction to one of America's "flagship" thrill-killing sprees. Enough background on the principles given to make the tragic events understandable, but not too detailed to big down the narrative. Well-balanced and clear.

[Lenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you liked the movie Badlands with Martin Sheen and Sissy Spacek as I did then you'll like this book which tells the true story of the two murderous characters who are the main people of the tale.

[Julio The Fox · Rating 5 out of 5]

Desolation Row. Charles Starkweather and Caril Fugate were the original Natural Born Killers, motivated (assuming anything motivated their lifeless lives) not by money or blood but publicity. A James Dean wannabe, down to his white T-shirts and cigarette always dangling from his lips, Starkweather aimed at existence, or what is the same thing in America, fame. His violent entry into the sleepy Eisenhower Fifties shook up a nation and generation used to proms, cotton candy and bad comedies on television. Caril Fugate, still with us after many a decade of a hellish ride, saw in Charles the means of escape from the inferno, or what Americans call the Midwestern small town. Her hopping aboard his car and going along on a kill-thrill spree, willingly or not, depending on when and to whom she told the story, is America's own version of the seductive power of evil. The real waste land here is inside the minds of Starkweather and Fugate, although their depressed states of consciousness recall Eliot's "Waste Land" too. Did Starkweather get his wish of eternal glory through criminality? Yes, if you consider, as I do, Terrence Malik's BADLANDS, where Starkweather's name has been changed to "Kit", to be not only one of the greatest American films but the definitive statement on the banality and futility of evil. Caril, who underwent years in prisons that resembled torture chambers, lives on, wishing to be forgotten and knowing she never will be.

[Stefanie Robinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am saving my normal background information on the person discussed in this book, as I have already read another book on this subject and had a more detailed review. I am going to keep this short because I am behind on reviews as it is. This book was decently written and provided a lot of information about Charles Starkweather. If you are interested in spree killings, this is a solid book for you to read.

[Michael Giuliano · Rating 3 out of 5]

Felt very dated at times but mostly provided a clear account of a startling true story. As strong as Newton’s writing was, I couldn’t shake the feeling that a more progressive/modern writer would have devoted much of the book to the differing treatment of Starkweather and Fugate.

[Dan Murphy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I became interested in the Starkweather case after hearing it discussed on The Last Podcast on the Left. This book was a resource for the show. I found it to be very well researched and expertly written. Absolute page-turner of a book from page 1 until the end.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is underrated on Goodreads. It's really quite excellent. I've read several on Starkweather and this is certainly the most complete account.

[Katy Lovejoy · Rating 3 out of 5]

lot of books on this murderer

[Laurel · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a fan of true crime, interesting read.

[Pamela · Rating 3 out of 5]

True crime story that took place when a friend lived
There.

[Jessie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the true story that the movies "Badlands" and "Natural Born Killers" were based on. I read this for and english class that had a theme of true crime. We also read "In Cold Blood" by Truman Capote.