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Crimes Canada #2
Marc Lépine: The True Story of the Montreal Massacre
WITH PHOTOS
With extreme hatred in his heart against feminism, an act that feminists would label 'gynocide', a heavily armed Marc Lépine entered the University École Polytechnique de Montreal, and after allowing the male students to leave, systematically murdered 14 female students.
But what motivated Lépine to carry out this heinous crime? Mass murderer, madman, cold-blooded killer, misogynist, political zealot? Or was he simply another desperate person frustrated with his powerless status in this world? The case of Lépine has been debated among the most prestigious criminologists in the country. This account entails some of the most controversial opinions of these experts to date.
Only one thing is known for sure - Lépine's actions on December 6, 1989 radically changed this country and why he did what he did is much more complex than we will ever know.
With extreme hatred in his heart against feminism, an act that feminists would label 'gynocide', a heavily armed Marc Lépine entered the University École Polytechnique de Montreal, and after allowing the male students to leave, systematically murdered 14 female students.
But what motivated Lépine to carry out this heinous crime? Mass murderer, madman, cold-blooded killer, misogynist, political zealot? Or was he simply another desperate person frustrated with his powerless status in this world? The case of Lépine has been debated among the most prestigious criminologists in the country. This account entails some of the most controversial opinions of these experts to date.
Only one thing is known for sure - Lépine's actions on December 6, 1989 radically changed this country and why he did what he did is much more complex than we will ever know.
- GenresTrue CrimeNonfiction
53 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 1, 2015
47 people are currently reading
152 people want to read
About the author
R.J. Parker
84 books178 followersRJ Parker, P.Mgr., MCrim, is an award winning and bestselling true crime author and co-owner with his daughters of RJ Parker Publishing. Inc. He has written 17 true crime books, available in eBook, paperback and audiobook editions, and have sold in over 100 countries. He holds Certifications in Serial Crime and Criminal Profiling.
ALL Paperbacks under RJ Parker Publishing are in the KINDLE MATCHBOOK program: When you purchase any print book, you get the eBook for FREE
Besides gifting books to his cause, Wounded Warriors, and donating to Victims of Violent Crimes, RJ has daily contests on Facebook where he gifts eBooks and autographed books.
Join RJ on Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/AuthorRJParker
Email - authorrjparker@gmail.com
Website - http://rjparkerpublishing.com/
Member of the Canadian Association of Authors
Member of the Writer's Alliance of Newfoundland
ALL Paperbacks under RJ Parker Publishing are in the KINDLE MATCHBOOK program: When you purchase any print book, you get the eBook for FREE
Besides gifting books to his cause, Wounded Warriors, and donating to Victims of Violent Crimes, RJ has daily contests on Facebook where he gifts eBooks and autographed books.
Join RJ on Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/AuthorRJParker
Email - authorrjparker@gmail.com
Website - http://rjparkerpublishing.com/
Member of the Canadian Association of Authors
Member of the Writer's Alliance of Newfoundland
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
March 8, 2016
Don't Waste Your Time!
The whole "book" is filled with rambling philosophical reasons about why Marc Lepine was just a poor, pitiful young man who just couldn't get anything he wanted in life .. all because of feminism! He murdered and maimed dozens, but it was ok! Because FEMINISM made him do it! All those people, all those women dead and this RJ PARKER tries to compare battered wives with the lunatic who went on a rampage at the university which turned down his application. Oh, poor widdle Marky! DISGUSTING. DISGRACEFUL.
HE WAS NUTS. CRAZY. A MURDERER. THE
RJ Parker is a deluded fool if he thinks any sane, any normal person could consider FEMINISM as the CAUSE of the massacre. RJ himself isn't a very good writer, and the garbage he has spewed in this article is PROOF. No real publisher would let this trash near their good names! Vanity press poser.
The whole "book" is filled with rambling philosophical reasons about why Marc Lepine was just a poor, pitiful young man who just couldn't get anything he wanted in life .. all because of feminism! He murdered and maimed dozens, but it was ok! Because FEMINISM made him do it! All those people, all those women dead and this RJ PARKER tries to compare battered wives with the lunatic who went on a rampage at the university which turned down his application. Oh, poor widdle Marky! DISGUSTING. DISGRACEFUL.
HE WAS NUTS. CRAZY. A MURDERER. THE
RJ Parker is a deluded fool if he thinks any sane, any normal person could consider FEMINISM as the CAUSE of the massacre. RJ himself isn't a very good writer, and the garbage he has spewed in this article is PROOF. No real publisher would let this trash near their good names! Vanity press poser.
January 21, 2016
This book started out with a lot of promise. I have in the past enjoyed the books written by Mr. Parker. This one has left a bad taste in my mouth.
In the telling of the story of Marc Lepine I suspect Mr. Parker was trying to humanize Mr. Lepine. The problem is, that Mr. Lepine's acts were a pitiless act of violence. In this book Mr. Parker acts as if he is Mr. Lepines defense attorney and is seeking to convince a jury that though the defendant did in fact commit these acts, it wasn't his fault. It was the fault of his mother, his sister, his father, and by all rights the feminists that had in fact taken the place as the oppressors in society. By this logic Lepine was justified in acting out.
Mr. Lepine is not a naughty child who when he perceived his punishment was unjust through a tantrum. We are talking about a man that though he suffered social isolation, undoubtedly bullying, and abuse as a child, went out and killed 14 people.
I have known many people who suffered similar childhoods to Mr. Lepine. Not one of them went out and bought a semi-automatic weapon and proceeded to shoot 14 people. Lepine was not legally insane. It is unfortunate that we can not question his motives further, but in the style of the true tantrum throwing child, after he executed 14 innocent people, he then shot himself and died at the scene.
Mr. Parker, a word of advice. Do not try to justify acts of violence with speculation and no facts. All you have done with this book is convince a one time loyal reader who would have bought your books without stopping to read the description to never trust your judgement or reasoning again. I doubt I will ever buy another book from Mr. Parker.
One question I try to answer in a book review is: Who would I recommend this book for... Answer: No one. I was tempted to type in fiction readers. But I don't believe this book is anything more than speculation and propaganda.
In the telling of the story of Marc Lepine I suspect Mr. Parker was trying to humanize Mr. Lepine. The problem is, that Mr. Lepine's acts were a pitiless act of violence. In this book Mr. Parker acts as if he is Mr. Lepines defense attorney and is seeking to convince a jury that though the defendant did in fact commit these acts, it wasn't his fault. It was the fault of his mother, his sister, his father, and by all rights the feminists that had in fact taken the place as the oppressors in society. By this logic Lepine was justified in acting out.
Mr. Lepine is not a naughty child who when he perceived his punishment was unjust through a tantrum. We are talking about a man that though he suffered social isolation, undoubtedly bullying, and abuse as a child, went out and killed 14 people.
I have known many people who suffered similar childhoods to Mr. Lepine. Not one of them went out and bought a semi-automatic weapon and proceeded to shoot 14 people. Lepine was not legally insane. It is unfortunate that we can not question his motives further, but in the style of the true tantrum throwing child, after he executed 14 innocent people, he then shot himself and died at the scene.
Mr. Parker, a word of advice. Do not try to justify acts of violence with speculation and no facts. All you have done with this book is convince a one time loyal reader who would have bought your books without stopping to read the description to never trust your judgement or reasoning again. I doubt I will ever buy another book from Mr. Parker.
One question I try to answer in a book review is: Who would I recommend this book for... Answer: No one. I was tempted to type in fiction readers. But I don't believe this book is anything more than speculation and propaganda.
October 30, 2019
Author is biased, blames victims?
The author tried too hard to justify the massacre? Saying feminism was to blame for Lepines actions is like saying the Jewish race were responsive for the Holocaust. Completely mental and WRONG. I understand that Lepine didn’t have great opportunities and he had a terrible childhood, but there are many MANY people in the world with similar circumstances who become outstanding members of society. Author is VICTIM BLAMING.
The author tried too hard to justify the massacre? Saying feminism was to blame for Lepines actions is like saying the Jewish race were responsive for the Holocaust. Completely mental and WRONG. I understand that Lepine didn’t have great opportunities and he had a terrible childhood, but there are many MANY people in the world with similar circumstances who become outstanding members of society. Author is VICTIM BLAMING.
June 12, 2019
This is actually my first true crime book and what a disappointment it was. The book was fine for the first few chapters as it talked about the crime. It talks about his past and how this could have led up to him doing what he did but I know a lot of people who have been through the same stuff and they do not have a desire to act violently as Marc Lepiné had. This was also my first time even hearing of these attacks. This book ended up leaving a sour taste in my mouth especially when this quote showed up, "If, on that day, someone had the courage to speak to Lépine in a compassionate voice; or, if someone had the guts to stand up and take that gun from him and encourage him to let out all he had collected in all these years, maybe all this would not have happened." This just irked me as it seems so easy and a way to prevent death but people who are like Marc had already set their mind to it and was going to do it. I don't recommend this book.
July 10, 2019
Review to follow
October 31, 2024
This is a steaming pile of horse poop. I would use harsher language, but the review would then get flagged, and everyone needs to be warned away from this book.
If you don't know what the Montreal Massacre was, the basic facts are that a man by the name of Marc Lepine entered a building at the University of Montreal's engineering school and eventually went into a classroom. He ordered the men (estimated to be 50 in total) to leave, and then shot all the woman students (9). He then went on to shoot more people. 14 women were killed, 10 women and four men were wounded. Lepine is reported as saying he was fighting feminism. This happened in 1989.
This book is basically, even though it doesn't directly say it in the title, a defense of what Marc Lepine did.
The author, and I use the term loosely, gives the bones of the case, gives the background of Lepine - abusive father, poor family, frustrated because he couldn't get into his first choice of university or into the military, even though he had qualifications. There are some strange wording in this section. The author notes that the massacre was considered a hate crime because women were among those shot. No, the reader will respond, women were deliberately targeted because the men were allowed to leave. The author suggests that Lepine hated women because of something his sister did, but never says what it was and totally seems to forget that Lepine's father beat and belittled Lepine's mother. Perhaps that had something to do with Lepine's views on women, the reader may wonder. Then the author uses the phrase "Lepine was fed up and had enough" to describe the shooter just before the massacre.
This is bad enough.
But the second part, Jesus. Parker quotes only from "men's rights activists" in this last section. And let me be clear, I do think there is much truth to the idea that our society does harm men. As is pointed out in Dear Dickhead there is something wrong in a society that only allows men to talk about feelings and trauma in recovery programs as opposed to each other in general. But those aren't the men's rights activists who this author quotes from. It's the "feminists have a war on men" group.
Additionally Parker even suggests that one of the women, "the privileged women" he calls, who Lepine shot should have tried to talk him, to listen to how he felt, to give to Lepine what Lepine wanted. The women were privileged because they got into the University of Montreal which poor little Lepine didn't. You would think there was only one university in Montreal the way this writer harps on this.
Are you f'ing kidding me?
By the author's own description one of the victims did try to do that and got shot more times for her pains. Additionally, in a class large enough to have around 50 men, who were allowed to leave, and only 9 women, are the women really privileged? The implication is that the women were there because, you know, quotas and Lepine was slighted because of that. He would have gotten in if the women hadn't taken his spot. The author goes further even suggesting that the military who turned Lepine for being antisocial was lying just to let women in because Lepine hadn't shown any real mental illness or what not. HE HAS NO PROOF FOR ANY OF THIS.
The author then tries to argue that Lepine was suffering from Battered Woman's Syndrome, which might have work if Lepine had killed a woman who was abusing him as opposed to a group of women who had never even met him. Also we need to mention how the author refers to Francine Hughes as believing her husband was "responsible for her misery". HER HUSBAND BEAT HER. Christ.
The author is upset that feminists don't ever write about men's problems. I kid you not.
In short, why the author never directly says "Lepine was right", he is saying that Lepine was right. That the victims deserved it because they were women who, gosh, wanted to go into engineering and that mean men couldn't. Don't believe me, here's a quote "Women were the ones who did not want to listen to the pleas of Lepine, a lone man trying to figure out what was happening to him and his falling world" .
Lepine chose to stop working so he could focus on killing. His world wasn't falling.
It's like saying, he killed her because she wouldn't go out with him line that we see far too often. Putting it that way makes it seem like she is at fault, not him.
And there is this bit near the end, "Men's violence can be viewed in physical terms, in the killing of fourteen women on December 6, 1989; whereas the violence of women toward is not seen by physical eyes."
This "true crime" sh+t of a book is simply saying the victims had it coming, that any woman has it coming.
Avoid the author, and quite frankly, avoid the series. And it pains me to say that because the first book in this series I read was about missing First Nations women and was quite good. However, Parker is the editor of the series and the views in this book, are not good.
If you don't know what the Montreal Massacre was, the basic facts are that a man by the name of Marc Lepine entered a building at the University of Montreal's engineering school and eventually went into a classroom. He ordered the men (estimated to be 50 in total) to leave, and then shot all the woman students (9). He then went on to shoot more people. 14 women were killed, 10 women and four men were wounded. Lepine is reported as saying he was fighting feminism. This happened in 1989.
This book is basically, even though it doesn't directly say it in the title, a defense of what Marc Lepine did.
The author, and I use the term loosely, gives the bones of the case, gives the background of Lepine - abusive father, poor family, frustrated because he couldn't get into his first choice of university or into the military, even though he had qualifications. There are some strange wording in this section. The author notes that the massacre was considered a hate crime because women were among those shot. No, the reader will respond, women were deliberately targeted because the men were allowed to leave. The author suggests that Lepine hated women because of something his sister did, but never says what it was and totally seems to forget that Lepine's father beat and belittled Lepine's mother. Perhaps that had something to do with Lepine's views on women, the reader may wonder. Then the author uses the phrase "Lepine was fed up and had enough" to describe the shooter just before the massacre.
This is bad enough.
But the second part, Jesus. Parker quotes only from "men's rights activists" in this last section. And let me be clear, I do think there is much truth to the idea that our society does harm men. As is pointed out in Dear Dickhead there is something wrong in a society that only allows men to talk about feelings and trauma in recovery programs as opposed to each other in general. But those aren't the men's rights activists who this author quotes from. It's the "feminists have a war on men" group.
Additionally Parker even suggests that one of the women, "the privileged women" he calls, who Lepine shot should have tried to talk him, to listen to how he felt, to give to Lepine what Lepine wanted. The women were privileged because they got into the University of Montreal which poor little Lepine didn't. You would think there was only one university in Montreal the way this writer harps on this.
Are you f'ing kidding me?
By the author's own description one of the victims did try to do that and got shot more times for her pains. Additionally, in a class large enough to have around 50 men, who were allowed to leave, and only 9 women, are the women really privileged? The implication is that the women were there because, you know, quotas and Lepine was slighted because of that. He would have gotten in if the women hadn't taken his spot. The author goes further even suggesting that the military who turned Lepine for being antisocial was lying just to let women in because Lepine hadn't shown any real mental illness or what not. HE HAS NO PROOF FOR ANY OF THIS.
The author then tries to argue that Lepine was suffering from Battered Woman's Syndrome, which might have work if Lepine had killed a woman who was abusing him as opposed to a group of women who had never even met him. Also we need to mention how the author refers to Francine Hughes as believing her husband was "responsible for her misery". HER HUSBAND BEAT HER. Christ.
The author is upset that feminists don't ever write about men's problems. I kid you not.
In short, why the author never directly says "Lepine was right", he is saying that Lepine was right. That the victims deserved it because they were women who, gosh, wanted to go into engineering and that mean men couldn't. Don't believe me, here's a quote "Women were the ones who did not want to listen to the pleas of Lepine, a lone man trying to figure out what was happening to him and his falling world" .
Lepine chose to stop working so he could focus on killing. His world wasn't falling.
It's like saying, he killed her because she wouldn't go out with him line that we see far too often. Putting it that way makes it seem like she is at fault, not him.
And there is this bit near the end, "Men's violence can be viewed in physical terms, in the killing of fourteen women on December 6, 1989; whereas the violence of women toward is not seen by physical eyes."
This "true crime" sh+t of a book is simply saying the victims had it coming, that any woman has it coming.
Avoid the author, and quite frankly, avoid the series. And it pains me to say that because the first book in this series I read was about missing First Nations women and was quite good. However, Parker is the editor of the series and the views in this book, are not good.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 7, 2024
I wanted to give it three stars because it’s an important topic, but…
Then I wanted to give it two stars because it wasn’t really well developed, but…
I ended up giving one star because even though I do believe it is important to understand why people go from normal human being to mass murderer, the incel apologist really turned my stomach (among many other things).
Then I wanted to give it two stars because it wasn’t really well developed, but…
I ended up giving one star because even though I do believe it is important to understand why people go from normal human being to mass murderer, the incel apologist really turned my stomach (among many other things).
November 27, 2018
Quite a captivating book. Emphasises on the idea of no one is born monster or killer. The pshychological analysis and the way it expresses information and views in neutral way using references is really great.
January 27, 2021
Tragic
This was truly a tragic incident that spurred changes of gun laws in Canada. The young person was horribly abused and his mental illness resulted in 14 innocent women’s death😭
This was truly a tragic incident that spurred changes of gun laws in Canada. The young person was horribly abused and his mental illness resulted in 14 innocent women’s death😭
July 12, 2018
Not worth reading.
February 4, 2022
Not sure I'm interested in reading the rest of the volumes after reading this one. Alot of speculations and 'what if's'.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 2, 2015
Full review on The Crime Cove Book Review Blog
Totally unexpected account of a story I thought I knew well. Being from Canada, I'm more than familiar with this tragedy and how it impacted the country when it happened and how it still does today. However, I was completely unaware of some of the perspectives that were discussed by experts and recounted in this book. Like many others in this country, I just figured Lepine was a madman, a cold-blooded killer and his hatred for woman led to what happened that day. End of story. Not once did I ever give him any more thought other than that, let alone emphasize with him or consider him a human being. This book changed that.
A few of the perspectives discussed are on the controversial side. Not to go into spoiler territory, but some may find theories included here such as comparing the frustration Lepine felt to that of battered women's syndrome to be disconcerting. For me, it was eye-opening and I believe to avoid future tragedies such as these, all theories should be openly discussed. As painful as that is to do. To read about how the massacre later terribly impacted the survivors and the extent of their guilt (both self-imagined and imposed by others) was heart-wrenching.
As with all of RJ Parker's works, this one is well researched. In spite of the shortness of the book, the author does a spectacular job at retelling the events that truly shocked Canada to its core all those years ago and still does.
Highly recommend this one to all my fellow fans of True Crime.
Totally unexpected account of a story I thought I knew well. Being from Canada, I'm more than familiar with this tragedy and how it impacted the country when it happened and how it still does today. However, I was completely unaware of some of the perspectives that were discussed by experts and recounted in this book. Like many others in this country, I just figured Lepine was a madman, a cold-blooded killer and his hatred for woman led to what happened that day. End of story. Not once did I ever give him any more thought other than that, let alone emphasize with him or consider him a human being. This book changed that.
A few of the perspectives discussed are on the controversial side. Not to go into spoiler territory, but some may find theories included here such as comparing the frustration Lepine felt to that of battered women's syndrome to be disconcerting. For me, it was eye-opening and I believe to avoid future tragedies such as these, all theories should be openly discussed. As painful as that is to do. To read about how the massacre later terribly impacted the survivors and the extent of their guilt (both self-imagined and imposed by others) was heart-wrenching.
As with all of RJ Parker's works, this one is well researched. In spite of the shortness of the book, the author does a spectacular job at retelling the events that truly shocked Canada to its core all those years ago and still does.
Highly recommend this one to all my fellow fans of True Crime.
April 6, 2015
Than you RJ!
Another great read! I have never really read anything about this massacre. It did help me understand why he did it. It was like he just gave up, after all he had been through in his life, and decided to take as many women out as he could, before committing suicide. It was a very sad day in Canadian history. This book did capture my attention all the way to the end. Thank you RJ!
Another great read! I have never really read anything about this massacre. It did help me understand why he did it. It was like he just gave up, after all he had been through in his life, and decided to take as many women out as he could, before committing suicide. It was a very sad day in Canadian history. This book did capture my attention all the way to the end. Thank you RJ!
May 16, 2015
Interesting book
The story of Marc Lepine and his crimes was one I had not heard before. RJ Parker does an excellent job discussing Marc's upbringing and family interactions and the details of the crime. He also does a good job discussing the various interpretations of his motives. The research was very well done and I found this to be a very interesting story. As always the author does a great job. I recommend this book.
The story of Marc Lepine and his crimes was one I had not heard before. RJ Parker does an excellent job discussing Marc's upbringing and family interactions and the details of the crime. He also does a good job discussing the various interpretations of his motives. The research was very well done and I found this to be a very interesting story. As always the author does a great job. I recommend this book.
April 20, 2015
This is a well-written and researched deconstruction of a monster which enables the reader to understand what seems to be unexplainable. It covers the important aspects of the short life of Marc Lèpine.
Hatred and prejudice are learned, usually during childhood. The degree of Marc's hate is staggering, and this book lets us discover where it came from.
Hatred and prejudice are learned, usually during childhood. The degree of Marc's hate is staggering, and this book lets us discover where it came from.
May 27, 2015
This is another great read by author RJ Parker in his Crimes Canada series. I was not familiar with Marc Lepine and/or the Montreal Massacre before this book came out. The book held my interest from the beginning as it was very well researched and well written. I highly recommend this book to all true crime fans.
April 1, 2015
I liked how this book explained more about the Canadian culture and how these horrendous crimes can effect not only the people involved... But the families and even the culture and laws of a nation.
This was a well written book and I enjoyed reading it.
This was a well written book and I enjoyed reading it.
November 11, 2015
Solid research and analysis
Great storytelling combined with solid research and analysis make for a great read. The crime itself as well as its impact are explored. A good portion at the end is also dedicated to the prevention of a similar action.
Great storytelling combined with solid research and analysis make for a great read. The crime itself as well as its impact are explored. A good portion at the end is also dedicated to the prevention of a similar action.
December 30, 2015
A thinking story
More than just a true crime story, R J Parker the author , gives the reader much to think about was the murderer also a victim just in a different plight. What was the reason he committed these murders ? So much more than another true crime story.
More than just a true crime story, R J Parker the author , gives the reader much to think about was the murderer also a victim just in a different plight. What was the reason he committed these murders ? So much more than another true crime story.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews