Unabomber: A Desire to Kill

by Robert Graysmith

Presents the case history of alleged Unabomber Theodore Kaczynski, from his Harvard education and career as a mathematics professor to his reclusive, hermit-like existence, eighteen-year killing spree, and dramatic arrest. Reprint.

Genres: True Crime, Crime, Nonfiction, History

480 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published November 1, 1997

About the author

ROBERT GRAYSMITH is the New York Times Bestselling author and illustrator of Zodiac , Auto Focus , and Black Fire . He was the political cartoonist for the San Francisco Chronicle when the letters and cryptograms from the infamous Zodiac killer were opened in the morning editorial meetings. He lives in San Francisco where he continues to write and illustrate.



Graysmith's latest book Shooting Zodiac is now available in paperback!
As well as the beautiful new edition of The Sleeping Lady: The Trailside Murders Above the Golden Gate in paperback and Kindle!

Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Books-A-Million | Kobo | Apple Books | Google Play Books

Two films have been based on his books: Auto Focus and Zodiac. Graysmith is portrayed in the film Zodiac by Jake Gyllenhaal.

Also narrated by the author are the audiobooks Black Fire and Zodiac Unmasked .

Reviews

[Derek · Rating 1 out of 5]

I am somewhat familiar with the Unabomber and how he was finally brought to justice. I remember when the FBI went public with a request for help in the investigation and the creation of a tip line. I also remember how the Unabomber's brother brought him down and the world learned the bomber was a Harvard educated mathematician. My interest in the Unabomber was revived with the release of the Discovery miniseries.

I have several problems with this book. One is the writing style. The author constantly refers to the Unabomber as the Hermit or the Professor. I get that Graysmith is trying to show the different personas he presented to the world. However the constant switching of the names became irritating.

The book is extremely disjointed. I know several authors who can seamlessly change the direction of the book from one chapter to the next. However Graysmith can not. He becomes repetitious. Also there is very little about the investigation or investigators. Then I realized this book was written before the Unabomber's trial. This book appears to have been rushed to be written and published. This book is more potatoes rather than meat.

[Stefanie Robinson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Theodore John Kaczynski was born in 1942 in Chicago. Kaczynski became known as the Unabomber after implementing a mail bombing campaign against people he believed were using advanced technology. These attacks would kill three and injure twenty-three others. This book provides solid details about his criminal activities, mental state, and background information. The issue is the writing itself leaves a lot to be desired.

[Jeff · Rating 2 out of 5]

Detailed information - clumsy writing.

[Harry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ted Kaczynski, a child math whiz; a lonely student; a college professor; a Thoreau stile hermit; a University (UN) and Airline (A) Bomber. I learned a lot from this book; however; I like my factual stories of this nature in chronological form.

[Dunegoat2.0 · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a pretty well written book IMO. I'm not sure I consider him a cereal killer though. To me he was more of a domestic terrorist.

[Chris Hood · Rating 3 out of 5]

Still have so many questions