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Slenderman: A Tragic Story of Online Obsession and Mental Illness
The first full account of the Slenderman stabbing, a true crime narrative of mental illness, the American judicial system, the trials of adolescence, and the power of the internet
The Slenderman stabbing of May 31, 2014, in the Milwaukee suburb of Waukesha, Wisconsin, shocked the local community and the world. The violence of Morgan Geyser and Anissa Weier, two twelve-year-old girls who attempted to stab their classmate to death, was extreme, but what seemed even more frightening was that they had done so under the influence of a figure born by the internet: the so-called “Slenderman.” Yet the even more urgent aspect of the story, that the children involved were suffering from undiagnosed mental illness, was often overlooked in coverage of the case.
Slenderman: Online Obsession, Mental Illness, and the Violent Crime of Two Midwestern Girls tells that full story for the first time in deeply researched detail, using court transcripts, police reports, individual reporting, and exclusive interviews. Morgan and Anissa were bound together by their shared love of geeky television shows and animals, and their discovery of the user-uploaded scary stories on the Creepypasta website could have been nothing more than a brief phase. But Morgan was suffering from early-onset childhood schizophrenia. She believed that she had been seeing Slenderman for many years, and the only way to stop him from killing her family was to bring him a sacrifice: Morgan’s best friend Payton “Bella” Leutner, whom Morgan and Anissa planned to stab to death on the night of Morgan’s twelfth birthday. Bella survived the attack, but was deeply traumatized, while Morgan and Anissa were immediately remanded into jail, and the severity of their crime meant that they would be prosecuted as adults. There, as Morgan continued to suffer from worsening mental illness after being denied antipsychotics, her life became more and more surreal.
Slenderman is both a page-turning true crime story and a search for justice.
The Slenderman stabbing of May 31, 2014, in the Milwaukee suburb of Waukesha, Wisconsin, shocked the local community and the world. The violence of Morgan Geyser and Anissa Weier, two twelve-year-old girls who attempted to stab their classmate to death, was extreme, but what seemed even more frightening was that they had done so under the influence of a figure born by the internet: the so-called “Slenderman.” Yet the even more urgent aspect of the story, that the children involved were suffering from undiagnosed mental illness, was often overlooked in coverage of the case.
Slenderman: Online Obsession, Mental Illness, and the Violent Crime of Two Midwestern Girls tells that full story for the first time in deeply researched detail, using court transcripts, police reports, individual reporting, and exclusive interviews. Morgan and Anissa were bound together by their shared love of geeky television shows and animals, and their discovery of the user-uploaded scary stories on the Creepypasta website could have been nothing more than a brief phase. But Morgan was suffering from early-onset childhood schizophrenia. She believed that she had been seeing Slenderman for many years, and the only way to stop him from killing her family was to bring him a sacrifice: Morgan’s best friend Payton “Bella” Leutner, whom Morgan and Anissa planned to stab to death on the night of Morgan’s twelfth birthday. Bella survived the attack, but was deeply traumatized, while Morgan and Anissa were immediately remanded into jail, and the severity of their crime meant that they would be prosecuted as adults. There, as Morgan continued to suffer from worsening mental illness after being denied antipsychotics, her life became more and more surreal.
Slenderman is both a page-turning true crime story and a search for justice.
368 pages, Paperback
First published August 16, 2022
394 people are currently reading
8695 people want to read
About the author
Kathleen Hale
73 books14 followersKathleen Hale was born in Broughton, Salford, Lancashire and was brought up in a suburb of Manchester. Her childhood was far from idyllic: her father died when she was very young and she was forced to endure long periods of separation from her mother. This, along with the frustrations of an unexpressed artistic talent, produced a rebellious reaction in the young girl's naturally ebullient nature. However, her talent as an artist was recognised at school by a sympathetic headmistress at Manchester High School for Girls and she went on to attend art courses in Manchester and at the University College, Reading.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
In 1917, Kathleen moved to London to make a life for herself as an artist. She worked for some time as Augustus John's secretary whilst developing a wide circle of friends in the artistic community, such as Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant. During the 1920s she earned a living as an illustrator, accepting commissions for book jackets as well as selling her own drawings.
She married Douglas McClean, a young doctor working in medical research. They settled in Hertfordshire where they could bring up their two young sons and entertain their friends. She created Orlando and his world to entertain her children at bedtime. Orlando The Marmalade Cat 'with eyes like twin gooseberries' was one of the classic children's book characters of the 1940s and 1950s. The stories are known for their quirky wit and extravagant illustrations. They combine adventure with friendship and family life. As the creator of Orlando, Kathleen was awarded the OBE in 1976.
Kathleen Hale died on 26 January 2000 at 101 years of age.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
In 1917, Kathleen moved to London to make a life for herself as an artist. She worked for some time as Augustus John's secretary whilst developing a wide circle of friends in the artistic community, such as Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant. During the 1920s she earned a living as an illustrator, accepting commissions for book jackets as well as selling her own drawings.
She married Douglas McClean, a young doctor working in medical research. They settled in Hertfordshire where they could bring up their two young sons and entertain their friends. She created Orlando and his world to entertain her children at bedtime. Orlando The Marmalade Cat 'with eyes like twin gooseberries' was one of the classic children's book characters of the 1940s and 1950s. The stories are known for their quirky wit and extravagant illustrations. They combine adventure with friendship and family life. As the creator of Orlando, Kathleen was awarded the OBE in 1976.
Kathleen Hale died on 26 January 2000 at 101 years of age.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 876 reviews
October 13, 2025
Nie pamiętam kiedy mnie reportaż tak wciągnął. To było nieodkładalne i tak ciekawe, że opowiadałam o niej każdemu kto chciał mnie słuchać.
September 21, 2024
Świetnie czytało mi się ten reportaż. Przeraża mnie skala momentów, gdy rodzice, szkoła czy później, władze, zawiodły chorą psychicznie nastolatkę. Cała ta sprawa budzi wiele emocji, ale opinia publiczna czy zdanie przełożonych nie mogą być ważniejsze niż opinia wykwalifikowanych psychiatrów i specjalistów.
November 6, 2023
2.5 "sequentially detailed, naive, inconsistent" stars !!
Thank you to Netgalley, the author and Grove Atlantic. This was released August 2022. I am providing an honest review.
This is a sequential detailed narrative about the Slenderman stabbings where two 12 year old girls attempted murder on a classmate in small town Wisconsin. Tied into this is a shared delusion and an obsession with a fictional character named Slenderman. One of the girls has childhood schizophrenia and the other has moderate attachment issues. This is their story....
Well...let's cut to the chase
1. the sequential narrative is quite effective and interesting although lacks panache
2. the naive and liberal interpretations were at best annoying and at worst misleading
An average good read in the true crime category. Much needs to be improved on !
Thank you to Netgalley, the author and Grove Atlantic. This was released August 2022. I am providing an honest review.
This is a sequential detailed narrative about the Slenderman stabbings where two 12 year old girls attempted murder on a classmate in small town Wisconsin. Tied into this is a shared delusion and an obsession with a fictional character named Slenderman. One of the girls has childhood schizophrenia and the other has moderate attachment issues. This is their story....
Well...let's cut to the chase
1. the sequential narrative is quite effective and interesting although lacks panache
2. the naive and liberal interpretations were at best annoying and at worst misleading
An average good read in the true crime category. Much needs to be improved on !
June 29, 2022
It's sometimes difficult to realize just how impressionable young people are. Between the issues of adolescence, mental instability, and the power of the internet, two young girls are led into an arena of insanity and murder.
I remember hearing of the Slenderman, and of how the young seemed fascinated by his eerie presence. Two twelve year old girls, Morgan Geyser and Anissa Weier, were convinced that they needed to murder their classmate in order to protect themselves and their family. It is a story of two girls who had obvious mental illnesses, being drawn into a web of lies courtesy of a website entitled Creepypasta. The scary stories and the macabre drew the girls into a story that particularly fed the early onset schizophrenia that Morgan was experiencing, convincing her that she had seem the Slenderman as she convinced Anissa what must be done to protect themselves and their families.
They viciously stabbed their friend, who thankfully survived and both Morgan and Anissa were tried as adults for this heinous crime.
The author shows empathy for all in her telling. She depicts the decline of Morgan and how easily it is to believe in a myth when young minds are so convinced they are right. It also showed how undiagnosed mental illness leads to times that are violent and heart breaking.
Many details make this a worthwhile story for those who like true crime with a blending of urban myths.
Thank you to Kathleen Hale, Groove Press, and NetGalley for a copy of this intriguing story.
I remember hearing of the Slenderman, and of how the young seemed fascinated by his eerie presence. Two twelve year old girls, Morgan Geyser and Anissa Weier, were convinced that they needed to murder their classmate in order to protect themselves and their family. It is a story of two girls who had obvious mental illnesses, being drawn into a web of lies courtesy of a website entitled Creepypasta. The scary stories and the macabre drew the girls into a story that particularly fed the early onset schizophrenia that Morgan was experiencing, convincing her that she had seem the Slenderman as she convinced Anissa what must be done to protect themselves and their families.
They viciously stabbed their friend, who thankfully survived and both Morgan and Anissa were tried as adults for this heinous crime.
The author shows empathy for all in her telling. She depicts the decline of Morgan and how easily it is to believe in a myth when young minds are so convinced they are right. It also showed how undiagnosed mental illness leads to times that are violent and heart breaking.
Many details make this a worthwhile story for those who like true crime with a blending of urban myths.
Thank you to Kathleen Hale, Groove Press, and NetGalley for a copy of this intriguing story.
November 24, 2025
When I selected this book to read, I did so based on the subject matter and didn’t notice the author’s name. Unfortunately, when I started to read, I then noticed the author’s name and my heart dropped. She’s…problematic.
Still, I decided to give it a fair shot. I chose to skip Hale’s introduction and go right to the narrative.
I enjoyed much of the book. I was extremely interested in the crime and the background of our victim and her assailants. But at 61%, I paused. See, the book started feeling very lopsided. I felt like I was reading a defense of Morgan Geyser, but not a whole lot about Anissa Weier…and almost nothing about their victim, Bella. I began to get more curious about Hale’s research and decided to go back and read that introduction I’d skipped. And it started making sense.
It seemed like the people willing to talk to Hale were the people most interested in making Morgan seem misunderstood and as much of a victim as poor Bella. Bella and her family refused to talk to Hale. Anissa and her family refused to talk. Teachers and other witnesses refused. Morgan, however, talked to her. As a result of the aforementioned refusals, the author relied on extensive research to complete the story. I was truly impressed by the amount of research she did – the author did attempt to tell a full story. I’m just not sure it was possible when the most important person – the victim wasn’t part of things.
I returned to the book, growing more and more uncomfortable with the way the story was told. It started to feel like we should believe that nothing was Morgan’s fault – and that we should somehow empathize with her obsession. In the book, Morgan seems like the victim. She’s described as a victim of society, of the system, and even, to an extent, of the people online who were mostly interested in the scandal and drama of the case.
Honestly, there was only one victim here. Her name was Bella.
I also started to wonder if Hale would ever mention the elephant in the room – her own obsessive behavior. I won’t get into that here – a quick Google search will do you – but, it does make a reader wonder at the book’s excuses for Morgan’s crime. Oh, and if you’re curious, no. She doesn’t mention it at all.
In the end, I didn’t feel the book was an objective reporting of what happened. While I acknowledge that my own bias and that knowledge of the author’s past obsessive behavior may have played a part in my opinion, I did try to give this a fair read. I’m also not a true crime writer, though.
I found that the author did the best she could with the sources available to her, but I did feel like so much was missing and I’d be very interested in reading a more objective view of the case. The author did pique my interest.
3 Stars.
• ARC via Net Galley
11/23 Update
Today's news: Morgan has cut off her ankle bracelet and has gone ghost. Shocker.
Still, I decided to give it a fair shot. I chose to skip Hale’s introduction and go right to the narrative.
I enjoyed much of the book. I was extremely interested in the crime and the background of our victim and her assailants. But at 61%, I paused. See, the book started feeling very lopsided. I felt like I was reading a defense of Morgan Geyser, but not a whole lot about Anissa Weier…and almost nothing about their victim, Bella. I began to get more curious about Hale’s research and decided to go back and read that introduction I’d skipped. And it started making sense.
It seemed like the people willing to talk to Hale were the people most interested in making Morgan seem misunderstood and as much of a victim as poor Bella. Bella and her family refused to talk to Hale. Anissa and her family refused to talk. Teachers and other witnesses refused. Morgan, however, talked to her. As a result of the aforementioned refusals, the author relied on extensive research to complete the story. I was truly impressed by the amount of research she did – the author did attempt to tell a full story. I’m just not sure it was possible when the most important person – the victim wasn’t part of things.
I returned to the book, growing more and more uncomfortable with the way the story was told. It started to feel like we should believe that nothing was Morgan’s fault – and that we should somehow empathize with her obsession. In the book, Morgan seems like the victim. She’s described as a victim of society, of the system, and even, to an extent, of the people online who were mostly interested in the scandal and drama of the case.
Honestly, there was only one victim here. Her name was Bella.
I also started to wonder if Hale would ever mention the elephant in the room – her own obsessive behavior. I won’t get into that here – a quick Google search will do you – but, it does make a reader wonder at the book’s excuses for Morgan’s crime. Oh, and if you’re curious, no. She doesn’t mention it at all.
In the end, I didn’t feel the book was an objective reporting of what happened. While I acknowledge that my own bias and that knowledge of the author’s past obsessive behavior may have played a part in my opinion, I did try to give this a fair read. I’m also not a true crime writer, though.
I found that the author did the best she could with the sources available to her, but I did feel like so much was missing and I’d be very interested in reading a more objective view of the case. The author did pique my interest.
3 Stars.
• ARC via Net Galley
11/23 Update
Today's news: Morgan has cut off her ankle bracelet and has gone ghost. Shocker.
November 22, 2022
Slenderman: Online Obsession, Mental Illness. And the Violent Crime of Two Midwestern Girls – Kathleen Hale – (2022)
This is an expertly researched and documented account of a true crime that stunned people on a worldwide level. On May 31, 2014, Payton (Bella) Lerner was violently attacked and nearly stabbed to death in a wooded public park in Waukesha, Wisconsin. Bella was discovered by a cyclist and rushed to a local hospital-- which miraculously saved her life. The perpetrators of the horrific crime were Morgan Geyer and Anissa Weier: the girls were all supposedly best friends, and they were all twelve years old.
Hale traced the history of family mental illness/early onset childhood Schizophrenia and unmonitored online activity that fostered the delusions of Morgan and Anissa. Both girls were obsessed with the fictional horror online character meme “Slenderman”, (Creepypasta.com.) and unable to separate fact from fiction. To both girls, the Slenderman was a real shadow entity that stalked them, requiring a sacrificial offering, and was visible throughout Waukesha.
In one of the most conservative states in the nation, all juvenile homicide cases were automatically transferred to adult court. Due to the severity of the crime, as details emerged, the general public reaction was supportive of the “adult crime/adult time” approach and Judge Bohren’s “tough on crime” decision to try the girls as adults. Despite the fact that the death penalty in Wisconsin had been abolished, the families of Morgan and Anissa received barrages of online hate mail and death threats.
At the Washington County Jail, a psychiatric assessment determined Morgan was unfit to stand trial or participate in her own defense, she frequently laughed out loud and babbled incoherently. After two years in custody, she believed she was under “Vulcan mind control” tactics, and the desperate need for psychiatric medication/treatment was painfully obvious. Both Morgan’s and Anissa’s parents agreed to participate in an HBO Documentary: “Beware of the Slenderman” (2017) with the hope of raising awareness of mental illness and treatment. While most people with mental illness are not violent, Hale reminds readers that violence can still occur, and that the need for universal healthcare and juvenile justice reform has never been greater. **With thanks to Grove Press via NetGalley for the DDC for the purpose of review.
This is an expertly researched and documented account of a true crime that stunned people on a worldwide level. On May 31, 2014, Payton (Bella) Lerner was violently attacked and nearly stabbed to death in a wooded public park in Waukesha, Wisconsin. Bella was discovered by a cyclist and rushed to a local hospital-- which miraculously saved her life. The perpetrators of the horrific crime were Morgan Geyer and Anissa Weier: the girls were all supposedly best friends, and they were all twelve years old.
Hale traced the history of family mental illness/early onset childhood Schizophrenia and unmonitored online activity that fostered the delusions of Morgan and Anissa. Both girls were obsessed with the fictional horror online character meme “Slenderman”, (Creepypasta.com.) and unable to separate fact from fiction. To both girls, the Slenderman was a real shadow entity that stalked them, requiring a sacrificial offering, and was visible throughout Waukesha.
In one of the most conservative states in the nation, all juvenile homicide cases were automatically transferred to adult court. Due to the severity of the crime, as details emerged, the general public reaction was supportive of the “adult crime/adult time” approach and Judge Bohren’s “tough on crime” decision to try the girls as adults. Despite the fact that the death penalty in Wisconsin had been abolished, the families of Morgan and Anissa received barrages of online hate mail and death threats.
At the Washington County Jail, a psychiatric assessment determined Morgan was unfit to stand trial or participate in her own defense, she frequently laughed out loud and babbled incoherently. After two years in custody, she believed she was under “Vulcan mind control” tactics, and the desperate need for psychiatric medication/treatment was painfully obvious. Both Morgan’s and Anissa’s parents agreed to participate in an HBO Documentary: “Beware of the Slenderman” (2017) with the hope of raising awareness of mental illness and treatment. While most people with mental illness are not violent, Hale reminds readers that violence can still occur, and that the need for universal healthcare and juvenile justice reform has never been greater. **With thanks to Grove Press via NetGalley for the DDC for the purpose of review.
September 5, 2024
Przeczytałam jednym tchem i początkowo byłam zachwycona ale potem przyszło opamiętanie.
Z plusów:
- wciągająca sprawa, dobrze napisana książka, ciężko się oderwać
- szczegółowość
- pokazuje patologie systemu sprawiedliwości w US, zwłaszcza w kontekście ogromnej dyskryminacji w przypadku chorób psychicznych
- zwraca uwagę na nieludzkie przepisy, które pozwalają sądzić małe dzieci jako osoby dorosłe, nie oferując im żadnej ochrony prawnej, żadnej terapii, żadnej resocjalizacji
- szkodliwość wpływu opinii publicznej kreowanej przez media, która wywiera nacisk na system sprawiedliwości, szczególnie w sytuacji kiedy sędziowie są wybierani w wyborach i swoimi wyrokami chcą się przypodobać wyborcom, głośne sprawy to w gruncie rzeczy kolejna okazja do prowadzenia kampanii wyborczej
z minusów:
- bardzo wyraźnie widać, że autorka staje po stronie Morgan, stara się ją wybielić, pokazać z jak najlepszej strony i umniejszyć jej czynom, czyni to kosztem Anissy oraz co skandaliczne Belli.
Dzieje się tak z prostej przyczyny, autorka rozmawiała z Morgan i jej rodziną, Anissa i jej bliscy odmówili rozmowy, Bella i jej bliscy odmówili rozmowy.
- bardzo mało miejsca jest poświęcone Belli, ale to może wynikać z przyczyn prawnych lub tego, że autorka nie mogła z nią porozmawiać, opierała się tylko na materiałach dostępnych publicznie, gdyby mogła z nią porozmawiać prywatnie, usłyszeć bezpośrednio jej relację, ta książka mogłaby wyglądać zupełnie inaczej, to samo dotyczy Anissy.
- autorka snuje własne domysły i wypełnia luki swoimi przypuszczeniami
Na koniec postać samej autorki. To dość zaskakujące, że podjęła się opisywania właśnie takiej sprawy, gdzie wpływ internetu na psychikę odgrywa istotną rolę. Kilka lat temu zadebiutowała na rynku powieścią kryminalną, na krótko przed wydaniem książka została rozesłana do recenzentów, jedna osoba wystawiła powieści tutaj na GR słabą ocenę. Autorka tak się na tym zafiksowała, że wystalkowała tę osobę w sieci, podstępem zdobyła jej adres domowy i w końcu pojechała do niej do domu, by się z tą osobą skonfrontować. Opisała to wszystko w artykule, który po dziś dzień wisi na Guardianie, można tam przeczytać jak zafiksowana była na tej negatywnej opinii, jak zdeterminowana by odnaleźć i zastraszyć obcą osobę z internetu oraz jak w tej całej sytuacji to siebie samą sportretowała jako ofiarę, swoje działania uznając za słuszne. Zadziwiające.
Z plusów:
- wciągająca sprawa, dobrze napisana książka, ciężko się oderwać
- szczegółowość
- pokazuje patologie systemu sprawiedliwości w US, zwłaszcza w kontekście ogromnej dyskryminacji w przypadku chorób psychicznych
- zwraca uwagę na nieludzkie przepisy, które pozwalają sądzić małe dzieci jako osoby dorosłe, nie oferując im żadnej ochrony prawnej, żadnej terapii, żadnej resocjalizacji
- szkodliwość wpływu opinii publicznej kreowanej przez media, która wywiera nacisk na system sprawiedliwości, szczególnie w sytuacji kiedy sędziowie są wybierani w wyborach i swoimi wyrokami chcą się przypodobać wyborcom, głośne sprawy to w gruncie rzeczy kolejna okazja do prowadzenia kampanii wyborczej
z minusów:
- bardzo wyraźnie widać, że autorka staje po stronie Morgan, stara się ją wybielić, pokazać z jak najlepszej strony i umniejszyć jej czynom, czyni to kosztem Anissy oraz co skandaliczne Belli.
Dzieje się tak z prostej przyczyny, autorka rozmawiała z Morgan i jej rodziną, Anissa i jej bliscy odmówili rozmowy, Bella i jej bliscy odmówili rozmowy.
- bardzo mało miejsca jest poświęcone Belli, ale to może wynikać z przyczyn prawnych lub tego, że autorka nie mogła z nią porozmawiać, opierała się tylko na materiałach dostępnych publicznie, gdyby mogła z nią porozmawiać prywatnie, usłyszeć bezpośrednio jej relację, ta książka mogłaby wyglądać zupełnie inaczej, to samo dotyczy Anissy.
- autorka snuje własne domysły i wypełnia luki swoimi przypuszczeniami
Na koniec postać samej autorki. To dość zaskakujące, że podjęła się opisywania właśnie takiej sprawy, gdzie wpływ internetu na psychikę odgrywa istotną rolę. Kilka lat temu zadebiutowała na rynku powieścią kryminalną, na krótko przed wydaniem książka została rozesłana do recenzentów, jedna osoba wystawiła powieści tutaj na GR słabą ocenę. Autorka tak się na tym zafiksowała, że wystalkowała tę osobę w sieci, podstępem zdobyła jej adres domowy i w końcu pojechała do niej do domu, by się z tą osobą skonfrontować. Opisała to wszystko w artykule, który po dziś dzień wisi na Guardianie, można tam przeczytać jak zafiksowana była na tej negatywnej opinii, jak zdeterminowana by odnaleźć i zastraszyć obcą osobę z internetu oraz jak w tej całej sytuacji to siebie samą sportretowała jako ofiarę, swoje działania uznając za słuszne. Zadziwiające.
July 16, 2022
This was an excellently written and researched book by Kathleen Hale. On May 31, 2014, Morgan Geyser and her friend Anissa Weier had decided that their friend Bella Leutner needed to be killed. This was due to an obsession with a fantasy internet character, Slenderman. Both come to believe he was real and Morgan stabs her friend over a dozen times.
Fortunately, Bella survived this horrific crime, but obviously was left with both physical and emotional scars that will last forever.
Kathleen Hale presents the book advocating for both Morgan and Anissa. Both girls at 12 years old, the Judge decided should be tried as adults. This really is a book about severe mental illness. Morgan Geyser had active schizophrenia and was suffering from delusions, paranoia, and hearing voices. She was not making choices based on reality. Anissa Weier also had several emotional problems and came to believe Slenderman placed her in danger.
The question becomes how to handle mentally ill 12 year olds who have become violent. I do agree with the author that an adult prison which was not even initially medicating Morgan is not the answer. Both girls end up with Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity pleas. Many believe that means there is little time spent in a facility. This often is not the case at all. Morgan Geyser was sentenced to up to 40 years in a criminal mental institution. Yet, at least here she was given medication to stop her delusion thinking. Once she starts medication her thinking does become clear and has to come to terms with what has happened.
With Alissa not as much information is given about her family background and her mental status throughout her life. She clearly needed mental health treatment as well.
The next issue becomes how long should each girl remain in a locked mental ward? They are able to petition for release, but this is a very complicated case. Morgan at different times becomes delusional again. Alissa has ongoing issues, too. Are they really safe to be released to their family and when? Unfortunately, our legal system is not really set up for cases such as this.
I do wish the author spent more time with some solutions to dealing with violent, but seriously mentally ill children. The laws and system in place to handle these types of cases are not adequate and do not offer many answers. This was a complicated case, but one of many and I think this needed to be talked about more. If a child is severely mentally ill, enough that they can not form rational thought and then commits a crime, something does need to be done. What is a better way to handle this? Some cases children monitored and on medication would probably be ok to be released and others would not. How do we decide this? If a child goes through the juvenile court system, that child will be released at 21 whether safe and stable or not. It certainly left me with much to think about.
I felt so much for Bella and her family and sadly no one realized Morgan was ill. Then this heartbreaking tragedy would not have occurred. Yet, sadly that did not happen and many more answers are needed to help prevent and treat severely mentally ill children.
Thank you NetGalley, Kathleen Hale, and Grove Atlantic for granting me a copy of this book. I am always happy to leave a review.
Fortunately, Bella survived this horrific crime, but obviously was left with both physical and emotional scars that will last forever.
Kathleen Hale presents the book advocating for both Morgan and Anissa. Both girls at 12 years old, the Judge decided should be tried as adults. This really is a book about severe mental illness. Morgan Geyser had active schizophrenia and was suffering from delusions, paranoia, and hearing voices. She was not making choices based on reality. Anissa Weier also had several emotional problems and came to believe Slenderman placed her in danger.
The question becomes how to handle mentally ill 12 year olds who have become violent. I do agree with the author that an adult prison which was not even initially medicating Morgan is not the answer. Both girls end up with Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity pleas. Many believe that means there is little time spent in a facility. This often is not the case at all. Morgan Geyser was sentenced to up to 40 years in a criminal mental institution. Yet, at least here she was given medication to stop her delusion thinking. Once she starts medication her thinking does become clear and has to come to terms with what has happened.
With Alissa not as much information is given about her family background and her mental status throughout her life. She clearly needed mental health treatment as well.
The next issue becomes how long should each girl remain in a locked mental ward? They are able to petition for release, but this is a very complicated case. Morgan at different times becomes delusional again. Alissa has ongoing issues, too. Are they really safe to be released to their family and when? Unfortunately, our legal system is not really set up for cases such as this.
I do wish the author spent more time with some solutions to dealing with violent, but seriously mentally ill children. The laws and system in place to handle these types of cases are not adequate and do not offer many answers. This was a complicated case, but one of many and I think this needed to be talked about more. If a child is severely mentally ill, enough that they can not form rational thought and then commits a crime, something does need to be done. What is a better way to handle this? Some cases children monitored and on medication would probably be ok to be released and others would not. How do we decide this? If a child goes through the juvenile court system, that child will be released at 21 whether safe and stable or not. It certainly left me with much to think about.
I felt so much for Bella and her family and sadly no one realized Morgan was ill. Then this heartbreaking tragedy would not have occurred. Yet, sadly that did not happen and many more answers are needed to help prevent and treat severely mentally ill children.
Thank you NetGalley, Kathleen Hale, and Grove Atlantic for granting me a copy of this book. I am always happy to leave a review.
August 28, 2022
A concise yet engaging case of a crime in the name of Slenderman.
Slenderman: Online Obsession, Mental Illness, and the Violent Crime of Two Midwestern Girls is the result of meticulous court case research demonstrating the inadequacies of the American healthcare system.
Have you heard of creepypasta, a community obsessed with mythical killer figures? My daughter likes to read and draw these characters. When we looked together for creepypasta merchandise, we stumbled over the book by Kathleen Hale. I asked my daughter if she understood creepypasta wasn't real.
Unfortunately, two 12-year-old girls, Anissa Weier and Morgan Geyser, couldn't distinguish reality from fiction. In their desire to save their families from Slenderman, they had to sacrifice a person they loved, their friend Bella. They devised a plan to kill Bella and then hike 3,000 miles to the forest, where they thought Slenderman would make them his eternal proxies. On May 31st, 2014, in a park, Morgan stabbed Bella 19 times while Anissa stood by and encouraged her friend. Later, the court found both girls not guilty by reason of insanity.
In plain language and easy-to-digest style, the book shows how Morgan, who inherited her father's schizophrenia, was repeatedly denied medication during the trial. Because the girls were tried as adults, they didn't receive the benefits of the juvenile system like a social worker or a psychologist. When Morgan's parents researched ways to get their daughter hospitalized, they connected with many parents who had grown-up children with schizophrenia. Before these children commit a crime, they can't be forcefully put on medication or locked in a psychiatric hospital.
I recommend the book as a bright example of the true crime genre. The author was the first to write a book on the case: to obtain materials from court hearings in Wisconsin, one has to pay per sheet to court workers who held papers at home, not at the courthouse. I feel the story has the potential to be included in future, more deep research on the modern American psychiatric health system.
As for 2022, Anissa Weier is free but has to be supervised until age 37. Morgan Geyser is still in a psychiatric hospital in stable condition and doesn't want to return to the outside world.
(I listened to an audiobook from Audible. Again, GR doesn't have an audiobook version. )
Slenderman: Online Obsession, Mental Illness, and the Violent Crime of Two Midwestern Girls is the result of meticulous court case research demonstrating the inadequacies of the American healthcare system.
Have you heard of creepypasta, a community obsessed with mythical killer figures? My daughter likes to read and draw these characters. When we looked together for creepypasta merchandise, we stumbled over the book by Kathleen Hale. I asked my daughter if she understood creepypasta wasn't real.
Unfortunately, two 12-year-old girls, Anissa Weier and Morgan Geyser, couldn't distinguish reality from fiction. In their desire to save their families from Slenderman, they had to sacrifice a person they loved, their friend Bella. They devised a plan to kill Bella and then hike 3,000 miles to the forest, where they thought Slenderman would make them his eternal proxies. On May 31st, 2014, in a park, Morgan stabbed Bella 19 times while Anissa stood by and encouraged her friend. Later, the court found both girls not guilty by reason of insanity.
In plain language and easy-to-digest style, the book shows how Morgan, who inherited her father's schizophrenia, was repeatedly denied medication during the trial. Because the girls were tried as adults, they didn't receive the benefits of the juvenile system like a social worker or a psychologist. When Morgan's parents researched ways to get their daughter hospitalized, they connected with many parents who had grown-up children with schizophrenia. Before these children commit a crime, they can't be forcefully put on medication or locked in a psychiatric hospital.
I recommend the book as a bright example of the true crime genre. The author was the first to write a book on the case: to obtain materials from court hearings in Wisconsin, one has to pay per sheet to court workers who held papers at home, not at the courthouse. I feel the story has the potential to be included in future, more deep research on the modern American psychiatric health system.
As for 2022, Anissa Weier is free but has to be supervised until age 37. Morgan Geyser is still in a psychiatric hospital in stable condition and doesn't want to return to the outside world.
(I listened to an audiobook from Audible. Again, GR doesn't have an audiobook version. )
thats-a-no-from-me-dawg
July 21, 2022i guess who's more qualified to write about online obsession than someone who stalked and harassed a reviewer 🥴
July 19, 2022
Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.
Expected publication date: August 16, 2022
In May of 2014, thirteen year old Morgan and her friend Anissa, brought Morgan’s best friend, Bella, into the woods and brutally stabbed her more than nineteen times. Morgan and Anissa both claimed they were doing it to avoid being victims of Slenderman- the Internet urban legend. As the lengthy investigation and trial began, the entire town of Waukesha Wisconsin was divided on who was to blame- the parents? The internet and its provision of the Slenderman story? The girls themselves?
Kathleen Hale tells the almost unbelievable true story of three young girls, whose lives were destroyed by tragedy. “Slenderman: Online Obsession, Mental Illness and the Crime of Two Midwestern Girls” is more than just the story of the online phenomenon of “Slenderman” that sparked an almost cult-like following; it is also the tale of codependent, budding teenage friendships, and the hauntingly depraved mental health system.
From early on, Morgan clearly has a psychological disorder (schizophrenia) and, although her father, Matt, has the same diagnosis, so many professionals and non-professionals (including her parents) ignored the warning signs. Once she was officially diagnosed (after the crime was committed), Morgan’s mental illness continued to be untreated, resulting in hallucinations and delusions that any person would deem “crazy”. Morgan’s story alone was devastating, and I felt for her every step of the way, as she battled with a mental health system that could not or would not help, and with parents who refused to accept the stigma that came with a diagnosis.
“Slenderman” starts with the crime itself, and Hale introduces all three characters in such a way that her reading audience immediately connects with them (even though the outcome of the story is known). Once the crime is committed, the focus of the book shifts and the reader is faced with the ongoing legal battles, and the issue of “Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity” (NGRI)as a defense.
“Slenderman” is well told and well researched. The characters are portrayed honestly, and, regardless of their actions, they still generate empathy and compassion from a reader. Hale touches on a lot of complicated issues (the state of the country’s mental health care, for one, and the effect of the Internet and social media on developing minds) but she manages to avoid being divisive, and instead allows readers to decide what side of the line they’re on. What Hale writes is a true crime story far more haunting than the actual Slenderman urban legend could ever dream of being.
Expected publication date: August 16, 2022
In May of 2014, thirteen year old Morgan and her friend Anissa, brought Morgan’s best friend, Bella, into the woods and brutally stabbed her more than nineteen times. Morgan and Anissa both claimed they were doing it to avoid being victims of Slenderman- the Internet urban legend. As the lengthy investigation and trial began, the entire town of Waukesha Wisconsin was divided on who was to blame- the parents? The internet and its provision of the Slenderman story? The girls themselves?
Kathleen Hale tells the almost unbelievable true story of three young girls, whose lives were destroyed by tragedy. “Slenderman: Online Obsession, Mental Illness and the Crime of Two Midwestern Girls” is more than just the story of the online phenomenon of “Slenderman” that sparked an almost cult-like following; it is also the tale of codependent, budding teenage friendships, and the hauntingly depraved mental health system.
From early on, Morgan clearly has a psychological disorder (schizophrenia) and, although her father, Matt, has the same diagnosis, so many professionals and non-professionals (including her parents) ignored the warning signs. Once she was officially diagnosed (after the crime was committed), Morgan’s mental illness continued to be untreated, resulting in hallucinations and delusions that any person would deem “crazy”. Morgan’s story alone was devastating, and I felt for her every step of the way, as she battled with a mental health system that could not or would not help, and with parents who refused to accept the stigma that came with a diagnosis.
“Slenderman” starts with the crime itself, and Hale introduces all three characters in such a way that her reading audience immediately connects with them (even though the outcome of the story is known). Once the crime is committed, the focus of the book shifts and the reader is faced with the ongoing legal battles, and the issue of “Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity” (NGRI)as a defense.
“Slenderman” is well told and well researched. The characters are portrayed honestly, and, regardless of their actions, they still generate empathy and compassion from a reader. Hale touches on a lot of complicated issues (the state of the country’s mental health care, for one, and the effect of the Internet and social media on developing minds) but she manages to avoid being divisive, and instead allows readers to decide what side of the line they’re on. What Hale writes is a true crime story far more haunting than the actual Slenderman urban legend could ever dream of being.
January 9, 2023
Rounded up to 2.5 stars. Hey, it’s not a one star rating so at least I don’t have to worry about the author stalking me, right? Ugh.
Anyway, onto the actual book. I really wish I’d read more into the reviews before ordering this book - instead, I waited until I had already started reading it.
The story was (mostly) well told, and I’m glad at least some of the “facts” I thought I knew about the case (such as the fact that the victim, Payton “Bella” Leutner, actually survived the horrific stabbing - 19 stab wounds total - when I, much like many people, believed she had been killed during the attack).
It’s immediately problematic when someone is claiming to post a “full journalistic account” of the crime, yet mentions in the introduction that she was unable to interview Payton (the victim - the ONLY victim, to be clear) as well as Morgan’s co-defendant, Anissa. Instead she states that she “depicted them according to public records, including social media postings, court documents, and television interviews with Bella and her family, as well as public statements made by Bella’s and Anissa’s friends, family, and teachers.
As other reviewers have mentioned, obviously it’s unfortunate that Hale tried and was unsuccessful in getting all three sides to the story. But I also agree entirely with the reviewers who have said that because of these glaring omissions to help us truly understand the case, the book simply shouldn’t have been published.
It’s very obvious that Morgan is the only one Hale spoke with, as she recounts nearly everything in a narrative that paints Morgan’s thoughts as established facts, and shows absurd bias toward the attempted murderer (and very little mention or concern of the real victim, who was treated more like a type of footnote in the story).
It may as well have been titled Slenderman: The Trauma and Prosecution of Morgan Geyser. Everything centered around her, and she was pretty much always written about in a favorable, sympathetic light. It’s true that Morgan and Anissa were mistreated by the criminal justice system as well as failed by so many adults who blinded themselves to the signs that they (especially Morgan) were clearly very sick little girls.
I understand that the onset of schizophrenia in a female so young is incredibly rare, and I wouldn’t fault most any other parents one bit for not noticing the signs earlier and getting Morgan the help she so desperately needed. But Angie and Matt Geyser must shoulder some of the blame for this tragedy. The father had been battling the same illness all his life, and chose to live life unmedicated. The Geysers knew that when they had a child, that child would be much more at-risk for schizophrenia than other children.
Yet even when Morgan clearly exhibits signs of psychosis and disassociation, the parents choose denial over getting her help. You can’t tell me that they caught Morgan talking to herself, and Matt, also suffering from auditory hallucinations, actually believed that she was “acting out” as a “ploy” to “get out of trouble” (she was suspended from school one day for bringing a mallet as a weapon for “self-defense”... one her friend Sev, whom she frequently saw in hallucinations, told her she’d need). As soon as he asked her who she was talking to and she told him “the voices”, they would have become completely fearful that Morgan was suffering from the same illness as her father...
...in other words, they’d have to accept that their daughter wasn’t just “quirky and independent”, not seeming to care whatsoever what her peers thought of her. She didn’t have friends because she lacked the proper social skills to make real ones... not because she didn’t want them. But even while this obviously resulted in tragedy and left a little girl alone and confused with her thoughts (when her father’s illness should have been explained to her) - I can understand their hesitation and fear. What I can’t understand is how they continue to pretend they had no idea what was going on, just perpetuating the denial forever, apparently.
I get that they’re only 12 year old little girls, I do. The book likes to point this out repeatedly. But it’s as if Morgan and Anissa merely stole a candy bar from a store, apologized, and still got thrown in prison for her. THEY FREAKING TRIED TO STAB MORGAN’S “BEST FRIEND” TO DEATH! They thought she was dead and instead of even freaking out after and getting help, they ran from the scene of the crime, leaving her to die had she not been so fortunate as to have been spotted by a jogger who immediately called the police.
I also don’t but that these girls were doing this out of “fear” of Slenderman. That excuse is a lie at worst and a contradiction at best. They mentioned some fear, sure. But they also mentioned wanting to “live in his mansion with him and serve as his proxies” (killing others at his behest).
Is the irony lost on Hale when she publishes one of Morgan’s poems - a poem that asks, ”later on saw her alive - why do these girls all want to die? I want to live, I want to thrive! Why do these girls all want to die? When they’re so much better off alive?”
Perhaps coming from someone who had just tragically lost their best friend to suicide, this might seem caring and deeply introspective. But from a girl who stabbed her best friend nineteen times then left her for dead? I don’t know, why try to kill them yourself when they’re “so much better alive”?
Aside from constantly painting Morgan as the victim and the juvenile/criminal justice system as being inherently flawed, the book is full of random sentences - sometimes paragraphs - that just don’t belong, don’t add any meaning or significance to the story. One example of many?:
”At the court’s instruction, Morgan rose to her feet to apologize to Bella’s family. The Leutners displayed no emotion at all - except Joe, who looked away as Morgan spoke. Five years earlier, during a play date at his house, he had once fixed her favorite necklace.
Yeah, I’m not seeing the reason for mentioning that, either. I guess to establish he once liked the girl, but now felt broken after he’d trusted her and she had nearly murdered his own little girl? Ok?
Apparently Morgan is totally fine to re-enter society according to Hale - even as Hale reports nonchalantly that Morgan, now 20, 21? - meets a seven foot tall demon while in the psychiatric hospital - whom she calls Abaddon - and gets angry with her mother for not wanting to discuss her “new fiancée.”
Hale then mentions stories of how “Abaddon” and Morgan proceeded to get married, and at one point Morgan thought he’d left her - and that she “went to the underworld to get him back.” Apparently these are all just healthy coping mechanisms. I just can’t fathom how Hale tries to repeatedly emphasis Morgan’s young age and treatable mental illness as signs she should be released back into the community, then proceeds to destroy her own argument by describing a new character Morgan has invented who sounds very much like Slenderman - and who is to say this “new husband” wouldn’t give her orders one day that she felt she had to obey?
I’m sorry, I know this was quite the rant but this whole book was just so off, so biased, that I was annoyed throughout its entire reading. If you want the true story, there’s an excellent documentary on YouTube. But skip the book. Trust me.
Anyway, onto the actual book. I really wish I’d read more into the reviews before ordering this book - instead, I waited until I had already started reading it.
The story was (mostly) well told, and I’m glad at least some of the “facts” I thought I knew about the case (such as the fact that the victim, Payton “Bella” Leutner, actually survived the horrific stabbing - 19 stab wounds total - when I, much like many people, believed she had been killed during the attack).
It’s immediately problematic when someone is claiming to post a “full journalistic account” of the crime, yet mentions in the introduction that she was unable to interview Payton (the victim - the ONLY victim, to be clear) as well as Morgan’s co-defendant, Anissa. Instead she states that she “depicted them according to public records, including social media postings, court documents, and television interviews with Bella and her family, as well as public statements made by Bella’s and Anissa’s friends, family, and teachers.
As other reviewers have mentioned, obviously it’s unfortunate that Hale tried and was unsuccessful in getting all three sides to the story. But I also agree entirely with the reviewers who have said that because of these glaring omissions to help us truly understand the case, the book simply shouldn’t have been published.
It’s very obvious that Morgan is the only one Hale spoke with, as she recounts nearly everything in a narrative that paints Morgan’s thoughts as established facts, and shows absurd bias toward the attempted murderer (and very little mention or concern of the real victim, who was treated more like a type of footnote in the story).
It may as well have been titled Slenderman: The Trauma and Prosecution of Morgan Geyser. Everything centered around her, and she was pretty much always written about in a favorable, sympathetic light. It’s true that Morgan and Anissa were mistreated by the criminal justice system as well as failed by so many adults who blinded themselves to the signs that they (especially Morgan) were clearly very sick little girls.
I understand that the onset of schizophrenia in a female so young is incredibly rare, and I wouldn’t fault most any other parents one bit for not noticing the signs earlier and getting Morgan the help she so desperately needed. But Angie and Matt Geyser must shoulder some of the blame for this tragedy. The father had been battling the same illness all his life, and chose to live life unmedicated. The Geysers knew that when they had a child, that child would be much more at-risk for schizophrenia than other children.
Yet even when Morgan clearly exhibits signs of psychosis and disassociation, the parents choose denial over getting her help. You can’t tell me that they caught Morgan talking to herself, and Matt, also suffering from auditory hallucinations, actually believed that she was “acting out” as a “ploy” to “get out of trouble” (she was suspended from school one day for bringing a mallet as a weapon for “self-defense”... one her friend Sev, whom she frequently saw in hallucinations, told her she’d need). As soon as he asked her who she was talking to and she told him “the voices”, they would have become completely fearful that Morgan was suffering from the same illness as her father...
...in other words, they’d have to accept that their daughter wasn’t just “quirky and independent”, not seeming to care whatsoever what her peers thought of her. She didn’t have friends because she lacked the proper social skills to make real ones... not because she didn’t want them. But even while this obviously resulted in tragedy and left a little girl alone and confused with her thoughts (when her father’s illness should have been explained to her) - I can understand their hesitation and fear. What I can’t understand is how they continue to pretend they had no idea what was going on, just perpetuating the denial forever, apparently.
I get that they’re only 12 year old little girls, I do. The book likes to point this out repeatedly. But it’s as if Morgan and Anissa merely stole a candy bar from a store, apologized, and still got thrown in prison for her. THEY FREAKING TRIED TO STAB MORGAN’S “BEST FRIEND” TO DEATH! They thought she was dead and instead of even freaking out after and getting help, they ran from the scene of the crime, leaving her to die had she not been so fortunate as to have been spotted by a jogger who immediately called the police.
I also don’t but that these girls were doing this out of “fear” of Slenderman. That excuse is a lie at worst and a contradiction at best. They mentioned some fear, sure. But they also mentioned wanting to “live in his mansion with him and serve as his proxies” (killing others at his behest).
Is the irony lost on Hale when she publishes one of Morgan’s poems - a poem that asks, ”later on saw her alive - why do these girls all want to die? I want to live, I want to thrive! Why do these girls all want to die? When they’re so much better off alive?”
Perhaps coming from someone who had just tragically lost their best friend to suicide, this might seem caring and deeply introspective. But from a girl who stabbed her best friend nineteen times then left her for dead? I don’t know, why try to kill them yourself when they’re “so much better alive”?
Aside from constantly painting Morgan as the victim and the juvenile/criminal justice system as being inherently flawed, the book is full of random sentences - sometimes paragraphs - that just don’t belong, don’t add any meaning or significance to the story. One example of many?:
”At the court’s instruction, Morgan rose to her feet to apologize to Bella’s family. The Leutners displayed no emotion at all - except Joe, who looked away as Morgan spoke. Five years earlier, during a play date at his house, he had once fixed her favorite necklace.
Yeah, I’m not seeing the reason for mentioning that, either. I guess to establish he once liked the girl, but now felt broken after he’d trusted her and she had nearly murdered his own little girl? Ok?
Apparently Morgan is totally fine to re-enter society according to Hale - even as Hale reports nonchalantly that Morgan, now 20, 21? - meets a seven foot tall demon while in the psychiatric hospital - whom she calls Abaddon - and gets angry with her mother for not wanting to discuss her “new fiancée.”
Hale then mentions stories of how “Abaddon” and Morgan proceeded to get married, and at one point Morgan thought he’d left her - and that she “went to the underworld to get him back.” Apparently these are all just healthy coping mechanisms. I just can’t fathom how Hale tries to repeatedly emphasis Morgan’s young age and treatable mental illness as signs she should be released back into the community, then proceeds to destroy her own argument by describing a new character Morgan has invented who sounds very much like Slenderman - and who is to say this “new husband” wouldn’t give her orders one day that she felt she had to obey?
I’m sorry, I know this was quite the rant but this whole book was just so off, so biased, that I was annoyed throughout its entire reading. If you want the true story, there’s an excellent documentary on YouTube. But skip the book. Trust me.
October 20, 2024
3.5 ⭐️
Pierwsza połowa brzmiała jak jakaś historia fabularna i dopóki była liniowa było okej. Przeskoki w drugiej połowie nie pozawalały mi się skupić.
Pierwsza połowa brzmiała jak jakaś historia fabularna i dopóki była liniowa było okej. Przeskoki w drugiej połowie nie pozawalały mi się skupić.
August 24, 2022
There are so many things wrong with this book I don’t even know where to begin. Lets start with the fact that the victim is completely glosses over in favor of trying to humanize the perpetrators. Especially when it’s noted that the only true interviews conducted for this book were with Morgan and not Bella. Where’s her side of the story? Everybody obsesses over the two would-be-killers and gloss over everything that Payton went through. Also as somebody who knew each of the people involved personally I can confirm that much of the information that is in this book is not entirely true. It was written as a way to persuade the reader to feel bad for Morgan and Anissa when in reality they were mean girls. Also a bunch of the personal information about Payton is incorrect as well. This book was infuriating to read and the fact that Payton didn’t even know it was written until I told her is alarming.
May 9, 2022
Easily the most detailed and well researched account of the Slenderman murder plot that I’ve ever read.
There has always been a great sadness about this case, I’ve always felt that if Morgan’s Schizophrenia had been diagnosed sooner then this whole ordeal could have been avoided…. This author deals with that with empathy and sensitivity.
A great read for anyone who has an interest in true crime, psychology, mental illness (particularly in children) and urban myths.
There has always been a great sadness about this case, I’ve always felt that if Morgan’s Schizophrenia had been diagnosed sooner then this whole ordeal could have been avoided…. This author deals with that with empathy and sensitivity.
A great read for anyone who has an interest in true crime, psychology, mental illness (particularly in children) and urban myths.
May 12, 2022
I received an ARC of Slenderman, by Kathleen Hale. I did not care for this book. I found the author to be very sympathetic to the criminals, and not the victim. The criminals and their families are not the victims, and should not be treated as such.
May 13, 2022
The first half of this book was excellent. I felt it went above and beyond the documentary, exploring mental health, the internet, and the toxic friendship and ill intent of two disturbed minds coming together to plot a heinous crime against a trusting 12-year-old girl. I found it deeply upsetting and difficult to read, particularly due to having a daughter of the same age. I couldn’t fathom two girls of that age plotting such a terrible thing. I had to brace myself to read as she went off to the sleepover with her little overnight bag, American Girl doll, and stuffed toy, after just having read the awful thing these girls planned to do to her.
However, I ended up finding this book a little infuriating as it seems to sympathize with the perpetrators, insisting they be referred to as children too- not just the victim (Jamie Bulgar’s killers were children too, one in particular has never rehabilitated, has been in and out of prison and continues to be considered a danger to children.) It seems to condemn the police for initially believing the detached answers and lack of remorse from one of the perpetrators was down to psychopathy and not undiagnosed schizophrenia (could it be both?) Bearing in mind, they are investigating the attempted murder of a child that was found stabbed in the woods- their priority quite rightly being with the victim. Parents (one who had schizophrenia himself) also missed warning signs of their own child so one can hardly expect the police to become mental health experts all within a few hours.
I felt that the story should have had a more consistent narrative (with most thoughts with the actual victim). This doesn’t mean it couldn’t also explore other facets of the case such as undiagnosed mental illness, and how children are treated under the law in Wisconsin (which I agree is frightening), but I felt that after the 50% mark, it began to veer off course. As a reader, I was still emotionally reeling from the account of the crime and what they did to her so hearing about how one of the girls lawyers said she wasn’t offered counselling after a girl at the juvenile centre called her a bitch, didn’t resonate with me and I began to disconnect from the narrative.
Thanks to Netgalley for the arc.
However, I ended up finding this book a little infuriating as it seems to sympathize with the perpetrators, insisting they be referred to as children too- not just the victim (Jamie Bulgar’s killers were children too, one in particular has never rehabilitated, has been in and out of prison and continues to be considered a danger to children.) It seems to condemn the police for initially believing the detached answers and lack of remorse from one of the perpetrators was down to psychopathy and not undiagnosed schizophrenia (could it be both?) Bearing in mind, they are investigating the attempted murder of a child that was found stabbed in the woods- their priority quite rightly being with the victim. Parents (one who had schizophrenia himself) also missed warning signs of their own child so one can hardly expect the police to become mental health experts all within a few hours.
I felt that the story should have had a more consistent narrative (with most thoughts with the actual victim). This doesn’t mean it couldn’t also explore other facets of the case such as undiagnosed mental illness, and how children are treated under the law in Wisconsin (which I agree is frightening), but I felt that after the 50% mark, it began to veer off course. As a reader, I was still emotionally reeling from the account of the crime and what they did to her so hearing about how one of the girls lawyers said she wasn’t offered counselling after a girl at the juvenile centre called her a bitch, didn’t resonate with me and I began to disconnect from the narrative.
Thanks to Netgalley for the arc.
October 19, 2024
„Kiedy widzimy dziesięcioletnie dziecko z ogoloną głowa, szczerze mu współczujemy, bo ma białaczkę (…) Nie ma chyba człowieka, któremu nie byłoby żal tego dziecka, który nie sięgnąlby do portfela i nie dał mu pięciu dolarów, gdyby potrzebowała tego jego rodzina. Jeśli jednak to samo dziecko będzie się zachowywało agresywnie, bo cierpi na schizofrenię, prawie nikt mu nie współczuje”.
Strasznie trudno wypowiadać się o tej książce, o tej historii. Bo z jednej strony mamy dwunastoletnią dziewczynkę, która podstępem została zwabiona przez swoje dwie rówieśniczki i przyjaciółki do lasu, w którym została przez jedną z nich ugodzona nożem 19 razy. I jest to niezaprzeczalnie okrutna zbrodnia, która zostawiła na Belli nie tylko blizny fizyczne, których nie da się ukryć, ale przede wszystkim blizny psychiczne, z którymi będzie się mierzyć do końca życia. Z drugiej strony mamy dwie nastoletnie prawie morderczynie, które uknuły zabójstwo z zimną krwią, ale jednocześnie są dziećmi. W dodatku chorymi dziećmi, bo w toku książki dowiadujemy się o zaburzeniach psychicznych, schizofrenii czy psychozy, której doświadczały dziewczynki. I w tej historii nie ma tylko jednej ofiary.
To nie jest książka tylko o samej zbrodni, ale też o jej przyczynach, o tym czy można jej było zapobiec, o tym, jak ważne jest reagowanie nawet na niewielkie niepokojące sygnaly, o tym, że wciąż zdecydowanie za małą wagę przykładamy do zdrowia psychicznego dzieci, o tym, że musimy zacząć otwarcie rozmawiać o emocjach i problemach psychicznych.
Żadne książki mnie tak nie przerażają jak te niefikcyjne. Czytając ją wieczorem nie mogłam zasnąć, a zwrot „kiciusiu” będzie mnie przerażał do końca życia - a dlaczego, to już musicie przeczytać same.
Ważna, świetnie zresearchowana książka i w moim odczuciu nie wydająca jednoznacznych wyroków. Jeśli tylko macie siłę na tego typu emocje, to bardzo warto, a już szczególnie jeśli macie dzieci albo zawodowo się z nimi stykacie.
Strasznie trudno wypowiadać się o tej książce, o tej historii. Bo z jednej strony mamy dwunastoletnią dziewczynkę, która podstępem została zwabiona przez swoje dwie rówieśniczki i przyjaciółki do lasu, w którym została przez jedną z nich ugodzona nożem 19 razy. I jest to niezaprzeczalnie okrutna zbrodnia, która zostawiła na Belli nie tylko blizny fizyczne, których nie da się ukryć, ale przede wszystkim blizny psychiczne, z którymi będzie się mierzyć do końca życia. Z drugiej strony mamy dwie nastoletnie prawie morderczynie, które uknuły zabójstwo z zimną krwią, ale jednocześnie są dziećmi. W dodatku chorymi dziećmi, bo w toku książki dowiadujemy się o zaburzeniach psychicznych, schizofrenii czy psychozy, której doświadczały dziewczynki. I w tej historii nie ma tylko jednej ofiary.
To nie jest książka tylko o samej zbrodni, ale też o jej przyczynach, o tym czy można jej było zapobiec, o tym, jak ważne jest reagowanie nawet na niewielkie niepokojące sygnaly, o tym, że wciąż zdecydowanie za małą wagę przykładamy do zdrowia psychicznego dzieci, o tym, że musimy zacząć otwarcie rozmawiać o emocjach i problemach psychicznych.
Żadne książki mnie tak nie przerażają jak te niefikcyjne. Czytając ją wieczorem nie mogłam zasnąć, a zwrot „kiciusiu” będzie mnie przerażał do końca życia - a dlaczego, to już musicie przeczytać same.
Ważna, świetnie zresearchowana książka i w moim odczuciu nie wydająca jednoznacznych wyroków. Jeśli tylko macie siłę na tego typu emocje, to bardzo warto, a już szczególnie jeśli macie dzieci albo zawodowo się z nimi stykacie.
August 21, 2022
Given writer Kathleen Hale’s unmentioned yet easily googlable history of stalking, I had a hard time distinguishing which of any of her suppositions about Morgan’s and Anissa’s mental health histories were her own projections. Hale interviewed Morgan and her family, but neither Anissa’s not Payton’s families participated. Hale’s exhaustive research couldn’t tell readers aspects of their thinking/feeling. Additionally, she reported Morgan’s thoughts and feelings as factual rather than using journalistic terminology like Morgan said/claimed/ reported.
The narration of the audiobook elevated the book.
The narration of the audiobook elevated the book.
August 26, 2022
This is the story of two 12 year old girls from West Virginia, who became obsessed with the fictional Slenderman, through the internet, and ended up planning to stab and kill their other 12 year old friend, to prove themselves to Slenderman. The victim , Payton Leutner, survived being stabbed 19 times. 😱 Unbelievable!! Both of the girls had undiagnosed mental illness. I actually don't remember hearing about Slenderman myself, but of course while reading I did some googling and watched some things on YouTube, down the rabbit hole! Lol!! This is such an insane crime, and the first I heard of it. I love true crime, so when I seen some other people on bookstagram read this, I immediately became intrigued, and I'm glad I read it.
Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the gifted copy. All opinions are my own.
Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the gifted copy. All opinions are my own.
September 15, 2022
3.5 stars
This is an interesting true crime account that highlights a failure to acknowledge and address mental health, especially in young people. I appreciated that the author showed the complexity of a very public case but I wish the narrative had given attention to the victim. The book felt both unbalanced and too long in places yet I appreciated the author's attempt to highlight a less address aspect of crime.
This is an interesting true crime account that highlights a failure to acknowledge and address mental health, especially in young people. I appreciated that the author showed the complexity of a very public case but I wish the narrative had given attention to the victim. The book felt both unbalanced and too long in places yet I appreciated the author's attempt to highlight a less address aspect of crime.
September 30, 2024
Reportaż sam w sobie naprawdę dobry, z konkretnym celem, który został spełniony. Według mnie głównym zamierzeniem autorki było pokazanie przykrych konsekwencji połączenia zaniedbań ze strony rodziców i pedagogów z bezdusznym systemem prawnym, w którym dziewczynce chorej na schizofrenię odmawiano leczenia, bo popełniła „dorosłą” zbrodnię, zupełnie pomijając fakt, że to właśnie przez nieleczoną schizofrenię do zbrodni w ogóle doszło.
Choć w usiłowaniu morderstwa udział brały zarówno Morgan, jak i Annisa, reportaż jest bardziej o tej pierwszej. Najpewniej dlatego, że wyłącznie z Morgan i jej rodziną udało się autorce porozmawiać osobiście.
Jednak czegoś mi tu zabrakło, jakiegoś zgłębienia skomplikowanych relacji pomiędzy dziewczynkami. Chciałabym dowiedzieć się więcej o chorobie Morgan i o jej leczeniu, trochę bardziej poznać wszystkie trzy dziewczynki i dynamikę ich znajomości, lepiej zrozumieć Annisę i jej relację z Morgan. Uważam też, że Belli - czyli ofierze - nie poświęcono tu wystarczająco dużo czasu.
Po przeczytaniu opinii Krysi z Kanału o Książkach nie jestem też pewna, czy Hale jest odpowiednią osobą do wygłaszania opinii na temat moralności w internecie.
Choć w usiłowaniu morderstwa udział brały zarówno Morgan, jak i Annisa, reportaż jest bardziej o tej pierwszej. Najpewniej dlatego, że wyłącznie z Morgan i jej rodziną udało się autorce porozmawiać osobiście.
Jednak czegoś mi tu zabrakło, jakiegoś zgłębienia skomplikowanych relacji pomiędzy dziewczynkami. Chciałabym dowiedzieć się więcej o chorobie Morgan i o jej leczeniu, trochę bardziej poznać wszystkie trzy dziewczynki i dynamikę ich znajomości, lepiej zrozumieć Annisę i jej relację z Morgan. Uważam też, że Belli - czyli ofierze - nie poświęcono tu wystarczająco dużo czasu.
Po przeczytaniu opinii Krysi z Kanału o Książkach nie jestem też pewna, czy Hale jest odpowiednią osobą do wygłaszania opinii na temat moralności w internecie.
August 25, 2022
The victim didn't even know this book existed until her friend read it and told her. Bella deserves better than this.
August 22, 2024
3.5
Choć cała książka była bardzo interesująca, nieco uwiera mnie fakt, że autorka przezkazała w niej tyle współczucia wobec sprawczyń, a tak mało miejsca poświęciła ofierze.
Choć cała książka była bardzo interesująca, nieco uwiera mnie fakt, że autorka przezkazała w niej tyle współczucia wobec sprawczyń, a tak mało miejsca poświęciła ofierze.
July 12, 2025
3.5 ⭐️
Mam wrażenie, że to nie książka mnie pochłonęła, a zawarta w niej historia. Cieszę się, że znalazla się osoba, której zaangażowanie pozwoliło przybliżyć ten przypadek w szerszej perspektywie - uważam go za naprawdę interesujący, choć też straszny. Jednocześnie nie sądzę, że był to reportaż o szczególnie wysokim poziomie - pojawiał się chaos, zabrakło mi podsumowania całości. Jednocześnie nie ukrywam, że ta książka przypomniała mi o moim zamiłowaniu do spraw kryminalnych, w związku z czym przepadłem bez reszty. Wciągnąłem się na pewno, tylko nie wiem, czy gdyby była to moja któraś z rzędu książka na temat zbrodni, uznałbym ją za dobrą. Teraz faktycznie wypada nieźle, ale trudno mi określić, na ile to kwestia warsztatu autorki, a na ile indywidualnych pobudek. Dlatego też nieco zaniżyłem ocenę. Na koniec jeszcze dodam, że w samej sprawie przeraża mnie to, jakiej zbrodni można by uniknąć, gdyby dorosli byli bardziej wnikliwi i uważni. Dobrze, że zwiększa się świadomość na temat chorób psychicznych… A co do zarzutów, że książka koncentruje się za bardzo na sprawczyniach, a za mało na ofierze - osobiście uważam, że rozwinięcie tematu psychiki Morgan i Anissy pozwala zrozumieć złożoność sprawy, jednocześnie nie umniejszając cierpienia Belli.
Już podsumowując - mi się podobało, na początek przygody z tego typu tekstami mógłbym polecić tę książkę. Z mojej perspektywy mimo wszystko wypada nieźle
Mam wrażenie, że to nie książka mnie pochłonęła, a zawarta w niej historia. Cieszę się, że znalazla się osoba, której zaangażowanie pozwoliło przybliżyć ten przypadek w szerszej perspektywie - uważam go za naprawdę interesujący, choć też straszny. Jednocześnie nie sądzę, że był to reportaż o szczególnie wysokim poziomie - pojawiał się chaos, zabrakło mi podsumowania całości. Jednocześnie nie ukrywam, że ta książka przypomniała mi o moim zamiłowaniu do spraw kryminalnych, w związku z czym przepadłem bez reszty. Wciągnąłem się na pewno, tylko nie wiem, czy gdyby była to moja któraś z rzędu książka na temat zbrodni, uznałbym ją za dobrą. Teraz faktycznie wypada nieźle, ale trudno mi określić, na ile to kwestia warsztatu autorki, a na ile indywidualnych pobudek. Dlatego też nieco zaniżyłem ocenę. Na koniec jeszcze dodam, że w samej sprawie przeraża mnie to, jakiej zbrodni można by uniknąć, gdyby dorosli byli bardziej wnikliwi i uważni. Dobrze, że zwiększa się świadomość na temat chorób psychicznych… A co do zarzutów, że książka koncentruje się za bardzo na sprawczyniach, a za mało na ofierze - osobiście uważam, że rozwinięcie tematu psychiki Morgan i Anissy pozwala zrozumieć złożoność sprawy, jednocześnie nie umniejszając cierpienia Belli.
Już podsumowując - mi się podobało, na początek przygody z tego typu tekstami mógłbym polecić tę książkę. Z mojej perspektywy mimo wszystko wypada nieźle
July 19, 2024
Kathleen Hale has written about an infamous crime centering on three 12 year old girls, one victim, and two perpetrators. Bella, the victim. The would be murderers? Anissa and Morgan. Both girls are terrified and fascinated with Slenderman, a character created out of internet fan fiction.
Slenderman’s existence is particularly dangerous for Morgan because like her father Matthew, she has had signs of schizophrenia. Morgan and Anissa are charged as adults even though they’re only 12.
It reads like a crime thriller, and seems to me this account was filled in the blanks through assumptions made by Ms. Hale, although she did interview individuals who were involved in the Slenderman case.
The book left me with questions as to how Ms. Hale received her sources, while I am not questioning how credible they are- but I would like to know who really provided information based on her own research and interviews, not using already printed sources and looking at footage that documented the trial.
Sill, a compelling text on modern true crime, and a damning indictment of how the justice system fails individuals with mental illness.
Slenderman’s existence is particularly dangerous for Morgan because like her father Matthew, she has had signs of schizophrenia. Morgan and Anissa are charged as adults even though they’re only 12.
It reads like a crime thriller, and seems to me this account was filled in the blanks through assumptions made by Ms. Hale, although she did interview individuals who were involved in the Slenderman case.
The book left me with questions as to how Ms. Hale received her sources, while I am not questioning how credible they are- but I would like to know who really provided information based on her own research and interviews, not using already printed sources and looking at footage that documented the trial.
Sill, a compelling text on modern true crime, and a damning indictment of how the justice system fails individuals with mental illness.
October 26, 2024
nie potrafię napisać nic poza tym, co napisałam wcześniej: to dobry reportaż, ale okropna historia.
September 4, 2023
I have deep dived a few times into this crime, but this book introduces so many new elements that I had never known. Hale does a great job of showing all the shades of gray that make up this case, as much as we as a society sometimes crave a black and white world of justice where the criminals are monsters and the victims saints (although there is never any doubt that Bella (now Payton) was completely blameless in the brutal attack against her).
My opinion changed a lot over the course of this book, and I’m still not sure how I feel about Morgan’s fate, or the culpability that lies at the feet of her parents. It’s disheartening to know that early onset schizophrenia doesn’t have great odds in the long run, especially in light of how long it took for Morgan to get treatment for her psychosis.
While this case was shocking, one can only hope that Morgan and Anissa’s crime will help serve as a guide for other families dealing with young children suffering with mental health issues. It’s hard not to dwell on how different things could have been if Morgan’s dad had not only shared his diagnosis with his daughter, but if he’d been treating it properly.
My opinion changed a lot over the course of this book, and I’m still not sure how I feel about Morgan’s fate, or the culpability that lies at the feet of her parents. It’s disheartening to know that early onset schizophrenia doesn’t have great odds in the long run, especially in light of how long it took for Morgan to get treatment for her psychosis.
While this case was shocking, one can only hope that Morgan and Anissa’s crime will help serve as a guide for other families dealing with young children suffering with mental health issues. It’s hard not to dwell on how different things could have been if Morgan’s dad had not only shared his diagnosis with his daughter, but if he’d been treating it properly.
April 16, 2025
Można było uniknąć tej tragedii.
W tej książce poznamy wydarzenia, które miały miejsce w 2014 roku. Morgan i Bella były najlepszymi przyjaciółkami do momentu, kiedy w szkole pojawiła się Anissa, która spowodowała, że Morgan odsunęła się od Belli. To właśnie Anissa znalazła w internecie stronę z creepypastami, a tam były opowiadania dotyczące Slendermana, które postanowiła pokazać Morgan. Im więcej o nim czytały, mówiły, myślały o tej fikcyjnej postaci to tym bardziej popadały w obsesję. Koniec końców doprowadziło to do tragedii - dwunastolatki zadały Belli 19 ciosów nożem.
Czytając opis tej książki człowiek zadaje sobie jedno pytanie - dlaczego nikt wcześniej na nic nie reagował? Historia tych trzech dwunastolatek to porażka wielu osób dorosłych, które nie reagowały na żadne sygnały i pozwoliły, żeby to sobie tak samo płynęło swoim torem. Obie dziewczynki stanęły przed sądem i miały dostać wyrok jak osoby pełnoletnie. Co więcej u Morgan zdiagnozowano schizofrenię, co miało istotne znaczenie, a także odkrywa przerażające tło tej tragedii.
Słynna już tragedia pokazuje jak istotnym jest obserwacja własnego dziecka oraz wczesne reagowanie na nietypowe zachowania. Nie można ignorować choroby licząc, że sama się cofnie. Nie można zostawiać dzieci samopas, żeby przeglądały w sieci wszystko co napatoczy się pod kursor myszki. Nie można zostawić tak niedojrzałe dziecko nieuświadomione, że świat wirtualny , a rzeczywistość to są dwie odrębne rzeczy. Odrzucenie przez rówieśników może sprawić, że dziecko staje się podatne na manipulację oraz angażuje się w szkodliwe relacje, bo nikogo innego nie ma z kim może porozmawiać.
Reportaż czyta się bardzo szybko, a autorka nie wprowadza niepotrzebnych dłużyzn oraz nie odbiega od tematu. Pojawia się sporo przypisów, więc można sobie samemu zobaczyć z jakich źródeł korzystano. Jedyne co chcę zarzucić autorce to fakt, że kiedy już docieramy do przebiegu procesu i samej sprawy sądowej to mamy zbyt duże wybielanie tego co zrobiła Morgan. Z powodu tego, że choruje na schizofrenię? Niestety odczułam, że Anissa również została trochę przedstawiona jako ofiara, ale tym razem wymiaru sprawiedliwości, bo postanowiono ją sądzić jak osobę pełnoletnią. A co ma na to wszystko powiedzieć Bella, która dostała 19 ciosów i cudem przeżyła? Tego się nie dowiemy, bo nie mamy o tym wzmianki. W tej drugiej części książki czuć to emocjonalne podejście do sprawy, a w reportażu nie powinno być na to miejsce.
Zostawiam 3 gwiazdki. Sporo informacji z tego reportażu wyniosłam, ale wolałabym, żeby zostały mi przedstawione suche fakty i żebym mogła sama ocenić co czuję oraz myślę o tej sprawie. Nie potrzebowałam stanowiska autorki.
W tej książce poznamy wydarzenia, które miały miejsce w 2014 roku. Morgan i Bella były najlepszymi przyjaciółkami do momentu, kiedy w szkole pojawiła się Anissa, która spowodowała, że Morgan odsunęła się od Belli. To właśnie Anissa znalazła w internecie stronę z creepypastami, a tam były opowiadania dotyczące Slendermana, które postanowiła pokazać Morgan. Im więcej o nim czytały, mówiły, myślały o tej fikcyjnej postaci to tym bardziej popadały w obsesję. Koniec końców doprowadziło to do tragedii - dwunastolatki zadały Belli 19 ciosów nożem.
Czytając opis tej książki człowiek zadaje sobie jedno pytanie - dlaczego nikt wcześniej na nic nie reagował? Historia tych trzech dwunastolatek to porażka wielu osób dorosłych, które nie reagowały na żadne sygnały i pozwoliły, żeby to sobie tak samo płynęło swoim torem. Obie dziewczynki stanęły przed sądem i miały dostać wyrok jak osoby pełnoletnie. Co więcej u Morgan zdiagnozowano schizofrenię, co miało istotne znaczenie, a także odkrywa przerażające tło tej tragedii.
Słynna już tragedia pokazuje jak istotnym jest obserwacja własnego dziecka oraz wczesne reagowanie na nietypowe zachowania. Nie można ignorować choroby licząc, że sama się cofnie. Nie można zostawiać dzieci samopas, żeby przeglądały w sieci wszystko co napatoczy się pod kursor myszki. Nie można zostawić tak niedojrzałe dziecko nieuświadomione, że świat wirtualny , a rzeczywistość to są dwie odrębne rzeczy. Odrzucenie przez rówieśników może sprawić, że dziecko staje się podatne na manipulację oraz angażuje się w szkodliwe relacje, bo nikogo innego nie ma z kim może porozmawiać.
Reportaż czyta się bardzo szybko, a autorka nie wprowadza niepotrzebnych dłużyzn oraz nie odbiega od tematu. Pojawia się sporo przypisów, więc można sobie samemu zobaczyć z jakich źródeł korzystano. Jedyne co chcę zarzucić autorce to fakt, że kiedy już docieramy do przebiegu procesu i samej sprawy sądowej to mamy zbyt duże wybielanie tego co zrobiła Morgan. Z powodu tego, że choruje na schizofrenię? Niestety odczułam, że Anissa również została trochę przedstawiona jako ofiara, ale tym razem wymiaru sprawiedliwości, bo postanowiono ją sądzić jak osobę pełnoletnią. A co ma na to wszystko powiedzieć Bella, która dostała 19 ciosów i cudem przeżyła? Tego się nie dowiemy, bo nie mamy o tym wzmianki. W tej drugiej części książki czuć to emocjonalne podejście do sprawy, a w reportażu nie powinno być na to miejsce.
Zostawiam 3 gwiazdki. Sporo informacji z tego reportażu wyniosłam, ale wolałabym, żeby zostały mi przedstawione suche fakty i żebym mogła sama ocenić co czuję oraz myślę o tej sprawie. Nie potrzebowałam stanowiska autorki.
August 2, 2024
Dobry reportaż, dużo frustracji i wkurwu na system amerykański
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