Rating: 
Summary: This is a sick book
Review: Any book about Ed Gein, the infamous Wisconsin cannibal, is bound to contain some distasteful material. What is particularly galling about this book is the camp way that it is written. We get a retelling of Ed's exploits and then how Gein has influenced pop culture, with a cult of "Geinophiles" arising in books, comic books, music and movies.The author takes great liberties in telling us Gein's story, inserting thoughts that no one could be sure were ever part of what happened. The list of what cops found when they went into Gein's farmhouse is truly nauseating, and there are some pretty sick pictures in the book as well, including one showing Gein's last victim, gutted and hanging from a hook. This is not to say that there aren't some good factoids in the book. Who knew that Anton LeVay, the founder of the Church of Satan, actually helped interview Gein and supposedly could do a perfect impression of Gein? It's also neat to see Gein's death certificate, which is included in the book. I think this book should have been marketed as more of a pop culture reference guide. As a true account of what really happened, look somewhere else.
Rating:
Summary: An uncomfortable homage
Review: Ed Gein was a man who went from grave robbing to murder and whose exploits shocked the town of Plainfield, Wisconsin, in the 1950s. His crimes inspired several films, including to one degree or another "Psycho," "The Texas Chain Saw Massacre," "Deranged" (1974), "Three on a Meathook," and "The Silence of the Lambs." Unlike latter-day serial killer Ted Bundy, Gein was hardly a charismatic figure, and yet he has inspired a cottage industry that includes a fan club. Paul Anthony Woods's book skirts a very uncomfortable line between documenting the crimes and exploiting them. "Ed Gein--Psycho!" does document the crimes Gein, though much of the material is apocryphal, but the book is as much a study of the fascination with and even worship of Gein. A significant portion of the book is devoted to the films mentioned above and to the merchandise that seeks to capitalize on the Gein notoriety. Unfortunately, what could be an insightful sociological study is instead a rather insipid and sometimes uncomfortably close to admiring look at the killer and the phenomenon that is the interest in him. For readers who are squeamish, the full-page photo of the eviscerated body of one of Gein's victims should be most uncomfortable. Even for those who are not so squeamish, it becomes necessary to question the degree to which this book further exploits the victims while canonizing their killer.
Rating: 
Summary: Interesting and emotional, but not shocking
Review: First of all I would like to mention the added bonus (sarcasm) of having at least 30 pages filled with garbage containing information on movies that link with Ed's life... it was very "choppy" so to speak. When I was reading that part of the book, I simply skipped it because it was wasteful and uninteresting. (I want to read about Ed, not some producer) Secondly, I would like to respond to another reviewers' remark. It was stated that the book was almost completely ficticious, and it was supported by their statement that the arrest was incorrect. After reading many other sources on Gein, it is safe to say that this book is pretty accurate in portraying the life of Edward Gein. Who cares about the exact details of the arrest anyways? Finally, I will bring to light an issue discussed by other reviewers. I bought this book because I thought I was going to get a really good shock, but I didn't. I too, was looking for a more in-depth analysis of Eddie, his motivation, and his behavior. I felt the book was incomplete and therefore I am currently looking for alternative sources on him to fill the void.
Rating: 
Summary: DOWN WITH THE SICKNESS!!!!!!
Review: First off, the story of Ed Gein, no matter who writes about it, is filled with abuse, insanity, graphic violence, and utter depravity. If you're offended or put off by any of the above, then this subject matter is not for you. But if you're into all sorts of weirdness and enjoy a cheap shlock, then pick up this book and I guarantee you will NOT be disappointed. Born in rural Wisconsin during a squeaky clean generation, Eddie Gein was raised by his fanatically religious mother and physically abusive father. Isolated and alone, tormented at school and within his family, Gein eventually descended into the dementia that had been taunting him his whole life. His ma discouraged any sort of interaction with modern women -- she tagged their hometown as a modern day Babylon -- but dear old ma never said anything about dead ones. After her passing, her youngest boy took to robbing graves, creating masks out of dead human female flesh, and scattering rotting human organs throughout his filthy, Hellish homestead. He even managed to knock over a few himself, one victim was a hefty tavern owner, the other an adulterous hardware store clerk. Written without any sense of dignity or taste whatsoever, Paul Anthony Woods exposes this nightmarish story for what it really is: a lovely little trip through complete and total insanity. Be forewarned, the book holds back no details and even contains a photo of victim Bernice Warden, decapitated, gutted, and hanging from the rafters of Eddie's summer shed. Not for the squeamish.
Rating:
Summary: psycho
Review: I bought this book because I thought it would give me more details about weirdo serial killer Ed Gein, after I had read Deviant by Harold Schector. I was sorely disappointed. Psycho doesn't really go extensively into more facts about this interesting man and I firmly believe that Deviant does. This book is too short. The final chapters rave on about the movies,songs and comics they made about him and even though that has some indirect relationship to the man, I mean really... what does it have to do with Ed Gein? Ed Gein was probably unaware that any movies were being made about him while he was in the institution and he certainly wasn't like the Zodiac Killer; he didn't care.
The story is that Ed Gein was raised by a strictly religious mother, Augusta Gein and an apathetic father who took to drinking heavily to escape his mundane existence. Ed Gein idolized his mother, like his brother too but Edward Theodore Gein was more of a momma's boy.
Ed's brother Henry dies in a fire and there is suspicion that Ed had something to do with it but there is no proof.
Later, when Ed's mother dies, after his father, Ed takes to grave-robbing and wearing human faces as masks over his face.Not to mention he makes furniture out of human skin. Ed denies that he has sexual intercourse with these corpses because they smell too bad but who knows?
After Ed dies in 1984 of respiratory illness, he becomes a hero.Maybe we are living in a sick society where a murderer of two, possibly three women is considered a hero.
I recommend Deviant by Harold Schector. Avoid this one.
Rating:
Summary: Not what I expected, but not horrible either
Review: I recently saw a movie about Ed Gein on cable - the film was actually a pretty decent and somewhat engrossing account of Ed Gein, especially if you are unfamiliar with him. I was surprised by how little I new of the man and his atrocious proclivities. When I was a teen, I went through a period of intense interest in serial killers and I read several biographies about the most famous -- many of these books and many other novels made mention of the man, but I had no idea he was so off the charts in terms of his psychosis. After seeing the movie, I wanted to learn more -- I had no recommendations but I was able to find this book in the local bookstore, so I picked it up even though my hands-on examination hinted at its weaknesses. Even though my expectations were low, I found it to be even less than I expected - It was too short and too...what's the word...dramaticized. I was unable to differentiate the author's creative license from reality. Many of the conversations are unquoted and un-referenced, so I assume the author used his creative license judiciously, which is not what I was looking for. I was looking for a more in-depth analysis of the man, his behavior, and I was hoping for a real glimpse into his mind. What I found felt to me to be too speculative and way too thin. I agree with another reviewer that the book was sensationalistic and far from authoritative. The final chapters belong in a history of horror movies book, not in a book about a man and his crimes. I gave it a 2 only because it was at least somewhat informative -- it confirmed many aspects of the movie I saw (I'd recommend it if I remembered the title) -- in fact, it was so close to the film, even in its pacing, I wouldn't be surprised if the author or the book were involved in the movie's production. If you are looking for a fast read to introduce you to a dramatic version of Ed Gein, this book is a decent choice, but if you want more substance and depth, look elsewhere...
Rating: 
Summary: Why 15-Year Old Kids Shouldn't Have Typewriters
Review: I've always been pretty interested in serial killers, and naturally came across Ed Gein's name in a few "collections" of serial killer biographies. Wandering through the bookstore oneday, I picked up "Ed Gein: Psycho." That's what it says on the cover. Inside, it's called "Ed Gein: Psycho!" The exclamation mark tells you all you probably need to know about the mentality of Paul Anthony Woods, the "author" of this self-loving piece of garbage. Many, many reviewers already have pointed out the things that turn one's stomach about this book. The writing is sophomoric and ridiculous, and way, way, WAY too much liberty is taken with the story, which, ideally, is non-fiction. The imagined conversations, thoughts, and feelings of Ed that the author relays are ridiculous, and the tone of the book is really grating. I mean, Ed Gein was a really odd duck who did some really creepy and bad things, but he's a person of some note. To read Woods refer to him as "our boy" in certain passages makes me angry. The cavalier style with which it is written is really smarmy, and one can imagine Woods sitting at his typewriter, smiling at his own wit, patting himself on the back. Beyond the incredibly obnoxious way in which the book is written (and trust me folks, the author's skills are far below that of the average writer who gets published) and the silly "conversations" between Ed and his fellow Wisconsonians (who, in the book, have a kind of...gulp...southern drawl?), there is the fact that no new information is presented, and I didn't learn anything I didn't already know from reading 10 or 15 pages in another book. And the last part, where the author "examines" the pop-culture that has been created around the Gein legend only confirmed my suspicions throughout the rest of the book...he's just a silly, pseudo-psychologist fan with no respect for his elders. Pass!
Rating:
Summary: Why 15-Year Old Kids Shouldn't Have Typewriters
Review: I've always been pretty interested in serial killers, and naturally came across Ed Gein's name in a few "collections" of serial killer biographies. Wandering through the bookstore oneday, I picked up "Ed Gein: Psycho." That's what it says on the cover. Inside, it's called "Ed Gein: Psycho!" The exclamation mark tells you all you probably need to know about the mentality of Paul Anthony Woods, the "author" of this self-loving piece of garbage. Many, many reviewers already have pointed out the things that turn one's stomach about this book. The writing is sophomoric and ridiculous, and way, way, WAY too much liberty is taken with the story, which, ideally, is non-fiction. The imagined conversations, thoughts, and feelings of Ed that the author relays are ridiculous, and the tone of the book is really grating. I mean, Ed Gein was a really odd duck who did some really creepy and bad things, but he's a person of some note. To read Woods refer to him as "our boy" in certain passages makes me angry. The cavalier style with which it is written is really smarmy, and one can imagine Woods sitting at his typewriter, smiling at his own wit, patting himself on the back. Beyond the incredibly obnoxious way in which the book is written (and trust me folks, the author's skills are far below that of the average writer who gets published) and the silly "conversations" between Ed and his fellow Wisconsonians (who, in the book, have a kind of...gulp...southern drawl?), there is the fact that no new information is presented, and I didn't learn anything I didn't already know from reading 10 or 15 pages in another book. And the last part, where the author "examines" the pop-culture that has been created around the Gein legend only confirmed my suspicions throughout the rest of the book...he's just a silly, pseudo-psychologist fan with no respect for his elders. Pass!
Rating: 
Summary: Come on, people!
Review: If you're not into true crime, you won't like it. NO, it won't win the Pulitzer Prize for literature, but I guess I'm sick too, because I LIKED it. What we're dealing with here is a psychopath the likes of which we probably haven't seen before. Sure Ed Gein was sick. But this was a very interesting book, hard to stop reading. He was the basis for "Psycho", "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre", and "The Silence of the Lambs". I don't have a problem with the writing style, it's sort of like pulp, but it's good. So what if there is junk at the end like pictures of the sideshow attractions, "Come and see Ed Gein's Murder Car!" The influence it made on modern culture happened. My favorite book on the subject is Harold Schecter's "Deviant". But I'm not ashamed to say I liked this one too. I'll bet all the reviewers who put it down, didn't put it down until the last page! LOL
Rating:
Summary: WHAT HAPPENED????????????
Review: The book starts off good, get's great, easy reading....then BAM!
the story ends and the propaganda starts. "Ed's Children" part two...talks only of all the Psycho, Chainsaw Massacre, stuff that spawned from his man. I am sure there would have been a bit more information to stuff into the first half of this book and drop most of the second half.(63 pages of 167).
The guy was a strange one... add it to your Serial Killer library.
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