Halfway Heaven: Diary of a Harvard Murder

Rating:
Summary: A CULTURAL JOURNEY -- STRANGER IN A STRANGE LAND
Review: Despite its detractors, I think this excellent, well written book was also well researched.

Sinedu, the Ethiopian girl who murdered her Vietnamese roommate, Trang is the perfect example of living as a stranger in a strange land. Lonely, alienated and feeling rejected when Trang told her she no longer wanted to room with her, Sinedu exacts deadly revenge. The murder takes place in Harvard University.

I had read Ms. Thernstrom's article in "The New Yorker" and was very eager to see a more detailed accounting of this tragic incident. Ms. Thernstrom has done an outstanding job of researching the customs and cultures of Ethiopia and Vietnam; it is this cultural information that helps shed light on what prompted Sinedu to act as she did.

The one question that came up for me was the ethics of Sinedu's psychiatrist in discussing his patient with the author after she died. Maybe it is not unethical to discuss deceased patients. That is never explained in the book. It would have been good information to have since the author criticizes the university for its woefully inadequate treatment and recognition of dangerously mentally ill students.

This book is a social service. It is an alarm clock waking up the world at large by ringing out the message that it is TIME to act, it is TIME to use mental health services when available and it is TIME to stop pointing fingers of blame. If nothing else, I hope people came away having learned something after reading this book.

Rating:
Summary: Liked it more than the "the dead girl"...
Review: Enen though I read this book in only two days, I felt that it read more long an extremely long newpaper article and not a book at all. I felt that it lacked detail and emotion. I felt that most of the book looked back on Harvard itself and it's History of covering up things and looking the other way and only offering a deaf ear when it comes to the murder/suicide or the other suicides before. I can understand how lost sinedu must have felt, but murder and suicide, she must have really lost her mind and been in a deep, deep depression. The one thing that I did make sure was to make a mental note that I will not allow my chilrden to go to Harvard EVER!!! I wouldn't care if they got a full, free scholership. I would rather work hard everyday to put my child in a different school. Harvard just seems to crooked in its ways. The seem more interested in keeping their reputation in check, than the walefare of their students. How sad. I think if every Harvard student were to read this book and see just how crooked Harvard can be and that they only care about them selves, I bet they will all transfew out. If it wasn't for all the students their wouldn't be no Harvard. You can bet this is one book Harvard isn't offering in the school library. If you are looking into colleges or have children that will someday this book is a good way to learn avout Harvard that isn't on the brochure and they deffiently wont be confessing. Halfway Heaven Diary of a Harvard Murder (doesn't exactly read like a diary either) is not like the true crime books that I read daily, but it will make you think about who your friends are, your roomates are, and the school you attent.

Rating:
Summary: Riveting
Review: I simply cannot understand some of these reviews. Were they not reading the same book? This book is in no way exploitive or can be considered a sleaze fest. The author is an intelligent and gifted writer. Halfway Heaven is not a typical true crime narrative. Melanie Thernstrom was able to delve deep inside the psychosis of Sinedu Tadesse through her diaries and those who knew her. The author did not portray Ms Sinedu as a woman possessed of evil spirits or a cold blooded murderer. This is, by all accounts, a gripping documentary. Ms Tadesse was a young woman who struggled desperately to hang onto what little sanity she had left. She failed and in a final grip of depression killed the girl she felt betrayed her and then committed suicide. Her roommate Trang was portrayed as a friendly, outgoing, intelligent girl. Ms Thernstrom, did not in any way exploit the families of these two women for money or a "story."

I would consider this book more a study on loneliness, jealousy, alienation and deep clinical depression then murder or betrayal. The effect the murder/suicide had on the families of both Sinedu & Trang was thoughtfully investigated and reported. I highly recommend this book for it's insightful and excellent writing.

Rating:
Summary: A mystery without a solution
Review: I sought this book out after reading Thernstrom's "New Yorker" article about the same subject. Thernstrom details the haunting story of a troubled Harvard undergraduate who murdered her roommate. Both young women were immigrants from poor families who had risen above their backgrounds to gain admission to what is probably the most prestigious American school. Their similarities ended there, though.

Sinedu, the killer, who committed suicide shortly after stabbing her roommate, was alone in America. She lacked any network of close confidantes, or any skills to form friendships. She had approached the Harvard administration for help with her mounting academic and emotional problems, but her requests resulted in no real aid.

Thernstrom does a thorough job of investigating the backgrounds of both Sinedu and Trang, the roommate who earned universal admiration for her kindness, industry, and friendly manner.

Perhaps the book contains a bit too much self-indulgence, though. Thernstrom agonizes too often over whether she should be writing the story at all. In the end, though, she reaches the sound conclusion that her investigation, and others, can only go so far. Sinedu's mind, and whatever motivated her final actions, will always be a mystery. We can only wonder, and grieve at the waste.

Rating:
Summary: A mystery without a solution
Review: I sought this book out after reading Thernstrom's "New Yorker" article about the same subject. Thernstrom details the haunting story of a troubled Harvard undergraduate who murdered her roommate. Both young women were immigrants from poor families who had risen above their backgrounds to gain admission to what is probably the most prestigious American school. Their similarities ended there, though.

Sinedu, the killer, who committed suicide shortly after stabbing her roommate, was alone in America. She lacked any network of close confidantes, or any skills to form friendships. She had approached the Harvard administration for help with her mounting academic and emotional problems, but her requests resulted in no real aid.

Thernstrom does a thorough job of investigating the backgrounds of both Sinedu and Trang, the roommate who earned universal admiration for her kindness, industry, and friendly manner.

Perhaps the book contains a bit too much self-indulgence, though. Thernstrom agonizes too often over whether she should be writing the story at all. In the end, though, she reaches the sound conclusion that her investigation, and others, can only go so far. Sinedu's mind, and whatever motivated her final actions, will always be a mystery. We can only wonder, and grieve at the waste.

Rating:
Summary: very well written, suspenseful
Review: I usually shy away from true crime, but this was a fascinationg
read. MT provides an in depth look at Trang and Sinedu and trace the development of the murder suicide from its roots with a
keen eye and sure pen.

She explores the contrasting background of the girls, their
opposite attitudes towards learning and school, and Trang's full social life with Sinedu's alienation. S's diary entries and
letters were creepy and heart wrenching at the same time. Very effective and touching.

I learned a lot about Vietnamese & Ethiopian culture from
reading this as well as getting a glimpse of the darker side
of Harvard.

Ms. Thernstorm did an excellent job.

Rating:
Summary: Flawed but fascinating.
Review: I was very surprised to see how many readers hated this book. I wonder if most of the critics are Harvard alumni whose feathers were ruffled. Thernstrom actually used a lot of restraint in reporting this story and her portraits of the two girls, especially Sinedu, were deeply sympathetic. Critics who argue that Sindeu's privacy was violated seem to forget that she mailed a photo of herself to the Harvard Crimson just before the murder and sent letters detailing her loneliness to strangers chosen from the phone book.

The reason I gave the book 3, and not 4 or 5, stars was because of the disjointed structure. The narrative was difficult to follow at times. Also, some of the psychological diagnosis seemed to be a stretch. Still, I hope Harvard administrators read the book and learn a few lessons about how to make their school a place that truly welcomes diversity.

Rating:
Summary: very well written, suspenseful
Review: Stirring up Harvard's feathers is a wonderful thing. This book certainly did this. It is a comprehensive book about a very troubled student who gave plenty of warning signs in her personal file which the head of Dunster House, Professor Liem, looked at and filed away shortly before the horrible murder/suicide in which an innocent girl was fately stabbed 45 times by her room-mate. The most interesing thing about this true story is Harvard's attempt at cover up and downright intimidation of staff and students alike. Nobody connected with Harvard wanted to be interviewed for fear of dismisal from the staff or student body. The author's job at the New Yorker was even threatened. It is all about preserving Harvard's "sacred image" so the well heeled Alumni will keep supporting them. Harvard's poor excuse for a student mental health program, not to mention their greed, has finally been exposed.

Rating:
Summary: Thoughtful consideration of a tragic event.
Review: This is a journalist's account of a tragic murder/suicide at Harvard in 1995. The story is a fascinating insight into four contrasting cultures - the ex-patriot Vietnamese society of Trang Phuong Ho, the victim, the austere Ethopian culture of the perpetrator, Sinedu Tadesse, our own privileged and frequently xenophobic country and the rarefied and elitist world of higher education. Trang's death is obviously maddeningly senseless and deprives us all of a talented and admirable young woman. Nevertheless, I found Sinedu's story equally agonizing. Her overwhelming loneliness and alienation are wrenching to read. On the one hand, you desperately wish that someone would reach out to her. On the other, you can appreciate how offputtingly needy she was and sympathize with Trang's decision to break away from Sinedu'e smothering affection. Thernstrom does a particularly good job of investigating Sinedu's heritage, and the picture is unbearably pathetic.

The book does have its flaws. Thernstrom inserts herself far too much into the story. Her own experiences at Harvard were more distracting than helpful in setting in the context, and frankly seemed unnecessarily self-indulgent. It left me with a niggling sense that Thernstom was capitalizing on the tragedy rather than objectively reporting it. Similarly, I thought she made way too much of the fact that the administration wasn't anxious to cooperate with her story. Aside from the obvious liability issues, it seems clear that Thernstrom made it obvious that she was looking to point fingers. I personally thought she was overreaching in suggesting that this was a tragedy that should have been avoided. While colleges could no doubt do a better job of tending the psychiatric health of their students, this was in many ways an unusual confluence of events that doesn't accurately reflect typical scenarios that colleges should be anticipating. These quibbles aside, however, the book is a solid piece of journalism and a fascinating read.