Rating: 
Summary: Lead poisoning? Possibly.
Review: This book takes the reader on an unflinching and unapologetic journey narrated by a confessed serial killer, Donald "Pee Wee" Gaskins. The author, Wilton Earle, spent a lot of time visiting Gaskins in prison in order to record (both on tape and in this book) Gaskins' life story from his own account.
The story that unravels as this book progresses invoked both disgust and an uncomfortable sympathy for Gaskins. He claimed to have a lifelong "bothersome" feeling in the pit of his stomach, which was only relieved when he killed someone.
Many readers will be disgusted and shocked by this book, and most will say they cannot understand how a person could do such horrible things. Yet, most people were not repeatedly tortured, raped and beaten from early childhood until early adulthood, either. That can make for a big difference in a person's perspective. You know the saying- "There but for the Grace of God, go I." If you cannot imagine how a person could commit these crimes, thank your lucky stars, for you are fortunate that your childhood was not filled with unspeakable atrocities committed to you, unlike Gaskins. This in no way excuses his actions, but it does help to explain them.
Gaskins childhood was beyond atrocious, like so many of his peers in prison and on Death Row. He was horribly abused, repeatedly and brutally raped and emotionally & physically neglected by members of his family and people in his community. This was a child who was perpetually in "survival mode," who never had a chance to build a strong sense of morality. From his early childhood he did not experience a nurturing home environment, only one of fear and violence. He was done further mental and physical damage by a highly neglectful criminal justice system, which he jokingly mentions actually contributed to his life of crime and killing. Some of his crimes are stomach-turning, while some are disturbingly ingenious. Much can be learned about how a killer's mind evolves from this book.
As his life progressed, he did what came naturally to him- and that is what astounded me most about Gaskins' story. His life seemed to be lived according to his "animal instinct" and whim, rather than according to the more structured development most of us are accustomed to. He had to fend for himself, and his lifestyle and choices were a result of that. At times, Gaskins seemed to behave more like an wild animal than a human being, which further contributed to the sense that he was never quite "socialized" into society. His solution for interpersonal conflicts was to simply kill the other person.
One thing that struck me several times as I read this book was that there was no mention of Gaskins having lead poisoning. I did a little bit of research into lead poisoning, and it seems to me that both Gaskin's physical symptoms as well as his childhood environment could have easily and logically been linked to lead poisoning. (Older homes, like the one Gaskins grew up in, commonly had peeling lead-based paint & old lead water pipes in addition to lead-based enamel, solder, etc. Lead poisoning symptoms include abdominal pain, nervous disorders, hallucinations, headaches & much more.) In the book Gaskins also mentions torturing people with "plumbum"- that, folks, is molten lead. It could explain a lot of things about his physical pains and his mental state (or as Gaskins called it, his "special kind of mind").
In any case, this is an invaluable book for people sincerely interested in understanding the psychological etiology of a killer. Very interesting, disturbing and sad indeed.
Rating:
Summary: Horrifically eyecatching
Review: This book took me all of one day to read. Once I picked it up, I simply couldn't put it down. Being a transplant from NY to Florence, SC, it facinated me as to the gruesome history that had taken place so close to home. My fiance and I read it on a trip back to NY in one day to each other to help pass the time as we took turns driving. Sleeping between turns was not an option. I had to know what happened next. It was like a horrible accident that you just couldn't take your eyes off of. Helter Skelter doesn't even appear on the same ranking system.
Rating:
Summary: Highly Recommended...
Review: This has become one of my favorite serial killer books. I went through every emotion with Pee Wee...I went from liking him, to feeling sorry for him, to being confused by him, to disliking and later being sickened by & detesting him. It is so well written, I actually felt like I was sitting in a room with the subject & he was telling me about his life's adventures as a murderer. If you are not a true hard-core serial killer reader, you should skip this one. My entire library consists of SK books and this is still one that haunts me, but is also one I'll read again & again.
Rating: 
Summary: worse off since reading.
Review: This is a challenge to the sensibilities. As a father, I'm concerned that this kind of evil exists. As a citizen, I am challenged on my views against the death penalty. The author is evil personified. DO NOT read if you are already
jittery. An unusual (I Hope)story,by an unusually twisted individual.
Rating: 
Summary: Has Anyone Ever Verified This?
Review: Two conclusions come to mind after reading this book. Did Pee Wee Gaskin commit the evil he described? I say yes. Did he kill 110 people? I doubt it. First, I believe Pee Wee maybe committed the 30 or so murders he describes in the book. His horrible descriptions of what he did to his victims certainly qualifies him as, "the meanest man in South Carolina". However, it is a stretch to believe that another 80 murders could have occurred without bodies, witnesses or even a missing persons report to be found. With so many hunters, fishermen and other outdoors types in South Carolina in those days, could have a least one of those had witnessed one of Pee Wee's "coastal kills"? I think Pee Wee [just] wanted to join the Big League and has apparently done so by writing this book. There are serial killer websites and legions of internet groupies who have taken his claim of 110 victims at face value to proclaim him one of the worst serial killers in history. I believe author Wilton Earle has abetted this legend by not properly researching and verifying Pee Wee's claims. This is inexcusable since Earle claims to be an experienced journalist. Equal blame, however, goes to South Carolina's law enforcement agencies who have declined to follow up on the info provided in the book. In an article about the book in the Charlotte Observer dated April 22, 1992, the Sheriff of Florence County is quoted as dismissing Pee Wee's claims as so much lies. Could it be that the last thing they would want is to admit that Pee Wee got away with it for so long? Or that it's possible that South Carolina's tourism industry doesn't want people to think there are others like him out there that haven't been caught? The truth to all this lies somewhere in between. But you won't find it in "Final Truth".
Rating: 
Summary: Very Exiting story about real life out there
Review: Well, what can I say - this really tells you the horrible way of ones life and how it effect on many others and so on. Awesome writing style, I read it through out in two times I touched it and gonna do it many times again in future. Very nice book all the way - very recommended to everyone just to see little further than your own nose.
Rating:
Summary: A condemned murderer tells all
Review: While awaiting the electric chair, Donald "Pee Wee" Gaskins reflects on his life of murder and depravity. Gaskins offers no excuses and holds nothing back, and I've never been so horrified by a killer's story. Extremely disturbing, yet I couldn't put it down. A masterful insight into a diseased mind.
|
