It took me like 2 hours to watch this video because I had to keep pausing to fall down the research well of each of these cases. HOW had I NEVER heard of Mommie Dearest/Joan Crawford??? Anyway, loved this. I always get my true crime recs from you haha
Alexa, I love your channel even though I am writing a memoir that would fit well in this wrapup and I never thought I'd hear you talk about true crime and memoir! Thanks for this video, I have listened all the way through twice. I am old enough to have read "Mommie Dearest" when it came out and you were so right that it was groundbreaking. The Chris Watts story is actually what began my realization that I want to write a memoir to further conversation on the important topic of covert narcissism. I am definitely going to read "If You Tell" because you made it sound like a perfect book for me to enjoy and learn from. Thanks, again!!
I also have a sample of the Chris Watts book you mentioned (haven’t started it yet either. I’m definitely going to be reading “My Daddy is a Hero” first & then reading the other just for the opposite perspective
This video has 2 books that are currently in my Kindle Library. If You Tell (got on Kindle Unlmtd, haven’t read at all) & The Girls are Gone (actually purchased & only read like 10% of). I will DEFINITELY be reading both now
I'd love to hear what other survivors of childhood abuse/ narcissistic mothers thought of Mommy Dearest by Christina Crawford. I fully take Alexa's review to heart, but I personally / unfortunately get really triggered and anxious by hearing other accounts. TW - my mother had NPD and potentially Munchausen by Proxy, and the worst of the abuse happened later in my adolescence, so there's a part of me that really wants read Mommy Dearest, but I'm worried about triggering my anxiety. Sorry if this was TMI, Alexa and comment section readers!!
It would definitely be safer to avoid it, I bet. It's pretty harrowing! Take care--these things are so hard. (I read these with interest, but I have a few friends w/ n-parents and I usually don't rec this stuff to them)
I’ve heard that it’s best to have a book topic that’s been written already. My memoir seems to be a stand alone in the world of memoirs. Does this rule always apply?
I thought My Daddy is a Hero was a very good true crime book, I like how the author presented the case. I'm interested in hearing what else you recommend.
@@EDDIELANE Okay, I apparently need to reread the book because I don't remember much about the book. I do remember some stuff about Chris' mother, but not all of it. I do want to say that I have seen some incredibly horrible comments on the Goodreads page about how it was all Shennan's fault. They were literally saying that she deserved to be killed, and I lost it a little because how could they EVEN say that!!!
Just found your channel so am bouncing around a bit. Love your style of analysis and suggestions. Wondered if you've read The Phantom Prince (make sure it's the updated with extra content) by Liz Kendall. The woman and her daughter who lived with Ted Bundy while he was on his killing spree. It focuses on her mindset and how she rationalized the behaviours of a narcissistic psychopath. I'm off now to see more of your recommendations. Cheers.
Is it weird that I kind of want to start a present tense journal now? I was planning to venture into first person present for the first time with my new nano project, it could be good practice.
Hi Alexa, I know you sometimes fall into a vortex of True Crime? Try to get out of Chris Watts's vortex. I fell into it hard for about a month... There is a Netflix documentary on it too. Good Luck.
Ice been slowly reading I'll be gone in the dark, about the original night stalker. If you want another non fiction down the road, highly recommend. The author has a really captivating writing style.
I think that the question about what we can/should expect of memoirs is a good one, and in most cases, I’d argue that it’s fully up to the author. A book with “serial killer” in the title that advertises the subject’s direct connection to a particularly famous serial killer falls into more of a gray area for me. When it’s what the book deal was predicated on, I think it’s reasonable to expect it to spend significant time on that topic. I wouldn’t necessarily blame the author for the gap between what’s advertised (description aside) and what’s actually in the book, given that her publisher likely wanted the connection to be as clear as possible in order to draw more interest and sales. I’m sure you were not alone in feeling the discrepancy between advertisement and reality for this book. Given all of that, I guess I land on marketing being the differentiating factor more so than the subject matter itself. It’s the author’s call what they want their book to be, but it’s also on the author and their publisher to responsibly and accurately market it based on whatever the end product is.
Yeah, I've also considered perhaps the editor should have perhaps advocated for more cuts/tight writing in that middle portion. But oh well. (the Grand Canyon story would have been perfect in any other context... it just happened to feature in section of the book that's heavy on her life at college + dating + God with very little about her dad...)
