Harold Schechter is a professor of American literature and culture. Renowed for his true-crime writing, he is the author of the nonfiction books Fatal, Fiend, Bestial, Deviant, Deranged, Depraved, and, with David Everitt, The A to Z Encyclopedia of Serial Killers. He is also the author of Nevermore and The Hum Bug, the acclaimed historical novels featuring Edgar Ellen Poe. He lives in New York State and is the father of YA novelist, Lauren Oliver. — Mostly from Depraved
Panic
Panic
Synopsis
During the Depression, economic anxieties found an outlet in a series of child murders that triggered an irrational nationwide hysteria: the conviction that pedophiliac psychopaths were overrunning the country.
As America was brought to rage and fury by the press and the FBI, lynch mobs took to the streets and reason gave way to doomsday scenarios. One father was even driven to murder his three daughters to 'save' them from a degenerate crime wave.
A cautionary essay, Panic explores the combustible mix of unfounded fears, moral crusades, and the dangers of collective thinking. It is part of Bloodlands, a collection of short historical narratives from true-crime writer Harold Schechter.
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PanicKindle, 2018
62 pages
Amazon Original Stories
