Clear the Range - Ted Berrigan

Advantages: Ultimatly life-affirming
Disadvantages: Hard to obtain in England (try the Internet)

...I prefer American poets. British poets are too self-obsessed and parochial. Of all Modern American Poets, Jim Carroll is the most emotionally direct. While some of his early work can be contextually obscure, his heart always comes through. Carroll’s creativity pulled him through protracted Heroin addiction in the 70s. He became an over-night star in New York’s underground poetry scene, buoyed up on praise from contempories Patti Smith and Ted Berrigan and rave reviews from the legendary Jack Kerouac. His unquenchable lust for expression led him to become a luminary of the New York punk scene in the 80s; his song ‘People Who Died’ widely considered a seminal work from that period. This is a man for whom words are more than a living, they are a life. His work combines the raw hunger of the street with an unpretentious spirituality... Read review

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Advantages: Remarkable story! So descriptive an well written.
Disadvantages: Martin Booth will never write another story!

...will happen if he is caught. He has a sense of purpose that keeps him alive ~ he sees a lot of horrible sights (things that someone of his age should never see) yet he is still able to maintain a sense of humour and a will to return back to England. PoW has a believable plot because many young men did lie about their age in order to join the Armed Forces and fight. Many of them did get injured, killed or kidnapped, so it is possible that the events portrayed could have happened. This is what makes this book all the more startling and impossible to put down. Not only is it full of action it is also full of detailed observations that make you feel “part” of Ted’s story. Lines like “The wool of his jersey began to smell like a dog in a warm room.” P, 177 and “The final word rang out like the report of a rifle…It sent a frisson of terror up Ted’s... Read review

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Advantages: Factual account from a unique perspective
Disadvantages: None

...believed in his own innocence. Finally, at the end of the case, he is found guilty and given the death sentence. No one really knows how many women he murdered, certainly 20 plus, maybe 30 or more, but come the day of his execution and the whole of America wanted to celebrate. (I can remember watching the news coverage and hearing the crowds roar as the prison lights momentarily dimmed with every surge that was passing through Ted Bundy's body. It was eerie and it felt sickly obscene, but it also felt right). Written in 1980, Ann Rule takes this unique journey brilliantly. She has a perspective and understanding of Ted Bundy in ways that no other author can claim. Her writing is clear, compassionate, compelling and well researched, maybe because of her attachment to Bundy, maybe not, but this isn't just the bog-standard book on a serial killer... Read review

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