A Death in Belmont - Softcover

Junger, Sebastian

3.6

5,704 ratings by Goodreads

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0007222025 ISBN 13: 9780007222025

Publisher: Fourth Estate, 2006

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A compelling portrait of 1960s America that takes as its starting point the brutal events of 11 March 1963, the day on which the lives of three complete strangers – a black handyman, an Italian-American carpenter and a second-generation Jewish housewife – collided in the leafy Boston suburb of Belmont.

These three people did not know one another, but, by the end of the day, the housewife had been raped and strangled, the handyman had been arrested on suspicion of being the notorious Boston Strangler, and the real Boston Strangler – carpenter Al DeSalvo – had returned home to his wife and children. It was not until two years later that DeSalvo admitted to the gruesomely violent murders of thirteen women. Also unwittingly drawn into the drama were one-year-old Sebastian Junger's own family, who posed for a photograph with DeSalvo the day after the Belmont strangling, at the completion of his work on their studio.

Taking the chilling family snap as his inspiration, Junger explores the worlds of the three protagonists and, in so doing, creates a portrait of America in the 1960s that touches on the historic themes of the era: the assassination of JFK, the rise of the immigrants and the troubling race relations that prefigured the death of Martin Luther King.

This new work by Sebastian Junger, the acclaimed author of Perfect Storm and Fire, is as enlightening as it is haunting. Taking as its foundation the events that shocked a quiet community in 1963, A Death in Belmont expands to encompass an entire nation at a time of extraordinary social turmoil.

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Review:

PRAISE FOR FIRE:
'This is frontline reporting of the highest order from the dangerous, blade-sharp edge of things.' The Times

'His language, as powerful as the most abrasive undercurrent, describes an exceptional tug of war with the elements.' Alex O'Connell, The Times

'He writes like a poet who has been to meteorology school.' Ruth Rendell, Daily Telegraph

'Detail blazes through these chapters like the fiercest fire storm, yet the writing is invariably controlled, never breathless...Junger is an excellent story teller.' Sunday Telegraph

PRAISE FOR THE PERFECT STORM:
'Junger moves seamlessly between the wrenching human dramas and the awesome details of the storm. Terrifying, exhilarating, humbling and unforgettable.' Daily Mail

'It will become a classic for the jaded modern world...it confirms your wildest hopes of quiet heroism as well as your greatest fears.' Independent

About the Author:

Sebastian Junger grew up in New England and has worked as a tree-feller, Bosnian correspondent, journalist and adventurer. His first book, The Perfect Storm, spent over four years on the bestseller lists and its film adaptation was a huge box-office success. Junger is a contributing editor to Vanity Fair, and winner of the National Magazine Award for Reporting. He has also written for magazines including Harper's, the New York Times Magazine, and National Geographic Adventure.

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