The Stranger Beside Me by Ann Rule

1806 Words4 Pages

For as long as man has walked the earth, so has evil. There may be conflicting moral beliefs in this world, but one thing is universally considered wrong: serial killers. Although some people may try to use insanity as an explanation for these wicked people, they cannot explain away the heartlessness that resides in them. As shown in The Stranger Beside Me, infamous serial killer Ted Bundy is no exception to this. Even though books about true crimes may be considered insensitive to those involved, the commonly positively reviewed book The Stranger Beside Me by Ann Rule handles the somber issue of Ted Bundy’s emotionally destructive early life and the brutal crimes he committed that made people more fearful and aware of the evil that can exist in seemingly normal people well. Taking the life of another person is one of the worst infractions of the law to commit. The Bureau of Justice defines serial killing as “[involving] the killing of several victims in three or more separate events” (“Michigan” 1). Serial killers often commit extremely violent crimes; they usually become infamous for these crimes. The first recorded serial killers are probably Jack the Ripper in 1888 and Fritz Haarmann in 1924 (“Michigan” 1). Jack the Ripper is also one of the most well-known criminals, almost everyone knows who he is or has at least heard of him. Most people know what he is famous for and associate him with being a bad person. Serial killers are typically sadistic and sociopathic, meaning that they are unable to feel empathy for people who are suffering (“Michigan” 1). Whimsical sociopaths who have sadistic tendencies are very dangerous. They inflict pain because they do not care that someone else is suffering, they only care that it makes t... ... middle of paper ... ...Added to Database in Hope of Solving Cold Cases." Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times, 05 Aug. 2011. Web. 10 Mar. 2014. Preston, Gregor A. "Bundy/The Stranger Beside Me (Book Review)." Library Journal 105.15 (1980): 1748. Literary Reference Center. Web. 7 Mar. 2014. RACHEL, D'ORO. "Police: Alaska Serial Killer Enjoyed Crime Movies, Researched Ted Bundy And Other Mass Murders." Canadian Press, The (n.d.): Newspaper Source Plus. Web. 10 Mar. 2014. Rule, Ann. The Stranger Beside Me. New York: Norton, 2000. Print. Simon, Robert I. "Serial Killers, Evil, And Us." National Forum 80.4 (2000): 23. MasterFILE Premier. Web. 10 Mar. 2014. Susskind, Jonathan. "Killer`s Legacy Haunts Campus Some Students At Fsu Try To Forget, But Others Can`t." Sun Sentinel. Sun Sentinel, 29 June 1986. Web. 10 Mar. 2014. "Ted Bundy Biography." Ted Bundy. AETN UK, 2013. Web. 05 Mar. 2014.

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