Understanding Violent Criminals Summary

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Book Arrangement: Understanding violent criminals is a challenging and confusing task, which is exactly why the book Understanding Violent Criminals is presented using an unusual and complex structure. Each of the ten chapters is assembled as though it were a school textbook: it begins with a simple definition of the crime, theories pertaining to why and when people carry out these heinous acts, and then, peculiarly enough, poses the reader with a set of “Questions for Reflection” to keep in mind during the next page or two. Next, case studies from actual crimes are presented and then, rather than merely telling his audience what the answer is, Thomas implores the reader to go back into the text and identify which of the previously stated …show more content…

Thomas has a P.H.d in psychology and served as a cop for nearly 25 years, granting him wisdom no other writer could obtain. A plethora of pathos is bestowed upon the reader in every chapter. The enumeration of sexual assault, murder, and abduction reports evoke a sympathetic anguish sure to dismay and dishearten parents. Surprisingly, there is more logos apparent than pathos. Every claim made in this novel was preceded by the fact that proved it. Thomas bombards his audience with statistics, which allows the reader to get an understanding of the crime and why it’s committed, then offers his conclusion complete with an explanation and reason-based generalization about the transgression being discussed.
Style/Tone-
Rarely will you find such invigorating content conferred in such a mundane and pedantic manner. Thomas uses 0 similes. He uses 0 metaphors. He uses 0 onomatopoeias. The only real discrepancy between this piece and a textbook is that this piece has such a stimulating message that the reader is nearly able to overlook the prosaic language. Thomas made evident that he is a cop, not a writer, and certainly not a cop interested in becoming a

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