About the book-
In 2005, Kerri Rawson heard a knock on the door of her apartment. When she opened it, an FBI agent informed her that her father had been arrested for murdering ten people, including two children. It was then that she learned her father was the notorious serial killer known as BTK, a name he’d given himself that described the horrific way he committed his crimes: bind, torture, kill. As news of his capture spread, Wichitacelebrated the end of a thirty-one-year nightmare.
For Kerri Rawson, another was just beginning. She was plunged into a black hole of horror and disbelief. The same man who had been a loving father, a devoted husband, church president, Boy Scout leader, and a public servant had been using their family as a cover for his heinous crimes since before she was born. Everything she had believed about her life had been a lie.
Written with candor and extraordinary courage, A Serial Killer’s Daughter is an unflinching exploration of life with one of America’s most infamous killers and an astonishing tale of personal and spiritual transformation. For all who suffer from unhealed wounds or the crippling effects of violence, betrayal, and anger, Kerri Rawson’s story offers the hope of reclaiming sanity in the midst of madness, rebuilding a life in the shadow of death, and learning to forgive the unforgivable.
My thoughts-
I have read a lot of the reviews for this book on Goodreads and some of them irritated me to no end. People were upset that Kerri mentioned her faith throughout the book, they were upset that Kerri wasn't upset enough at her father, the judged her for her reactions. They accused her of not supplying enough information about her father (the book is about being a serial killer's daughter, not providing new insight into the father's crimes...although she DOES include countless letters between her dad and her throughout the book). All I could think as I read these things were how can anyone possible judge this woman? Her father's a serial killer. Not her. People accused her of having a victim mentality. Uh, YEAH! SHE SHOULD! SHE IS A VICTIM. An innocent bystander to her father's heinous crimes. Anyway, I just want to say if you base your book selections on Goodreads reviews, please consider ignoring them on this one and reading it yourself to form your own opinion. I think it is brave of Mrs. Rawson to even make herself known and to tell her story because I am sure she knew she would be ridiculued in these ways. The first half of the book was pretty mundane, but I am fairly certain that was the point. Kerri Rawson was highlighting the fact that for her family, not knowing what her dad was up to in his secret double life, were a normal, average family (as far as they knew). Nothing seemed out of place. The second half of the book focuses on Dennis Rader's arrest and subsequent confessions, and that's when the letters are shared, and Mrs. Rawson shares how she felt and what her family went through as they were blindsided by this side of a man they have known and loved their whole lives. It was an interesting read. I recommend it to anyone who likes to read about true crime or memoirs, but I urge you to do so with empathy and compassion for this woman who didn't ask for any of this.
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