Whack Job: A History of Axe Murder
A sarcastic, witty and quirky look at the history of a rather simple tool often found at the scene of a crime: an axe ... But for true crime fans the book might not make the cut ... Instead of looking at the gory details and dramatizing events, James examines the social-economic, political issues and human nature that caused these individuals to befall their fate to an axe ... Still, this is what makes the book intriguing ... James has fun with the topic ... A book such as this, focused on history and facts, could become tedious to a casual reader, but James knows how to disarm readers with properly timed humor and quippy theories.
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A lively history, in the spirit of Mary Roach’s science-but-make-it-sarcastic-and-fun books such as Gulp and Stiff ... the best parts of James’ book are when she has fun with the topic, delighting in the quirks of a weapon that you might think has gone out of style until you get to the last couple of chapters, which are alarmingly recent ... James pays careful attention to the economic and other factors that have brought axes in and out of favor ... There are some frustrating errors in the book, such as a sentence that claims Spring Green’s population is less than a thousand and also more than a thousand (the latter is correct). But James’ thoughtful, good-humored approach accumulates power as you read Whack Job a book that knows disarming readers with a joke is a great way to get us ready to think.
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An engrossing historical analysis of how the axe has evolved as an instrument of change, retribution, and menace. In this exceptional book, James (coauthor of The Man from the Train, 2017) cites cases famed and obscure involving the axe, which will both inform readers and occasionally unsettle them.
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