History of a Drowning Boy

The Autobiography

By: Dennis Nilsen, Mark Pettigrew - foreword

Narrated by: Alex Robertson

Dennis Nilsen was jailed for life in 1983 after the murders of 12 men and the attempted murders of many more. Seven years after his conviction, Nilsen began to write his autobiography, and over a period of 18 years, he typed 6,000 pages of introspection, reflection, comment, and explanation.

History of a Drowning Boy - taken exclusively from these astonishing writings - uncovers, for the first time, the motives behind the murders, and delivers a clear understanding of how such horrific events could have happened, tracing the origins back to early childhood. In another first, it provides an insight into his 35 years inside the maximum-security prison system, including his everyday life on the wings; his interactions with the authorities and other notorious prisoners; and his artistic endeavours of music, writing, and drama. It also reveals the truth behind many of the myths surrounding Dennis Nilsen, as reported in the media.

Nilsen was determined to have his memoir published but to his frustration, the Home Office blocked publication during his lifetime. He died in 2018 entrusting the manuscript to his closest friend and it is now being published with the latter's permission.

Any autobiography presents the writer's story from just one perspective: his own, and as such, this record should be treated with some caution. An excellent foreword by criminologist Dr. Mark Pettigrew offers some context to Nilsen's words, and this important work provides an extraordinary journey through the life of a remarkable and inadequate man.

©2021 Dennis Nilsen (P)2021 Dreamscape Media, LLC

Must read

Great book. This is where it says in required to leave a review of at least 15 words.

This was a completely unexpected powerful and honest read

I'm truly surprised this doesn't have more reviews. I listen to a very large amount of true crime books. Some good, some so terribly biased that I want to roll my eyes throughout the whole story.. But this one was incredibly good. His perspective is so interesting and raw. If he didn't do such terrible deeds, I believe so many people would openly relate to his feelings or truly feel empathetic toward him. I personally still DO feel such as empathy toward all he endured and felt in his life. He did wrong and he deserved to be imprisoned forever, but this story leaves me wishing so badly that maybe he could've found love in a different time, and none of this would have ever happened.
While some parts dragged on, I really could not stop listening. This book leaves me questioning how such a heart could do what he did. And it reminds us in the end, we're all human.

Haunting

A very haunting read. I was repulsed, intrigued, shocked and heartbroken, a whole range of emotions. Des’ childhood was marred by abuse, emotional neglect, confusion and tragedy. This coupled with society’s homophobia, shame, loneliness and lack of long-term partners, created a notorious serial killer. Mr. Nilsen offers an intense insight into who he was and is. His story is definitely one of those I’ll never forget.

A fascinating look into the life and times.....

Surely any text written by an inmate must be taken with a few grains of salt for obvious reasons, but this was a very entertaining read, quite soberly written.

I definitely recommend If you are a true crime fan, not just for the blood and gore, but also to learn about the creation of a serial killer and his ongoing existence in prison after all the outrage has died down.

Enough already

I wish I could return this. Monotonous and far to long. Same thing over and over. I couldn’t get in more than an hour.