Kitty Genovese

A True Account of a Public Murder and its Private Consequences

By: Catherine Pelonero

Narrated by: Dina Pearlman

Written in a flowing narrative style, Kitty Genovese: A True Account of a Public Murder and its Private Consequences presents the story of the horrific and infamous murder of Kitty Genovese, a young woman stalked and stabbed on the street where she lived in Queens, New York in 1964. The case sparked national outrage when the New York Times revealed that dozens of witnesses had seen or heard the attacks on Kitty Genovese and her struggle to reach safety but had failed to come to her aid or even call police until after the killer had fled.

This audiobook cuts through misinformation and conjecture to present a definitive portrait of the crime, the aftermath, and the people. Based on six years of research, Catherine Pelonero’s audiobook presents the facts from the police reports, archival material, court documents, and first-hand interviews. Pelonero offers a personal look at Kitty Genovese, an ambitious young woman viciously struck down in the prime of her life; Winston Moseley, the killer who led a double life as a responsible family man by day and a deadly predator by night; the consequences for a community condemned; and others touched by the tragedy.

Beyond just a true crime story, the audiobook embodies much larger themes: the phenomenon of bystander inaction, the evolution of a serial killer, and the fears and injustices spawned by the stark prejudices of an era, many of which linger to this day.

©2014 Catherine Pelonero (P)2014 Audible, Inc.

EXCEPTIONAL TRUE CRIME BOOK

As a "woman of a certain age", I remember when this crime was committed. All the media talked about was the apathy of Kitty Genovese's neighbors during the 1/2 hour it took for her to be savagely murdered. Author Catherine Pelonero gives a complete and unbiased account of this heinous crime. Instead of focusing on the more sensational headliner-grabbing fact of a white woman being killed by a black man, Pelonero tells the good and bad about everyone, including the 30+ witnesses who didn't help Kitty that night.

For the first time, I learned that Kitty was a lesbian - considered "deviate" for that era - and had a criminal record and worked in a bar. Not that her lifestyle made her at risk for this savage crime. However, the media of the time made no mention of any of this. Her killer, Winston Moseley, heretofore shown only in a booking photo, was a middle-class professional husband and father with no criminal record. He owned his own home and two cars. His wife was a registered nurse. Again, I don't remember these facts being told by the press. That said, Pelonero gives each of these two very disparate persons equal weight, choosing to focus on FACTS of the crime.

What no one knew was Moseley was a serial killer and rapist. He'd previously terrorized women of his own race so not much investigation was put into those crimes. In fact, Anna Mae Johnson, a black woman, had been murdered on her porch then dragged into her living room where Moseley raped her post-mortem, with her husband asleep upstairs. The medical examiner stated that the woman had been stabbed. It wasn't until Moseley confessed to that murder and saying he'd SHOT the victim, did an exhumation reveal bullets in the dead body. (While much has been written about Kitty Genovese, I've yet to find any books written about the life and death of Mrs. Johnson.)

Moseley, a prolific but undetected criminal has gotten less attention in history than Ted Bundy, Jeffrey Dahlmer, John Wayne Gacy and other white serial killers. It is this very racial oversight which led FBI profilers into mistakenly predicting that the DC Sniper had to be a white male. They should had done the research that this author put into her book.

This is one of the best true crime books that I've read in years. Pelonero does get a bit weighty in some places, giving a blow-by-blow account of some court testimony. But her attention to detail in other areas is well done. This story is not just about 3 dozen people who failed to act by merely not calling the police - although not much has changed in many decades since then, as evidenced by the recent murder in a yoga wear store while 2 Apple Store employees next door listened with their ears to the common wall. This is a story about a horrific crime, an innocent victim, a mentally ill killer and the question of the public's MORAL duty to assist a fellow human being fighting for his or her life.

Excellent story of the infamous murder of Kitty Genovese

Excellent story of the stabbing, rape and murder of Catherine Genovese in 1964 and the 38 people in surrounding apartments who either saw or heard or both and did not call police or try to help. This was the event that started the national conversation about the apathy of people and then the start of the national 911 emergency response number to reach emergency responders. The author told the story remarkably well, of the woman Kitty Genovese was, her friends and life, as well as the life and character of the man who murdered her. If you have a memory of or have of this murder before I think you will be surprised at the information revealed in this book.
The narrator was excellent as well.

A sad story of a sweetness taken to soon.

I remember the story from when I was very young. Hearing the details of of both Kitties life and the evilness of Winston was something new. I can't help but wonder about the strange and incredible series of events that brought these two paths together. I wonder what the world would be like if even one of them had changed. Most of all I wonder why our society has let this monster live after almost everyone else involved is gone. My only thought is that it must be so we don't forget.

Best True Crime novel I had ever listened to!

Would you listen to Kitty Genovese again? Why?

No. Only because I don't listen to any books twice.

Which scene was your favorite?

The details of the interviews and the crime itself.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Yes I did! It made me very sad but slapped a little reality into me. You can't rely on others when you are in trouble.

Any additional comments?

The Narrator was AWESOME!

It was OK

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

I would recommend the book if the friend liked this type of story.

Would you be willing to try another book from Catherine Pelonero? Why or why not?

I don't think so.

What aspect of Dina Pearlman’s performance would you have changed?

I liked the performance

Was Kitty Genovese worth the listening time?

almost

Bravo

Very well done. And to the conspiracy theorist, you cant handle the truth. You dont have to witness the whole event to be a witness and do something

OMG!!!!

this is such a good listen and a horrible case. just to know it's a true story is horrific

So Sad

What did you love best about Kitty Genovese?

Capturing the murderer

What other book might you compare Kitty Genovese to and why?

None

What does Dina Pearlman bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Something that I found totally unnecessary, uncomfortable & inappropriate. The Gay world crammed down my throat.

What’s the most interesting tidbit you’ve picked up from this book?

People really don't care about anyone else but themselves.

Any additional comments?

A life was tragically lost for no other reason than people just can't be bothered.

gripping

I remember reading about this when it happened, but I didn't know anything about the killer or other details.

Interesting Account

Although I found the story interesting, the book lacked organization, had too many repetitive phases and was at times difficult and tedious to listen to.