Friday, March 1, 2019

Special Topics Summary: The True Crime Boom



True crime has been discussed for centuries, and it doesn’t seem to be going away any time soon. We are currently experiencing a True Crime Boom, where documentaries, podcasts, television series, books, and audio-books are being released at a record pace. There are many ways in which libraries can capitalize on this trend, but it’s important to also understand where this trend is coming from and what is drawing people to the true crime genre in order to do so.

True crime has always been something that fascinates people. The history of the true crime genre dates way back to the 1550’s in Britain, when authors and printers would release pamphlets describing shocking murders that happened in the area. Truman Capote can be credited with modernizing the true crime non-fiction genre, with his work In Cold Blood.  This book was released in 1965 and it deliberated the murders of four family members in Holcomb, Kansas. 

Flashforward nearly fifty years to the year 2014 when the podcast Serial by This American Life was released and reignited a flame in what is currently known as the True Crime Boom.  Serial is a true-crime investigative podcast about the 1999 murder of eighteen-year-old Hae Min Lee.  Lee’s ex-boyfriend, Adnan Masud Syed, was charged with her murder and sentenced to life in prison.  The popularity of this show skyrocketed partially due to the commotion it caused all over social media.  Within a short period of time, you couldn’t go anywhere without hearing about this podcast.  

Following Serial, the docuseries Making a Murderer was released by Netflix in the year of 2015.  This ten-episode series told the story of Stephen Avery, a man who was wrongfully convicted of rape and attempted murder and spent eighteen years in prison, and then was charged again for the murder of someone else shortly after being exonerated. What drew most viewers to this show was the investigative aspect of it.  

Libraries can capitalize on this growing trend by promoting their materials in ways that attract patrons.  Catchy displays would be a simple and easy way to promote materials, but there are so many other things that libraries can be doing.  Programs that are centered around showing true crime documentaries at the library followed with a discussion about the documentary that was watch could gather support of community members interested in true crime. 

 

5 comments:

  1. Hi Rebecca,
    Thanks for your commentary. I agree with you, I think what interests people is the solving of the crime. People are not just satisfied with finding the culprit, but they want to know every detail, the method and the reason behind the deed. Also, I think people are facinated with the mind of the criminal and what makes them do such a heinous act. So, by the library providing as much information as necessary, it will help those interested in this suject, better understand it.

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  2. Hi Rebecca,
    The popularity of true crimes as entertainment does seem to be everywhere. I wonder if it stems from our need to understand the mentality behind them. The Narcos series on Netflix has taken advantage of the public's fascination with contemporary drug lords. A library discussion group focused on the topic of true crimes and literature could be very popular.

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  3. Rebecca,
    I remember reading The Journalist and the Murderer by Janet Malcolm in my freshman year of college. It's about a controversy surrounding the true crime book Fatal Vision by Joe McGinniss, which is about Dr. Jeffrey MacDonald and his murder of his pregnant wife and two young children.

    My husband started watching Conversations with a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes on Netflix and it drew me in as well. True crime is incredibly engaging.

    Have you read Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson? It's a YA fiction book. The main character wants to be an investigator and she listens to true crime podcasts.

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  4. Hello,
    I have to agree that true crime genre has just continued to become more and more popular, that the trend and popularity will increase with platforms like netflix and specific cable channels focusing on programs within this genre. I believe that it is not always the details of the crime that most fascinates people, but the process of solving the crime is what captures the imagination of people. There are even games available online for people to participate in the process "hunting", there is a game called Hunt a Killer. The company will ship envelopes, which are from an inmate in a psyche center and contains clues (ranging from newspaper articles, poems, maps etc) and one will utilize google to search for clues. The reason for being so descriptive about this board game is that it has become very popular for people fascinated by true crime, as these individuals can now actively participate in hunting a killer. It truly is fascinating.

    One of the more fascinating points that you made, was that this genre could be traced to 16th century in England. I had no idea that true crime could be traced to the 1550s in Britian, where it was printed for people to read about local homicides and such. Thanks for providing such details, this further proves the point about the fascination that people have for true crime.

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  5. Rebecca,

    This is such a topical subject to explore for readers' advisory! As someone who is definitely fascinated by true crime, in any format, I think it is especially useful for librarians to know at least the basics of what is popular within the subject. I appreciate that you chose to explore beyond print materials, and even included podcasts and film. Very nice work!

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