"O'Malley's reportage is stunning for its depth, its persistence, and its compassion."
-- John Berendt, #1 bestselling author of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil
Are You There Alone?
The Unspeakable Crime of Andrea Yates
Description
Suzanne O'Malley takes a close look at the Andrea Yates murder trial and discovers medical misjudgment, professional negligence, misapplied law, and a revelation that led to the overturning of Yates's conviction.
It took a jury less than four hours to find Houston housewife Andrea Yates guilty of the drowning deaths of three of her five children—and a mere half hour to sentence the troubled woman with a stunning history of severe mental problems to life in prison. But beyond the media coverage of her heinous crimes, there is a story that only investigative reporter Suzanne O'Malley has fully illuminated.
This updated edition of Are You There Alone? features a new chapter on the appeal of the Yates case, as well as personal updates on both Andrea and Rusty Yates. Having drawn upon hundreds of interviews—with expert witnesses, close friends, family advisers, and Andrea and Rusty themselves—O'Malley has produced a riveting true-crime account that shatters our notions about criminal law, mental illness, death-penalty politics, and religious fanaticism in America today.
Reviews
"...Comes remarkably close to explaining the forces that resulted in an all-but-inexplicable crime. It's a spellbinding read."
-- #1 bestselling author John Berendt
"Her dogged research may have saved Andrea Yates's life. That is reason enough to value this book."
-- Washington Post Book World
"This riveting book puts a human face on a larger social issue. What happens when the violent actions of an improperly medicated mentally ill person intersect with the legal system? Who bears the responsibility?"
-- USA Today
