Walsh's anger and frustration over a "bumbling" police investigation of
his
son's murder is evident throughout. According to Walsh, the Hollywood,
Florida, Police Department should have arrested a drifter named Ottis
Toole--a convicted serial killer who played sidekick for many years to
the
notorious killer Henry Lee Lucas. Walsh speculates that the police had
"formed their own ideas" about who killed Adam and didn't want to
believe Toole could have been responsible. But Walsh is convinced, and
he presents a large amount of evidence to support his case. Unfortunately,
it's too late: Ottis Toole died several years ago in prison.
This is not an easy book to read, and one imagines it wasn't an easy book
for John Walsh to write, as he describes, with a staccato style reminiscent
of Jack Webb, the probable sequence of events of Adam's
disappearance as well as the manner of his death. The bulk of Tears of
Rage concerns Adam's abduction and its aftermath and the impact the
Walsh family has had since in helping to pass various victims' and
children's rights legislation. --Tjames Madison --This text refers to the
mass market paperback edition of this title
Book Description
The host of the America's Most Wanted, John Walsh tells for the first
time the full story of the the 1981 abduction and murder of his
six-year-old son, Adam. This is the heartbreaking chronicle of John
Walsh's transformation from grieving parent to full-time activist -- and
the
infuriating conspiracy of events that have kept America's No. 1
crime-fighter from obtaining justice and closure for himself and his family.
From the day Adam disappeared from a mall in Hollywood, Florida, John
Walsh faced a local police department better equipped to track stolen
cars than missing children -- and a criminal justice system that would
work against him in unimaginable ways. Outraged but deteremined, he
ultimately enlarged the search for Adam's killer into an exhaustive battle
on behalf of all missing and abused children, beginning with his efforts
to
put missing children's faces on milk cartons. Today, John Walsh continues
the fight for legislative change and public awareness, driven by his own
personal tragedy. Tears of Rage is the story of a true American hero: a
man who challenged the system in the name of his son. --This text refers
to the mass market paperback edition of this title
Synopsis
John Walsh, host of "America's Most Wanted", tells for the first time the
full story of the 1981 abduction and murder of his six-year-old son,
Adam. He also chronicles his transformation from grieving father to
full-time activist--and the infuriating events that have kept him from
obtaining justice and closure for himself and his family. Photo insert.
--This text refers to the mass market paperback edition of this title
Click here for all reviews...
Customer Comments
Average Customer Review: Number of Reviews: 24
[email protected] from Boston, MA , August 14, 1998
compelling, had to read this whether I wanted to or not
One needs to read this to understand the dynamo that is John Walsh, and
what drives him. But every parent owes this to their child, to read. Be
prepared to share raw pain and grief at the needlessness of what we do
to
each other. This book however, does not bog down in pity for the
Walshes, but drives you to NEED to take a stand, to help, to become
active. It is a MUST READ, particularly for those parents that think we
live in a safe world. There is love here in this book that brings us all
forward and asks us to ACT. Best, it is a primer on HOW to ACT. Don't
miss this. --This text refers to the audio cassette edition of this title
A reader from Alberta Canada , August 10, 1998
A book everyone should read
As a survivor of child abuse, and as a social worker who works with
abused children and their families, I wish that everyone would read this
book. The raw examination of Adam's murder forces the reader to put his
own child's face in place of Adam's - to imagine what seems
unimaginable, that someone could brutalize and murder MY child - the
one that is so lovely and loving, the one that is too special to die. It
scares
us into protecting our children, it scares us into educating them so that
their risk level drops. What Mr Walsh has done in writing this book, is
to
expose his pain, anger and anguish so that Adam's death was not without
meaning - so that not one more child or family would have to endure such
soul wrenching agony, so that no one would have to put up with police
ineptitude, so that we would be smarter about how we deal with
children's issues. --This text refers to the mass market paperback
edition of this title
A reader from Columbus, OH , August 7, 1998
Powerful, moving, excellent.
This book should be read by all who care about children. Never have I
been so touched by a true-life story than this one. And I praise Mr. Walsh
for sharing his story and his grief. I cried throughout the story and it
pulled
at my heartstrings. I highly recommend this book to everyone. --This text
refers to the hardcover edition of this title
[email protected] from Idaho Falls,Idaho , July 19, 1998
Required reading for anyone who has a child.
This book does not mince words. John Walsh gives you the cold hard
facts of the abduction and brutal murder of his son Adam, who was only
six years old. He shares with you his pain and his grief at the needless
violence that tore his family's world apart, and stole his only child.
This
book will make you weep, it will make you angry, and it will change how
you think, about children, government, and the law. Read this book, and
then have your friends and loved ones read it. --This text refers to the
mass market paperback edition of this title
C.K. Bryant ([email protected]) from Streator, Illinois , July
18, 1998
This book will give you nightmares, but it is a MUST read.
John Walsh and Susan Schindehette have done an excellent job in
bringing the nightmare of child abduction and lack of victim's rights into
focus within the pages of this remarkable book.
From the moment I started reading, I was hooked and drug , sometimes
unwillingly, into the reality that has been Mr. Walsh's life since his
six-year-old son Adam was abducted and killed on July 27, 1981. The
authors spare no details and I often found myself wondering how John
Walsh was able to re-examine the past in such a way that I can only
imagine was like pouring salt into a wound that can never heal.
The book reveals the extent that the Hollywood, Florida Police
department bungled the Adam Walsh case, but even worse how this
bungling occurs daily throughout the United States as victims of crimes
continue to have little to no say in their own cases and investigations.
The graphic reality in this book may not sit well with all readers, but
I
guarantee that it is a necessar! y ingredient for opening the reader's
eyes
to the problems that existed and exist within our legal system.
The title Tears of Rage is an appropriate one for I found that the book
started with tears and ended with rage, for both the Author(s) and the
reader. Once you've opened the book and read the prologue, you'll find
it
very hard to put down.
The only negative thing I have to say about the book is that since finishing
it, I haven't slept all that well, because I keep dreaming about being
in a
situation where I want to help some abducted kid, and I keep running into
road blocks. Luckily for me it is just a nightmare, for Mr. Walsh and
thousands of other parents it was and is reality. --This text refers to
the
mass market paperback edition of this title
[email protected] from Pasadena, California , July 6, 1998
If you have children - GET and READ this book!
Having three children, this book hit home. I've watched AMW for years
and never knew the depth and bredth of what John Walsh has
accomplished since his son's murder. We owe him MANY,MANY
thanks and our support. It amazed me how little was being done until this
man and his wife and friends took action. I'll also tell you that this
6-4,
240 pound man found himself crying at more than one point. I almost
never finish the books that I buy, and I reeled this one off in three days,
most of which I spent doind holiday things with the kids. There are parts
that I must warn you will make even the toughest person want to puke.
How this man DIDN'T take the law into his own hands is something I'll
never understand! I missed the book-signing in Pasadena and I'm so
upset. I would like to shake this man's hand. Get it, read it and you'll
never be the same as a parent. --This text refers to the hardcover
edition of this title
[email protected] from Sedalia, Missouri USA , June 4, 1998
A great book!
John Walsh has to be one of the smartest men. I'll vote for him for the
next president. Children must come first in all respects and John Walsh
knows how to put them there. --This text refers to the hardcover
edition of this title
[email protected] from Houston, Texas , May 25, 1998
I held my breathe from the moment I looked at the cover.
I requested this book for Christmas last year and started reading it before
I finished opening the rest of my presents. I had to put it down a few
times
to catch my breathe and go give my kids and a husband a big hug. My
daughter is 16 now and cannot understand why I worry every time she
walks out the door. She claims I watch too much TV like "America's
Most Wanted" and read too much. I truly believe in being informed and
will never want to say, "if only I had not let her do this (or that)" because
it
was against my better judgement. She has a cell phone and pager and
checks in with us often. But so do most of her friends. Whenever we see
anything on "America's Most Wanted" that is happening in our area (and
it
is too often!), I call in the kids to watch and we're all a little bit
more
cautious. I pray everyone does the same. After reading Mr. Walsh's
book, I think about his family often and they are in my prayers. They are
doing a beautiful job keeping Adam's spirit alive in what they are doing
for
so many victims and potential victims. I love his enthusiasm when they
catch a murderer or molester. Keep up the great work and NEVER take
that show off the air! Too many kooks are waiting for that to happen.
--This text refers to the hardcover edition of this title