Check nearby libraries
Buy this book
![Loading indicator](/images/ajax-loader-bar.gif)
In 1968, at the age of eleven, Mary Bell was tried and convicted of murdering two small boys in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. Even before she came to court, Mary Bell was demonized as the incarnation of evil, the bad seed personified. But Gitta Sereny, who covered the sensational trial, never accepted this explanation.
Over the years, Sereny came to realize that if we are ever to understand the pressures that lead children to commit serious crimes, then we need to turn to the adults who once were those children.
Twenty-seven years after her conviction, Mary Bell agreed to talk to Sereny about her harrowing childhood, the two terrible acts committed nine weeks apart, her public trial, and her twelve years of imprisonment - to discuss what was done to her and what she did, who she was and who she became. Nothing she said in five months of intensive talks was intended to excuse her crimes: she herself rejects all mitigation.
But Mary Bell's devastating story forces us all to ponder society's responsibility for children at the breaking point.
Check nearby libraries
Buy this book
![Loading indicator](/images/ajax-loader-bar.gif)
Previews available in: English
Edition | Availability |
---|---|
1
Cries Unheard: Why Children Kill: The Story of Mary Bell
April 15, 2000, Owl Books
Paperback
in English
0805060685 9780805060683
|
zzzz
Libraries near you:
WorldCat
|
2
Cries Unheard: Why Children Kill: The Story of Mary Bell
April 13, 1999, Metropolitan Books
Hardcover
in English
0805060677 9780805060676
|
aaaa
Libraries near you:
WorldCat
|
3
Cries Unheard: Why Children Kill: The Story of Mary Bell
February 1998, Diane Pub Co
Hardcover
in English
0756754933 9780756754938
|
zzzz
Libraries near you:
WorldCat
|
Book Details
Classifications
The Physical Object
ID Numbers
Source records
amazon.com recordIthaca College Library MARC record
Internet Archive item record
marc_openlibraries_phillipsacademy MARC record
marc_openlibraries_sanfranciscopubliclibrary MARC record
Library of Congress MARC record
Internet Archive item record
Better World Books record
marc_nuls MARC record
marc_columbia MARC record
Work Description
What brings a child to kill another child? In 1968, at age eleven, Mary Bell was tried and convicted of murdering two small boys in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. Gitta Sereny, who covered the sensational trial, never believed the characterization of Bell as the incarnation of evil, the bad seed personified. If we are ever to understand the pressures that lead children to commit serious crimes, Sereny felt, only those children, as adults, can enlighten us.
Twenty-seven years after her conviction, Mary Bell agreed to talk to Sereny about her harrowing childhood, her terrible acts, her public trial, and her years of imprisonment-to talk about what was done to her and what she did, who she was and who she became. Nothing Bell says is intended as an excuse for her crimes. But her devastating story forces us to ponder society's responsibility for children at the breaking point, whether in Newcastle, Arkansas, or Oregon.
A masterpiece of wisdom and sympathy, Gitta Sereny's wrenching portrait of a girl's damaged childhood and a woman's fight for moral regeneration urgently calls on us to hear the cries of all children at risk.
Community Reviews (0)
Feedback?History
- Created April 29, 2008
- 18 revisions
Wikipedia citation
×CloseCopy and paste this code into your Wikipedia page. Need help?
July 16, 2024 | Edited by MARC Bot | import existing book |
March 7, 2023 | Edited by MARC Bot | import existing book |
December 27, 2021 | Edited by ImportBot | import existing book |
July 3, 2021 | Edited by ImportBot | import existing book |
April 29, 2008 | Created by an anonymous user | Imported from amazon.com record |