Review of "A Brief History of Oversharing: One Ginger's Anthology of Humiliation" by Shawn Hitchins

 

Shawn Hitchins

Shawn Hitchins is a Toronto-based comedian, author, and actor. Shawn grew up gay in a tiny rural enclave during the 1980s and 90s -between the time of the AIDS epidemic and the expansion of gay rights. Thus Shawn's life has had ups and downs. In this book Shawn shares some stories about himself - ranging from the painful to the hilarious.

To provide a feel for the book, I'll give some examples of Shawn's anecdotes.

*****

Shawn has Fitzpatrick type 1 skin, which means he's pale, has red hair, blue eyes, and freckles. In addition, Shawn always burns, never tans, and is prone to melanoma. Shawn gets himself checked by a dermatologist every six months for cancerous lesions, and is super careful about the sun.

For instance, Shawn writes, "Whenever a friend invites me to an awesome summer barbecue, I immediately ask, 'Will there be shade?' Then I demand the architectural blueprints of their home and a 360 panoramic shot of the backyard as POS (proof of shade). Finally I soak myself in a vat of toxic sunscreen and allow it to seep into my lymph nodes."



Only then will Shawn enter a summer barbecue...dressed like a slutty gay scarecrow.



*****

Shawn grew up in the small agricultural town of Egypt, Ontario, where he was an outlier.



Shawn observes, "[Like] the childhoods of many young gay men from small towns who came into their sexualities in the shadow of the AIDS crisis and before the advent of Ellen and Will and Grace, I became an outsider, no longer part of some greater whole."

Things got especially hard when Shawn left to pursue a career in show business. He notes, "Having lost the intense sense of belonging, the blind sense of comfort I was raised with, I’ve since desperately tried to regain it."

*****

In 1994, eighth grader Shawn dropped out of the Lion's Club Music Competition - which he almost always won - much to the chagrin of his teacher. Shawn was focused on his 'figure skating career', longing to win a solo in the town's Figure Skating Carnival. Thrilled by Olympic skating champions, Shawn wanted to be the type of male who expressed his strengths wearing sequins, pirate shirts, and form-fitting vests.


Canadian figure skating champion Brian Orser

Shawn's classmate Doug was stiff competition and the rivalry is a fun story.


Will Ferrell and Jon Heder in 'Blades of Glory'

*****

Shawn's sister's graduation frock was a black and white, polka dot tea length dress with a sweetheart neckline and an incredible crinoline.



Thirteen-year-old Shawn was captivated by the dress and, unable to resist, put it on one day - along with high heels from his mother's closet and make-up.

Unfortunately Shawn was caught by his dad Ian, who was HORRIFIED. The next day, a very drunk Ian outed Shawn to a family friend, saying over and over, "My son's a fag, my son's a fag, my son's a fag".....while Shawn held in his tears.

This was a turning point in the relationship between Shawn and his dad.


*****

Shawn checks his success by seeing how fast people respond to his texts, emails, or phone calls. He writes, "I know that if I email one particular person, let's call her Mrs. X, for a simple catch-up and I have a really large project in the works, I immediately get an invite for dinner. BUT if I just did a public face-plant and email Mrs. X asking for coffee, then six months later I get an invite to her son's $45 clarinet recital. These success verifiers are an instant and accurate gauge."



*****

Shawn was a part of a seasonal drag act called the B-Girlz, a trio that performed at the infamous Post Office Cabaret in Provincetown, Massachusetts.


Post Office Café and Cabaret

The group - three zany characters loosely modeled after The Golden Girls archetypes - did medleys of pop music, sketch and improv.



Shawn learned how to be a drag performer while he lived in a moldy, dilapidated room in Provincetown. The comic constantly feared that the brown-stained clawfoot tub could come through the ceiling above his head and kill him in his sleep, but the room was free, so he didn't care.



*****

In 2013, Shawn hosted a ginger pride walk at Edinburgh Festival Fringe, to protest gingerism (prejudice against redheads).



Scotland's Edinburgh Festival Fringe is the world's largest art festival, with tens of thousands of performers, including 'jugglers, actors, singers, comedians, stilt walkers, buskers, university glee clubs, and Australians.'


Edinburgh Festival Fringe

Shawn writes, "Edinburgh can make your career, and the laureates associated with being a Fringe hit are what drive relatively unknown talents to empty their coffers to wrap their faces on city bus ads with nonsense star ratings and poll quotes from university student bloggers."


Advertising poster for Edinburgh Festival Fringe

Shawn's first appearance at the Fringe in 2011 was a flop, and he was determined to rectify the situation. Ergo the ginger parade, which started as a joke, and unexpectedly landed!






*****

Shawn's lesbian friends Rita and Theresa asked him to be the sperm donor for their baby, and Shawn vividly describes the process of making the baby.....and the aftermath. This includes collecting semen (multiple times), navigating problems, signing papers, sharing the news, and embracing the idea that a gay man could have a child.



*****

Shawn chooses actors to play the characters in a movie about his life. Some of these are:

Shawn Hitchens - Tilda Swinton



Shawn's father - Tom Selleck



Shawn's mother - Shelley Long



Theresa (the woman inseminated with Shawn's sperm) - Jennifer Garner



Shawn's boyfriend - Ryan Gosling



****

Shawn has many more stories in the book, and the comedian writes about his mother's thriftiness (she didn't like to spend money); his mother's struggle with MS (Shawn took her to Albany for an operation); Shawn's adult advice to his adolescent self; Shawn's adoration of Liza Minelli - a patron saint of lost homosexuals; Shawn hosting a 'Grease' movie event that went badly wrong; the difficulty of getting roles if you're an effeminate male with pink skin, orange hair, slight jaw, and high pitched voice; Shawn being an assistant to writer/director George Bloomfield - who treated him almost like a son; Shawn's hatred of sharing (no halvsies on dessert); Shawn's dismay at repeatedly being mistaken for a female (this is hilarious); Shawn's sneaky shenanigans with the cat Stevie, who Shawn shared with his boyfriend; Shawn and his partner having a conscious uncoupling like Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin; and more.

To end the book, Shawn writes, "To the friends, acquaintances, drag queens, relatives, and nemeses, or any combination of those five whose narratives have entangled with mine, thank you. "

I listened to the audiobook, narrated by the author, and highly recommended it to readers who enjoy celebrity memoirs.

Thanks to Netgalley, Shawn Hitchins, and ECW Press for a copy of the book.

Rating: 3.5 stars

Review of "The Word is Murder: A Novel of Suspense" by Anthony Horowitz

 

This book is structured like a 'Sherlock Holmes' story in which Dr. Watson accompanies Sherlock Holmes on an investigation, then chronicles the case.

In "The Word is Murder" Anthony Horowitz (ostensibly) accompanies detective Daniel Hawthorne on an investigation, then writes a book (this one) about the case.

*****

As the novel opens, wealthy middle-aged Londoner Diana Cowper goes to an undertaker to plan her funeral, so - when the time comes - it will go off exactly as she wants.....with her chosen hymns and music. The funeral will occur much sooner than expected, though, because Diana is strangled in her apartment a few hours later.



Diana's death, which is clearly a murder, draws extra attention for two reasons: a decade ago Diana's car hit twin eight-year-old boys, Jimmy and Jeremy Godwin, killing Jimmy and leaving Jeremy brain damaged.



In addition, Diana is the mother of the famous actor Damian Cowper - who's currently a big sensation in America.



The cops in London's Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) need Diana's case solved fast. So an MPS official prevails on a former police detective, Daniel Hawthorne - a brilliant sleuth who was fired for bad behavior - to 'consult' on the investigation. 



Hawthorne agrees, and - to make an extra buck - asks writer Anthony Horowitz to shadow his probe and pen a book, for which they'll share the profits 50:50. 


Anthony Horowitz

Horowitz, author of the 'Alex Rider' series for children and several mysteries for adults - as well as the creator of the TV series 'Foyle's War' and 'Midsomer Murders' - is reluctant to embark on a non-fiction tome, but agrees in the end.

Horowitz is immediately impressed with Hawthorne's ability to wrest information from almost imperceptible clues - just like Sherlock Holmes. 

However, the writer is put off by the gumshoe's personality, since Hawthorne is abrupt, rude, intolerant, and secretive. Moreover, Hawthorne never picks up the check for drinks, meals, train tickets, taxi fares, etc.....seriously draining Horowitz's wallet.

In any case, Horowitz accompanies Hawthorne as he runs around questioning people, including: the undertaker and his assistant - who were the last people to see Diana alive; Judith and Alan Godwin - who are still distraught about their dead/injured sons.....and think Diana got off too lightly; the judge who gave Diana a slap on the wrist; witnesses to the automobile accident ten years ago; Diana's actor son Damian - a conceited snob who abuses his girlfriend; and others.



Hawthorne constantly warns Horowitz to just shut up and take notes during interviews, but the author - who thinks of himself as more than just a tape recorder - throws in the occasional question anyway.....which seriously annoys the detective. In fact - unlike Watson and Holmes - Horowitz and Hawthorne have a very contentious relationship. At one point, Horowitz tries to skive off an interview because he has an important business meeting with legendary filmmakers Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson. Hawthorne blithely interrupts the conference and drags Horowitz off, much to the writer's chagrin.



In the end the crime is solved and Horowitz and Hawthorne warm up to each other a tad; in fact Hawthorne pays the writer a small compliment, to Horowitz's immense pleasure.

The story is structured like an intricate puzzle, and I didn't guess the murderer until the end. I enjoyed this well-written novel, and highly recommend it to fans of traditional murder mysteries. 👍

*****

FYI: In an interview with NPR, Anthony Horowitz said that inserting himself into the book as a character was an attempt to 'turn the murder mystery format upside down' and that he was very careful not to give himself the best lines, but to give them to Daniel Hawthorne instead. Horowitz also notes that his mysteries are an homage to Agatha Christie, but he has the advantage of being able to insert modern technology, like texts and emails. I've finished several of Horowitz's mysteries, and look forward to reading more.

Rating: 3.5 stars

Review of "Murder Under the Microscope: A Personal History of Homicide" by Jim Fraser

 

Forensic specialist Jim Fraser is the Research Professor in Forensic Science at the University of Strathclyde and a commissioner on the Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission. He has over four decades experience as an expert witness, case reviewer, consultant, policy adviser and researcher.


Professor Jim Fraser

During his career Professor Fraser worked on many murder cases, but only a few left a permanent impression. Cases embedded themselves in Fraser's memory for one of the following reasons: they involve serial killers, child victims, miscarriages of justice, poor investigations, or police misconduct - or they remain unresolved or contentious. In this book, Fraser shares memories of some of his most memorable cases.

- Robert Black was a Scottish serial killer and pedophile who was suspected of abducting and killing at least 11 children in the 1980s. In 1990, Black was convicted of killing 4 girls.


Robert Black

Black was a loner who spent much time on the road. His crimes were spread over six years and occurred across the UK, involving six police forces and two jurisdictions: Scotland and England. Each police force and forensic lab had its own procedures, and there were rivalries that impeded the search for the killer. Professor Fraser writes about the police investigations, the 200,000 people interviewed, the 60,000 statements taken, and the hundreds of items forensically examined.

Once Black was a serious suspect, Fraser and his colleagues were tasked with finding trace evidence from the victims on Black's possessions.....and hair or fibers from Black on the dead children's clothing. This search took YEARS, but nothing conclusive was found, and the trial had to proceed without trace evidence.


Example of trace evidence

Luckily there was enough circumstantial evidence - Black being seen near various crime scenes - to get him convicted.

*****

- The Yorkshire Ripper, Peter William Sutcliffe, was an English serial killer. In 1981, he was found guilty of murdering 13 women and attempting to murder seven others.


Peter William Sutcliffe

Professor Fraser observes that the Yorkshire Ripper case was one of the most notorious in UK police history because it was ineptly investigated. Sutcliffe was interviewed by the police NINE TIMES before he was arrested, his car was seen near crime scenes, and when he denied even having a vehicle, no one bothered to check.

Before Sutcliffe was identified as the killer, forensic researchers were asked to look for fibers from the murderer's clothing on the victims. However, this was a lost cause. Fraser points out that no one knew what the murderer was wearing, or what color or type of fibers were involved, or whether the Ripper wore the same clothes for each of the crimes. Thus the search was time-consuming, expensive, and futile.

In the end, the Yorkshire Ripper case spawned recommendations to improve police investigations.

*****

In 1996, Michael Stone attacked Lin Russell, and her daughters, 6-year-old Megan and 9-year-old Josie, with a hammer. Lin and Megan were killed, and Josie was badly injured but survived.


Michael Stone


Lin and Megan Russell

When the Russells' bodies were discovered on a country lane, Professor Fraser was called to the crime scene. He describes what he saw and thought. The police - wanting to DO SOMETHING - collected a good deal of material from around the bodies (a lot of it trash) for forensic analysis, but this yielded no evidence. Two months later local residents found a hammer in a hedge near the crime scene....a hedge allegedly searched by the cops.


Examination of the crime scene in the Russell Case

A year after the murders, a BBC Crimewatch program appealed for witnesses and information, and a psychiatrist said the e-fit (composite drawing) resembled a patient he'd treated called Michael Stone. Stone was arrested and charged with the murders of Lin and Megan Russell.

The prosecution case was largely circumstantial: Stone resembled the e-fit of a man seen near the murder scene; he had a history of violence; he was a drug user; he was familiar with the area where the crime was committed; a witness saw Stone with blood on his clothing; and after his arrest Stone told jail-mates he did it.

It took two trials, but Stone was eventually convicted. Fraser describes the investigation and Stone's trials in detail, and observes "Perhaps the most surprising aspect of the case, and the one that baffles many people, including me, was that no forensic evidence was found to incriminate Stone. Did someone miss evidence at the scene? Did I miss something at the scene? Was something lost in the lab? Or was there nothing to be lost?"

*****

- Stephen Downing: In 1974, at the age of 17, Stephen Downing was convicted of killing a woman named Wendy Sewell. Then in 2001, the Court of Appeal ordered Downing's release on bail pending appeal.


Stephen Downing

In September, 1973 Wendy Sewell was walking in a cemetery during her lunch break when she was attacked.


Wendy Sewell

Downing, who's described as having a low IQ, worked in the cemetery as a gardener. When questioned by the police, Downing - who was splattered with blood - confessed to the crime. Downing later revoked his confession, but was found guilty.

When Downing was released on bail 27 years later - because his confession was coerced and the blood spatter evidence was questionable - Professor Fraser was called to reappraise the case. The forensic expert was asked to carry out an extensive review, order any further testing that was required, and re-examine the bloodstains.

The police were disturbed because if Downing was innocent, their past judgments and actions might come under scrutiny, and individual and organizational reputations might be at stake.

Fraser discusses his review of the Sewell case, including his opinion about the sloppy police work. Because of investigative mistakes Downing was exonerated, but he may have been guilty.

*****

- Damilola Taylor: In 2000, 10-year-old Damilola Taylor was walking home from a London library when he received a gash to his thigh. The cut severed an artery and Damilola died within a couple of hours.


Damilola Taylor

Four youths were arrested and put on trial in 2002, but there were no convictions.

Afterwards, three new suspects - Rickey Preddie, Danny Preddie, and Hassan Jihad - were arrested, and a second trial was scheduled for 2006. Professor Fraser was asked to review the case before the new trial.


Rickey Preddie


Danny Preddie

Fraser describes the police investigations and the forensic work - especially fiber analysis - in detail. He concludes that problems with the Taylor case were due to sloppy work by the Metropolitan Police (Scotland Yard) and the cops' use of old entrenched practices rather than new modern ones.

Nevertheless, Ricky and Danny Preddie were convicted of murdering Damilola, and Hassan Jihad was found not guilty.

*****

Rachel Nickell was found dead on Wimbledon Common in 1992, with her two-year-old son trying to get her up.


Rachel Nickell

Rachel was partially undressed and had been stabbed 49 times. There was no forensic evidence and a profiler was brought in. The profiler speculated that the killer was single, between 20 and 30, lived close to the common, had poor social skills, had a deviant sexual fantasy life, used pornography, and suffered from a sexual dysfunction.

There were other assaults on women around that time, and police speculated they were committed by the same perp.

In August, 1992 the authorities released an e-fit compiled from descriptions given by women who were attacked. A caller said the picture resembled his neighbor Robert Napper.


Robert Napper

Napper was interviewed by the police and told to come to the station to provide a DNA sample. Napper didn't appear and the cops didn't follow up. Napper came under suspicion on at least two subsequent occasions, but wasn't arrested. In fact the police were concentrating on another suspect for the Nickell killing, who proved to be innocent.

When Samantha Bisset and her 4-year-old daughter were killed in 1993, a fingerprint at the crime scene pointed to Robert Napper. Napper was arrested and convicted of killing the Bissets, and eventually pleaded guilty to killing Rachel Nickell.


Samantha Bisset and her daughter

Professor Fraser devotes many chapters to the Nickell case, and once again talks about poor practices of the Metropolitan Police as well as contamination of evidence before/during forensic analysis.

*****

Gareth Williams, a GCHQ cryptologist, was found dead inside a large holdall in his London flat. Williams appeared to have suffocated, but decomposition made it impossible to determine the cause of death.


Gareth Williams was found dead in a red holdall

The holdall was padlocked on the outside, and the biggest problem with the case was determining if Williams locked himself in the holdall (which would have been VERY difficult) or whether someone else locked him in.

Williams' death was shocking for a number of reasons, including the fact that he failed to show up for two meetings and GCHQ (an intelligence agency that employs spies) took TWO WEEKS to follow up and find his body. Investigators found wigs and expensive women's clothing in Williams' apartment, and there were suggestions he was a cross-dresser and indulged in sex games.

Wig found in Williams flat

People associated with Williams were questioned, but GCHQ was EXTREMELY secretive and obstructive. A year into the investigation the case was still unresolved, in part because the security services interfered with/stymied police inquiries.

Professor Fraser and another expert were asked to review the case, and Fraser thoroughly describes the crime scene, the Coroner's inquest, Williams' history, and the police investigation. The intelligence agencies were more cooperative once the forensic specialists were on board, but the case was never resolved, and Fraser speculates about the reasons.

*****

In chapters about the above cases Fraser sometimes mentions other similar investigations, so the reader gets a broad overview of the UK justice system. One thing is clear: the quick and easy forensic work seen on TV shows like CSI: Crime Scene Investigation - which exposes the killer in a day or two - is far from realistic.


Forensic investigators on the TV show CSI: Crime Scene Investigation

At least CSI: Crime Scene Investigation has a whole lab full of investigators. TV shows like Bones, NCIS, and Lucifer each have one forensic expert who's a genius about everything. 😄

Forensic expert on the TV show Bones

Forensic Expert on the TV show NCIS

Forensic expert on the TV show Lucifer

I'd recommend the book to readers interested in true crime and forensics.

Rating: 4 stars