David Berkowitz Books

The prison Journals of David Berkowitz is excellent. It gives great insight into prison life and it tells about David's spiritual responsibility in the prison. David definitely shares his new heart in this book and I would recommend it highly for anyone of any age. Teenagers should read this book because David speaks about how many young people are coming to prison and given long sentences. He shares his desire to see people avoid crime so they will not go to prison.

Perhaps over the years people have wondered how genuine the conversion of David Berkowitz is. All they have to do is read his journal book, "Son of Hope." David has a wisdom and a sweet spirit that can only come from God!
I think people forget who the Apostle Paul was...a man who wrote a huge chunk of the New Testament, but was formerly a violent and unbelieving man...until he met Jesus. Berkowitz is a tribute to the saving and transforming power of God on a human life, no doubt about that.--Kathie FitzPatrick

This is the news story that the public needs to hear about the Son of Hope(no longer Son of Sam) . It is clear to see that he is the "real deal." Having repented of his sins and experienced forgiveness in Christ 20 years ago, he is now the prison pastor of the Christian Church in his prison. His writing of his prison experiences and life in general, is vibrant and articulate. I would highly recommend this journal.
DAN

David's writing is a ray of sunshine emanating from a place where very little gets in or out. David's love for his prison brothers and their families is shown throughout. Son of Hope will make you cry and fill you with sadness for lives which have been so damaged by sin! But, as David's life has been turned around by his acceptance of Jesus, he shows that the Love of Lord is there for everyone (Isaiah 1:18--"Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow"). David is a humble man who is living an extraordinary life (James 4:10--"Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up"). Thank you David for a work so filled with the Love of the Lord.

If you want to know what prison life is like, here is the book. But it's more than that; it is hope within the darkness behind the concrete walls and razor wire of prison--that it is possible to live a productive life, pleasing to God, while incarcerated. You may cry while reading this book, over the wasted lives of men who chose crime, but you may smile at the evidence of God's grace in the lives of other prisoners who have chosen the joy of following Jesus.

I'm in the process of learning the Precision system. This is an excellent presentation of the subject. The book is well layed out for learning the system. It appears that all the experts play the precision bidding system. There are a number of different Precision systems. This appears to take the best from all systems. From the beginnings to weak notrumps to the odds and ends this book has it all.

This book is a fine introduction to Precision Bidding. Lots of examples, nice layout, and a wise approach of a system that most players are afraid to touch.
Highly recommended.

This is a wonderful book for anyone who wants to learn Precision by one of the world's greatest experts. It is also very helpful for those who want to add advanced elements to their Precision partnership. The only problem with this book is the glue in the binding. It falls apart and large clumps of pages fall out after just a few times opening the book. This happened to another person who bought the book also. Do not open the book wide (as in making xerox copies of the chapter quizzes)or it will certainly fall apart.

David Berkowitz has done it again. Through the years, we have seen bits and pieces of his wit and humor in his regular Master Solver columns, but now the bridge world gets its first full-length dose. Of course, the bridge content itself is impeccable: clearly and thoroughly-explained, the complicated system of precision comes alive. But it is the lively tone and sense of fun with which Berkowitz approaches the game that makes this book a treasure.

Happy reading!

I've read sections of this book during the past 2.5 years at a library in northern Jersey. Dr. Abrahamsen's psychoanalytic dissection of Berkowitz is intriguing. I highly recommend this volume to anyone who has been following the Son of Sam story. Interestingly, there is no reference to the existence of an occult conspiratorial group in this book. In "The Ultimate Evil", this theory is postulated and the supporting evidence is outlined. As a result, I would advise the serious investigator of the Son of Sam story to read both books; one tome deals with the development of a psychopathic personality while the other deals with Berkowitz's involvement with an underground occult group exhibiting violent tendencies.

First off, I did not pay this outrageous price. I ordered one off of a rare-book site for eight bucks. I have another half to read, but I have been so engrossed. It is a must have for any true crime buff or student of psychology. It isn't the same narrative about David Berkowitz; rather; it tries to explain what caused him to become the famed serial killer that stalked New Yorkers in the late 70's. It explains the rough childhood, his learning he was adopted, the crushing blow of learning his true parents didn't want him and, without a doubt, the most fascinating part: STALKING. It is terrifying. He tells of other people he wounded in attempted murders, people who escaped being murderd, and the crimes that placed him behind bars. I strongly reccomend this book (I ALSO RECCOMEND THAT YOU TRY TO GET TIM CAHILL'S BURIED DREAMS, ABOUT GACY. IT IS JUST AS FASCINATING).

This is an excellent account of the Son of Sam murders. The author writes from the point of view of the detectives, victim and Berkowitz. The reader will feel at times as if they are part of the investigation. Very well written and factual account. Please don't believe the garbage in Maury Terrys' book. Berkowitz acted alone and was not part of a world wide cult. He was, in reality, just an anti-social, fat, loser who held a city in fear for a few months in the late 1970s.

Maybe you, dear reader, can remember 1977 and all the things that happenned. Perhaps, like some, you get all the info you need from books and film.

Let me say this and I'll leave you to your lattes and precious consumer goods: 1. If Berkowitz did not act alone, why the widely varying descriptions given of "the killer" ? 2. There was a fellow running from the park on one occaision, what of him?? The tall, thin guy, remember??

3. Berkowitz DID belong to an organization(a satanic cult no less) whose members started mysterously dying in the year after Sam was caught. 3 in all.

4. The charter arms .44 special that was used was part of a shipment stolen in 1976 (over 100 just like it). Does this explain the ever-so-subtle differences in ballistics between bullets the F.B.I. pointed out??

People, i won't bore you with forensics, but my last statement is the most important of all because while it does not exonerate Berkowitz, it raises the question of why more than one of the same gun??

These people are things that you and I will never see in the light of day. Killers who don't necessarily stick to one M.O. and call it quits or stop if they get caught. This is something thats been going on since the Manson days and possibly before, the major players move on when the heat comes down and pop up someplace else a few years later.

I highly recommend reading up on the Zodiac killer as well as Manson's "family", I think the similarities speak for themselves.

On that note, I will leave you all to your own devices to educate and enlighten yourselves. Adios!! :-) zipper

You want to learn the real NON-exploitative story of the Summer of 1977 and how David Berkowitz terrorized us here in NYC?

Then read this book: It's straightforward, painstakingly researched, fast-paced, and provides extremely sympathetic portraits of the police, the politicians, the victims, and even the killer himself.

As the True Crime genre goes, this book is up there with the best of them: Helter-Skelter and Fatal Vision.

My only quibble: I wanted to know more about the legal process after Sam's arrest...Mr Klausner is there an unedited version of the book?

NOTE TO CONSPIRACY THEORISTS: I tried reading the updated version of "The Ultimate Evil." After a terrific opening about the Arlis Perry murder and summarizing the earlier events of the "Sam" terror, the author goes into some far-out detail about the Stacey Moskowitz murder...the story lost me there it was so convoluted and complicated. I felt as if alternate events were "fitted" into the real time-frame to make the event more interesting.

This book gives you an incredible view into the mind of a killer. It also is very detailed in the description of the investigation. Many details of the case that the book includes have recently been proved false, but they were unknown when it was written.

Did David act alone? After hearing a number of different things about the Son of Sam crimes, I decided to do my own research. I read many articles and accounts of "what really happened", including this book.

Now, after all this research...I'm more confused than ever.

The author of 'Son of Sam' is obviously bent on the fact that David was, as the theory says, another "angry lone nut". I have a hard time believing this theory in any case, so of course I had a hard time believing it here.

Was David really part of a Satanic cult? (Namely the Process - Church of the Final Judgement, a name that, curiously, has come up in a few criminal investigations, including the Manson murders. Though generally described as "non-violent", a number of newspaper and internet articles have associated David Berkowitz and the Son of Sam murders with this cult.) If so, why doesn't Klausner mention this? Surely he seemed to focus on David's spirituality, but even in the exerpts from the diaries at the back of the book, I'm pretty sure I read something about a "church group". If it wasn't there, I'm sure I read comments David made in a number of other articles.

In defense of the book, David's psychosis definately suggests that he was capable of committing these crimes alone. He did know the specific details, and nothing directly implies that anyone else was involved.

Yes, David is given to exagerration, childish bragging and self-empowering lies. He reminds you of a confused child in a man's body. In other words, he's a paranoid schizophrenic. He has often blamed unseen forces, specifically demons and the devil, for his actions. He thought he was a victim of demonic possession, that he and the "Son of Sam" were different people. As anyone who has read the book will remember, David considered himself to be a "good" person. Could he have lied about the church group, consciously of unconsciously, to shift blame from himself? It's definately possible. But did he?

Also, was there new evidence, after the book written, that Klausner didn't know about? I've heard a bit about this, though I don't know the specifics.

After what I've read, I'm not sure what to believe, except that Berkowitz committed the actual crimes alone. However, all we get from that conclusion is that he deserves life imprisonment. (365 years, whatever.) It doesn't offer us any guidance as to the actual motive, which, in my opinion, is the most important part of any crime, so we can ensure that something this horrible wouldn't happen again. There are no reasons for crimes like this, just contributing factors. Like I said, I'm still confused.

As for the book itself, it's quite good, though at times it reminded me of a novel based on a movie, adding melodramatic little touches and outstanding, supposedly "shocking" statements. Recently having read Helter Skelter, I probably would have appreciated Klausner to include more facts and make this less "entertaining". Entertainment is good, but to see a story that carefully introduces characters, charts their progress with small yet memorable details, and ends in emotional payoff...well, that's why I go to the movies. The reason I read true crime is to know the little things: the details of the crimes, the investigation, lie detector tests, complete interviews... I greatly appreciated the pages from David's diary at the back, though I wonder about the author's intent on including it.

I realize that I'm the first person to give this book any less than five stars, but I'm not going to lie; that's simply how I feel about it.

Anyone with any comments about David Berkowitz, his involvement in this crime, any theories (however outlandish they may be, I keep an open mind)...any comments about my review, or anything related to this book can e-mail me at

guelph@canada.com

Thank you to anyone who actually read all of this. Lisa.

I was introduced to this book by Cleland Blake, MD, of Morristown, TN. Dr. Blake, who is a forensic pathologist, praises it highly. I found it useful in several cases in which its photographs enabled a jury to visualize injuries and to compare same with non-abusive pathologies, helping lead to acquittals. As the price of this little book on Amazon is high, you may prefer a new book about to be published this year by Elsevier. Giardino & Alexander Child Maltreatment, 3rd Edition: 2-Volume Set with CD-ROM 2005 @ $319.95.

By facing up to cruelness of the sexual ill-treatment by thi s book, it is thought that many abnormal psychology situatio ns and misery of the children who encountered the damage can be understood approach.

"Behind the Gold Curtain" is an interesting exposé of life below the stage of the Metropolitan Opera, and it's a shame the author died before he could finish it. David Berkowitz spent fifty years as a violist in the Met orchestra pit, and he had many more tales to tell, and at least one more conductor (James Levine) to critique. Unfortunately, he passed away from lymphoma in 1989.

From some of the flattering remarks he made about Levine, I believe Berkowitz was going to give the current conductor of the Metropolitan Opera a thumbs-up. However that was not chiseled in stone. The Met violist critiqued the technique and personality of many a conductor, both famous and obscure. Two of his favorites (both for their musicianship and for their professional treatment of the orchestra) were Leonard Bernstein and Dimitri Mitropoulos.

Although he despised Herbert Von Karajan's Nazi background, Berkowitz felt he was the best Wagnerian conductor he had ever worked under. He regretted that Von Karajan fell into a dispute with Rudolph Bing, the Met's General Manager, and left after directing only two out of the four operas in Wagner's Ring Cycle.

The members of the Metropolitan Opera orchestra would probably have picked Fritz Reiner as their least popular conductor. For many years, the musicians conspired to keep him out of the Met, for his reputation and rumors of his conducting style had filtered out of Pittsburg:

"I must explain too that Reiner often used a very short baton and if you sat at the rear of the orchestra, it looked like a toothpick, especially to the bass players who were strung out at the rear of the orchestra pit...There is a famous story about a bass player in the Pittsburg Symphony who came in to rehearsal with a telescope on a stand which he focused on Reiner's baton. Reiner stopped the rehearsal and said, `Young man, what are you doing?' The bassist answered, `Maestro, I brought the telescope to see your beat better.' Reiner was furious and dismissed him on the spot."

Reiner finally did spend several years at the Met, and Berkowitz judged him to be quite a gentleman---at least compared to his fellow-maestro, George Szell!

Anecdotes abound concerning the musicians who shared the orchestra pit with Berkowitz (oboists in particular seemed to him to be a very strange breed), and he also tells stories about the singers who trod (some more heavily than others) the stage above them.

"Behind the Gold Curtain" is most especially the autobiography of a fine musician who spent fifty years with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, and who struggled to keep his family fed and clothed through the Great Depression, the war years, and the inflationary years following the war. Berkowitz supplemented his Met income by selling insurance and playing at summer festivals. One of his pit-mates bet on horses.

Benefits accumulated very gradually until by the time Berkowitz retired, the Met musicians were finally earning salaries and benefits on par with other world-class orchestras. It was a long, hard struggle especially during the Bing years, and Berkowitz was proud of the part he played in obtaining a better living for himself and his fellow-musicians.

Speaking of struggles, the author also complains that there were no women in the Met's orchestra pit (except for a pair of harpists) until the Metropolitan Opera started to hold blind auditions. Once the aspiring musicians were concealed from the judges (the conductor and a committee of orchestra members) and had to be judged on the merit of their playing, "this was the beginning of the influx of female musicians [into the Met Orchestra]." He was especially proud of the fact that his own daughter, Phebe Berkowitz became the Metropolitan Opera's Executive Stage Director.

My only regret is that David Berkowitz didn't live long enough to complete his story about "a period particularly dear to his heart---the era of James Levine as Musical Director [of the Metropolitan Opera]."

This is a very interesting collection of poetry. All these poems were written by inmates in the Virginia prison system. As with any collection of poems, some are better than others but one thing they all have in common. Each of these poems comes straight from the heart.

As you read through these pieces you will feel the pain and the guilt these inmates live with every day but most of all you will feel the hope. It is hope that this collection is really all about. Hope for the present and the future but, mainly, hope for the soul.

Included in this collection is a short autobiographical piece by David Berkowitz, the Son Of Sam. The story of how he went from serial killer to servant of Christ is truly inspirational.

This book is not just for prison inmates. We have all felt, at one time or another, that we were in bondage. We have all felt trapped; by family and friends, by emotions, by circumstances beyond our control. For anyone who has ever felt walled in by life this book delivers a powerful message of hope and release.

With the Cisco certification craze in full swing, there are any number of study guides that purport to help one pass the CCIE written exam, the required first step to becoming a CCIE. Most take the approach of following the published exam blueprint, supplemented with excursions into the actual test, then tailoring the content around a best guess as to the actual exam contents.

Not so with the Certification Zone materials. Here a candidate will learn to master protocol behaviour, and to think through the implications of situations posed. One learns to read questions carefully, and to examine the answer choices with a critical eye. Trick questions? Only to those unwilling to take the extra step necessary to become expert.

The Certification Zone materials are not meant to be the only study aids for the CCIE candidate. They are designed to provide the finishing touches to the preparation required to pass this exam. As such, the materials are probably more difficult than the real thing. The questions can be frustrating to those who think they know enough just to get by.

Among the nice features of this CD format are the ability to choose from among several full blown simulated CCIE written exams, as well as the ability to focus on particular topics, such as LAN protocols, WAN protocols, bridging, or routing protocols.

There are plenty of other study materials available. But for those willing to accept the Certification Zone challenge to become a master of networking technology, this CD is a definite must and a valuable part of any preparation effort.

I used the Certification Zone CD extensively in the three weeks prior to my taking the written test, and I passed with miles to spare. I believe I had an edge because I accepted the Certification Zone challenge, and used the materials to help me hone my critical thinking - something quite valuable in a test as challenging as the CCIE written.

I should add that although I did not use the materials for the CCNA, this CD also contains an extensive set of test questions and practice tests for the CCNA exam as well. So an investment by those just starting their certification pursuits can serve candidates well at both the beginning and end of their certification pursuits.

All in all, I have to say that the Study Questions 2000 CD is most definitely a good addition to any Cisco certification candidate's toolkit.

There is only one way for anyone to crawl up inside the mind of another, and that MUST come from the horses mouth, so to speak, and that's all we've tried to do here. .. in his own words and thougts.
The book has not been written yet (!) that knows or understands the mind of David Berkowitz. Like all he does NOW is to project a new image that has respectable Ministries vying his attention> He is frighteing!!! aside from being a great actor. I have sixteen years of him in my mind, and don't know ow to get it out???

the poems written by david berkowitz in prison show a warmth and sensitivity that prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that david has had a deep change of heart. they could not have been written by that raving maniac who called himself "son of sam". Jesus said out of the heart the mouth speaks. the writer of these poems is a tender hearted, sensitive man. "son of sam" is dead.

I believe that Berkwoitz is really a born again christian. He may have been baptized before the killings but he was not born again. Being born again is something that happens in your heart. If he really was pretending im sure he would have taken parole but he said he deserves to be in jail for what he has done, isnt that proof enought that he he is sincere?

quote: berkowitz is so smart he can MAKE people believe what he wants them to believe

David Berkabum still doesn't understand WHY he SLAUGHTERED HIS VICTIMS.

You're saying this guy's reformed and yet he still doesn't know why he slaughered his victims. You're saying the space shuttle's safe to fly but you can't understand why the Columbia broke apart? Doesn't repentance involve taking the time to examine your conscience? Taking the time to understand why you made mistakes?

There are also many lies and inconsistances in his testimony.For example, did any of you born agains know that he was a born again christian long before he slaughtered? Yeah that's right, he was baptized in a baptist church in 1974. Attended church services regularly. Was an active member.

I hope not all born again christians consider this slaughter boy their hero...To do so is to advocate what he's done.

I wont buy your book! Are you floating in money now? He didnt fool anyone. The Christian grows over time. Good Try though. :)

The best account of another brutal chapter in urban Amerikan history.Carpozi captures the nagging nausea of fear which tugged at the entrails of the residents who found themselves potential prey in a predator's hunting ground. A must-have for any true-crime voyeur's library of dementia!

Bah! This is perhaps the worst book I have ever read in full. Written before David Berkowitz's trial, it is a cheap cash-in work that you must never read. I hope what I write here will make you sure of this.

For the first 240 pages you have an account of each crime, the letters received and a limited view of the police investigations. The shootings are detailed with the depth of a small town newspaper, only the basic facts are given. To great irritation each page is littered with author George Carpozi Jr's laughable remarks about how the police could've captured the killer here and there, or how this or that should have been done, or how this connection should have been made at this time, etc. The most amusing of these is where Carpozi says that the killer would have been identified sooner if the police had released their witness sketches quicker. It is widely aknowledged that the six sketches look absolutely nothing like Berkowitz or even like each other. Yet Carpozi, comparing the sketches to the captured Berkowitz, says, "Leonardo da Vinci would have been hard-pressed to come up with a more accurate likeness."

Another point of annoyance are in Carpozi's repeated snide remarks about Jimmy Breslin. When it comes time for Carpozi to tell us about a letter Berkowitz sent to Breslin, a reporter at the New York Daily News (a rival paper of the New York Post, where Carpozi worked at the time), we are treated to ten or fifteen pages about why Breslin is "the last person in the world the .44-caliber killer should have written." In the pages that follow we are told of Breslin working for two papers that folded early in his carreer, of how he was a "guy who hadn't given [New York City] a minute of service in his whole life" when he made an unsuccessful run for Council President and so on. All of this seems based on a personal dislike of Breslin, but Carpozi goes on to justify it as a "forewarning" to those considering buying Breslin's own book on Berkowitz, which at the time he was reported as receiving either $150,000 or $350,000 to write. Jealousy may have been a greater motivation for this ridiculous chapter and the many other cracks that feature from here on. At the end of Carpozi's book we are shown another letter from Berkowitz to Breslin, this one after his capture. In his letter, Berkowitz seems to be agreeing to participate in a book about his life, this is in reply to a request from Breslin. It can be imagined that Carpozi himself wrote Berkowitz a similar request but did not receive the same positive reply.

It is worth noting that while a Google search for Breslin returns various articles by and about him, and shows that he continues to work with notice (including a Pulitzer Prize), a search for Carpozi reveals only an obscure career.

The first section ends with Berkowitz's capture. After this there is "Book Two: Son of Sam's Own Story," 50 pages detailing the life of Berkowitz, with numerous reports from childhood friends, neighbours and teachers, as well as the girlfriend he had in his mid-teens. During his time in the Army, Berkowitz frequently wrote home to her. The letters she kept and later sold. Many of them are re-printed here. This section of the book is readable and almost without Carpozi's irritating injections. What follows, "Book Three: After The Fact," a brief (30-page) detail of Berkowitz's confession and stay in hospital as he was being evaluated for trial, is similarly interesting.

Near the center of the book there can be found 16 pages of black and white photos. None are of note.

I cannot say enough bad things about this book. Reading it was often infuriating, similar to reading the worst of the tabloids. You will drop your head into the book many times because you wont be able to carry on. You must trust me and not pay the $9.95 and upwards the Amazon Marketplace store are currently asking.

Anyone that has picked up a newspaper in the last 10 years can see through the massive misinformation, and half truths in this book. Written almost immediately after Berkowitz's arrest this book does nothing but spout out the fabricated tale that Berkowitz told to keep the truth covered up.

If you want to get a feel for the 'real' Son of Sam reign of terror pick up a copy of Maury Terry's Ultimate Evil.