Sunday, April 14, 2013

umm...someone probably should have been concerned

When I was about 13, I read a book that would forever change my life.  And make me a little weird, probably.  

Whoever Fights Monsters: My Twenty Years Tracking Serial Killers for the FBI. WHAT?!  Why wasn't my mother monitoring my reading??

It's written by the guy who created the term "serial killer" and it discusses his career in the FBI and some of the techniques they use to profile criminals.  It also had several stories of different killers.  

I read it, loved it, and decided that I wanted to be a criminal profiler for the FBI.  That is roughly when I became "obsessed" with serial killers.  I'm using the term "obsessed" in the broadest sense of the word.  I think somewhat-healthy curiosity, is a better term.  I mean, c'mon, I was a thirteen year old girl.  A thirteen year old from a rural town.  Who lived in the middle of nowhere.  Where lots of animals could have gone missing.  

Just realized that that sounded like I was off killing animals and no one was the wiser.  Not that case.  But I'm sayin' that I could have.  

So as an adult, a very mentally healthy adult, I wonder why my parents weren't more concerned. I asked my mom about it this weekend.  She said that I seemed to be more interested in the forensic aspect and the "why," so it didn't seem to be a problem.  And I guess she's right, that book is what made me want to get into psych.  And my dream job would still be in the Behavioral Science Unit at the FBI. And I've always been drawn to the morbid side of things.  But weren't they just a little concerned that I was weird.   

Anyways, that's a long preface to the reason for this post.  There are so many shows on TV about serials right now.  And it's awesome!!  Hannibal, The Following, Bates Motel.  Anyone watching any of these?

1 comment:

amy b.s. said...

i totally went through a phase in college where i was obsessed with reading about serial killers. and i still find it completely fascinating.