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Dear Dawn: Aileen Wuornos in Her Own Words
The chilling autobiography of Aileen Wuornos, the notorious female serial killer who was the subject of an Investigation Discovery special and the Oscar-winning film starring Charlize Theron, Monster
Between 1989 and 1990, Aileen Wuornos, a hitchhiking prostitute, shot, killed, and robbed seven men in remote Florida locations. Arrested in 1991, she was condemned to death on six separate counts and executed by lethal injection in 2002.
An abused runaway who turned to prostitution to survive, Wuornos has become iconic of vengeful women who lash out at the nearest target. She has also become a touchstone for women’s, prostitutes’, and prisoners’ rights advocates. Her story has inspired myriad books and articles, as well as the 2003 movie Monster , for which Charlize Theron won an Academy Award. But until now, Wuornos’s uncensored voice has never been heard.
Dear Dawn is Wuornos’s autobiography, culled from her ten-year death row correspondence with beloved childhood friend Dawn Botkins. Authorized for publication by Wuornos and edited under the guidance of Botkins, the letters not only offer Wuornos’s riveting reflections on the murders, legal battles, and media coverage, but go further, revealing her fears and obsessions, her rich humor and empathy, and her gradual disintegration as her execution approached. A candid life story told to a trusted friend, Dear Dawn is a compelling narrative, unwaveringly true to its source.
“It is both empowering and heartbreaking, because Wuornos represents the fury of a wronged girl-gone-wild, whose rage was unleashed on men.” — The Rumpus
Between 1989 and 1990, Aileen Wuornos, a hitchhiking prostitute, shot, killed, and robbed seven men in remote Florida locations. Arrested in 1991, she was condemned to death on six separate counts and executed by lethal injection in 2002.
An abused runaway who turned to prostitution to survive, Wuornos has become iconic of vengeful women who lash out at the nearest target. She has also become a touchstone for women’s, prostitutes’, and prisoners’ rights advocates. Her story has inspired myriad books and articles, as well as the 2003 movie Monster , for which Charlize Theron won an Academy Award. But until now, Wuornos’s uncensored voice has never been heard.
Dear Dawn is Wuornos’s autobiography, culled from her ten-year death row correspondence with beloved childhood friend Dawn Botkins. Authorized for publication by Wuornos and edited under the guidance of Botkins, the letters not only offer Wuornos’s riveting reflections on the murders, legal battles, and media coverage, but go further, revealing her fears and obsessions, her rich humor and empathy, and her gradual disintegration as her execution approached. A candid life story told to a trusted friend, Dear Dawn is a compelling narrative, unwaveringly true to its source.
“It is both empowering and heartbreaking, because Wuornos represents the fury of a wronged girl-gone-wild, whose rage was unleashed on men.” — The Rumpus
368 pages, Paperback
First published January 10, 2011
About the author
Aileen Wuornos
9 books20 followersFormer prostitute turned serial killer. She killed 7 men while working as a prostitute. She claimed that they tried to rape her.
She was convicted and sentenced to death for six of the murders, and executed via lethal injection on October 9, 2002.
She was convicted and sentenced to death for six of the murders, and executed via lethal injection on October 9, 2002.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 53 reviews
September 17, 2019
I don't believe Aileen Wuornos is a "serial killer". I think she's an under-educated, gritty, tough woman, who learned how to survive some shitty circumstances; but as she said herself: she didn't stalk her victims, she didn't premeditate the killings or actively want "to kill someone", and she didn't enjoy doing it, either.
My belief is that the first killing was self-defense, and after that, it was PTSD. She had to keep hooking to survive, and when each John started to treat her like shit and get rough, she'd get triggered with panic. I've seen first hand that many men routinely treat women bad in the "normal world", and I have zero difficulty believing that a woman someone is paying for sex wouldn't be treated worse.
Did she do these crimes? Yes. But they weren't motivated by the blood-thirsty desire to kill.
Should she be punished for these crimes? Yes. But not with the death penalty. It's a shame she actually wanted to die verses spending her life in prison.
My belief is that the first killing was self-defense, and after that, it was PTSD. She had to keep hooking to survive, and when each John started to treat her like shit and get rough, she'd get triggered with panic. I've seen first hand that many men routinely treat women bad in the "normal world", and I have zero difficulty believing that a woman someone is paying for sex wouldn't be treated worse.
Did she do these crimes? Yes. But they weren't motivated by the blood-thirsty desire to kill.
Should she be punished for these crimes? Yes. But not with the death penalty. It's a shame she actually wanted to die verses spending her life in prison.
May 21, 2013
I can say with no uncertainty that this book is not what I expected. Aileen Wuornos never discusses the actual murders, but instead comes across as..dare I say it..almost likeable. DON'T misunderstand. Her crimes were horrible, but these letters when she's not doing interviews and just conversing with a friend are just amazing to read. She had some obvious psychological problems, but she never really had a chance in life. This certainly does not excuse in any way the crimes she committed, but these personal letters give incredible insight into the way her mind worked!!
Shelved as 'gave-up'
June 30, 2020DNFed at 40 pages.
I’ve been struggling with this one for a month and find I have little desire to pick it up so I’m giving up. The idea of this is interesting, but the letters tend to get tedious. They do give more insight on Aileen Wurnos as a person and while I don’t know as much as I should about her yet, I couldn’t help but feel bad for the crappy life she had.
It’s interesting how much she wanted these letters to benefit her friend, Dawn, though. So many serial killers tend to be narcissists but I don’t see that being the case with her. Since the letters so far have been so similar, I feel like they could have been somewhat condensed or highlighted.
The grammar and writing didn’t bother me at first but got a bit tiring after a while. I also didn’t quite understand what was going on during some of them and reading the footnotes digitally was too much of a pain to keep referring to. Interesting idea, but not for me.
I’ve been struggling with this one for a month and find I have little desire to pick it up so I’m giving up. The idea of this is interesting, but the letters tend to get tedious. They do give more insight on Aileen Wurnos as a person and while I don’t know as much as I should about her yet, I couldn’t help but feel bad for the crappy life she had.
It’s interesting how much she wanted these letters to benefit her friend, Dawn, though. So many serial killers tend to be narcissists but I don’t see that being the case with her. Since the letters so far have been so similar, I feel like they could have been somewhat condensed or highlighted.
The grammar and writing didn’t bother me at first but got a bit tiring after a while. I also didn’t quite understand what was going on during some of them and reading the footnotes digitally was too much of a pain to keep referring to. Interesting idea, but not for me.
July 17, 2012
I picked up "Dear Dawn: Aileen Wuornos In Her Own Words" Edited by Daphne Gottlieb and Lisa Kester at a poetry show I hosted with Daphne Gottlieb as the feature. I had no idea she was editing this book and it was a total surprise. I bought it on the spot and it has proven to be one of the most amazing reads I have taken on in years.
I cannot say enough good things about this book! I followed Aileen's case and have watched every piece of media I could get my hands on regarding it and this book is BLOWING MY MIND! It is truly an amazing exercise to read through this book and hear Aileen in her own written word writing to a friend from her childhood. I had seen the stacks and stacks of material Dawn had collected from correspondence with Aileen over the years in documentaries. I cannot stress enough how harrowing the task would have been to cull through the sheer vast amount of material to put this book together and Daphne and Lisa make these missives jump off the page in a larger than life way. The body of work remains cohesive and retains a narrative the reader can follow even with all the twists and turns in Aileen's case and her mental state through the years the book encompasses.
Even if you don't know anything about Aileen Wuornos and her case, this book is a treasure trove of information that reads quickly and is thoroughly fascinating! But don't take my word for it! Buy this book, read it, and then tell everyone you know about it!! Reading it is like chasing a cat whose tail is on fire down a paranoid rabbit hole. Superbly edited and well annotated! Trust me, you will not be able to put this book down once you crack the spine for the first time. Thank you Daphne and Lisa for giving Aileen a chance to tell her story through Dawn's collection of letters. Her voice is ringing loud and clear, the contents finally surfacing to gain some semblance of shape and form in the light.
I cannot say enough good things about this book! I followed Aileen's case and have watched every piece of media I could get my hands on regarding it and this book is BLOWING MY MIND! It is truly an amazing exercise to read through this book and hear Aileen in her own written word writing to a friend from her childhood. I had seen the stacks and stacks of material Dawn had collected from correspondence with Aileen over the years in documentaries. I cannot stress enough how harrowing the task would have been to cull through the sheer vast amount of material to put this book together and Daphne and Lisa make these missives jump off the page in a larger than life way. The body of work remains cohesive and retains a narrative the reader can follow even with all the twists and turns in Aileen's case and her mental state through the years the book encompasses.
Even if you don't know anything about Aileen Wuornos and her case, this book is a treasure trove of information that reads quickly and is thoroughly fascinating! But don't take my word for it! Buy this book, read it, and then tell everyone you know about it!! Reading it is like chasing a cat whose tail is on fire down a paranoid rabbit hole. Superbly edited and well annotated! Trust me, you will not be able to put this book down once you crack the spine for the first time. Thank you Daphne and Lisa for giving Aileen a chance to tell her story through Dawn's collection of letters. Her voice is ringing loud and clear, the contents finally surfacing to gain some semblance of shape and form in the light.
January 9, 2018
This book was challenging at its best because it's raw and real in the way that's sometimes hard to see/read.
The syntax in and of itself is not easy to get through but the very neurotic nature psychological issues deeply imbedded in each page forces you to see multiple sides of this story that even the writer may not been aware of.
Read each letter with an open mind me heart
The syntax in and of itself is not easy to get through but the very neurotic nature psychological issues deeply imbedded in each page forces you to see multiple sides of this story that even the writer may not been aware of.
Read each letter with an open mind me heart
April 13, 2023
I'm honestly between 4 and 5 stars...
I found this one to be a unique and interesting look into the mind of Aileen Wuornos. I have always found her fascinating and reading an entire book of almost all of her own words provided a perspective I haven't seen before.
Aileen was a complicated individual and her letters were often all over the place, much like Aileen herself. In the letters, Aileen was funny, self-deprecating, loving, mean, unhinged, angry, thoughtful, kind, paranoid, racist, in denial...many other descriptors could be used to describe her in these letters, all made for an interesting read, that's for sure. I think this will be one that sticks with me for a long time.
My one critique of the book is that it could have been shorter. Many of the theories Aileen wrote were expressed repeatedly and more of that could have been removed. I think it would have been better to have more of her final letters in and maybe some information on whether or not Dawn attended the execution and her thoughts on it. I think around 250 pages would have been the sweet spot here.
While Aileen's crimes were heinous (though I believe Richard Mallory was a self-defense killing), I'm always left wondering what her life could have been had her start been different, had someone really loved her and had she allowed them to do so, would she and her victims all still be alive? We'll never know...But since we're here for a book review, if you find Aileen Wuornos interesting, or want to know a little more about her, from her own words, I would recommend this book. There is next to no detail about her crimes so if that is the information you seek, steer clear.
I found this one to be a unique and interesting look into the mind of Aileen Wuornos. I have always found her fascinating and reading an entire book of almost all of her own words provided a perspective I haven't seen before.
Aileen was a complicated individual and her letters were often all over the place, much like Aileen herself. In the letters, Aileen was funny, self-deprecating, loving, mean, unhinged, angry, thoughtful, kind, paranoid, racist, in denial...many other descriptors could be used to describe her in these letters, all made for an interesting read, that's for sure. I think this will be one that sticks with me for a long time.
My one critique of the book is that it could have been shorter. Many of the theories Aileen wrote were expressed repeatedly and more of that could have been removed. I think it would have been better to have more of her final letters in and maybe some information on whether or not Dawn attended the execution and her thoughts on it. I think around 250 pages would have been the sweet spot here.
While Aileen's crimes were heinous (though I believe Richard Mallory was a self-defense killing), I'm always left wondering what her life could have been had her start been different, had someone really loved her and had she allowed them to do so, would she and her victims all still be alive? We'll never know...But since we're here for a book review, if you find Aileen Wuornos interesting, or want to know a little more about her, from her own words, I would recommend this book. There is next to no detail about her crimes so if that is the information you seek, steer clear.
July 22, 2018
I was very interested to read her story, but the letters are left intact as Aileen wrote them which honestly made it difficult to follow. Ramblings full of misspellings and foot notes places at the end of the book explaining what the heck she was talking about (not good if you are reading a digital copy). Dawn explains she left the letters unedited for grammar and misspellings because she wanted Aileen’s voice to shine through, but I think this could have been done by including a few examples of the letters, but making the rest a bit more coherent. As for the story, there really isn’t one. A couple of the anecdotes were interesting, but other than that, it’s just a mess that was hard to get through. I think that Dawn and the “editors” made a mistake publishing it the way they did (unedited).
Read
June 21, 2018Sad book.
September 3, 2020
Reading this book was not easy. To be completely honest, at times it felt like a slog. In Wuornos’s correspondence with her childhood friend, Dawn Botkins, she meditates, obsessively, about plots and wrongs, real or imagined, committed against her by prison personnel, the police who investigated and arrested her (who she felt profited from her story), and various people, lawyers and non-lawyers, who tried to work with or help her. Various people are judged negatively and dismissed, only to be later reinstated into Wuornos’s roster of supporters. Over and over and over. The only people toward whom Wuornos never wavers in her loyalty are her friend, Dawn, and her previous partner, Tyria Moore, who worked with police to get Wuornos to confess in order to spare Ty from accessory charges.
Understand that I fully appreciate that Wuornos murdered seven men and that she is not always a reliable subject, despite her attempts to be utterly honest. Her inability to write to her friend about her crimes is interesting. She makes up various excuses, but I think that ultimately, it is simply too painful for her to look closely at the things she did while drunk and desperate, probably psychotic (alcohol-induced?) and possibly in the throws of PTSD.
Certain men beat, rape, abuse, and/or kill women with startling frequency. But women, even women like Wuornos who was gang-raped and attacked repeatedly in her many years working as a prostitute on America’s highways, generally do not murder men. That’s what made Wuornos’s case singular. A female serial killer! She was sentenced to death for each and every one of her crimes, which is not all that common in cases involving male serial killers. Society must have its satisfaction; women must be put in their place.
Ultimately, I think this book was a very tragic love story. It appears that Wuornos had been exploited and demeaned for many years. The few occasions when people she met went out of their way to show her kindness are discussed in the book — those are the experiences that were most salient in her memory, probably because they were so rare. So here is this woman who has been treated like a sex toy by hundreds or thousands of men, who only once or twice connected with men in a positive way (an early boyfriend who betrayed her and her brief, very unsuccessful marriage). Sent to jail she has her first lesbian experience and falls for a woman who deserts her. Next, she meets Tyria, and I suspect that their relationship was an earthshaking event for Wuornos. Here was an intimate relationship that was *not* transactional. Here was love that was genuine and sincere. Wuornos, historically, tried to buy people’s love and regard by spending the money she made hooking. She quickly decided that the only way to hang onto Tyria was for her to bring home significantly more money than she could have made on the road at that time of that year. They faced a number of housing problems (being thrown out for being a lesbian couple, for example) that forced them into a motel that charged about four times what they could afford. I think that Wuornos was driven by desperation. Did the first man she killed rape her? While she later denied it, it seems likely that he did. This was not her first rape, or her tenth or maybe her hundredth. But Wuornos, whose ego had perhaps gone from fairly non-existent to perhaps a bit more thanks to her relationship with Tyria, reacted differently than she had previously. She may have been in dread fear of losing her life, or perhaps not. Either way, she shot the man, and stole his money, valuables, and car.
She emerged from this experience feeling both appalled and excited. Later, back on the road, she seemed to see rapists everywhere, and she felt justified in a way in murdering and robbing these men.
While Wuornos is explicit about accepting responsibility for each and all of her crimes, it seemed as though she saw her execution (preferring death by injection, in part, because she’d be laid out on the table in a ”Christ-like” position) in quasi-messianic terms. Choosing death was her only way of gaining some measure of control over her life. It was a sad end to an extremely sad life, but she loved Ty and did not blame her for anything, right to the end.
Understand that I fully appreciate that Wuornos murdered seven men and that she is not always a reliable subject, despite her attempts to be utterly honest. Her inability to write to her friend about her crimes is interesting. She makes up various excuses, but I think that ultimately, it is simply too painful for her to look closely at the things she did while drunk and desperate, probably psychotic (alcohol-induced?) and possibly in the throws of PTSD.
Certain men beat, rape, abuse, and/or kill women with startling frequency. But women, even women like Wuornos who was gang-raped and attacked repeatedly in her many years working as a prostitute on America’s highways, generally do not murder men. That’s what made Wuornos’s case singular. A female serial killer! She was sentenced to death for each and every one of her crimes, which is not all that common in cases involving male serial killers. Society must have its satisfaction; women must be put in their place.
Ultimately, I think this book was a very tragic love story. It appears that Wuornos had been exploited and demeaned for many years. The few occasions when people she met went out of their way to show her kindness are discussed in the book — those are the experiences that were most salient in her memory, probably because they were so rare. So here is this woman who has been treated like a sex toy by hundreds or thousands of men, who only once or twice connected with men in a positive way (an early boyfriend who betrayed her and her brief, very unsuccessful marriage). Sent to jail she has her first lesbian experience and falls for a woman who deserts her. Next, she meets Tyria, and I suspect that their relationship was an earthshaking event for Wuornos. Here was an intimate relationship that was *not* transactional. Here was love that was genuine and sincere. Wuornos, historically, tried to buy people’s love and regard by spending the money she made hooking. She quickly decided that the only way to hang onto Tyria was for her to bring home significantly more money than she could have made on the road at that time of that year. They faced a number of housing problems (being thrown out for being a lesbian couple, for example) that forced them into a motel that charged about four times what they could afford. I think that Wuornos was driven by desperation. Did the first man she killed rape her? While she later denied it, it seems likely that he did. This was not her first rape, or her tenth or maybe her hundredth. But Wuornos, whose ego had perhaps gone from fairly non-existent to perhaps a bit more thanks to her relationship with Tyria, reacted differently than she had previously. She may have been in dread fear of losing her life, or perhaps not. Either way, she shot the man, and stole his money, valuables, and car.
She emerged from this experience feeling both appalled and excited. Later, back on the road, she seemed to see rapists everywhere, and she felt justified in a way in murdering and robbing these men.
While Wuornos is explicit about accepting responsibility for each and all of her crimes, it seemed as though she saw her execution (preferring death by injection, in part, because she’d be laid out on the table in a ”Christ-like” position) in quasi-messianic terms. Choosing death was her only way of gaining some measure of control over her life. It was a sad end to an extremely sad life, but she loved Ty and did not blame her for anything, right to the end.
March 3, 2021
If you are at all interested in true crime this is a must read.
April 1, 2022
First a review in English, then in German
This is the second time I've read “Dear Dawn”, and I was as intrigued as the first time I read it. The book covers 12 years of correspondence between Aileen Wuornos and her best friend Dawn Botkins.
The reader learns some details about Aileen's 7 murders, but also about her childhood and youth. There are many passages where she talks about her life in prison, on death row, what she thinks, what she feels. It's all her own words, her letters to her best friend. And that's what makes the book so special for me. Clear recommendation.
Nun habe ich „Dear Dawn“ zum zweiten Mal gelesen, und es hat mich wie beim ersten Mal lesen fasziniert. Das Buch beinhaltet 12 Jahre Korrespondenz über Briefe zwischen Aileen Wuornos und ihrer besten Freundin Dawn Botkins.
Der Leser erfährt einige Details über Aileens 7 Morde, aber auch von ihrer Kindheit und Jugend. Es gibt viele Passagen, in denen sie von ihrem Leben im Gefängnis, in der death row erzählt, was sie denkt, was sie fühlt. Es sind alles ihre eigenen Worte, ihre Briefe an ihre beste Freundin. Und das macht das Buch für mich so besonders. Klare Empfehlung.
This is the second time I've read “Dear Dawn”, and I was as intrigued as the first time I read it. The book covers 12 years of correspondence between Aileen Wuornos and her best friend Dawn Botkins.
The reader learns some details about Aileen's 7 murders, but also about her childhood and youth. There are many passages where she talks about her life in prison, on death row, what she thinks, what she feels. It's all her own words, her letters to her best friend. And that's what makes the book so special for me. Clear recommendation.
Nun habe ich „Dear Dawn“ zum zweiten Mal gelesen, und es hat mich wie beim ersten Mal lesen fasziniert. Das Buch beinhaltet 12 Jahre Korrespondenz über Briefe zwischen Aileen Wuornos und ihrer besten Freundin Dawn Botkins.
Der Leser erfährt einige Details über Aileens 7 Morde, aber auch von ihrer Kindheit und Jugend. Es gibt viele Passagen, in denen sie von ihrem Leben im Gefängnis, in der death row erzählt, was sie denkt, was sie fühlt. Es sind alles ihre eigenen Worte, ihre Briefe an ihre beste Freundin. Und das macht das Buch für mich so besonders. Klare Empfehlung.
December 30, 2012
If you can read past the mispelled words, grammatical errors and not being able to use dictionary for help. Then you will see two Aileen's. One full of youth and innocence, the other a paranoid deranged killer. I understand that hooking for all those years, took a huge toll on not only her body but also her mind. That as a hitchhiking hooker, she was probably raped several times but I also think she hugely overestimated that number greatly. As for her grandfather, whom she called dad, I am not sure weither or not his attitude and behavior toward her, affected how she turned out.
November 3, 2019
Wow, yet not surprised
I've seen both documentaries, I saw the movie Monster, but nothing prepares you from hearing from Lee, herself, what she endured growing up. And yet, she explains it as though, oh well, it happened. That young woman had absolutely no help in life, it's not surprising it ended in killing and her own death.
Dawn was a true friend to her; Dawn truly helped her, otherwise, w\o her, Lee would have been entirely alone on death row.
I've seen both documentaries, I saw the movie Monster, but nothing prepares you from hearing from Lee, herself, what she endured growing up. And yet, she explains it as though, oh well, it happened. That young woman had absolutely no help in life, it's not surprising it ended in killing and her own death.
Dawn was a true friend to her; Dawn truly helped her, otherwise, w\o her, Lee would have been entirely alone on death row.
February 12, 2018
Amazing book
Different than any book I’ve read. Reading AW’s letters & her lifetime of suffering brought a new understanding to her story. Society let this woman down from birth to death. The book is made even more real by not editing the spelling errors (which weren’t too much). Amazing research for my book.
Different than any book I’ve read. Reading AW’s letters & her lifetime of suffering brought a new understanding to her story. Society let this woman down from birth to death. The book is made even more real by not editing the spelling errors (which weren’t too much). Amazing research for my book.
February 25, 2021
A very interesting read for anyone who followed Aileen’s story or was taken with Broomfield’s documentaries over the movie releases
It’s a slow read and gets very repetitive at times which is not surprising for a collection of letters but reading Aileen’s account, experiences, and day to day life in prison in her own words is deeply emotional. It is a shame that so much of the letters had to be removed, it’s understandable because of the amount sent, but it makes you wonder about what was removed for the book and if it would make a difference to how the reader would have perceived Aileen and her situation, and this is the reason I couldn’t give the book 5 stars.
You get to see her aggression, the things in her past that stuck with her, and her constant fight against the world, people, and the system.
We get to read about a woman who has clear passion, a woman who is playful and cares about her friends and most importantly a woman who needed help long before the murders ever took place, as well as a woman who finds it hard to trust anyone. Never knowing if she is slipping into paranoia or if people really are working against her.
Obviously this is not an uplifting read, and Aileen is a problematic person to read because some of her views are bigoted, and her opinion and account of things that happened change so quickly, it is hard to know what the truth is. Although it has often be argued that even she didn’t know the ‘truth’ of the situations herself because of her mental health
It is a read I would recommend though because it definitely brings up issues about the lack of mental health services for those who need them, as well as the amount of time and the lifestyle death row inmates receive. As well as adding another crucial piece in the argument of whether she was a A violent serial killer or a broken woman defending herself
It’s a slow read and gets very repetitive at times which is not surprising for a collection of letters but reading Aileen’s account, experiences, and day to day life in prison in her own words is deeply emotional. It is a shame that so much of the letters had to be removed, it’s understandable because of the amount sent, but it makes you wonder about what was removed for the book and if it would make a difference to how the reader would have perceived Aileen and her situation, and this is the reason I couldn’t give the book 5 stars.
You get to see her aggression, the things in her past that stuck with her, and her constant fight against the world, people, and the system.
We get to read about a woman who has clear passion, a woman who is playful and cares about her friends and most importantly a woman who needed help long before the murders ever took place, as well as a woman who finds it hard to trust anyone. Never knowing if she is slipping into paranoia or if people really are working against her.
Obviously this is not an uplifting read, and Aileen is a problematic person to read because some of her views are bigoted, and her opinion and account of things that happened change so quickly, it is hard to know what the truth is. Although it has often be argued that even she didn’t know the ‘truth’ of the situations herself because of her mental health
It is a read I would recommend though because it definitely brings up issues about the lack of mental health services for those who need them, as well as the amount of time and the lifestyle death row inmates receive. As well as adding another crucial piece in the argument of whether she was a A violent serial killer or a broken woman defending herself
June 27, 2021
And now for something completely different; a female serial killer dispatching with customers, rather than the every day occurrence of hookers being offed by their johns. This book is a compilation of letters written by Aileen Wournos to her best friend Dawn over the course of eleven years on death row in Starke, Florida. The letters are non-linear and the ramblings are often just stream of conciousness thoughts. At fifteen, Aileen was working at a motel for 75 cents an hour and was offered $50 for sex with a guest. The easy money started her twenty plus year career of “hooken.” The tales of rape by unpaying customers is endless as the girl hitched from Michigan to California and finally Florida where she would meet her maker. The letters are sometimes funny and the best one is when teen Aileen was hitching a ride in Florida and was picked up by the lead singer of Foghat, Lonesome Dave. After being taken to the band's Juno mansion, the girl describes her lover as “so tiny that I couldn't find it.” According to Wikipedia, Wee Willy Dave bought the farm on February 7, 2000. I saw Foghat with Johnny Winter at MSG on New Year's Eve 1973. The letters continue with more abuse at the hands of clients who were sometimes “rolled” when our heroine was short of cash. The conviction for seven murders was a conspiracy by the police who were “Satan's agents.” At times, Aileen claims self defense and at other points she says that she was going for twelve kills and was caught five short of her goal. Scattered throughout are musings on the Bible and the Rapture. Jesus gonna be here real soon. The state of Florida sent Wourno's to her Savior via lethal injection in 2002. At least she outlived the rock and roll singer by a couple of years. The book is not well put together and so I cannot recommend it to my fellow true crime readers.
June 1, 2017
This was so fascinating. I'm not really one of those people who studies serial killers, but I do find them interesting to learn about--especially Aileen Wuornos. Like many of them, if she had been given a fairer chance starting out in her life, perhaps her legacy would have been a more constructive one. This book covers 11 years of Aileen's life in prison for the murder of six men (technically seven, but one of the bodies remains undiscovered). It covers all the tediousness and minutia of prison life, but often Aileen reminisces on her life and tells childhood stories. This was the reason I read the book. I wanted to hear her life experience. Who did she care about? What did she care about? What did she like? What did she dislike? Before long my questions got more specific. Why did she have such disdain for people of color? Why did she have such a hard time accepting her own homosexuality when she made frequent references to it in her letters? Why does she deny being abused as a child, when she was a frequent runaway from her home?
Before anyone asks, no, of course I don't applaud her actions. She was a murderer; she confessed herself that all seven men were killed in the first degree. But I cannot write her off because of this. I honestly feel sorry for her; in some ways I kind of like her as a person. Her life experience and character is fascinating to me, and I would recommend this book to anyone who shares my view.
Before anyone asks, no, of course I don't applaud her actions. She was a murderer; she confessed herself that all seven men were killed in the first degree. But I cannot write her off because of this. I honestly feel sorry for her; in some ways I kind of like her as a person. Her life experience and character is fascinating to me, and I would recommend this book to anyone who shares my view.
October 31, 2019
Fascinating. Slightly too long and repetitive but an amazing insight into Wuornos' mind and worldview. At times she comes across as the helpless victim of a brutal childhood and at others like a deranged psychopath - the truth probably lies somewhere in between. Either way, she was raped and/or attacked by each of the men she killed and, considering how much that happens to sex workers, it's surprising that there aren't more cases like Aileen's. She was made an example of by the courts and they really put her through hell, even getting her to retract her claim of self-defence in order to speed up her execution. This is a very sad story with multiple victims but Aileen's funny, individual voice shines through and carries the reader along. At times her sweet, affectionate writing and humorous asides almost make you forget the atrocities she committed. She veers from telling Dawn how grateful she is for her friendship to admonishing her for some perceived slight. It's plain to see the damage that long-term incarceration does on someone who is already mentally ill. I'm glad she had such a steadfast and loyal friend in Dawn Botkins to bring some happiness into her bleak decade spent on Death Row.
This book, along with the Nick Broomfield documentaries about her, give a good perspective on the so-called 'first female serial killer in history'.
This book, along with the Nick Broomfield documentaries about her, give a good perspective on the so-called 'first female serial killer in history'.
September 24, 2020
The book poses reading challenges as the writing prose is all over the map. While erroneous spellings render constant tension, some of its contents are beyond comprehension. Those published authentic letters signed by Aileen Wuornos reflect the multi-fold layers of personalities of the notorious female serial killer. In my opinion, Lee's own words have incontrovertibly painted herself as a "monster" - a kook filled with anger yet living in denial. The self-made vagrant essentially threw herself into the fire pits of prostitution due to her rebellious nature. Her inhibition of monstrosity was then amplified by a series of perverted milieus - rapes, drugs and assaults. Putting oneself into the character's shoes simulates the roller coaster ride of borderline personality disorder. The erratic mood swings vacillated from a self-defense raped victim to a pled no contest or guilty murderer driven by uncontrollable forces; from a caring lesbian to a devoted Christian who believed in afterlife with Jesus; from an animal lover to an anti-black racist. Lee's unstable mental state believed in many fatuous conspiracy theories that were against her. In short, the book reveals the life of Lee through her lens till the death row inmate was executed by lethal injection in 2002. It also consists of several Lee's drawings and letters to Dawn, her childhood friend. Her neat cursive handwriting and pen arts were surprisingly good. Spoiler alert! If you wish to get some juicy killing descriptions or why she killed the seven men, this book has no answers to them.
May 17, 2021
This was a terribly boring and pointless read. I didn't learn much about her life at all. There were a few (less than 10) interesting letters, and it did arouse some interesting questions about the truth of her childhood.
For instance, many, many sources say that *she* said a lot of things about her childhood that she adamantly, believably, and consistently insists were not true. She insists that her grandfather was never physically or sexually abusive, and she never wavers on this. Yet everywhere else you look, others say that he beat and assaulted her regularly. People describe her early childhood as a complete nightmare of abuse, and she repeatedly denies this. She describes happy Christmases and a bond with her grandmother. Nobody anywhere else ever comments on her denial of these allegations.
Anyway, the book was very, very boring, and I had to skim over very large sections of rambling about comparisons of her religious views to Star Trek, but it does give some insight into her paranoia and state of mind, leaving room to speculate on her motives and which versions of events were true.
For instance, many, many sources say that *she* said a lot of things about her childhood that she adamantly, believably, and consistently insists were not true. She insists that her grandfather was never physically or sexually abusive, and she never wavers on this. Yet everywhere else you look, others say that he beat and assaulted her regularly. People describe her early childhood as a complete nightmare of abuse, and she repeatedly denies this. She describes happy Christmases and a bond with her grandmother. Nobody anywhere else ever comments on her denial of these allegations.
Anyway, the book was very, very boring, and I had to skim over very large sections of rambling about comparisons of her religious views to Star Trek, but it does give some insight into her paranoia and state of mind, leaving room to speculate on her motives and which versions of events were true.
July 13, 2023
Finally, I found a book that was truly in Aileen’s own words. The entire book is nothing except her letters to her dear childhood friend, Dawn, as they wrote to one another while Aileen was on Death Row. There is only one letter from Dawn to be read. The rest are all Aileen’s letters.
I’ve read just about all the books and seen all the documentaries about her, as well as the movie Monster. This book of Aileen’s letters gives light to the how and why of her ever flip-flopping story of …yes, it was self-defense to no, it wasn’t. It’s all crystal clear to me.
Aileen was thrown away and unwanted before she was even born. She was abused, neglected, and used throughout her entire life. How did we think she would turn out??
There is a definite point in this book and in her letters where her sanity takes a sharp turn. One day, she’s writing as she always has, and in the next letter, she changes. It makes me wonder if what she was saying isn’t true about what the prison system was doing to her.
Everyone has their own opinions, ideas, and theories about Aileen. I certainly have mine, and they’ve never wavered.
I’ve read just about all the books and seen all the documentaries about her, as well as the movie Monster. This book of Aileen’s letters gives light to the how and why of her ever flip-flopping story of …yes, it was self-defense to no, it wasn’t. It’s all crystal clear to me.
Aileen was thrown away and unwanted before she was even born. She was abused, neglected, and used throughout her entire life. How did we think she would turn out??
There is a definite point in this book and in her letters where her sanity takes a sharp turn. One day, she’s writing as she always has, and in the next letter, she changes. It makes me wonder if what she was saying isn’t true about what the prison system was doing to her.
Everyone has their own opinions, ideas, and theories about Aileen. I certainly have mine, and they’ve never wavered.
June 14, 2021
Justice for Aileen!!! She knew what was what. I was already sympathetic to her for a multitude of reasons, but this really gave such an insight into her thoughts and feelings. I believe she was actually very intelligent, insightful and caring, despite being deemed "primitive" by a psychologist. It was also really interesting to get her take on other big crimes from the time - O.J., Louise Woodward, Lorena Bobbitt, etc.
A quote that I think really sums up so much about her case and also society (misspellings / grammar kept as is):
"Pure hatred against me on there part...because I husseled and am considered a whore. Which actually men are more of than any women is. No #2 because I had enough balls to knock off some rapist, through hooking, as a labeled whore. And No #3 Because women arent supposed to pose such power and authority over themselves against an assailant. where supposed to be abused, used, raped, and beaten, and then call the cops afterward...Actually I should be given a metal for it. I helped Society and other girls from the scums. The men are simply jealous plus fear other women will do the same justifiable thing...Do I hate men. Not really. Just ones that think like this. Cause there brains are in there ass and penis. Only!"
A quote that I think really sums up so much about her case and also society (misspellings / grammar kept as is):
"Pure hatred against me on there part...because I husseled and am considered a whore. Which actually men are more of than any women is. No #2 because I had enough balls to knock off some rapist, through hooking, as a labeled whore. And No #3 Because women arent supposed to pose such power and authority over themselves against an assailant. where supposed to be abused, used, raped, and beaten, and then call the cops afterward...Actually I should be given a metal for it. I helped Society and other girls from the scums. The men are simply jealous plus fear other women will do the same justifiable thing...Do I hate men. Not really. Just ones that think like this. Cause there brains are in there ass and penis. Only!"
March 8, 2020
All I can say is WOW! This is such a sad story of someone who never even had a chance in life. I don't condone her actions by any means but can certainly understand how she did what she did! So glad she was able to share these last years of her life with her childhood friend who never gave up on her.
May 23, 2020
Dear Dawn has left me feeling conflicted. I thought that Aileen was a little paranoid at times, but I was not there so I don't really know if she had reasoned to be. Aileen had tortured Sol, that dose not excuse her of her crimes. Dear Dawn was a interesting read. Being able to read from her eyes,and to see the friendship Aileen and dawn had was just well showen in the letters
May 2, 2020
A good read
It's interesting to read about Aileen's time in death row and hear it in her words. Reading this book its like she is right there telling it you. You can really get to know who she was has her life was slowly coming to an wnd
It's interesting to read about Aileen's time in death row and hear it in her words. Reading this book its like she is right there telling it you. You can really get to know who she was has her life was slowly coming to an wnd
June 6, 2020
Not What I Expected
I love reading about serial killers and thought I would enjoy this one as it’s from the words of subject herself. However, I found it monotonous and at times, somewhat hard to follow. Any other reading recommendations on Aileen Wuornos are appreciated.
I love reading about serial killers and thought I would enjoy this one as it’s from the words of subject herself. However, I found it monotonous and at times, somewhat hard to follow. Any other reading recommendations on Aileen Wuornos are appreciated.
June 25, 2020
*2.5 stars
This book put me it such a huge slump. It was interesting but the writing and the lack of chapters made it feel like it was forever long. Aileen’s writing and bad grammar and spelling made reading it so hard. I really wanted to like this more than I did.
This book put me it such a huge slump. It was interesting but the writing and the lack of chapters made it feel like it was forever long. Aileen’s writing and bad grammar and spelling made reading it so hard. I really wanted to like this more than I did.
April 20, 2021
The book was good, I really did enjoy it. She had a bad life growing up, all she wanted out of life was to be happy and loved, people used her, and she didn't have any guidance growing up. This book would make a great book of or troubled teens to read.
June 21, 2022
Definitely not what I was expecting I had a little trouble keeping up w the book took me way longer than expected because there was no actual storyline it was da j letters of hers. Still very interesting and emotional at the end.
July 16, 2022
After reading Monster, I became very excited to read this one because maybe this time Aileen herself wrote it in her own words and SHE DID! Sometimes it was hard to follow the letters, I had difficulties understanding some slangs, grammar and spelling mistakes.
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