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Beyond All Reason: My Life With Susan Smith Paperback – January 1, 1996

by David Smith (Author), Carol Calef (Author)

4.5 92 ratings

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David Smith describes his marriage with convicted murderer Susan, his coming to terms with the tragedy that cost him his two young sons, and the painful healing process of putting his life back together. Reprint.

Print length

239 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Pinnacle Books
Publication date

January 1, 1996
Dimensions

4.25 x 0.75 x 7 inches
ISBN-10

0786002921
ISBN-13

978-0786002924
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Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Pinnacle Books (January 1, 1996)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 239 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0786002921
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0786002924
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 4.8 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 4.25 x 0.75 x 7 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #2,730,381 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #137,684 in Social Sciences (Books)

Customer Reviews:
4.5 92 ratings

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Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5

92 global ratings

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Chef Steph

Explains A Lot. . .

Reviewed in the United States on August 3, 2013

Verified Purchase

While I certainly hope to never experience the tragedy that David Smith had to endure, I must admit that I was always curious about what happened afterwards, and what events in his and Susan's married life had led to the deaths of the children. David Smith is very honest and straightforward about everything, from getting married young, the extramarital affairs on both sides, and dealing with not only the loss of his two beloved boys but also the shock of the fact that the deaths were deliberate, at the hands of their own mother.I have to be honest though; I always sympathized with David after the murders, but after reading this I've lost a considerable amount of respect for him. He claims to be a churchgoing Christian, but then talks about how he cheated on his fiance with Susan, getting her pregnant in the process, dating his current girlfriend behind Susan's back while they were still married, and physically assaulting his wife's lovers after he found them together.There are parts of the book that are a bit uncomfortable to read, and at certain points will have you flat out saying "WTF?!", but it is a story that needed to be told.

19 people found this helpful

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Rita J Berk

Great

Reviewed in the United States on April 30, 2023

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Great book and a great price. Thank you

One person found this helpful

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No Solid Colors

I finished in 2 days

Reviewed in the United States on October 27, 2021

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This was such a great book, I almost forgot it was someone's real life story. I think David did a great job telling it how it really was, very honest. You also have to remember how young he was. I feel the reviews here forget that Susan is not the victim. They were both cheaters.. but only one of them murdered children.

3 people found this helpful

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Ilene

God bless David and his family, your still in my prayers,

Reviewed in the United States on December 19, 2016

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Just now read this book. I couldn't read it before cause I know how sad it would be. It's so well written. I still pray for David. I couldn't even deal with the things he's had to deal with. What a horrible why to lose your children. I do have to say tho...I knew she was lying the minute I saw her speak for the first time. I will never forget Michael and Alex.

3 people found this helpful

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joanne hardin

Very sad story, happy to see David has made a ...

Reviewed in the United States on October 29, 2017

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Very sad story, happy to see David has made a new life for himself. Susan Smith’s Mother is in denial. Her husband molested her daughter many times and she stays with him. Susan is seriously mentally ill.

2 people found this helpful

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Rasheed

Brutally Honest

Reviewed in the United States on January 28, 2013

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If this book was anything, I'd say that it was brutally honest. David Smith, author and husband of child killer Susan Smith, seemed to go out of his way to air his dirty laundry. I understand what the intent was: if he's not going to lie about his own mistakes and iniquities then he certainly wouldn't lie about his feelings for his boys and his lack of involvement in their disappearance. The honesty was good because it didn't make him out to be a saintly husband and father who'd married a demon. In fact, I finished the book having the very opposite opinion of him. He definitely was screwing up, even from the inception of their marriage.

Part of his honesty was mentioning his sex life, even the loss of his virginity. That, as well as some other details, I didn't think were necessary and/or relevant. There are some things you have every right to keep private and it had no bearing upon the true subject: Michael and Alex and their murder. David said at the beginning that he wrote this book so that people wouldn't forget the real victims: Michael and Alex, but he often slipped into spending significant time discussing Susan, himself, and both of their philandering. If anything, I thought he could shed some light on why she would have killed her kids or what led up to that fateful day? He did present certain ugly truths and details, but in the end you were left to surmise just as he was.

This book will take you into the private lives of the Smiths and it will uncover some serious dirt, but you will only have one more piece of the puzzle. This book will also shed some light on the not so ethical and clean lifestyles of Union, South Carolina. To be perfectly honest, being that I live thousands of miles from the South, this book only confirmed a lot of stereotypes about the South and those who could be deemed "Southern Hicks". From the Winn Dixie being the epicenter of town, to the Boss Hogg like sheriff, to the hypocritical preachers, to the shotgun wedding, to the tin roof house; I found myself being grateful I didn't live in Union, South Carolina.

Still, the book was decent and worth reading. In the end, you got a glimpse of what it's like to be a tortured father. This story was a big deal at the time and it's one I never forgot. "Beyond All Reason" will help to make a little sense of the senseless.

15 people found this helpful

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Thistle

her life was horrible - her step-father molesting her and her mother standing ...

Reviewed in the United States on March 2, 2015

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Susan Smith deserves the death penalty - end of. What a despicable, horrifying, unimaginable thing to do. Yes, her life was horrible - her step-father molesting her and her mother standing by him! Disgusting! That, by no means, gives her a free pass to murder her children! I remember this case all too well (my daughter was 18 months old when this happened) and was horrified. She had other options but certainly not murder!

3 people found this helpful

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Tina M. Barner

Two Thumbs Up!

Reviewed in the United States on March 30, 2015

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This book did an outstanding job of describing the events that led up to the disappearance of those two precious little babies. I realize that there is two sides to every story, but David's side is so compelling in his description of the events. This book was well written and I enjoyed it thoroughly.

2 people found this helpful

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Beyond All Reason: My Life With Susan Smith Paperback – January 1, 1996

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