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Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness
Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness
2020 | Crime, Documentary
And so, this is the one you are probably most familiar with, even if you have never watched a True Crime Doc before. Essentially a 7 part mini series with a making of extra program tagged on at the end that definitely does not need to be watched. Does any of it? It certainly showcases the nuttier side of America and some of the more eccentric characters that exist, not Least the compelling car crash human that is Joe Exotic – at times likeable, often very unlikable and almost certainly criminally insane. But it isn’t really about murder. The title is misleading in that sense. Mayhem and madness, oh for sure, but the murder part is an almost incidental detail of the show, as if to give it more gravitas.

It focuses on rivalries that existed between exotic animal parks that seem to take pride in mistreating tigers and other wild animals that have no place being there at all. The “fun” of it is watching “crazy” people, mostly Joe rolling around as if they were tiny kittens, and holding your breathe waiting for the inevitable moment they rip him to shreds. As it turns out, there is so much filler and false promise in this show that I would have to put it at the bottom of the list. It may not even have got on there at all if it wasn’t for the fact Lockdown viewing made it a shared experience that became ubiquitous. Otherwise, it is a poor circus freak show, badly presented and entirely cheap.
  
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ClareR (6230 KP) rated The Nine in Books

Jul 29, 2021  
The Nine
The Nine
Gwen Strauss | 2021 | Education, History & Politics
9
9.0 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
The Nine is the true story of nine women who escaped a German-led Death March at the end of WWII - and it makes for compelling reading.

I had heard of death marches, but in a very vague way. The Nine gives a face and a story to one of the many groups of people who were forced to march until they died of exhaustion, starvation, dehydration and exposure. This was thought to be easier than shooting them.

These nine women escaped and walked to freedom - but it wasn’t easy. They encountered many dangers, not least the ordinary Germans who thought that they must be criminals, or worse still, Jews. These women had skills though: they were Resistance fighters, and some were multi-lingual. The fact that they could speak many languages, and in particular German, is what helped them on their journey. These were determined, brave and resourceful women, and their escape to freedom used all of their collective strength.

I really liked that the story didn’t end at the point where they reached US soldiers. Gwen Strauss was able to find out what the women’s lives were like after the end of the war. How what had happened impacted on their personal lives.

It’s such a well-researched, fascinating read. It’s only through learning about the history and horrific treatment of the many people targeted by the Nazis, that we will hopefully remember and learn that these acts can never be allowed to happen again.

Many thanks to The Pigeonhole for serialising this book.