Search

Search only in certain items:

The Life and Trials of Oscar Pistorius (30 for 30)
The Life and Trials of Oscar Pistorius (30 for 30)
2020 | Documentary, Sport
I love ESPN's 30 for 30 series (the Tonya Harding documentary is one of my favorite sports docs). When I saw that they had done a series about Oscar Pistorius, I was all in.

This series consists of 4 episodes, that are nearly 2 hours each. To clarify, these TV shows with really long eps are not the norm in the USA, like they are elsewhere.

I had watched the Dateline ep on the Pistorious murder a few weeks before I watched this series. Of course, the narrative is of that one was skewed towards the story of domestic violence, and justice for Reeva. This is the story that's peddled all over the world. Not that it's wrong, I'm a supporter of women in domestic situations, but it's always struck me as extremely biased.

This doc did focus on Oscar, his upbringing, and his quest to complete in the able-bodied (sheesh - that's awful) Olympics. His side of the story is highly plausible, and his actions were a product of his upbringing. The documentary films really shed like on the social situation in South Africa at the time. Honestly, I only took one history class that dealt with continent in general, so there wasn't really a focus on the country itself. Seriously, the only things that stood out in my mind regarding South Africa were their incredibly odd accents, Mandela, and District 9. So, I found the additional information extremely interesting.

Overall, I found it to be far more balanced than anything I had seen in the past regarding the case, which was refreshing.
  
MH
Mass Hysteria
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
As seen on <a href="http://theghastlygrimoire.com/"; target="new">The Ghastly Grimoire</a>.

Wow. Okay, I honestly felt I should have received some sort of warning before I opened this book! That aside, once I swallowed the surprise I received and accepted the book for what it is, I actually enjoyed several it. Mass Hysteria by Michael Patrick Hicks approaches the days after the apocalypse with a complete overhaul of social hierarchy in the most gruesome of ways.

In the wake of a meteor falling and bringing with it a virus appearing as an airborne variety of rabies (which is a much appreciated change from nuclear disaster and zombie outbreaks), several members of a small community in Michigan quickly find themselves fighting for their lives. Hicks’s gorefest begins shortly after and readers quickly discover that this is a writer that doesn’t hold back – my kind of man, honestly.

One of the things that strike me as most disturbing and simultaneously teasing of Hicks’s work is the sheer fact that he introduces us to several characters in intimate ways. Readers are given just enough of a taste of the good guys, too much of the bad, and justice? Well, there sure isn’t enough of that after the world’s ended.

I cannot stress enough how graphic this book is, just as I cannot think of any words devoid of spoilers to prepare readers for what the journey they might embark on when they open Mass Hysteria‘s pages. What I can say is this: under all the horrific elements that bury this book, Hicks explores the most depraved of all: human nature at its worst.

I gladly look forward to reading more of this author’s work. A special thanks to NetGalley and High Fever Books for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.