Kitty Genovese: The Murder, the Bystanders, the Crime that Changed America

Kevin Cook

Mar 2014 · W. W. Norton & Company

About this ebook

"Vividly transforms Ms. Genovese from an iconic urban martyr to a three-dimensional protagonist in a case that transformed the criminal justice system." —Sam Roberts, New York Times

In 1964 Catherine "Kitty" Genovese was brutally stabbed to death on her front stoop in plain view of numerous witnesses. Her sensational case provoked an anxious outcry and became the stuff of urban legend. Kevin Cook’s “provocative” (Wall Street Journal) investigation upends the simple story we thought we knew. His unprecedented minute-by-minute reconstruction of the crime shatters the fable of the 38 passive witnesses—a myth perpetuated by the New York Times, movies, TV programs, and countless psychology textbooks. For the first time, Cook introduces us to a neighbor who did intervene, and he brings to life a vibrant and charismatic Kitty, working (and dancing) her way through the colorful, fast-changing New York of the ’60s.

Ratings and reviews

Have to admit this is the first full book I've read in a while. It is truly one of the most beautifully written accounts of a tragedy that has resonated through the public. The author manages to link not only Kitty's death but her life to grander events occurring in the 1960's. Well worth the read.

About the author

A former senior editor at Sports Illustrated, Kevin Cook is the author of Titanic Thompson, Tommy's Honor, Kitty Genovese and The Dad Report. He lives in New York City.