Golden Boy: A Murder Among the Manhattan Elite
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- Create Date：2021-08-11 11:21:33
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- Author：John Glatt
- ISBN：1494536889
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Reviews
Barbara
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Author John GlattIn this book， John Glatt - who's written many true crime books - tells the story of Manhattan socialite Thomas Gilbert Jr。， who murdered his father in cold blood。Thomas Gilbert Jr。 Thomas Gilbert Jr。， called Tommy， has an illustrious ancestry in America - starting with Robert Treat， who founded Newark， New Jersey in the 1660s。 Some of Tommy's forebears were also mentally ill， which foreshadows Tommy's own descent into paranoia and possible schizophrenia。Tommy's parents， Thomas G Author John GlattIn this book， John Glatt - who's written many true crime books - tells the story of Manhattan socialite Thomas Gilbert Jr。， who murdered his father in cold blood。Thomas Gilbert Jr。 Thomas Gilbert Jr。， called Tommy， has an illustrious ancestry in America - starting with Robert Treat， who founded Newark， New Jersey in the 1660s。 Some of Tommy's forebears were also mentally ill， which foreshadows Tommy's own descent into paranoia and possible schizophrenia。Tommy's parents， Thomas Gilbert Sr。 and Shelley Rea Gilbert， were a wealthy New York couple with a luxurious lifestyle。 Tommy's father Thomas Gilbert Sr。Tommy's mother Shelley Rae GilbertThe Gilberts were thrilled when young Tommy was born in 1984， and the handsome intelligent little boy was pampered and sent to the best schools。 Little Tommy was close to his dad and， at the age of nine， gave his father a 'World's Greatest Dad' statuette， which Tom Sr。 cherished。 As a young teenager Tommy was a model pupil at Manhattan's elite Buckley School。 Tommy was a straight A student， talented athlete， and student council member - later described as 'a golden boy' by a classmate。 Young Tommy was called 'a golden boy'Tommy's outer façade was deceptive however， and he was becoming anxious and paranoid。。。。。and developing an irrational fear of his father。 A few years later， when Tommy was a junior at Deerfield Academy in Massachusetts， he became convinced his roommate was 'contaminated。' Tommy then began obsessively washing his hands， was constantly 'losing' clothing because it was contaminated， and started showing signs of depression。 Despite his problems， Tommy applied to his father's alma mater - Princeton University - and was accepted。 However， Tommy's fear and avoidance of his father escalated at this time， and he also became convinced the Princeton campus was contaminated。 To cope， Tommy embraced Princeton's drug scene， and indulged in marijuana， LSD， and cocaine。 Moreover， Tommy began injecting himself with anabolic steroids， to improve his performance on the football field。 When Tommy got older， he became a heavy drug userWhen Tommy was caught using drugs Princeton suspended him， and Tommy's parents reached out to mental health professionals for help。 Tommy started seeing a psychiatrist named Dr。 Kevin Spicer， and told the doctor people were contaminating him， stealing his personality， and killing his thoughts。 Dr。 Spicer diagnosed Tommy with a depressive disorder and possible schizophrenia， and prescribed antipsychotic medication。 Spicer also advised the Gilbert parents to hospitalize Tommy， but they didn't， partly because they were in denial， and partly because of the social stigma。 In subsequent years - as Tommy's behavior became more bizarre and dangerous - various doctors encouraged the Gilberts to hospitalize Tommy again and again。 The Gilberts always resisted， though， saying Tommy would refuse inpatient treatment。 In retrospect， this seems like a grave error， as institutionalization might have helped Tommy before it was too late。During Tommy's suspension from Princeton， he lived the high life for a couple of years， surfing his way around the world at his parents' expense。 Tommy hit the beaches in South America， Africa， and Brazil， then spent time in America's Deep South before returning to college。Tommy partied at his parents' expenseWhen Tommy finally graduated from Princeton， he was expected to become a successful financier like his father， but this never happened。Glatt elaborates about Tommy's youth， years at Princeton， subsequent elegant lifestyle in Manhattan and the Hamptons （paid for by his parents）， refusal to get a job， and declining mental health。 Tommy had an active social life in Manhattan and the HamptonsGlatt also includes details about Tommy's troubled relations with his friends and girlfriends。 Though Tommy was peculiar， many women liked him for his good looks。Tommy's girlfriend Briana RessnerTommy with his girlfriend Anna RothschildTommy's behavior - suspicious and antagonistic - made it difficult for him to keep friends， and Tommy went over the top when he beat up his former roommate Peter Smith， then burned down the Smith family's historic house in Southampton。Tommy's friend Peter SmithTommy burned down the Smith house in SouthamptonSadly， Tommy's parents repeatedly hired lawyers， covered for him， and paid his way out of trouble， and Tommy came to expect special treatment。As 2015 approached， Tom Gilbert Sr。 was experiencing money problems and reduced Tommy's allowance， the idea being that Tommy needed to （finally） support himself。 Tommy then made plans to sell his parents' Hampton's mansion， worth over 11 million dollars - and decided to murder his father so he could proceed with his scheme。 Tommy planned to sell the Gilbert mansionOn January 5， 2015， at the age of 30， Tommy paid a visit to his parents' Manhattan apartment and asked his mother to go out to buy him a sandwich and a coke。 Tommy then shot his father in the head as Tom Sr。 was watching television in the bedroom。 Tommy was arrested seven hours later。Tommy being arrested for shooting his fatherThe tale of Tommy's subsequent competency hearings and eventual trial takes up the latter part of the book。 Tommy in jailTommy at one of his court hearingsThough Tommy pulled the trigger， there's room to disagree about Tommy's 'legal' guilt or innocence， since he was mentally ill。 Once again， one must wonder what would have happened if Tommy - starting in his teenage years - had received the help he so badly needed。Glatt did extensive research for this book and observes， "Golden Boy is without a doubt my most challenging true crime book。" The author spent five years interviewing Tommy's family， friends， and acquaintances， and following the winding path through scores of court hearings and trial transcripts。 Glatt came to know Tommy's mother Shelley quite well， and observes，"[Shelley's] courage and dignity are amazing， and I cannot begin to fathom how difficult it must have been to lose a husband and then a son to this terrible disease。" Shelley hoped her son would be hospitalized rather than sent to prison。Tommy's mother Shelley supported him after he killed his fatherThe author was also assisted by Tommy's one-time girlfriend Lila Chase， who remained empathetic to her former beau through his arrest， hearings， trial， and afterwards。 In many ways this is a cautionary tale， about the dangers of over-indulging children while simultaneously neglecting their obvious problems。 Families should take heed。Tommy with his sister Clare and their parents， Shelley and Tom Sr。Thanks to Netgalley， John Glatt， and St。 Martin's Press for a copy of the book。You can follow my reviews at https://reviewsbybarbsaffer。blogspot。com 。。。more
Vanessa
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Terrifying story of mental illness and how we as a society grape to deal with it。
Evelyn Hall
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Thomas Gilbert appeared to lead the perfect life， The son of the Manhattan wealthy elite he had every privilege- the most expensive prep schools， eventually ending up at Princeton， summers at a mansion in the Hamptons， and movie star looks。 He was the proverbial Golden Boy。 But there was something wrong with Tommy。 He begin to believe people and things were contaminated。 As he progressed into his teenage years any ideas of social norms disappeared， he developed new personalities and believed the Thomas Gilbert appeared to lead the perfect life， The son of the Manhattan wealthy elite he had every privilege- the most expensive prep schools， eventually ending up at Princeton， summers at a mansion in the Hamptons， and movie star looks。 He was the proverbial Golden Boy。 But there was something wrong with Tommy。 He begin to believe people and things were contaminated。 As he progressed into his teenage years any ideas of social norms disappeared， he developed new personalities and believed the world was out to get him。 Most disturbing of all was the unfounded and deep hatred of his father that developed。His parents tried for years to get their son the help he needed。 There were multiple diagnoses and medicines prescribed。 But since Tommy was an adult his parents had no way of forcing him to get the help he so desperately need even as his mental health spiraled out of control。 His refusal to take his prescribed medications only exacerbated his illness。 At one point he is the suspect in the arson of his friend’s Hampton home and a few weeks later Tommy’s descent culminated in the murder of his father。This is not only a true crime story， it is also a treatise on the flaws in our mental health system。 Even with all the money and resources in the world， Tommy’s parents could never get him the healp he really needed。 The book examines the fact that it is impossible to commit an adult to a mental facility against their will and also spends time detailing what constitutes mental competency in a courtroom。 I found this book both fascinating and frustrating to read。 The story of Tommy and his family is compelling， but the frustration comes from the fact that it seems like this crime could have easily been avoided if our mental health system were not so broken。 I read this book in a day and I don’t know if you would say I enjoyed it， but I was captivated， infuriated， and enlightened by the story it told and I think that those are important things。 I highly recommend this one。Thank you to NetGalley and St。 Martin’s Press for an e arc of this book in exchange for an honest and fair review。 。。。more
Remy Kothe
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Read a Vanity Fair article and save yourself a great deal of time。 Terrible book。
Linda Hutchinson
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⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Golden Boy by John Glatt is the true-life story of Thomas Gilbert， Jr。， whose family was at the peak of New York society and ran in a highly rarified community。 The wealthiest of the wealthy。 Top schools， good looks， an allowance of $48，000 per year， private （very private） clubs， and a lineage that went back to our nation's founding fathers。 Unfortunately， he also had a progressively severe mental illness that became obvious in his teen years。 His parents sought help but kept his “situa ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Golden Boy by John Glatt is the true-life story of Thomas Gilbert， Jr。， whose family was at the peak of New York society and ran in a highly rarified community。 The wealthiest of the wealthy。 Top schools， good looks， an allowance of $48，000 per year， private （very private） clubs， and a lineage that went back to our nation's founding fathers。 Unfortunately， he also had a progressively severe mental illness that became obvious in his teen years。 His parents sought help but kept his “situation” on the down-low， afraid it would reflect poorly on them and their son’s chances for a successful career in the future。 Only after he is in his 30’s， outrageously paranoid， and getting progressively violent do they “start” to think about hospitalizing their son in an institution。 At one point， he was seeing three different psychiatrists。 What do you do with a mentally ill and now violent son who burns down a 400-year-old historical home hoping to kill a rival and then murders his father in cold blood？ As a fan of true crime， this book is shocking， and it highlights the lack of proper care for adults who are a danger to themselves and others。 This is a true story and a detailed timeline of his progression from a shy little boy to a 30-year-old murderer。 It’s not flashy or creatively narrated…it’s mostly the facts。 Just the facts。 But the facts are sad and disturbing。 Wow。 #patricide #mentalillness #paranoia #murder #wealth #goldenboy #johnglatt @stmartinspress #truecrime #nonfiction。。 #reading #books #bookstagram #book #booksofinstagram #booklovers #bookish #lindaleereads2021 #mmdbookclub #idratherbereading #readinglife #mmdsummerreading #summerreadingguide @modernmrsdarcy #mmdchallenge #August 。。。more
Gina
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Tommy Gilbert is a truly disturbed individual who's wealth， good looks， and family stature disguised the depth of his mental illnesses until he finally "snapped"。 The world was shocked by his act of patricide but those close to him knew it was only a matter of time before he committed an act so heinous。This was a quick， compelling read about the deadly mixture of privilege and mental illness。 I found this book fascinating from start to finish。 If you are interested in true crime and psychology， Tommy Gilbert is a truly disturbed individual who's wealth， good looks， and family stature disguised the depth of his mental illnesses until he finally "snapped"。 The world was shocked by his act of patricide but those close to him knew it was only a matter of time before he committed an act so heinous。This was a quick， compelling read about the deadly mixture of privilege and mental illness。 I found this book fascinating from start to finish。 If you are interested in true crime and psychology， I recommend picking this up。 You won't be disappointed。 Thank you to John Glatt， St。 Martin's press， and goodreads for providing me with this advanced copy （won in a goodreads giveaway） 。。。more
Crubano410comcast。comnone
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This is a tale of how everything and everyone failed to help this man。 All the money in the world can't save someone from mental illness。 This is a tale of how everything and everyone failed to help this man。 All the money in the world can't save someone from mental illness。 。。。more
Glae R。 Egoville
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Insane or another victim of drugsJohn Glatt has written a comprehensive， well researched story of the Tom Gilbert murder by his son。 Throughout this book there are two persistent threads， that of mental illness and brain damage due to drug use at an early age。 Medical science refuses to indict recreational drugs as a possible cause of psychotic behavior。 Particularly when heavy drug usage begins before maturity。 Experts recognize fetal damage from alcohol but curiously ignore the damage to young Insane or another victim of drugsJohn Glatt has written a comprehensive， well researched story of the Tom Gilbert murder by his son。 Throughout this book there are two persistent threads， that of mental illness and brain damage due to drug use at an early age。 Medical science refuses to indict recreational drugs as a possible cause of psychotic behavior。 Particularly when heavy drug usage begins before maturity。 Experts recognize fetal damage from alcohol but curiously ignore the damage to young brains from heavy drug usage。 Was Tommy one of the many mental illness diagnoses he received or a drug addled sociopath？ Was he the clever manipulator of his mommy\enabler or another spoiled rich kid who wouldn't grow up？ Personally I found him in this telling to be a very unpleasant person。 Whatever he is I thank God he was found guilty and is locked away where he cannot harm others。 。。。more
Sarah V Robinson
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Great beach readThis was just a book I thought I would enjoy at the beach。 However， by the second chapter I was hooked and read it in the bath， before going to sleep and with my morning coffee。 Good message。
B。
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3。5 stars
Irene
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True crime storyI didn't know there was a sibling until the Trial。 Given the access to non working elite， the author should have included the sister's input。 It is unbelievable that intelligent， educated， elitist adults have less capacity in seeking information and services for thier severely mentally ill children， than the impoverished。 The parents continued enabling thier adult child， instead of moving him to mental health services and resources。 The co-respondent relationship between mother a True crime storyI didn't know there was a sibling until the Trial。 Given the access to non working elite， the author should have included the sister's input。 It is unbelievable that intelligent， educated， elitist adults have less capacity in seeking information and services for thier severely mentally ill children， than the impoverished。 The parents continued enabling thier adult child， instead of moving him to mental health services and resources。 The co-respondent relationship between mother and son resulted in the murder of the only person bringing in a check and landed the son in the biggest psychiatric hospital - Prison。 。。。more
Karen Miles
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3。5 stars- lot of repetitive wording- book could have been shorter
E M
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The question in John Glatt’s Golden Boy is not whether the "Golden Boy" （Thomas Gilbert Jr。） killed his father but whether he was legally culpable （i。e。 "sane"） when he did so。 The book is well-written and interesting。 Most readers will doubtless agree with the author that Tommy was， by any lay standard， crazy， and thus the more significant question raised in this book and several others I’ve read recently （Couple Found Slain ， Everything Is Fine ， How Now， Butterfly is: what to do for/to/about The question in John Glatt’s Golden Boy is not whether the "Golden Boy" （Thomas Gilbert Jr。） killed his father but whether he was legally culpable （i。e。 "sane"） when he did so。 The book is well-written and interesting。 Most readers will doubtless agree with the author that Tommy was， by any lay standard， crazy， and thus the more significant question raised in this book and several others I’ve read recently （Couple Found Slain ， Everything Is Fine ， How Now， Butterfly is: what to do for/to/about someone you love and/or have a measure of responsibility for， who is psychotic。 How does someone protect himself （and others！） from sick， treatment-refusing adults like Thomas Gilbert Jr。 and James Holmes and Elliot Rodgers and Jared Loughner？ How do onlookers convince someone that such protection is needed？ 。。。more
Kim Daniel
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Fantastic book about a fascinating case。
Bookworm
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I was thrilled to get an ARC of this true crime detailing the murder of Tom Gilbert Sr at the hand of his son Tommy Gilbert Jr。 I thoroughly enjoyed this author’s factual account of the Gilbert family history， Tommy’s decline and the Court proceedings。The story highlighted a huge problem in society when it comes to mental illness and how the laws make it challenging for a sick adult to get much needed treatment。 What stood out for me was how Tommy lacked insight into his mental illness and this I was thrilled to get an ARC of this true crime detailing the murder of Tom Gilbert Sr at the hand of his son Tommy Gilbert Jr。 I thoroughly enjoyed this author’s factual account of the Gilbert family history， Tommy’s decline and the Court proceedings。The story highlighted a huge problem in society when it comes to mental illness and how the laws make it challenging for a sick adult to get much needed treatment。 What stood out for me was how Tommy lacked insight into his mental illness and this in turn resulted in him not taking prescribed medication。 Being an adult， his parents were powerless to have him committed for more than a couple of days or for his doctors to force him to take medication without extreme safety reasons。 He learned how to hide his illness and present himself in a favourable light to family and friends。 The truth of the matter， however， was that he was getting sicker and more delusional as time went on。 The story also pointed out how the criminal justice system can fail people like Tommy as it’s not designed to “help” defendants who are mentally ill with some ability to understand even if their mental illness was a prominent factor in their crime。 It also highlighted the stigma still attached to mental illness and the lack of education/understanding that judges and prosecutors have in this area。This would be an exceptional book club pick as there is so much to discuss including whether Tommy was a cold blooded killer who knew what he was doing or whether he was a victim of the laws that govern access to treatment for mental illness。A gracious thank you to St Martin’s Press and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Jim
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I won a copy of this book on Goodreads。 A moving true crime book that left me with a lot of questions regarding what to we really do with violent criminals who have severe mental illnesses。 I think that even though people who have mental illnesses have a disease， the question is， are they really capable of understanding right verses wrong， in most cases yes I think that they do know the difference。 There are many people without mental illnesses who commit murder as well of course （or maybe we ca I won a copy of this book on Goodreads。 A moving true crime book that left me with a lot of questions regarding what to we really do with violent criminals who have severe mental illnesses。 I think that even though people who have mental illnesses have a disease， the question is， are they really capable of understanding right verses wrong， in most cases yes I think that they do know the difference。 There are many people without mental illnesses who commit murder as well of course （or maybe we can say those people do have a mental disorder as well if they are willing to commit those types of crimes） can we chalk it up to it is just human nature？ Violence is much more than that。 People are just way too complex， sometimes I think animals treat each other better than we do for the most part。 An engaging and worthwhile read。 。。。more
Margarita
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A good audiobook。 True story。
Jen Griffin
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A sad lifeWhile it seemed he had everything。。。 money， social status， looks - none of that brings happiness。 Especially when your dealing with mental health disorders。 Many people think that people with these disorders are aware of the consequences of their actions。 However it is a real struggle to live with them， and getting help is still extremely hard in today's society。 More programs are needed。 I hope Tommy will get the help he needs and accept it。 A sad lifeWhile it seemed he had everything。。。 money， social status， looks - none of that brings happiness。 Especially when your dealing with mental health disorders。 Many people think that people with these disorders are aware of the consequences of their actions。 However it is a real struggle to live with them， and getting help is still extremely hard in today's society。 More programs are needed。 I hope Tommy will get the help he needs and accept it。 。。。more
Amanda
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Well written true crime book。 My only critique was why the author never addresses the issue of Tommys parent early neglect and culpability to take professional experts advice to get him committed？ The mother， his lawyers and author complain plenty about the all pitfalls of our legal system has when dealing with someone with mental illness but his parents also own some of the blame。 They were repeatedly advised before he was a legal adult that he needed more care than talk therapy and medication Well written true crime book。 My only critique was why the author never addresses the issue of Tommys parent early neglect and culpability to take professional experts advice to get him committed？ The mother， his lawyers and author complain plenty about the all pitfalls of our legal system has when dealing with someone with mental illness but his parents also own some of the blame。 They were repeatedly advised before he was a legal adult that he needed more care than talk therapy and medication could provide。 What would his life been life if he's parents would have followed Doctors orders？ Pulled him out of private school and send him to a program to address his problems he was clearly already displaying in high school。 But like Tommy later in life， I think his parents were more concerned about their image than facing the reality of what Tommy was becoming。 A very sick man。 。。。more
Sunsettowers
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I received an ARC of this book from the publisher in exchange for a review。 This did not affect my opinion of the book or my review itself。Golden Boy tells the truly harrowing tale of Thomas Gilbert Jr。， who shot and killed his own father。 That he committed the crime was not in dispute; however， if he was legally insane when he did it is the source of intense media speculation and endless debates in the courtroom。That is what Grant expertly explores in this book。 Gilbert Jr。 was born into an ext I received an ARC of this book from the publisher in exchange for a review。 This did not affect my opinion of the book or my review itself。Golden Boy tells the truly harrowing tale of Thomas Gilbert Jr。， who shot and killed his own father。 That he committed the crime was not in dispute; however， if he was legally insane when he did it is the source of intense media speculation and endless debates in the courtroom。That is what Grant expertly explores in this book。 Gilbert Jr。 was born into an extravagant and privileged life， where he was still receiving an allowance from his parents even in his twenties， and many of his shocking or disturbing behaviors were brushed off as eccentricities。 Grant examines if this lifestyle actually did him a grave disservice in covering his paranoia， agressive tendencies， and other signs of deep mental illness。Did not only society， but the very law itself do Gilbert Jr。 a great disservice？ Should he have been deemed fit to stand trial？ What would life have been like if Gilbert Jr。 had been able to be helped before he spiraled downward so completely？Grant does an especially great job of showing both sides of the issue while still highlighting the stigma surrounding mental illness， and the tendency to sweep things under the rug or completely deny they are happening。 Golden Boy is a devestating true crime tale that also manages to be a scathing social commentary。 。。。more
CrabbyPatty
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Buckley， Deerfield， Princeton， Maidstone， East Hampton。 Tommy Gilbert， Jr。 had it all - model good looks， a great education， a loving family - and yet he is now serving 30 years to life for murdering his father by firing a bullet through his brain。Tommy had been blessed with both hands， yet it was this very thing that prevented him getting any sort of real help。 As a few friends said:Nobody thought this handsome， well-educated， privileged Princeton man was capable of violence [。。。] if Tommy look Buckley， Deerfield， Princeton， Maidstone， East Hampton。 Tommy Gilbert， Jr。 had it all - model good looks， a great education， a loving family - and yet he is now serving 30 years to life for murdering his father by firing a bullet through his brain。Tommy had been blessed with both hands， yet it was this very thing that prevented him getting any sort of real help。 As a few friends said:Nobody thought this handsome， well-educated， privileged Princeton man was capable of violence [。。。] if Tommy looked like me， people would have thought he was an insane person fairly quickly。I must admit that I really struggled with this book because while I feel that Tommy's mental illness （paranoid schizophrenia） was absolutely the major factor in the murder， time and again Tommy was given a second， third， fourth， ad nauseum chances at redemption solely because of his looks and his background。 And in a sense， this is the same struggle that the court faced with this case。 It took four years to bring the case to trial because of the difficulty in determining if Tommy was sane enough to stand trial。 He refused to speak with medical personnel tasked with determining his mental state， he refused to take any medication， he refused to participate in his defense。 Yet he also carefully planned to murder his father - purchasing the Glock he used， sending his mother out of the townhouse on an errand， carefully walking away from the scene， etc。 The author had access to Tommy's mother， Sheila Gilbert， and others close to him， including his attorney Arnold Levine。 There's plenty here showing that Tommy's parents were in denial about his mental illness - "They appeared more concerned about their reputation than their son's highly dangerous mental state" - and that their status and wealth had protected him in the past from consequences。 And Sheila strongly advocated for her son getting "as light a sentence as possible" while， IMHO， failing to advocate for her murdered husband。 But again， this entire case is a horrific Sophie's choice that far too many families are dealing with every day。 At times， the narrative dragged with far too many parties and events described in great detail， but overall Glatt clearly lays out a dilemma to which there is no clear answer。 4 stars。 I received an ARC from the publisher， via NetGalley， in exchange for an honest review。 Visit my new blog "I Love True Crime Books" 。。。more
Traci at The Stacks
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Interesting story。 Book goes on too long。 The criminalJustice system is so fucked， and that’s for a rich white man。 I can only think of Black folks in the same situations。 Also the way we treat folks with mental illness is on full display。 Lots of social ills in this book just not the most streamlined story。
Sheryl Dougherty
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This definitely got better after the murder， I wasn't a fan of the style of writing， it was more a factual accounting of events vs a story so the beginning was a bit dry for me。 The court proceedings are fascinating yet unbelievable。 Here is a man that 1。 We know murdered his dad。 2。 We know has severe mental illness。 It took five years in court for his verdict and sentencing。 It revealed so much of what mental capacity truly means in a court of law。 It also， exemplifies what a failure our legal This definitely got better after the murder， I wasn't a fan of the style of writing， it was more a factual accounting of events vs a story so the beginning was a bit dry for me。 The court proceedings are fascinating yet unbelievable。 Here is a man that 1。 We know murdered his dad。 2。 We know has severe mental illness。 It took five years in court for his verdict and sentencing。 It revealed so much of what mental capacity truly means in a court of law。 It also， exemplifies what a failure our legal system is and how purely equipped we are at addressing mental illness。This guy had every resource under the sun to obtain successful treatment yet the system failed him。 。。。more
Susan
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Meh。 I really enjoyed the first parts where the author explored Tommy's childhood， teenaged years and mental health issues but when it got to the trial I was bored senseless。 There was far too much detail， almost like the author just copied the trial transcripts and plopped them into the book。 The book lagged then so I skipped over quite a bit until I finally， and thankfully， got to the end。 Meh。 I really enjoyed the first parts where the author explored Tommy's childhood， teenaged years and mental health issues but when it got to the trial I was bored senseless。 There was far too much detail， almost like the author just copied the trial transcripts and plopped them into the book。 The book lagged then so I skipped over quite a bit until I finally， and thankfully， got to the end。 。。。more
Terry ~ Huntress of Erudition
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The life and trial of Thomas Gilbert Jr。gives the reader some insight into the upper class in Manhattan。 The author expertly reports everything happening before， during and after this murder trial， using a lot of actual dialogue， in a way that keeps you wanting to read more。 This compelling book raises the issue of how we treat mental illness both legally and personally。It is tragic no matter which side you agree with in this case。Well written and very thought provoking。
CaraDico
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Thank you to the Publisher， John Glatt and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest reviewPreviously posted at https://www。mysteryandsuspense。com/go。。。Thomas Gilbert Jr。 is an All-American Boy。 Princeton graduate， tall， athletic， handsome， smart， and engaging。 Having been raised in affluence。 “Tommy” had all the means to have a successful life。 So why did he refuse to do absolutely anything？Why did he ultimately put a bullet in his father’s head， after calmly asking his mother to go get hi Thank you to the Publisher， John Glatt and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest reviewPreviously posted at https://www。mysteryandsuspense。com/go。。。Thomas Gilbert Jr。 is an All-American Boy。 Princeton graduate， tall， athletic， handsome， smart， and engaging。 Having been raised in affluence。 “Tommy” had all the means to have a successful life。 So why did he refuse to do absolutely anything？Why did he ultimately put a bullet in his father’s head， after calmly asking his mother to go get him a sandwich？ Author John Glatt turns has written a fascinating book about the murder of Wall Street financier and investor Thomas Gilbert Sr。， by his son Tommy， with the novel Golden Boy: A Murder Among the Manhattan Elite。 But the story is really about how mental illness is viewed and managed in the US court system。 The Gibson family has a strong history of mental illness in both parents of Thomas Gilbert Sr。 His father， having depression and ultimately committing suicide。 When Tommy shows signs of schizophrenia and mental illness， his parents can only encourage him to get help， as he is an adult and their hands are tied。 Sadly， he refuses to get help， while simultaneously insisting the world is trying to “contaminate” him。 As his friends begin to abandon him， he gets more and more paranoid that they are out to get him。 He only has one staunch ally， his ex-girlfriend Lila Chase， who stuck by him through everything。Golden Boy has many fascinating aspects; the book is one-third the story of Tommy and his descent into insanity and two-thirds courtroom procedural。 There is never an argument of whether Tommy killed his father。 It is known he did， but the question remains if he knew what he was doing。 This is a five-year court battle full of drama and intensity， described in harrowing detail by the author。 One can’t help feeling sorry for Tommy， who is so deep into schizophrenia at the time of the trial， that he does not know what is happening。 Even going as far as to not realized they have convicted him of second-degree murder after the trial ends。John Glatt has taken the reader on a journey through Tommy’s childhood， his years at Princeton and the many years between graduating and ultimately shooting and killing his father for cutting his allowance。 The author does an amazing job tracking his descent into insanity and how it affects him and the people who love him。 While it seems his parents would be to blame for not getting him the help he needs， they ended up paying the ultimate place。 While everything has come easy， it is hard to condemn Gilbert as being entitled。 He elicits more sympathy than anything else as someone who could have had it all but lost because of mental illness and being too proud to seek the help he needed。 。。。more
Janice
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Interesting read of a very sad crime in New York。 Mental Illness knows no economic boundaries and our society is very poorly equipped to deal with it regardless of economic class。 The man who killed his father had evidenced mental illness for years but his family’s affluence helped him hide his mental decline。 His book provides Insight into the lifestyle of the upper class of Manhattan and the Hamptons and it was eye-opening。
Yusuf Nasrullah
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Stunning account of how gilded lives and high education and prospects can all be besmirched by mental anguish， psychosis and patricide。 Sad， scary， startling and well-narrated， this real life murder case is as tragic as it is compelling！
Donna L。 Jacobs
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Another winner for John GlattI had not heard of this crime before， so I found this book very intriguing and well written。 I've read most of this author's true crime， but I found this to be one of his best。 Another winner for John GlattI had not heard of this crime before， so I found this book very intriguing and well written。 I've read most of this author's true crime， but I found this to be one of his best。 。。。more
Geraldine （geraldinereads）
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