The Devil You Know: Stories of Human Cruelty and Compassion
- Downloads：7499
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-08-11 02:15:57
- Update Date：2025-09-24
- Status：finish
- Author：Gwen Adshead
- ISBN：0571357601
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
- Download
Summary
In eleven vivid narratives based on decades of providing therapy to people in prisons and secure hospitals， an internationally renowned forensic psychiatrist and psychotherapist demonstrates the remarkable human capacity for radical empathy， change， and redemption。
What drives someone to commit an act of terrible violence？ Drawing from her thirty years’ experience in working with people who have committed serious offenses， Dr。 Gwen Adshead provides fresh and surprising insights into violence and the mind。 Through a collaboration with coauthor Eileen Horne， Dr。 Adshead brings her extraordinary career to life in a series of unflinching portraits。
Alongside doctor and patient， we discover what human cruelty， ranging from serial homicide to stalking， arson or sexual offending， means to perpetrators， experiencing first-hand how minds can change when the people some might label as “evil” are able to take responsibility for their life stories and get to know their own minds。 With outcomes ranging from hope to despair， from denial to recovery， these men and women are revealed in all their complexity and shared humanity。
What drives someone to commit an act of terrible violence？ Drawing from her thirty years’ experience in working with people who have committed serious offenses， Dr。 Gwen Adshead provides fresh and surprising insights into violence and the mind。 Through a collaboration with coauthor Eileen Horne， Dr。 Adshead brings her extraordinary career to life in a series of unflinching portraits。
Alongside doctor and patient， we discover what human cruelty， ranging from serial homicide to stalking， arson or sexual offending， means to perpetrators， experiencing first-hand how minds can change when the people some might label as “evil” are able to take responsibility for their life stories and get to know their own minds。 With outcomes ranging from hope to despair， from denial to recovery， these men and women are revealed in all their complexity and shared humanity。
Reviews
J。
，
Solid challenging and thought-provoking book of composite studies in forensic psychiatry。 The title was a bit clickbait-y; a title more concretely linking the compositors to the mental health/prison angle/frame would have been a better fit。 The literary allusions were fine/helpful; so much of literature offers psychological study and so much of literature becomes a part of therapy。 Recommended reading。This book was received as a GoodReads First Reads giveaway ARC in exchange for an unbiased revi Solid challenging and thought-provoking book of composite studies in forensic psychiatry。 The title was a bit clickbait-y; a title more concretely linking the compositors to the mental health/prison angle/frame would have been a better fit。 The literary allusions were fine/helpful; so much of literature offers psychological study and so much of literature becomes a part of therapy。 Recommended reading。This book was received as a GoodReads First Reads giveaway ARC in exchange for an unbiased review。 。。。more
Natalie Watson
，
One of the most fascinating books I've read。 Loved it。 One of the most fascinating books I've read。 Loved it。 。。。more
Claire O'Sullivan
，
Powerful。 Thought provoking。“Hope is not fanciful or naive;it is a mature defence against sadness and loss”
Ashti Latchman
，
I wouldn't say I found this book enjoyable。 The content is， at times， sickening to stomach。 But I did find it necessary， and an eye opening read。 I wouldn't say I found this book enjoyable。 The content is， at times， sickening to stomach。 But I did find it necessary， and an eye opening read。 。。。more
Serenity Magne Grey
，
I liked how this was written and I grew to like the author， though at times this fell a bit short for me。。I'm not sure why， it is a good book， perhaps I have just read ones I connected with more？ Worth a read for sure！ I liked how this was written and I grew to like the author， though at times this fell a bit short for me。。I'm not sure why， it is a good book， perhaps I have just read ones I connected with more？ Worth a read for sure！ 。。。more
Anna
，
A remarkable book and one that will stay with me for a long time。 Extremely thought provoking and well written。 A must read for anyone who is interested in the links between poor early childhood attachments， mental health problems and later violent behaviour。
Kate
，
Before coming to this book， I had read good things about it。 I have also previously read similar books/memoirs。 What I had taken from the reviews， and how this book was being publicised， was that it offered a different way of looking at those individuals who commit violence during their life。 To use Adshead's own words， from her introduction:"Each chapter covers different ground， but an important theme here and in all forensic work is the common risk factors for violence。 A colleague of mine hel Before coming to this book， I had read good things about it。 I have also previously read similar books/memoirs。 What I had taken from the reviews， and how this book was being publicised， was that it offered a different way of looking at those individuals who commit violence during their life。 To use Adshead's own words， from her introduction:"Each chapter covers different ground， but an important theme here and in all forensic work is the common risk factors for violence。 A colleague of mine helpfully describes the enacting of violence as a bicycle lock。 A combination of stressors aligns 。 。 。 The final 'number'， the one that causes the lock to spring open and release an act of harmful cruelty， is the most intriguing。 It tends to be idiosyncratic， something in the action of the victim which has meaning only to the perpetrator" （p。10-11）。 For me， this was what pulled me into this book。 Yes， there may be common themes which may suggest someone's risk of violence， but there is also an individuality， to each perpetrator， and Dr Adshead will be offering insight into this particular individuality for some of the cases that she has worked on。 Another intriguing perspective that Adshead puts forward is that， "Every violent crime is a tragedy， for the victims and their families as well as for the perpetrators" （P。5）。 This is an interesting statement when you focus on the last part of the sentence。 Obviously， people who hear about violent crimes will no doubt be able to see the tragedy involved for the victim， and their loved ones。 But， for the perpetrator？ Whilst Adshead is not stating that she wants to excuse acts of violence， within these pages， she is offering 11 case studies which will potentially cause us to look at the offenders of these crimes in a different way。 It is easy to look at the perpetrators of violence as being some kind of monster， and separate from the rest of us， but as Adshead argues （with the help of quoting W。 H。 Auden）， "Evil is unspectacular and always human， / and shares our bed and eats at our own table" （p。 335）。 Some of the crimes covered within the case studies include stalking， arson， murder， CSA as well as viewing/downloading indecent images of children。 For me， some of the studies were more interesting than others。 And some， such as when discussing paedophilia， challenged me （this is because I have worked with survivors of CSA， so to consider the perpetrators of such crimes with compassion is a difficult thing for me to do）。 For those with an interest in forensic psychiatry or crime， this should be an interesting read。 。。。more
Chris
，
A view of violent crime from the point of view of a professionally non-judgmental psychotherapist。 Fascinating and frightening， but full of hope。
TBHONEST
，
The Devil You Know is an interesting and gripping read that keeps you hooked as the authors use their years of experience to impart their knowledge and things they have learnt and witnessed over the years when dealing with people who have committed some of the most serious criminals。
Irene Walsh
，
Such a good read… at times harrowing， yet hopeful。 Beautifully written。
Sarah Mcmurray
，
This is a complex and important book and I needed to come up for air more than once。 Humanity and compassion remain the central theme， not redemption - and the narratives can be hard to bear。 At the heart of all therapy， is the power to listen without judgement。
Penny Adrian
，
Disclosure: I am a survivor of father-daughter incest。 My heart and my allegiance is always with the victims of sexual violence， especially since perpetrators of sexual violence are always more powerful than their victims。 It is important to have the courage to stand with the most vulnerable， even when to stand with them is viewed as "unenlightened"。I have a masters degree in psychology， and at a graduate school meeting I met a woman who said she worked with sexual predators。 She shared with us Disclosure: I am a survivor of father-daughter incest。 My heart and my allegiance is always with the victims of sexual violence， especially since perpetrators of sexual violence are always more powerful than their victims。 It is important to have the courage to stand with the most vulnerable， even when to stand with them is viewed as "unenlightened"。I have a masters degree in psychology， and at a graduate school meeting I met a woman who said she worked with sexual predators。 She shared with us how one of her clients was a man who sexually abused children and was "deeply ashamed" of this behavior （though not ashamed enough to stop himself from doing it）。 To help this man， the woman told him that his abuse of children was just a bad habit， like biting one's nails。 He just needed to learn to change his behavior and he would be fine。 In this therapist's scenario， the grown man was the human， and the children he raped were fingernails。 The therapist reinforced the perpetrator's view of himself as the center of the universe and his victims as disposable。We live in a society that worships power and romanticizes predators。 Those who identify with power often identify with predators （victims are such whiny bores）。 To justify this identification， they claim that we are all capable of committing evil acts， and therefore shouldn't judge those who rape， batter， and kill vulnerable people。But where is the proof that we are all capable of committing evil acts？Where is the evidence that everyone under certain circumstances is capable of torture， murder， and sexual violence？There is no evidence of this。 It is a self-serving theory that excuses those who commit sadistic acts and condemns victims of those acts as being no better than their perpetrators （"you'd have done the same thing if you were them" is the claim）。I am a parent。 I was horrifically abused as a child， yet I never so much as spanked my own child。 My son tells me he had a happy childhood and is a happy young man today。But according to Dr。 Adshead I am just as capable of cruelty as my father。 I am capable of evil， too， so I have no right to judge the man who terrorized me throughout my childhood。So， rather than my father having been the perpetrator and me having been the victim （which is binary and therefore can't be true） we are both victims and there is no perpetrator。 I was four when my father started raping me， but he is no more responsible for his choices than I was - he was not the bad guy and I was not the good guy。 We were both innocent and in a way， we were also both guilty。Does this view of cruelty best serve the powerful or the vulnerable？Does it best serve adults or children？Does it best serve men or women？If no one is innocent， then little girls who get raped by their fathers are guilty - or at least just as guilty as their rapists。The idea that there is no such thing as good or evil， innocence or guilt， allows us to minimize violence and cruelty - which is far more comfortable than facing the reality that evil exists。I have had direct experiences of sadism and evil， and I have earned the right to say that I am not capable of committing sadistic acts against my fellow human beings。 Most of us are not capable of sadism。 There truly are both good people and evil people。We abandon victims of evil when we pretend that evil does not exist - and we do this for our own comfort， not out of any real courage or compassion。Accepting the reality of evil is hard。 We may never understand it completely。But it does exist。 And we enable evil people when we pretend they are no different from their victims。They are different。 Evil exists。 And so does innocence。I'm afraid this book makes the world an even lonelier place for victims of cruelty。 。。。more
Yarub Khayat
，
ماذا يحدث بعد دخول الأشخاص المحكوم عليهم （نساء أو رجال） لزنازين السجون بسبب جرائم خطيرة ارتكبوها؟ ماذا يشغل تفكير هؤلاء المساجين، وكيف تكون الرعاية النفسية لهم لتحييد خطرهم على أنفسهم وعلى من حولهم؟صدر هذا الكتاب البريطاني بتاريخ 1 يونيو2021، متضمنا 320 صفحة، ليضع القراء البريطانين خاصة، وكذلك القراء في الولايات المتحدة الأمريكية - جنباً إلى جنب مع طب العلاج النفسي، في مواجهة هؤلاء المحكوم عليهم مستمعين لهم بعين العقل، ليكتشف القارئ ما الذي تعنيه القسوة البشرية بالنسبة لهؤلاء المجرمين المدانين ب ماذا يحدث بعد دخول الأشخاص المحكوم عليهم （نساء أو رجال） لزنازين السجون بسبب جرائم خطيرة ارتكبوها؟ ماذا يشغل تفكير هؤلاء المساجين، وكيف تكون الرعاية النفسية لهم لتحييد خطرهم على أنفسهم وعلى من حولهم؟صدر هذا الكتاب البريطاني بتاريخ 1 يونيو2021، متضمنا 320 صفحة، ليضع القراء البريطانين خاصة، وكذلك القراء في الولايات المتحدة الأمريكية - جنباً إلى جنب مع طب العلاج النفسي، في مواجهة هؤلاء المحكوم عليهم مستمعين لهم بعين العقل، ليكتشف القارئ ما الذي تعنيه القسوة البشرية بالنسبة لهؤلاء المجرمين المدانين بجرائم خطيرة، بدءً من القتل المتسلسل، إلى المطاردة أو الحرق العمد أو الاعتداء الجنسي، للتعرف بشكل مباشر كيف يمكن لوجهة نظر المجتمع أن تتغير عنهم، بدلا من تصنيفهم على أنهم مجرد "أشرار" فقط، وذلك بعرض قصص حياتهم وخلفياتهم الاجتماعية والنفسية وتقييمها للتوصل إلى نتائج تتراوح بين الأمل فيهم، أو اليأس منهم！يتم الكشف في هذا الكتاب عن هؤلاء المجرمين بكل تعقيداتهم وإنسانيتهم المشتركة، وظروفهم الاجتماعية في زمن "الحجر الجماعي"، والتخفيضات الكبيرة في الاعتمادات المالية المخصصة لرعاية "الصحة العقلية والنفسية"، والاختلافات المجتمعية الشديدة。هذا ويقدم الكتاب حججا تبدو مقنعة للتعاطف مع بعض من تمت إدانتهم وذلك من خلال خبرة مؤلفته الدكتورة/ غوين أدشيد، في العلاج النفسي في السجون لمدة تزيد عن ثلاثة عقود، وخبرات زميلتها/ إيلين هورن، وهذا باستعراض （11） حكاية حقيقية لنساء ورجال خلف القضبان。يوصف كتاب "الشيطان الذي تعرفه" بأنه كتاب نادر، وأنه قد صدر في الوقت المناسب، وأنه يتمتع بالقدرة على تحويل أفكار المجتمع حول القسوة والعنف، وكذلك على توسيع حدود التعاطف بشكل جذري مما سينتج عنه جهود أفضل لتجفيف منابع الجرائم الخطيرة في بريطانيا والولايات المتحدة الأمريكية。مرفق رابط لمشاهدة لقاء تتحدث فيه المؤلفة وزميلتها، عن كتابهما هذا الذي لا أرى بأسا من التعرف على محتوياته، وذلك على الرغم من الاختلافات الجذرية بين القوانين والمجتمعات التي يخاطبها الكتاب عن القوانين ومجتمعاتنا。https://youtu。be/8XOHuBx_qXk 。。。more
Heather Trevis
，
Written by a forensic psychiatrist with years of experience in prison mental health wards， this is a fascinating glimpse inside the minds of people who’ve committed horrific crimes。 The book is divided into a number of case studies， featuring a range of criminals， and is a must read for anyone interested learning more about the mind of a criminal。 The author makes a causal link between mental illness （or childhood neglect） and crime， and it is striking how many of the crimes could have been prev Written by a forensic psychiatrist with years of experience in prison mental health wards， this is a fascinating glimpse inside the minds of people who’ve committed horrific crimes。 The book is divided into a number of case studies， featuring a range of criminals， and is a must read for anyone interested learning more about the mind of a criminal。 The author makes a causal link between mental illness （or childhood neglect） and crime， and it is striking how many of the crimes could have been prevented if earlier interventions had been in place。 In an era where we’re seeing an increase in the number of people being incarcerated， this book makes an important case for increasing funding in social and mental health care。 Heavy-going but an insightful， compassionate， reminder to recognise others’ humanity before branding them an ‘evil monster’。 。。。more
Laura Doe
，
This book is a fantastic read into the real life work of a psychiatrist and the struggles that she faces with both the system and her clients。 Throughout， Dr Adshead tells us of different cases she has dealt with throughout her career but also intersperses it with facts and makes sure that they are backed up with sources too。 We follow her as she deals with murderers， arsonists， sex offenders and stalkers， and we get a rare insight into why they committed these offences。 We also are able to read This book is a fantastic read into the real life work of a psychiatrist and the struggles that she faces with both the system and her clients。 Throughout， Dr Adshead tells us of different cases she has dealt with throughout her career but also intersperses it with facts and makes sure that they are backed up with sources too。 We follow her as she deals with murderers， arsonists， sex offenders and stalkers， and we get a rare insight into why they committed these offences。 We also are able to read her own thoughts into the offenders and the difference that extra funding into health care would make。 This is definitely a book that anyone with an interest into mental health and those currently working in mental health would benefit from， even if it’s just for the reason that someone agrees that mental health services in the UK are completely underfunded and at crisis point， and have been that way for years。Thank you so much to Dr Gwen Adshead and Eileen Horne for writing this insightful look into the world of psychiatry and mental health and to the team at Pigeonhole for allowing me to read it。 。。。more
Nancy
，
Interesting read from the authors perspective。 Personally felt there was little compassion for the actual victims of the crimes mentioned。 Their understandable feelings & trauma were apparently insignificant to the writer， even to go so far as to say that the perpetrators will receive the care they deserve but the victims likely won't get the care they need。 Thought it was quite sad to see how the doctor immediately discounted the claims made by Gabriel about being raped by calling them delusion Interesting read from the authors perspective。 Personally felt there was little compassion for the actual victims of the crimes mentioned。 Their understandable feelings & trauma were apparently insignificant to the writer， even to go so far as to say that the perpetrators will receive the care they deserve but the victims likely won't get the care they need。 Thought it was quite sad to see how the doctor immediately discounted the claims made by Gabriel about being raped by calling them delusions without any proof。 Not all the training in the world will create a healer if they put their own spin & narrative on another persons story。 。。。more
Glynis Jane
，
Review to follow
Keely
，
A real hard listen at times， but it was fascinating taking a look inside these people minds。
Kate Potapenko
，
Absolutely brilliant！11 stories of 11 human beings， most of them have commited a violent crime。Some stories don't have a start or an end to them， but they're not unfinished in any way。We are looking into individual stories， Dr Adshead is trying to understand how it all has come to that and how each individual can be helped。What amazed me the most is that within a couple of pages you get such a clear picture of the person in front of you， the feel of the room and even the tone of their voice。Shor Absolutely brilliant！11 stories of 11 human beings， most of them have commited a violent crime。Some stories don't have a start or an end to them， but they're not unfinished in any way。We are looking into individual stories， Dr Adshead is trying to understand how it all has come to that and how each individual can be helped。What amazed me the most is that within a couple of pages you get such a clear picture of the person in front of you， the feel of the room and even the tone of their voice。Short stories， but they stir so many feelings and thoughts。 It has exceeded all expectations as apart from giving insights into the world of violent crimes， it is also extremely well written and structured。 。。。more
Molly O'Connor
，
This is an absolutely remarkable book that shines a light on the psyche of those who have committed acts of unimaginable violence and cruelty。 Dr Gwen Adshead is a forensic psychiatrist and psychotherapist who has spent her career working with people who have committed serious crimes such as murder， stalking， arson and child sexual abuse。 Working with dramatist Eileen Horne， she has crafted eleven narratives that are representative of her experiences of working within the criminal justice system This is an absolutely remarkable book that shines a light on the psyche of those who have committed acts of unimaginable violence and cruelty。 Dr Gwen Adshead is a forensic psychiatrist and psychotherapist who has spent her career working with people who have committed serious crimes such as murder， stalking， arson and child sexual abuse。 Working with dramatist Eileen Horne， she has crafted eleven narratives that are representative of her experiences of working within the criminal justice systems and allow her to explore a range of issues including female violence， PTSD and the long-lasting impacts of child abuse。 In spite of the fact that each of these narratives centres around someone who has committed a terrible crime， I found myself feeling empathy and compassion for each and every one of them。 This book invites you to do the challenging work of seeing those who we would usually write off as 'monsters' for what the really are， people。 Damaged people who have done huge amounts of harm to those around them yes， but also people who are deserving of our compassion。 Some of these narratives end in progress and hope， others end in in regression but each of them expands the readers understanding of violence， trauma and what it means to show empathy to our fellow human beings。 I hope more people working in criminal justice read this book， it's an incredibly important and invaluable resource。 。。。more
Lou Barber
，
Forensic psychiatrist and psychotherapist， Gwen Adshead has worked for the NHS， in varied therapeutic settings， including working with patients at Broadmoor。 She writes with sensitivity， empathy and freely admits her own triggers and feelings which is a fascinating insight。 Working with people who have been violent and abusive is challenging， but Dr Adshead strongly believes that understanding and empathy are much more effective for the perpetrators and for society at large， than mere condemnati Forensic psychiatrist and psychotherapist， Gwen Adshead has worked for the NHS， in varied therapeutic settings， including working with patients at Broadmoor。 She writes with sensitivity， empathy and freely admits her own triggers and feelings which is a fascinating insight。 Working with people who have been violent and abusive is challenging， but Dr Adshead strongly believes that understanding and empathy are much more effective for the perpetrators and for society at large， than mere condemnation。The case studies included are varied and include both male and female patients。 Some details may potentially be triggering for some readers， but for anyone interested in what makes humans tick， this is a must read。It also highlights the shocking lack of resources and understanding of mental illness that has led to so many tragedies that could in all likelihood have been averted。 。。。more
Rosie
，
This book reminds me why I am so happy to work at the Maudsley
Claire
，
3。5⭐
Becca Fitzpatrick （bookscandlescats）
，
This was an extremely interesting read。 It dives deep into the psyche of criminals/patients with violent tendencies。 The author is a compassionate person who treats all of these subjects as human beings， while picking apart their brains to find out the truth behind their actions。I loved that there were multiple patients studied， as it gives a much more broad view of the conditions they may be suffering。 Thank you to Allen and Unwin for providing me with a copy of this one to review。
Jen
，
-There’s no such thing as a bad seed， just bad soil。 -This is a concept that will stick with me after reading this book。 It’s an interesting and insightful read， and certainly helps to give a different perspective on the “monsters” who commit violent crime。 Looking behind the newspaper headlines and into the psyche of those imprisoned in secure hospitals， to see the person rather than the perpetrator。 I found the narration of the Audiobook far too slow， so played it at 1。3x otherwise I think I’d -There’s no such thing as a bad seed， just bad soil。 -This is a concept that will stick with me after reading this book。 It’s an interesting and insightful read， and certainly helps to give a different perspective on the “monsters” who commit violent crime。 Looking behind the newspaper headlines and into the psyche of those imprisoned in secure hospitals， to see the person rather than the perpetrator。 I found the narration of the Audiobook far too slow， so played it at 1。3x otherwise I think I’d have given up before the end of the first chapter， but I did enjoy that it was narrated by Dr Adshead herself， as the inflections and intonations were genuine and natural。 I work in mental health， so maybe I had a ‘special interest’ here。 I don’t think that needs to be a prerequisite to enjoy the book though; anyone with an interest in others， in human behaviour， will find enjoyment in this book and hopefully will take a moment to pause the next time the tabloids blaze another family’s misfortune in sensationalised block print on their front page。 There is more than one victim in most crimes， and I think this book helps to demonstrate that the victims are not always just who you think。 And the perpetrators are people too。 。。。more
kellie
，
Wow， this book definitely shows a different side into the minds of offenders。 Most leading forensic psychiatrist who write about true crime will pick the worse crimes， the ones that keep the reader reading， this book does things a little different it， it is packed with compassion and very through provoking while still covering violent crimes。 The only part that I didnt enjoy as much was the reference to other literary reads throughout the book， I was intrigued but Dr Adshead thoughts and not so Wow， this book definitely shows a different side into the minds of offenders。 Most leading forensic psychiatrist who write about true crime will pick the worse crimes， the ones that keep the reader reading， this book does things a little different it， it is packed with compassion and very through provoking while still covering violent crimes。 The only part that I didnt enjoy as much was the reference to other literary reads throughout the book， I was intrigued but Dr Adshead thoughts and not so much of her need to add quotes from other books。 。。。more
Lizzie Sharples
，
** ARC provided by Netgalley via the publisher in exchange for an honest review。 ***This book was so interesting， I just couldn't put it down the whole time I was reading。 This book is Incredibly thought provoking and really shines a light on 'accepted truths' about individuals in prisons and secure hospitals。 I doubt any one， after reading， would doubt the possibility of therapy being an effective way in which to help people overcome their past as well as potentially look to the future。 Would r ** ARC provided by Netgalley via the publisher in exchange for an honest review。 ***This book was so interesting， I just couldn't put it down the whole time I was reading。 This book is Incredibly thought provoking and really shines a light on 'accepted truths' about individuals in prisons and secure hospitals。 I doubt any one， after reading， would doubt the possibility of therapy being an effective way in which to help people overcome their past as well as potentially look to the future。 Would recommend highly。 。。。more
Victoria
，
The stories within this book are not easy to read but the compassion and desire to help people that Dr Adshead shows shines through and provides a glimmer of hope that there are people out there working hard to make things better。Sadly what is abundantly clear is that mental health care is catastrophically underfunded。
Miss Hanna Loves Grammar
，