Overview

On April 19, 1995, Timothy McVeigh detonated a two-ton truck bomb that felled the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, killing 168 people. On June 11, 2001, an unprecedented 242 witnesses watched him die by lethal injection. In the aftermath of the bombings, American public commentary almost immediately turned to “closure” rhetoric. Reporters and audiences alike speculated about whether victim’s family members and survivors could get closure from memorial services, funerals, legislation, monuments, trials, and executions. But what does “closure” really mean for those who survive—or lose loved ones in—traumatic acts? In the wake of such terrifying events, is closure a realistic or appropriate expectation? In Killing McVeigh, Jody Lyneé Madeira uses the Oklahoma City bombing as a case study to explore how family members and other survivors come to terms with mass murder. The book demonstrates the importance of understanding what closure really is before naively asserting it can or has been reached.

Full Product Details

Author:   Jody Lyneé Madeira ,  Bernard Wasow ,  Raymond Hill
Publisher:   New York University Press
Imprint:   New York University Press
Dimensions:   Width: 15.30cm , Height: 3.30cm , Length: 22.90cm
Weight:   0.612kg
ISBN:  

9780814796108

ISBN 10:   0814796109
Pages:   336
Publication Date:   11 June 2012
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Manufactured on demand  
We will order this item for you from a manufactured on demand supplier.

Table of Contents

"Acknowledgments The Oklahoma City Bombing: A Time Line Preface Part I: Blood Relations 1 ""A Rude Awakening"": The Origins of the Victim-Offender Relationship 2 ""He Broke into My Life"": Experiencing the Victim-Offender Relationship 3 Opening Up ""Closure"": Redefining a Controversial Term Part II: Traumas and Trials 4 ""We Come Here to Remember"": Joining Advocacy Groups 5 ""God Bless the Media"": Negotiating News Coverage 6 ""Making Sure Justice Was Served"": Pursuing Accountability Part III: The Road to Execution 7 Emotion on Trial: Prosecuting Timothy McVeigh 8 Reaching Law's Limits: Trying Terry Nichols and Welcoming the McVeigh Jury to Oklahoma City 9 The Storm before the Calm: Awaiting McVeigh's Execution 10 The Weight of an Impossible World: McVeigh Confronts His Public Image vi | Contents 11 Done to Death: The Execution and the End of the Victim-Offender Relationship Conclusion: McVeigh Memorialized Appendix: Methodology Notes Index About the Author"

Reviews

Everyone seems to have an opinion about whether the execution of murderers can offer closure to the victims' loved ones. Finally, we have a study that has investigated the largest, most media-saturated mass murder and execution in recent times - the Oklahoma City bombing and the execution of Timothy McVeigh. Madeira's in-depth, fair-minded, and sensitive account opens a window for us into the struggles of those affected and explores the complicated role that our public institutions of criminal justice play in the complex and difficult work of reconstructing life after atrocity.-Carol Steiker,

Sixteen years after the horror of the Oklahoma City bombing, it may now be possible to examine that dark day with some objectivity. In Killing McVeigh, Professor Madeira offers a faithful account of what followed through the words of victims and survivors. Her analysis shows how the death penalty forced so much energy and focus to be put on McVeigh, and how difficult it is to make sense of such a tragedy. Richard C. Dieter, Executive Director, Death Penalty Information Center Everyone seems to have an opinion about whether the execution of murderers can offer 'closure' to the victims' loved ones. Finally, we have a study that has investigated the largest, most media-saturated mass murder and execution in recent times - the Oklahoma City bombing and the execution of Timothy McVeigh. Madeira's in-depth, fair-minded, and sensitive account opens a window for us into the struggles of those affected and explores the complicated role that our public institutions of criminal justice play in the complex and difficult work of reconstructing life after atrocity. Carol Steiker, Henry J. Friendly Professor of Law, Harvard Law School Clearly written and persuasive, this is an important contribution to the literature of closure. Library Journal, May 15th 2012

Sixteen years after the horror of the Oklahoma City bombing, it may now be possible to examine that dark day with some objectivity. In Killing McVeigh , Professor Madeira offers a faithful account of what followed through the words of victims and survivors. Her analysis shows how the death penalty forced so much energy and focus to be put on McVeigh, and how difficult it is to make sense of such a tragedy. -Richard C. Dieter, Executive Director, Death Penalty Information Center

Author Information

Jody Lyneé Madeira is Associate Professor at Indiana University Maurer School of Law.

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