Adnan's Story

Two lives were taken when Hae Min Lee was murdered.

Adnan's Story is probably the most frustrating and infuriating book I've ever read. It's brilliant. It's honest. It's compelling. I'm not going to recap this story because you already know it. Who hasn't at least listened to Serial? (If you haven't, run don't walk.) Serial is, of course, where I first encountered the story of Adnan Syed. And for a year, I took it at face value. Just by this (what I see now is) tiny amount of information about the case, I thoroughly and wholeheartedly believed in Adnan's innocence. Just recently, I found this book by the fiercely multifaceted Rabia Chaudry and had to read it. In the midst of reading this, I listened to the Crime Junkie podcast's episode about Adnan. And wait, I thought Serial told the whole story. You see, I'm clearly terribly naive. I believed a journalist.

Adnan's Story is a must read for anyone who listened to Serial. It tells the WHOLE story, detail by detail. At times, it's slow. This is because Rabia is incredibly detailed in her storytelling, not wishing to leave a scrap, a morsel, of information unshared. I admit that despite it's popularity, I haven't listened to Undisclosed (don't judge me, I'm listening to like 5 true crime podcasts at any given moment) but you can BET I'll be starting it from the beginning ASAP.

I'm angry, I'm upset, I'm sad, and I'm SO SO disappointed (as always) by the “justice” system. There is almost nothing that frustrates me more than the injustice in this cruel world. Adnan's Story (and Hae's story) is a prime example of this. Cold hard facts prove that Adnan had no involvement in his close friend's murder. The motorcycle! The fax cover sheet! Asia! The reward! The #taptaptap! Jay's confession of lies! The list goes on and on. I will not rant about my own theories in this case, as that will do nothing but hmu with your theories, let's rant. This book is important. Adnan's story is important, Hae's story is important. READ IT. Listen to ALL the podcasts, dive deep, find new evidence, be a web sleuth.

Shout out to Rabia and JUSTIN, the defense lawyer Adnan needed all along. I hope next time I see this book pop up in my feed, Adnan is free and Hae's true killer is brought to justice.

I wasn't sure how much new information this book would contain - and if you, like me, listened to all three podcasts, the answer is not much from a case standpoint. The new information in this book comes in the form of Adnan's own words, mixed into each chapter, recalling the events from his perspective, and shedding light on his thought process through this whole journey.

I don't read enough true crime to know, really, how this stacks up to other books in the genre. I just know that, despite feeling like I already know everything there could possibly be to know about this case, I found the book fascinating. Rabia is a wonderful narrator, and the glimpses she gives her reader about growing up Muslim in America, and her own personal journey, added even more depth to this already enthralling story.