Dear Dawn : Aileen Wuornos in Her Own Words

This was so fascinating. I'm not really one of those people who studies serial killers, but I do find them interesting to learn about–especially Aileen Wuornos. Like many of them, if she had been given a fairer chance starting out in her life, perhaps her legacy would have been a more constructive one. This book covers 11 years of Aileen's life in prison for the murder of six men (technically seven, but one of the bodies remains undiscovered). It covers all the tediousness and minutia of prison life, but often Aileen reminisces on her life and tells childhood stories. This was the reason I read the book. I wanted to hear her life experience. Who did she care about? What did she care about? What did she like? What did she dislike? Before long my questions got more specific. Why did she have such disdain for people of color? Why did she have such a hard time accepting her own homosexuality when she made frequent references to it in her letters? Why does she deny being abused as a child, when she was a frequent runaway from her home?
Before anyone asks, no, of course I don't applaud her actions. She was a murderer; she confessed herself that all seven men were killed in the first degree. But I cannot write her off because of this. I honestly feel sorry for her; in some ways I kind of like her as a person. Her life experience and character is fascinating to me, and I would recommend this book to anyone who shares my view.