By Jeffry Catalano —
Is true crime more popular now than it’s ever been? There are countless podcasts (Serial), shows on streaming services like Netflix (Making a Murderer), and books (I’ll Be Gone in the Dark) about actual murder and crimes. Considering the genre’s overwhelming popularity in the current age, it seems fitting that it is the subject of a college class here at the Regionals this semester: ENG 122, Popular Literature, taught by Professor Johnson. The focus of this course changes from semester to semester, and the students in Professor Johnson’s class are currently reading classic true crime titles like In Cold Blood, Zodiac, and The Stranger Beside Me. When she’s teaching ENG 122, Professor Johnson always finds a personal connection to the material.
She was born in 1969, a year forever enshrined in the annals of true crime. In that year, the infamous Manson murders were committed and the Zodiac was roaming California, killing young couples—and getting away with it, all while taunting the police. Both crime sprees were later documented in well-regarded books, which are both titles on the syllabus for ENG 122. The 1974 book on the Manson murders was written by the lead prosecutor who put Charles Manson and his cohorts—his so-called “Family”—behind bars. The book Helter Skelter and its author, Vincent Buglosi, helped popularize true crime literature in the twentieth century. The book on the Zodiac killer, simply titled Zodiac, was written by Robert Graysmith and first published in 1986, long after the killer had disappeared without a trace.
When I discussed the Zodiac killer with Dr. Johnson, I was amazed that there seems to be a new suspect almost every week. Robert Graysmith was largely convinced that Arthur Leigh Allan was the killer, but many others have formed their own pet theories over the decades. One person even recently wrote a book claiming his father was the infamous killer. If you’re curious, the book is called The Most Dangerous Animal of All: Searching for My Father … and Finding the Zodiac Killer.
Truman Capote’s remarkable book, In Cold Blood, is often cited as the work that spawned the true crime genre. Along with Helter Skelter, In Cold Blood is largely responsible for the public’s interest in real-life crime narratives. Dr. Johnson’s own entry point into the genre of true crime was one many others can relate to: the work of the prolific author Anne Rule. Rule is most known for her 1980 book The Stranger Beside Me, which details her personal connection to the serial killer Ted Bundy. Rule met Bundy when he was a young man at a crisis center. Bundy, one of America’s most terrifying serial killers, once worked for an organization that provided assistance over the phone to people contemplating suicide. Rule’s unsparing portrait of Bundy as a complex man who could not simply be written off as pure evil is one of the reasons why true crime seems to interest so many people. What makes a serial killer like Bundy? How much are nature and nurture at play?
As a true crime buff, it was thrilling to discuss the genre with Dr. Johnson. She’s read many of Anne Rule’s books, and we discussed my favorite work of hers, Small Sacrifices. The 1987 novel is about the case of Diane Downs, a woman who murdered one of her children and attempted to murder two others so that she could be free to be with her boyfriend. Dr. Johnson and I discussed why the book has remained so fascinating, and she made a great point about how the book portrays a rare case of a mother committing the most unspeakable crime. Anne Rule’s numerous contributions to true crime literature were significant because of her background as a police officer and her ability to give a voice to the voiceless. Her book about the Green River Killer, Green River Running Red, goes to great lengths to humanize the many victims of the serial killer, who were mostly sex workers.
True crime may be more popular than it’s ever been, and the controversy around the genre may also be at an all-time high. Anyone familiar with the genre, like Dr. Johnson, can distinguish the good titles from the bad. All of the books on the syllabus for ENG 122 this semester take great care to make readers empathize with the victims. When discussing The Stranger Beside Me, Dr. Johnson reminded me of the new introduction Anne Rule wrote to her book years after it was published. In it, Rule claimed that she’d received many letters from young women thanking her for making them more aware of the tactics serial killers use to lure their victims. True crime, at its best, can be life-saving. Many people with an avid interest in the genre believe in the social good books like The Stranger Beside Me can do. True crime is a dark, often bleak genre, but it dives into the nature of morality and evil in a way no other literary genre can.
In previous iterations, ENG 122 has focused on the work of Stephen King and zombies. I’ve been a longtime reader of Stephen King, but I was unaware of a recurring theme in his work until Dr. Johnson and I discussed it. “So much of his work is about fathers and father figures,” she said. King, who grew up without a father, has relentlessly explored the subject of fathers in his books. In response to Dr. Johnson’s great insight, I told her how even in one of King’s latest works, 2021’s Billy Summers, there is a surrogate father dynamic at play. Dr. Johnson is currently a member of Stephen King book club, and mentioned that her book club intends to read one of King’s longer works before the end of the year. When students in ENG 122 were assigned King’s work to read, they got to read some of his greatest hits like Pet Sematary and Salem’s Lot.
Dr. Johnson’s interest in zombie literature is likewise infectious, if you’ll pardon the pun. When I was a student of hers in ENG 122, we read books like World War Z, which was adapted into a film with Brad Pitt. The first time Dr. Johnson read World War Z, she got hooked instantly, given her strong interest in anything related to the apocalypse. “I love apocalypse scenarios,” Dr. Johnson said. “I love how communities respond under pressure.” I completely agreed with her sentiment, and we both weren’t surprised that the zombie genre continues to endure. HBO’s recent show, The Last of Us, an adaptation of a successful video game, reinvigorated the public’s fascination with zombies. The focus of ENG 122 will return to zombies in the near future, and there will undoubtedly be lengthy discussions about The Last of Us.
With each new iteration of ENG 122: Popular Literature, Dr. Johnson’s goal is to introduce students to the pleasures of reading. True crime, Stephen King, and zombies are excellent ways to showcase how fun and exciting reading can be, and that it is not merely homework. Personally, Stephen King got me back into reading after a prolonged dry spell, and I’ve heard and read about countless others saying the same thing. Whether you read a physical copy or an audiobook, literature can bring so much joy into your life—even if the walking dead are just around the corner and the end of the world is nigh.
