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While They Slept: An Inquiry into the Murder of a Family | 
 enlarge | Author: Kathryn Harrison
Publisher: Random House
Category: Book
List Price: $25.00
Buy New: $7.50
You Save: $17.50 (70%)
New (39) from $7.50
Avg. Customer Rating:  19 reviews
Sales Rank: 23250
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 1
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 304
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.1
Dimensions (in): 9.3 x 6.4 x 1.3
ISBN: 1400065429
Dewey Decimal Number: 364.15230979527
EAN: 9781400065424
ASIN: 1400065429
Publication Date: June 10, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
Early on an April morning, eighteen-year-old Billy Frank Gilley, Jr., killed his sleeping parents. Surprised in the act by his younger sister, Becky, he turned on her as well. Billy then climbed the stairs to the bedroom of his other sister, Jody, and said, “We’re free.”
But is one ever free after an unredeemable act of violence? The Gilley family murders ended a lifetime of physical and mental abuse suffered by Billy and Jody at the hands of their parents. And it required each of the two survivors–one a convicted murderer, the other suddenly an orphan–to create a new identity, a new life.
In this mesmerizing book, bestselling writer Kathryn Harrison brilliantly uncovers the true story behind a shocking and unforgettable crime as she explores the impact of escalating violence and emotional abuse visited on the children of a deeply troubled family. With an artistry that recalls Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood, Norman Mailer’s The Executioner’s Song, and her own The Kiss, Harrison reveals the antecedents of the murders–of a crime of such violence that it had the power to sever past from present–and the consequences for Billy and for Jody. Weaving in meditations on her own experience of parental abuse, Harrison searches out answers to the question of how survivors of violent trauma shape a future when their lives have been divided into Before and After.
Based on interviews with Billy and Jody as well as with friends, police, and social workers involved in the case, While They Slept is Kathryn Harrison’s unflinching inquiry into the dark heart of violence in an American family, and a personal quest to understand how young people go on after tragedy–to examine the extent as well as the limits of psychic resilience. The New York Times called Kathryn Harrison’s The Kiss “a powerful piece of writing, a testament to evil and hope.” The same could be said about While They Slept.
PRAISE FOR WHILE THEY SLEPT
“Harrison does a magnificent job of sorting through the heartbreak of a family tragedy. By adding insights into her own life, she brings us a little closer to understanding the resilience of the human spirit and the irrevocable damage and unforeseen consequences of child and sexual abuse.”
–USA Today
“The result of Harrison's masterful embellishment is a fascinating and comprehensive examination of the before and after of a brutal triple murder, of the cyclical nature of violence and of the tragic ineffectiveness of our social support systems…While They Slept does not provide the easy answers we hope to discover in ‘just the facts,’ but it offers instead the richer and more enduring illumination of ‘the story.’”
–L.A. Times
“Her telling brings moral clarity to the dark fate of a family: the daylight gaze of narrative itself as a form of empathy.”
–New York Times Book Review, cover review
“A powerful account…This excellent book will be devoured by educators who try to come to grips with the lasting effects of the traumas of childhood.”
–Deseret Morning News
“Harrison offers careful research and obvious concern… While They Slept’s real horror is in how many potential helpers were aware of the abuse and were unable to help. This is a heartbreaking read.”
–Rocky Mountain News
“Kathryn Harrison pulls the reader through the story of the 1984 triple murder in Medford–our own backyard–with such speed and excitement it feels like you’re watching an episode of Law & Order: Criminal Intent…Harrison perfectly paces the revelations of new characters, who add critical information and perspective to the Gilley murder.”
–Willamette Weekly
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| Customer Reviews: Read 14 more reviews...
 Fell Short September 23, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I found this book enjoyable (as much as a book about such a topic can be), but also enlightening. Harrison attempts to embark on a study of murder, but not in the voyeuristic retelling of so many conventional "true crime" books. She wants to prove that there is a schism in a person when a tragedy occurs: a "dead" person who once lived, but who is lost forever because a trauma has forced a new person to be reborn.
Although I think she took an interesting approach to the book, in retrospect it seems weak. I was never sure if she was arguing that there is a schism, or if she assumed there is and that the point had already been made. In the end, it seems as though her book was to argue for this point, but throughout the book she took this point for granted. There are also numerous times when this point is left undiscussed for so long the reader forgets about it.
Harrison's personal tragedy is woven into the story of the Gilley's, which does not seem inappropriate given that this is why she is writing this book. My problem with the inclusion of herself is that she is never consistent. She breaks up interesting passages about the Gilleys to interject her own story, and then there is a drought for dozens of pages.
The worst of her mistakes is her syntax is so confusing at times that I had to reread passages multiple times. It broke up the flow of the work, and really just confused me. She is obviously a talented writer, so such distractions are disappointing.
The story of the Gilley family is remarkable. The honesty of Jody and Billy bring such different perspectives. Harrison's insights and analysis of the evidence is daring and provocative. Harrison forces the reader to inspect every story, letter, and interview from every possible angle. While you may have sympathies for Jody, you eventually find some compassion for Billy, Becky, and even their parents. But ultimately Harrison proves she is overwhelming supporting Jody. Jody's perspective is assumed to be the "truth" at the cost of others.
In the end, it was a truly interesting and provocative read, with only Harrison getting in her own way to spoil it. The material was frank, graphic, and sometimes difficult to read. If you find abuse and trauma unbearable to think about, let alone read about, this may not be the book for you. Although the book was hopeful, it still deals with difficult subject matter.
I doubt I will ever read it again, but I am glad I read it now.
 Somebody is Still Sleeping... September 19, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
If I did not know the main characters in this book, I probably would have found it a satisfying read. For several years, my family home was next door to the rural house in which Billy, Linda and Becky were attacked. I attended their triple funeral, and later, Billy Jr.'s trial. Many questions arose for me at that trial, and this book does not help resolve them in any way. If anything, it raises more.
Billy, Jr.'s consecutive sentences are currently under review. While he does not claim he is not guilty, even the Supreme Court has agreed evidence that should have been presented at his trial perhaps was not, and therefore his sentences may be eligible to be served concurrently. I felt that the author was overly sympathetic to the surviving sister, in some semi-twisted hope of identifying with her (there is shared tragedy in their lives). There were several times I wanted to tell the author to get a good therapist. Her personal story is an inappropriate addition to the story of the Gilleys: Three murdered souls have earned their own book, don't you think?
To the author's credit, the book was written well. It was engrossing and easy to read; I suspect that someone who was not there would get more out of this book than I did. I do not claim that the information it contains is inaccurate. I was simply disappointed that the investigation itself was not more closely detailed.
 interesting...sad story September 18, 2008
I enjoyed this book. It brings you into a sad world of a family. I liked this booked because each chapter brought me closer to people involved. Sad,but it shows how disfunctional a family can be. Well written and the author invested time and emotion to the topic. good read.
Interesting story, poorly told *CONTAINS SOME SPOILERS* September 16, 2008
I saw this book at the library and thought it looked interesting- it's been compared to "In Cold Blood" which I loved. However Kathryn Harrison is nowhere near in the same league as Truman Capote. "While They Slept" is told in a completely biased manner that detracted from the intriguing story.
"While They Slept" is the story of a young man who bludgeons his parents and little sister to death with a baseball bat, while allowing a second younger sister to survive. His defense is that his parents were horribly abusive and that he was trying to save himself and his sisters, but that the youngest sister walked in during the crime and he panicked and killed her. He claims that the surviving sister was an accomplice; she denies it. Instead of allowing the reader to decide for himself, Harrison decides for us: the surviving sister is not only completely innocent, but also a hero. Harrison is almost sycophantic in her devotion to Jody Arlington, the survivor. She praises Jody throughout the book, and anyone who expresses even the slightest criticism towards Jody is "jealous" or "crazy". Even with (or perhaps because of) this highly biased version of events, I found myself questioning Jody's involvement in the murders, and her seemingly complete lack of emotion following them. According to Harrison, the fact that Jody never expressed any grief or sadness following the murders is simply an indication of her youth and a result of her abusive childhood, and anyone who disagrees with that has no right to judge how others grieve. Well, I disagree with that. Many criminals- Susan Smith and Scott Peterson are two prime examples- are first suspected of involvement because of lack of emotion displayed in the immediate aftermath of the violent death of a loved one. I understand that everyone grieves differently, but for a 16-year old to be totally emotionless after witnessing her 11-year sister's bloody and slow death seems a little strange. Also the fact that Harrison refuses to entertain any other opinions and forces her own down the reader's throat made me want to question it.
On top of this is that Harrison continues to refer to her own personal history throughout the book- she had a four year long affair with her father. Why she constantly references herself in what I thought was to be a true crime book is beyond me, but is becomes clear that Harrison is extremely self-absorbed and thinks that everyone is as fascinated with her as she is.
Lastly the book is simply not very well written. Twice Harrison misuses the word literally- "he was literally scared out of his mind". That is physically impossible, and perhaps Harrison should look up what the word literally actually means.
I was disappointed that this story was so poorly told. I wish that everyone involved, Jody Arlington included, had been given a better chance to have their story told.
A tale of transferance September 5, 2008
"While they slept" is a fascinating tale of the murder of family. Eighteen year old Billy Gilley blugeons his Mother, FAther and baby sister with a baseball bat as they slept one evening in 1984. After he does this, he wakes up his oldest sister and states to her "..We're free." The book describes the dysfunction of the family in great detail including verbal and physical abuse as well of hints of incest which led to Billy Gilley's decision to murder his family. Ms. Harrison interviewed both Billy and the surviving sister (who are now estranged) in the aftermath of the incident, and also uses legal and medical documents to tell the story of the Gilleys. What makes it even more interesting was that the author Kathryn Harrison chooses to tell her own story intertwined with the Gilleys. Ms. Harrison was raised primarily by her GRandparents, with some involvement with her Mother (her Mother was mentally ill. Her Father came into her life when she was 20. She started an incestous relationship with him and he ended up dominating all of her decisions (including breaking off contact with her Mother and Grandparents) until her decision to end her relationship with him. These transference issues in recognizing problems in the Gilley family and how they related to her own family when Ms. Harrison was in her 20s make the book even more interesting.
The only way this book could have possibly been improved is by having some pictures of the murderer, and the victims in the middle of the book; as well as the chief prosecutor of Billy Gilley and the chief defense attorney. I enjoyed it tremendously.
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