The Pale-Faced Lie

Hello, is there a statue of limitations on aiding and abetting a possible homicide by helping bury the body? Can someone look into this and get back to me? I’ll have to say, I read this book all the way through in a couple nights, because I come from a similar dysfunctional family, and just like my tendency to be drawn to messed up people and Jerry Springer episodes, I couldn’t pull myself away. Let me just say, I’m not entirely convinced the author is morally enlightened here, and I’ll explain. It seems the only reason he has lived the straight and narrow since his childhood is fear. He fears winding up like his father. I’m sorry, but that’s insufficient for me. You should be motivated by not wanting to hurt people and being remorseful about hurting people in the past. He has yet to show any remorse for any of the victims of his pranks as a child, some extremely dangerous and potentially deadly. The drunk victims of all his cherry bombs he put next to their bodies? They could have lost fingers or eyes. The victim of the two cars wrecked by him launching a truck tire down a hill? Nothing. Sure, he feels bad about locking his mother out of the house after she returned from the hospital, but he spends a sentence on it. He spends more time regaling on his childhood exploits, as if proud of them. I was waiting for the huge mea cupla moment where he reflects on his childhood and shows real remorse for all the horrible things he did, but crickets. He doesn’t sound like he’s taken any responsibility for his actions as a child, and even as an adult. Any remorse for helping your father bury a dead body of a possible homicide? Any wondering about if the person is a woman or pregnant or if their family is wondering what happened to them? Nothing? Crickets? I know morally ambiguous, untrusty narration is like a cool thing these days, but this is ridiculous. Seriously, someone find out if the statute of limitations expires on aiding and abetting a possible homicide and get back to me on that.

It’s a little past 4:00 in the morning and it’s time to go to work. I got exactly three hours of sleep last night. Why, you might ask? Because I decided to read a couple pages of The Pale Faced Lie before turning in and wound up reading the last two-thirds of the book completely unable to put it down. Just when you think that David Crow’s improbable drama couldn’t twist and turn any further, it does and leaves you completely agape. I’ll be completely honest – David is a friend and colleague, but I would not have guessed in a million years his backstory which stands in stark contrast to his sincerity and kindness. The characters and scenes that he paints for his readers remind me of Midnight In The Garden of Good and Evil, and the storyline of his cruel and deeply abusive childhood is right out of Dickens. I agree with the sentiments expressed by other reviewers here – this would make a fantastic screenplay. Bravo, David!

This was a really odd memoir. Clearly this kid had a traumatic childhood, a maniac father and a depressed and ineffective mother. That said, I had trouble believing all of the events. But even assuming one did believe all of the dysfunction and trauma, what’s lacking more than anything in the retelling of his life is any sort of reflection, growth, or understanding of who is parents were and why they were so damaged and why and how he and his siblings became successful in life despite childhood abuse and neglect. There’s also the disturbing fact that he and his brother were, themselves, delinquents and often violent and destructive. I suppose that can be a manifestation of a traumatic childhood but then discuss this. Reflect on it and bring us into your head, your heart, your mind. As an older child and even young adult, he continued to stay tied up in his father’s criminal activity and even helped bury someone his father killed. Perhaps this should be discussed with the police. Maybe the family of that person has been searching for him for decades. Just hearing about a whole lot of violence and abuse doesn’t make for a good story. The writer needs to research the lives of his parents and examine his own life in the context of this crazy family. None of that occurs. On top of all of this, Crow is not a very good writer. I’m not sure why I finished the book. As my headline says, I kept hoping it would get better. I did not. A waste of my time. Cannot even remotely recommend this and I have no idea why it has received such glowing reviews.

I experienced every emotion while reading this book. Sympathy, empathy, surprise, disbelief, and support are a few of feelings while following this full-life coming of age saga. The fact that it is a true story answers some of my questions of why some people turn out like they are, but makes me appreciate the people who have overcome incredible obstacles in life to succeed, move on, and forgive. This book had me cringing at some of the experiences the author had, empathize with some of his feelings, rooting for him to win in the end, and celebrate with him at the finish line. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a serious book with a true story, told in a humorous and non-pity evoking way, with a very evident moral of the story. It also sheds quite a revealing light on some of the institutions that still exist in our country. I will read it again.

Amazing read. I am a Native American that grew up with with a father that wasnt a criminal, but endured the same type of anger and discipline displayed by David Crows father. This book brought back so many childhood memories for good or ill. However, this book has given me a reminder about the power of forgiveness. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to read this book and will share this story with those that I come into contact with. There is a saying in our culture. The decisions that you make today, will affect those seven generations after us. This book is another reminder about how we deal with our pasts and learn from those lessons to move the needle forward in a positive direction for the children in our lives.

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