comments:
It's going to be a long 9 days until this book drops. I'm curious what to expect from it, other than a boo heavily slanted in Letby's favor based on the content of his review channel. I hope, and expect, that he will have engaged with Dewi Evans at least a bit, though I by no means expect that there won't be a discernable bias to what Morris includes and how. I doubt anyone else from the prosecution will have spoken with him, and he will probably mention that. I was also curious how much attention this book is likely to get. It's put out by Cinto Press, an imprint of Bath Publishing. Having a publisher means, possibly, having a modest budget for promotion. Peter Hitchens and Glen Owens have already mentioned it, which tells followers of this trial much about its content. But I think the publisher is likely to pursue more neutral reviews. I looked at Cinto press's website to see what sort of promotional work that they do: https://www.cintopress.co.uk/ I'd heard of Depp v Heard, an Unreal Story before. In fact, I considered buying it and decided not to after reading a sample. It did get attention in The Times, The Guardian, The Telegraph, and more: https://www.thetimes.com/culture/books/article/depp-v-heard-the-unreal-story-by-nick-wallis-review-the-trial-that-became-a-celebrity-death-match-086gnhcmb https://www.theguardian.com/books/2023/may/15/depp-v-heard-the-unreal-story-by-nick-wallis-review-fear-and-loathing-in-hollywood https://archive.ph/QzzC8 (someone tell the Telegraph that paywalling a book review is not helping the author all that much) https://courtobservers.org/2023/10/17/book-review-depp-v-heard-the-unreal-story-by-nick-wallis/ The reviews are largely regurgitating the case itself through the lens through which Wallis viewed it, and don't address the factual basis of some of his slant. For that, let's look at reader reviews: https://www.amazon.com/Depp-v-Heard-unreal-story/dp/173913494X#averageCustomerReviewsAnchor https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/123280703-depp-v-heard Seems like a love it or hate it book, and those who hate it include common themes in their reviews (from both sides): "The problem is, his grasp of what's important -- the evidence -- is tenuous." "How can a journalist that was at both trials miss so much? How did Bath Publishing allow this to be published and printed with no fact checking?" "I don't know what this so-called "journalist" think when he wrote this, but the amount of misinformation and biased reporting is staggering. There's 0 ounces of truth on this book and it's just a piece of garbage sensationalism written by a parasite." "Sooo many things in this book are objectively refuted with a single google search." "I wish this book had been commissioned to a smart writer who valued depth, truth, intelligence, and heart instead." I still can't find it in me to be cynical of parents of a 10-year-old girl who came so close to harm as a baby - even if they are after a payout or a misguided attempt to exonerate Letby, they start from a place of fear and confusion, which defines the NICU experience. I find how they are being USED by Letby supporters to be abhorrent, like vultures swarming on a carcass.