The Events of October": Murder-Suicide on a Small Campus (Painted Turtle Press)

The author, Gail Griffin, did the unimaginable and put me in room 201 DeWaters Hall on October 17, 1999.I had heard about this crime in 1999 when it made national news. I imagined how hard this would be for the friends and family of Maggie Wardle. What I couldn't imagine was how it would affect the small Midwestern college, the students (past, present, and future), and staff.Gail Griffin guides us to "The Events of October" through interviews, records from instant message, and her narration. And even though I knew the nature of the story, I found myself thinking, "dear God Maggie, don't go to his room...." But of course, Maggie was the kind of woman who would go to a friend in need.The details of this crime were gruesome. VERY. GRUESOME. And a stark contrast to Maggie herself who brought friendship, hope, and love to those around her. Through this story I distinctly feel the absence of Maggie and all that she would have been. We are all victims of the crime committed against her.This was Maggie's story to be told. I'm glad that Gail Griffin took on the responsibility to see that it was told accurately and completely. I know I will never be the same after learning it. How can there ever be a "Return to Normalcy" after something like this.......Kelli Stapleton K95

At the time this occurred, I was a K student and played on the golf team with Maggie. When I heard that Dr. Griffin had published the book, I and other friends were very excited to have the story told in full, but were not sure how we would react and whether we would be able to finish it, given the subject matter. Dr. Griffin, however, does such a wonderful job weaving the story, setting the scene, and then later putting the pieces back together, that she makes it very difficult to put the book down despite its difficult subject matter. It is a very gripping read. I read it in 2-3 long sittings, and I know several others who did the same. Dr. Griffin does a wonderful job exploring the ins and outs of not only the event itself and resulting atmosphere on campus, and but she also very carefully ties the story into the larger web of domestic violence. As other reviewers have stated, she does not seek to place blame, but rather tell the story, the entire story, to see where that can lead us in the fight against domestic violence. I encourage everyone to read it and remember Maggie's story.

Well researched, written with style, grace and empathy for all those involved.

I was fascinated with the skill this writer used in putting this very complicated story back together for the reader. She is a master at looking at this tragic event from all sides, which really makes the reader feel like they are with her, as she does her interviews. This book should be required reading at all colleges and universities. Students, administration and instructors all need to read it.

Well written look at a painful episode.

Great book! Highly recommend!

Gail Griffin, a professor at Kalamazoo College in Kalamazoo, Michigan, wrote this astonishing book on her sabbatical. I am a former assistant prosecutor in Kalamazoo County and lived (and still live) in Kalamazoo at the time of this horrific tragedy in 1999 when a despondent student killed his ex-girlfriend and then took his own life on this small college campus. The book does not seek to place blame so much as it seeks to understand how domestic violence can occur with a focus on women so frequently being the victims. Ultimately, we as a society, are the true victims. Ms. Griffin approaches this tragedy with compassion and a true sense of trying to identify purpose for these young lives. She personalizes the victims in such a manner that almost anyone can identify traits in people we all know. The book becomes a touching tribute to Maggie Wardle and her life and its unfullfilled promise. The book is poetic and heartfelt. Ultimately it leaves us with as many questions as it does answers. We have become conditioned by violence and often it takes a situation like this to realize the impact such an event can have on so many lives. The book is beautifully written. It should truly be picked up by a major publisher. I hope that Ms. Griffin will do a follow-up article in the next 5 and 10 years.

This terribly tragic story tells about a murder-suicide on a private college just down the street from where I went to university. It happened, when I was in middle school and I had no idea about it until I stumbled across this book at my favorite bookstore in the world, Kazoo Books. I'm so glad I found this book because it carefully set the plot describing Kalamazoo College with vivid descriptions, laid out the characters, and began telling the story about the warning signs and conflicts prior to the murder. The second part of the book explained how the college recovered from the tragedy and the impact it had on the students. The parents of the girl who was murdered support this book in hopes that people will recognize the warning signs of individuals who are hurting and take the necessary steps. This book would be an excellent read for anyone, but it was especially interesting to me because I have been to Kalamazoo College before and know the area very well. Such a well written book[...]

My title pretty well sums up my review for this book: it is a beautifully and sensitively written true story by an english/poetry professor who taught at Kalamazoo College during the time of this murder-suicide. Since then, the author interviewed students, faculty, relatives and friends of the victim and scorned lover and shows how the tragedy built to its sad (though unnecessary) ending. The book also deals with a lot of the aftermath trauma and is probably a good reference for other academic institiutions to have handy as a how-to-cope manual. I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in college stories, love-gone-wrong tales. Five stars for sure!

The author, professor of a North American liberal arts college where most students live on-campus, has taken her sabbatical to publish the book. Through extensive research and interviews, the author very lively illustrates not only the 1999 murder-suicide case on-campus itself but the lasting impact it has had on students, faculty and staff, and goes on to discuss violence against women at large.The book is easy to read and helps you realize that violence against women is not an act of monsters, and that it is primarily committed by those who have or had intimate relationships with them. There is also a list of warning signs of potentially abusive relationship.However, the book falls short of sufficiently addressing cultural background of Neenef, a son of Iraqi immigrant who murdered Maggie and then committed suicide on a campus where the majority of students are white and from the mid-west, and loose gun control in America in general, which I suspect directly contributed to the fatal violence.As an alumnus, I am disappointed to read the college has not sufficiently maintained institutional expertise in spotting the warning signs of abusive relationship among its students and counseling resources.