The Wicked Boy

The Wicked Boy
The Mystery of a Victorian Child Murderer by Kate Summerscale

In the summer of 1895, thirteen-year-old Robert Coombes murdered his mother, Emily, with casual coldness. His younger brother, Nattie, conspired with him, apparently aware of his brother's intentions. After executing their plan, they went about their usual daily lives, while their mother's body began to decompose and rot in a locked upstairs bedroom. Only when relatives began to question Emily's whereabouts, and an unbearable stench permeated the home, was the gruesome scene discovered.

In this true, incredibly well-researched novel, the author examines the lives of the brothers at home and in school before the crime. With a father often absent at sea, the boys appeared to have a love/ hate relationship with their mother. Nattie often followed the lead of his older brother, blindly succumbing to the great influence his sibling had over him. Robert was a peculiar, highly intelligent boy, prone to painful, persistent headaches. He was obsessed with "penny dreadfuls" (small, pocket books, popular during that period ) that  encouraged adventure and glorified crime. They spoke to the wanderlust within him.

The remainder of the book focuses on Robert's trial, Nattie's plea bargain, and the role a man by the name of John Fox played in the days following the murder. He was an older, somewhat feeble-minded dock worker whom Robert befriended and invited to stay at the family home, even with a decaying body close at hand.

Beyond the murder itself, this book sheds light on the social mores of England during the late 1800s. It's enlightening to learn how patients with psychological problems were diagnosed and treated during those years. Pages of photographs are intermittently added to enhance the story, as are the interviews with acquaintances and experts that share theories behind the perpetrator of this violent deed.

I encourage reading the epilogue at the end of the novel. The subsequent outcome of Robert's trial and life thereafter will surprise and mystify you.

The Wright Brothers

The Wright Brothers by Davis McCullough

They wanted to fly. This is a stirring account of how two determined brothers from Dayton, Ohio succeeded in their quest to do what so many regarded as unrealistic and foolish. In spite of their awe-inspiring accomplishments, the Wright brothers remained humble and unassuming, an inspiration to the common man that perseverance and dedication to a cause prevails over adversity.

"For all they had seen and done, the unprecedented glory bestowed on them, it had by all signs neither changed them nor turned their heads in the least. There was no boasting, no preening, no getting too big for their britches, as said, and it was this, almost as much as their phenomenal achievements, that was so greatly admired. As one writer on the scene put it, "They are the imperturbable 'men from home' as always".

And until the end, that home was Dayton, Ohio.

This Pulitzer-Prize author's research is incredibly extensive starting with the "boys" humble beginnings to their historic experimental flights at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. They were relentless in the pursuit of a dream, knowing that each attempt to soar like the birds they envied,  put their lives in danger. The moving personal diaries and documented Wright Papers give the reader a true look into the minds and lives of these pioneers.

However, the truly inspiring part of this book is the author's insight into the personal lives of these two humble men. They didn't have indoor plumbing growing up, they didn't travel in the "right" social circles, they didn't worry about being recognized to enhance swollen egos. What they did have was a devoted mother who died too young, and a preacher father who surrounded his sons with books that encouraged his children to reach for heights others would never even considered. The reader learns how much sister Katherine influenced them in their journey to success, while remaining in the shadows. An Oberlin (Ohio) graduate, she too excelled in her dreams of excellence and offered encouragement every step of the way.

On March 12, 1906, Wilbur and Orville Wright wrote, "The best dividends on the labor invested have invariably come from seeking more knowledge rather than more power".

This book is a testament to those words.