Marc Lépine: The Montreal Massacre (Crimes Canada: True Crimes That Shocked The Nation) Paperback – April 1, 2015

Totally unexpected account of a story I thought I knew well. Being from Canada, I'm more than familiar with this tragedy and how it impacted the country when it happened and how it still does today. However, I was completely unaware of some of the perspectives that were discussed by experts and recounted in this book. Like many others in this country, I just figured Lepine was a madman, a cold-blooded killer and his hatred for woman led to what happened that day. End of story. Not once did I ever give him any more thought other than that, let alone emphasize with him or consider him a human being. This book changed that.A few of the perspectives discussed are on the controversial side. Not to go into spoiler territory, but some may find theories included here such as comparing the frustration Lepine felt to that of battered women's syndrome to be disconcerting. For me, it was eye-opening and I believe to avoid future tragedies such as these, all theories should be openly discussed. As painful as that is to do. To read about how the massacre later terribly impacted the survivors and the extent of their guilt (both self-imagined and imposed by others) was heart-wrenching.As with all of RJ Parker's works, this one is well researched. In spite of the shortness of the book, the author does a spectacular job at retelling the events that truly shocked Canada to its core all those years ago and still does.Highly recommend this one to all my fellow fans of True Crime.

I liked the book okay when it is talking about Marc Lépine and his crimes. I do not remember seeing much about his crimes after a couple of days in the newspaper or television. I hated the psychoanalysis of the killer. I really don’t care to listen to the theories of how or why society may have pushed him to murder. Was the guy crazy, who knows? Feminism alone did not cause him to kill and I’m not sure that I’d buy his poor relationship with his father and family caused him to kill either. I normally like the books by RJ Parker; but, not this one. I will read more books by the author.

Much like a hit song you realize feels too short for the impact it has on you, this book packs a definite punch, and you’ll probably find yourself thinking about its contents a long while afterward. In fact, it will probably leave you with a different perspective on all school shootings, a far deeper perspective than those gained through most other treatments of such events.Parker’s writing is driven and honest, probably the two most powerful ingredients in creating a powerful reading experience. Writers often spend far too much effort trying to appear “The Writer” rather than just writing the story, making sure the content gets through to the reader. RJ Parker delivers this book’s content very effectively. And, for me, at least, that’s what establishes him as a very strong writer.While most of our exposure to human tragedy is delivered by media that’s more concerned with selling advertising and fear, Parker’s book is the welcome change that can help us get back to fuller, more human, considerations of such events. And that’s one thing we painfully need today.

Although I recognize the special circumstances of the author of this book, I was disappointed at its rather thin content. There is not much development of the central figure, the assassin Marc Lepine. This impressed me as the type pf writing which would have been more appropriate in a second-tier magazine piece. To be blunt: There just isn't much here.

This is a very short book, which reads like a high schooler's essay. There is nothing new to be learned here.This is totally not what I was expecting in a "book".

This was truly a tragic incident that spurred changes of gun laws in Canada. The young person was horribly abused and his mental illness resulted in 14 innocent women’s death😭

Written by RJ Parker, this novella is Volume #2 in a series called "Crimes Canada; True Crimes That Shocked the Nation"!Being from the US, I was only vaguely familiar with this story. Originally named Gamil Rodrique Liass Gharbi, on Oct 26,1964. (When he was 14 he changed his name to Marc L'epine)! L'epine had a troubled childhood that made him feel lonely, neglected & angry! For some reason his anger was focused on women feminist! He blamed most of his life's problems on them! At the age of 25, on Dec 6, 1989, L'epine went on a shooting rampage at The University of Monteal! By the time it was over, 14 women were dead, 14 other ppl injured & Marc L'epine took his own life! Well written & researched, the book also talks about the various reasons that might have caused L'epine to do what he did on that awful day.

This is a great book tells the story of what happened the day of the killings but also the perspectives that were discussed by experts. You never know what is in the minds of others and this book did a good job telling the thoughts of Marc before and during the time of his rampage.This is the second book in the 24 book series (1 released each month) Crimes Canada : True Crimes That Shocked The Nation. I highly recommend this series you will not be disappointed. The first book in the series is Robert Pickton: The Pig Farmer Killer by Chris Swinney. The next will be The Ken and Barbie Killers by Peter Vronsky released May 22, 2015. Looking forward to reading this whole series.

Love how he puts the outlook of both sides of the story, because at the end of the day he's right all anyone wants is to be loved and if they never recieved they can lend up doing horrific things in the end just to be heard. But instead end up being labeled a monster( I'm not saying he wasnt in the wrong and that he could of done things very different) all because he was screaming for help and recognition of his own personal problems. People get such bad tunnel vision they forget everything and everyone else around them

This is a really well written account of Marc Lepine and the Montreal Massacre, RJ Parker looks at Marcs early life through the Montreal Massacre and the effect this had on many of the people who were caught up in this very sad event.Be prepared this is a sad story, one that may leave you wondering why did this happen and could anything else have been done to prevent it

Where even to start with this one?! For one, most of the book is not about the life of Marc Lépine or the events which transpired at the University of Montreal on December 6th, 1989. The second half of the book (if you can call it a book, it's more like a pamphlet) is just the author's ramblings about how Lépine was some kind of freedom fighter for men's rights. I understand what he was trying to say, but the last 40 pages of the book essentially repeat this poorly expressed point over and over. What's more, the book is absurdly short. The first chapter is entitled 'Canada', and just meanders about how great the country is (I suspect they include this chapter as filler in every book of this series).The only reason this gets more than one star is because it did actually have a couple of nuggets of information on Lépine that I did not know previously (namely that his sister committed suicide several years after the massacre and that Lépine defaced students projects during his rampage). I bought this book because it appeared to be the only one available on the shootings, although it seems another was released late last year so I'll now be seeking that one out instead. Even as a slow reader this book took me only a couple of days to get through. It's among the worst books I've ever read on the subject of mass shootings, and feels profoundly like a cheap cookie-cutter cash-in with the exploitative formula to be repeated for other Canadian crimes of note in this disgraceful series.The book was also terribly sourced and scant on actual details - early on it refers to a boy who was murdered in Toronto. Okay, which boy? What was his name?! Entire pages will be reserved for a shrunken and pixelated jpeg that is packed into the very top. This is less of a history book on Lépine and his crimes but rather an unedited treatise arguing why what he did was justified. I am utterly perplexed as to how anyone could rate this with more than three stars (at most!). I have not read the other book on the 1989 mass shooting yet, but there is absolutely no way it can be worse than this. If you are seeking a book on Lépine and his attack, do not, for the love of God, make it this one.

Interesting at the start but soon became very boring to read.

Being Canadian I was of course, familiar with the case of Marc Lépine and the murder of the 14 female students that fateful day on December 6, 1989 in Montreal. However this book presented some unique insights into the life of Lépine from experts. It made me look past the actual act itself – to make me really think about what drove him to do it. This book was very well researched and the author did an excellent job telling the story of something that still affects Canadians decades later.