About the Book
In this timely, brave, and deeply personal true crime memoir, acclaimed journalist, author, creator of the True Crime This Week podcast, and former Boy Scout, James Renner, explores the dark side of an American institution, its pervasive culture of sexual abuse, and the traumatic-even deadly-repercussions of its long-buried secrets.
In this timely and deeply personal true crime memoir, acclaimed journalist, author, creator of the True Crime This Week podcast, and former Boy Scout James Renner, explores the dark side of an American institution, its pervasive culture of sexual abuse, and the traumatic-even deadly-repercussions of its long-buried secrets.
In the summer of 1995, at the largest Boy Scout camp in Ohio, a night of sexual violence ended with one counselor dead and another hospitalized. The death was ruled "accidental." It wouldn't be the last death associated with Seven Ranges Reservation.
James Renner, too, was a counselor at Seven Ranges that year. He was always sure there must be more to the story of Mike Klingler's death, because Renner also knew firsthand that the 900-acre camp was not the safe getaway it was portrayed to be. On Friday nights the boys were ushered into the woods for a frightening ceremony in which they learned the rules for becoming good young men-and, above all, that keeping secrets was a scout's duty. No matter how dark the secrets were.
Determined to face his demons, Renner embarks on a journey back to that tumultuous summer and exposes a clandestine society that left indelible scars on the scouts and the staff who were there. For Renner himself, it meant opening up about his twisted upbringing, his issues with trust and sexuality, and a lifetime of self-medication. The result is a deeply personal, no-holds-barred, and vitally important true crime memoir.
About the Author :
James Renner is an investigative journalist, podcaster, and critically acclaimed author of both nonfiction and fiction books, including True Crime Addict and The Man from Primrose Lane. Previously the host of Lake Erie's Coldest Cases on ID Discovery, he currently hosts the podcasts "The Philosophy of Crime" and "True Crime This Week." He is the Founder and Director of The Porchlight Project, a nonprofit that provides genetic genealogy for cold cases in Ohio. He lives in Akron with his wife and children and can be found online at Jamesrenner.com.
Review :
Praise for James Renner:
“Compelling, deeply personal, captivating . . . Renner takes a grim yet cathartic and at times humorous journey through memory and trauma in this riveting true-crime memoir.” —Library Journal, STARRED REVIEW for Scout Camp
“Profoundly honest, at once an intimate coming-of-age portrait and a disturbing cautionary tale, a soul-searching narrative of an idyllic summer that turned deadly.” —Jake Anderson, author of Gone at Midnight on Scout Camp
“Perhaps we use the word ‘trauma’ too much these days; for Scout Camp, we cannot use it enough. Inescapable, requisite reading." —Brad Ricca, author of the Edgar nominee Mrs. Sherlock Holmes on Scout Camp
“A story that transcends true crime. . . enormously personal and extremely important.” —Lance Reensteirna, host of Crawlspace podcast on Scout Camp
"A searing, timely account of abuse and its corrosive powers. Part-mystery and part-memoir, this a brave and necessary look at how predation can become part of the culture of the most esteemed institutions. A must-read." —Áine Cain and Kevin Greenlee, hosts of The Murder Sheet podcast on Scout Camp
"Renner's storytelling ability is brilliant. Prodigiously researched, this book will keep you guessing until the very last page." —Aphrodite Jones, New York Times bestselling author of Cruel Sacrifice on Little, Crazy Children
"James Renner owns this cold case. He's chased its solution down every twisty path, revealing errors, shattering rumors, and testing theories about the murder of Lisa Pruett and the circle of kids who seem to know things no one's saying. Absorbing and illuminating." —Katherine Ramsland, author of Confession of a Serial Killer: The Untold Story of Dennis Rader, the BTK Killer on Little, Crazy Children
"Little, Crazy Children is a multilayered and twisty tale of murder in the wealthy Cleveland suburbs, and Renner explores it with forthright grace—a sharp-eyed, thoughtful companion on a journey through a disturbing and compelling unsolved mystery." —Dan Chaon, author of Sleepwalk
“A compelling page-turner with astounding revelations. In this intriguing account of a determined journalist's quest for justice, James Renner skillfully uncovers dark secrets of both the living and the dead.” —Leslie Rule author of A Tangled Web on Little, Crazy Children
"Little, Crazy Children leads us slowly into the underside of an ordinary suburb, where trust is eroded by a terrible crime, neighbor turns on neighbor, and everyone casts stones at the scapegoat. Renner has unearthed a dreadful moment in time and followed its lasting repercussions. An engrossing, chilling read." —Mikita Brottman, author of Couple Found Slain on Little, Crazy Children
“[Renner] is just plain fun to read.” —The New York Times Book Review on True Crime Addict
“You have not read a book like this before and, I’d wager, you’ll not engage with its like again. . . Renner is a tantalizing and almost gleeful tour guide to and through the impulses of the armchair detective." —Minneapolis Star Tribune on True Crime Addict
“As the title suggests, [True Crime Addict] is an addictive read.” —Bustle
“The mystery of Murray’s whereabouts is baffling. . . [Renner’s] chipping away at the facts of a ten-year-old case makes the reader hope that, in the end, the answers will be uncovered. An entrancing, brilliant next step for fans of the podcast Serial, Netflix’s Making a Murderer, and other true crime cases.” —Library Journal, STARRED REVIEW for True Crime Addict
“Renner’s personal involvement in the case—and his self-destructive, relentless dedication to confronting the darkness at the heart of it [. . . is] noteworthy.” —Publishers Weekly on True Crime Addict
