Reenactment of a Killer and Serial Rapist: Cold-Eyed Mark Shirley

Title: Reenactment of a Killer and Serial Rapist: Cold-Eyed Mark Shirley

Author: Helen Stockford

Published: AuthorHouse, 2016

Pages: 219

Genre: nonfiction, true crime

Obtained: from publisher in exchange for an honest review






Summary: Helen Stockford tells the true story of how Mark Shirley, a serial killer and rapist, attacked her in 2009 and her experience with the United Kingdom's justice system.

Thoughts: This book was difficult to read for two reasons.  The first was the subject matter and the frankness with which the author describes her experience.  She is open and honest about both her physical and mental experience throughout her attack and fight with the justice system. It is not a bad thing that the author was forthcoming, it was just a horrific experience.  The author did a great job expressing her feelings along with the facts of her story.  The second was the editing.  This was a problem.  The spelling, grammar, and sentence structure were the worst I've ever seen!  I don't know if the publisher was trying to show that this book was written by a victim, not a writer, but this was not just typos.  Luckily the content is organized and the writer's thoughts are clear, so the book is readable.  There is repetition consistently throughout the book which slows down the flow at times.  A good editing job would greatly improve the reader's experience with this book.

Even though this was not an easy read, it is a story that I am glad this brave, strong woman could tell.  The author states she wrote the book as "a tool to spark changes in our laws, culture and services for victims of sexual assault".  I hope that the spark becomes a blazing fire, but we all know that change is usually slow even if the spark catches.

For me, this book was an eye opener as to how a victim's whole family is affected by an attack on one member.  I never really thought past the individual victim.  I am also glad that I read this book because it showed me what a victim goes through after an attack and that this person could really use compassion and support, not just around the stress of what has happened to them, but around the battle through the justice system.  A victim has to keep reliving their horrible experience throughout the trial and cannot even begin to move on until the criminal is in prison.  He or she is also battling a system to try to get justice.  It was quite interesting learning about the justice system of another country.  It sounds to me like the United Kingdom's justice system has some very similar problems as that of the United States. Maybe we could learn from each other to work toward making sure victims know their rights and where to get the help they need.  Also, in both countries, many times, criminals are released only to commit another crime.

I recommend reading this book if you can cope with bad spelling, grammar and sentence structure.  Even though the subject matter is hard, we can all learn something from this courageous woman's story.


                                                                

Chamomile tea is said to relieve anxiety and menstrual cramps, boost the immune system, fight insomnia, help relieve migraines, fight depression, reduce the risk of cancer, reduce blood sugar levels, and sooth an upset stomach.  Scientific studies seem to have mixed findings.  Personally, I have found it to be a soothing and relaxing tea that I enjoy drinking, especially at night.

For the past couple of years, I have been growing chamomile to make my own tea.  It is better than any chamomile tea I have purchased.  I bought Bodegold seeds (a German chamomile that blooms early and has larger flowers than some other types of chamomile) the first year.  The past two years the plants have reseeded themselves and I just wait for the flowers to bloom.  The plants are in a mostly sunny, well- drained location.  I pull weeds out from around the plants, but don't give them any other special care.

When the flowers bloom, I pick them off - just the flowers with no stems. They are ready to pick when they are completely open as in the above picture.  When the petals begin to bend down or fall off, they have gone by.  The plants are annuals and only last a few months.  I then lay the flowers on a paper towel to dry inside my house for 2 weeks.  Finally, I store them in a mason jar so that I will have chamomile tea all winter.  If a creative label is added to the jar, along with a tea ball, this would make a great gift!

 To make tea with the leaves, I put 2 teaspoons of dried leaves into my teapot and pour 12 ounces of water that has been boiled over the leaves.  I let the boiled water sit for a few minutes before pouring it over the leaves.  I usually let this steep for 10 minutes because I have read letting it steep this long results in more medicinal benefits, but if I am short on time, it tastes just as good if it only stands for about 5 minutes.  Many books and online articles say to use 1 tablespoon of leaves per cup of water when brewing chamomile tea, but I have found this to be excessive.

After the tea has steeped, I pour the pale yellow liquid into my cup to enjoy.  The scent of the liquid is reminiscent of sweet apples.  It has a unique taste.  It is sweet and tastes almost like apples, but with a slight earthy and flowery background.  It is a light, calming tea.