Strange Piece of Paradise

"Imagine that it had been Truman Capote himself who'd been savaged in Holcomb, Kansas, and that he had survived to describe his ordeal. That is the level of command and sinew at work in [Terri Jentz's] writing."—The New York Times Book Review

"Strange Piece of Paradise is a breathtaking memoir that deserves enshrinement on the essential books about the American West, worthy of a place beside Norman Mailer's classic account, The Executioner's Song."—Seattle Post-Intelligencer

"Jentz excels in capturing the aftermath of the attack . . . [She] is a savvy, big-hearted narrator who refuses to rush to judgment . . . A singular, breathtaking document of devastation, survival, and hard-won hope."—Newsday

"In her spellbinding, heartbreaking tale of one random act of carnage, Jentz shows how evil sometimes doesn't have a face but leaves scars both physical and emotional."—USA Today


"Jentz's book is the best sort of memoir: a gripping true-crime story told in the first person by an author with both writing chops and unflinching honesty. She doesn't let anyone off the hook, including herself, and she has the scars to prove it."—Kel Munger, Sacramento News and Review

"Nearly 20 years after being brutally assaulted, Jentz returns to the scene of the crime demanding answers in a crusade that continues for several years. She uncovers the dark secrets of the smalltown Oregon community that kept her alleged attacker from being brought to justice. Angered by the imperfections of the criminal justice system, her efforts have generated this book to make [readers] aware of how fragile the system can be."—Publishers Weekly

"The pacing and subject matter will keep readers mesmerized throughout . . . An extraordinary story from a gifted writer."—Library Journal