Arrested Adolescence, Erik Rebain
Arrested Adolescence, Erik Rebain
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Arrested Adolescence
The Secret Life of Nathan Leopold

Author: Erik Rebain

Narrator: Daniel Henning

Unabridged: 11 hr 54 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 08/08/2023


Synopsis

Nathan Leopold seemed to live a charmed life: a published, polyglot college graduate by the time he was nineteen and from a prominent, wealthy Chicago family. So, it was a shock to everyone when he and his lover, Richard Loeb, confessed to killing their fourteen-year-old neighbor Bobby Franks "for a thrill."

During the summer of 1924 the world watched in fascinated horror as the pair were defended by the famous Clarence Darrow in what many labeled "the trial of the century." There was a massive public outcry when the murderers were spared the death penalty, and once they were behind bars, most hoped they would never be heard from again.

Thirty-three years after the murder, it seemed that Nathan Leopold was a changed man. In prison he ran a high school and library, worked as a nurse, and helped find a cure for malaria. He was deemed rehabilitated and paroled to a tiny town in the mountains of Puerto Rico. There he got a degree in social work, raised funds to build a hospital, and advocated for the abolishment of prisons and capital punishment. When he died in 1971 there was an outpouring of support for the "gentle" "reformed" killer. Yet his life was not what it seemed.

About Erik Rebain

Erik Rebain is an archivist who works for the Chicago Tribune and Chicago History Museum. He has spent ten years researching the life of Nathan Leopold in over forty archives across the United States.


Reviews

Goodreads review by L.A. on December 04, 2022

The most valuable aspect of this book is the new archival research brought to light by Erik Rebain about Nathan Leopold’s thoughts, feelings, and actions in later life. There is so much newly revealed that has been too long overlooked. *Arrested Adolescence* provides a satisfying ending to the tale......more

Goodreads review by Brendan on March 25, 2023

Arrested Adolescence by Erik Rebain is the story of how Nathan Leopold got away with it. Of course, Leopold of the notorious Leopold and Loeb murder case did go to jail. However, his life after jail is very often treated as a footnote in the numerous books which almost exclusively focus on the murde......more

Goodreads review by Mark on March 01, 2025

I read this biography on the heels of a book about the Parker-Hulme murders, and I’m not sure whether that mindset helped or hurt in my understanding of the decisions made by Leopold. I came to this with a vague awareness that Leopold and Loeb had once committed a thrill killing, but without ever le......more

Goodreads review by Nannette on March 18, 2023

I went into the book knowing very little about the Leopold and Loeb case or the men for that matter. I had heard of the 1924 murder committed for no apparent reason except that the boys wanted to know what it was like to murder someone and whether or not they could get away with it. But beyond that......more

Goodreads review by Susan on June 08, 2023

Princess Fuzzypants here: For almost 100 years the crimes of teenagers Leopold and Loeb have fascinated the public. Why two wealthy, very intelligent boys would murder Bobby Franks has grabbed the interest of so many who have tried to understand the motivation. Certainly the last 100 years has harve......more