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The Devil You Know
- Narrated by: Gwen Adshead
- Length: 14 hrs and 22 mins
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The Devil You Know
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Summary
A BBC Radio 4 Book of the Week.
A perspective-shattering work into the minds of violent criminals that reveals profound consequences for human nature and society at large.
Serial homicide. Stalking. Arson. Gang crime. Who are the people behind these acts of terrible violence? What are their stories? And what is it like to sit opposite them?
Dr Gwen Adshead is one of Britain's leading forensic psychiatrists, and she has spent 30 years providing therapy inside secure hospitals and prisons. Whatever her patient's crime, she aims to help them to better know their minds by helping them to articulate their life experience.
Through a collaboration with co-author Eileen Horne, Adshead brings her work to life in these fascinating, unflinching portraits of individuals who newspaper headlines, TV dramas and crime fiction label 'monsters'.
Case by case, Adshead takes us into the treatment room and reveals these men and women in all their complexity and vulnerability. She sheds new light on the unpredictable nature of the therapeutic process as doctor and patient try to find words for the unspeakable. These are stories of cruelty and despair, but also of change and recovery.
In a time of increasing polarisation, in the face of overcrowded prisons and devastating cuts to mental health care, Adshead speaks to our shared humanity and makes the case for compassion over condemnation, empathy over fear. The Devil You Know challenges what we think we know about evil. It is a rare book that has the power to change minds.
What listeners say about The Devil You Know
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- JenSurname
- 27-06-21
Enjoyable, revealing, insightful
-There’s no such thing as a bad seed, just bad soil. -
This is a concept that will stick with me after reading this book.
It’s an interesting and insightful read, and certainly helps to give a different perspective on the “monsters” who commit violent crime. Looking behind the newspaper headlines and into the psyche of those imprisoned in secure hospitals, to see the person rather than the perpetrator.
I found the narration far too slow, so played it at 1.3x otherwise I think I’d have given up before the end of the first chapter, but I did enjoy that it was narrated by Dr Adshead herself, as the inflections and intonations were genuine and natural.
I work in mental health, so maybe I had a ‘special interest’ here. I don’t think that needs to be a prerequisite to enjoy the book though; anyone with an interest in others, in human behaviour, will find enjoyment in this book and hopefully will take a moment to pause the next time the tabloids blaze another family’s misfortune in sensationalised block print on their front page.
There is more than one victim in most crimes, and I think this book helps to demonstrate that the victims are not always just who you think.
And the perpetrators are people too.
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8 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Tracey
- 12-08-21
Absolutely brilliant
A very caring lady who’s wrote a truthful account of her career - her voice is so soothing which makes the book even more interesting to listen to - Gwen Adshed you are brilliant x x x
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- mrs r rillie
- 29-04-22
Very good insight into mental illness
this audiobook really brings what ordinarily seems the far off issues of mental illness into understanding for the untrained listener like myself.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Rachey Rach
- 25-02-23
A beautiful book
These chapters are so insightful and thought-provoking. Thank you, Dr Adshead! Drawing from so many wells and teaching so much about the human mind and a sorely needed reminder that we all have a shared humanity.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Karen L Cloherty
- 21-01-23
Wow! A huge lesson in compassion. Loved it!
I listened to this twice. Each time I heard something different. What a fabulous read. It really changed my thinking.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Jane Watson
- 22-06-21
excellent book. very insightful and informative.
brilliant and informative 👏 really enjoyed and found the writer compassionate and interesting . a real eye opener into the world of forensic psychotherapy.
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3 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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- Colin
- 01-03-22
Incredible
A great insight we need more Gwen’s in this world. Well written and narrated, a good listen
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Evie
- 11-03-22
So intelligent and insightful and interesting
As a postgraduate psychology student thought this book was incredibly interesting and intelligently and thoughtfully written and explained. She’s clearly very intelligent. From a purely entertainment perspective found some chapters more interesting than others but loved it.
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- Flower47
- 27-08-22
fascinating
The compassion and empathy that Gwen has for her clients shonw through on this. I thought it was a fascinating insight into both forensic psychology/psychiatry but also into the inmates themselves as people and not just their offences.
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- The Blonde Plotters
- 12-01-23
Thought provoking
A thought provoking insight into the work of a forensic psychologist, and more importantly the many ways that the human mind can become damaged and healed.
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