Stepping in the Write Direction

Through the Lens of a Monster by William A. Noguera grabs you within the first six minutes of reading, and doesn’t let you go until the last page is turned. It is a powerful, unblinking study of serial killer Joseph Naso, gleaned over countless conversations with him by the author who transcribed these interactions shortly following their occurrences when he returned to his cell in the same facility where they were housed. Noguera states, “Over the years, whenever Joseph Naso revisited a story, the core never shifted. That consistency convinced me I wasn’t hearing invention, but memory.” Decades of incarceration had instilled Noguera with deep compassion for the hell families go through when a member is suddenly missing, and potentially dead, in this case all women, many of a tender age. The author’s mission becomes determining if he can ultimately get answers for families of Nosa’s victims, a very dangerous proposition in a prison setting where any hint of snitching can lead to an ear...