Starvation Heights Starvation Heights, written by Gregg Olsen is based off of a true story of murder and mischievousness in the woods of the Pacific Northwest (Olsen, 2012). This is a well-put together story that demonstrates what an investigative, murder, and shocking book should be like. The way that Gregg Olsen describes the crime scenes has much power on the imagery for the audience. It allows the readers to imagine what Olalla, Washington looks like, what the crime scenes looked like as if you were there, especially the descriptions of the sanitarium. Gregg Olsen does a fine job as a writer by taking true events that happened nearly hundred years ago, and making the story come alive to the readers making it hard to put down the book. …show more content…
They were baffled by a Dr. Linda Burfield Hazzard who caught their attention based off of the idea of fasting as a cure for their minor illnesses. The two sisters eagerly adopted the doctor's solution, not knowing what they were getting themselves into. Although Claire was more enthused than Dora of the fasting idea since it was supposed to help them with their health, but of course if one sister does it, the other must follow since the two of them were close ever since the death of their parents. The sisters underwent the doctor's restrictive dietary regimen, becoming brainwashed with the idea of fasting. The sisters received the brutal treatments in the doctor’s trapped, isolated sanitarium, which was located in the woods of the Pacific Northwest. Claire unfortunately died only weighing less than 50 pounds at the time. Her sister, Dora, only weighing less than 60 pounds, was safely rescued through a telegram that alerted her family. Dora then later testified against Dr. Linda Burfield Hazzard who was sentenced to prison and was convicted of manslaughter for the death of …show more content…
The story is interesting because it surprises me how gullible people are. Doctor Hazzard goes after the rich and the wealthy for many reasons; because of their money, how head strung these people were, and because they are all caught up into their health, especially since the poor couldn’t have gotten this “special” treatment. The author’s thesis was really clear; that ignorance is definitely not bliss. In the situation that the Williamson sisters and the hundreds of other patients had to endure and especially in this situation, lack of knowledge does not result in happiness. Doctor Hazzard targets rich people because of their overconfident selves. She was very good at playing ‘Doctor Linda Burfield Hazzard’ to the general public and being the manipulative Linda Burfield Hazzard to her immediate family. “…Linda Hazzard had two faces. She wore one for the world and one only those closest to her could see- her husband, Sam and son, Rollin.” (Olsen, Pg.182). None of the people researched Doctor Hazzard and her practice. Regardless, there was no Internet back then but word does spread like wild fire, especially when taking place of someone’s words and the newspaper. Gregg Olsen mostly tried to aim at the audience by expressing how sometimes decision making results into regretting. Gregg Olsen