Halfway Heaven: Diary of a Harvard Murder

by Melanie Thernstrom

Book Overview

In May, 1995, a photograph and an anonymous note arrived at The Harvard Crimson "Keep this picture. There will soon be a very juicy story involving this woman." Soon afterwards, Sinedu Tadesse stabbed her roommate, Trang Phuong Ho, to death, and then hanged herself.

This riveting book recounts the stories of these women, whose admission to Harvard was "halfway heaven," a bridge to the American dream after lives of hardship. Sinedu grew...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0452280079
• ISBN13: 9780452280076
• Release Date: September 1998
• Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
• Length: 240 Pages
• Weight: 0.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.3" x 8.1"

Customer Reviews

Was important information overlooked in this book?

Review by Rosie Meysenburg This story of a Harvard murder-suicide that happened in 1995 involved a young woman from Ethiopia, Sinedu Tadesse, who stabbed her Vietnamese roomate 45 times and then killed herself. For three years Sinedu saw a psychologist at Harvard. Is it possible to have therapy with a psychologist for 3 years and not be sent to an M.D. for antidepressant treatment? There is the possibility that Sinedu was in antidepressant withdrawal during the murder-suicide. The main clue to this event is the chapter where Sinedu meets and has lunch with her friend from Ethiopia who is also a Harvard student. He comments on the change in Sinedu's appearance. Contrary to her usual appearance, she had dressed herself beautifully and had a glow to her face that the friend had never seen previously. She was chatty and lively. These are all signs of a manic type reaction [to an antidepressant??}. If this is what was happening to Sinedu, then she was still on the antidepressant when she met with her friend. If and when Sinedu quit taking the antidepressant, her previous depression would have worsened as would her manic symptoms. There is also the possibility that she was still on the antidepressant and the college police turned all evidence of medicine bottles over to those in authority. It is a well known fact that some of the more infamous murder/suicides in recent years involved antidepressants. Kip Kinkle, Springfield, Oregon, who killed his parents and several class mates at his high school, was in Prozac withdrawal. Eric Harris was on Luvox, a Prozac type antidepressant, when he went on his rampage at Columbine High School. Jeff Weise was on Prozac when he killed ten people, including himself, and wounded seven at Red Lake, MN high school. The fact that Sinedu wrote to people she found in the phone book is another clue to her antidepressant use. People who report going manic on their antidepressant often mention writing long letters to perfect strangers. This book is excellent reading for trying to come to grips with what is happening in our country regarding antidepressants and murder-suicides.

Haunting, revealing account

I worked at Harvard for many years and knew a number of the people Thernstrom interviewed. Her take on the institution is stunningly accurate. The book is extremely well conceived and executed. The insight that this book offers into Sinedu's incredible loneliness (not even this word properly describes her life experience) is haunting. The chapter describing the author's visit to Ethiopia and the culture differences she discovers between Ethiopian life and American life is stunning. Read it!

Riveting

I simply cannot understand some of these reviews. Were they not reading the same book? This book is in no way exploitive or can be considered a sleaze fest. The author is an intelligent and gifted writer. Halfway Heaven is not a typical true crime narrative. Melanie Thernstrom was able to delve deep inside the psychosis of Sinedu Tadesse through her diaries and those who knew her. The author did not portray Ms Sinedu as a woman possessed of evil spirits or a cold blooded murderer. This is, by all accounts, a gripping documentary. Ms Tadesse was a young woman who struggled desperately to hang onto what little sanity she had left. She failed and in a final grip of depression killed the girl she felt betrayed her and then committed suicide. Her roommate Trang was portrayed as a friendly, outgoing, intelligent girl. Ms Thernstrom, did not in any way exploit the families of these two women for money or a "story."I would consider this book more a study on loneliness, jealousy, alienation and deep clinical depression then murder or betrayal. The effect the murder/suicide had on the families of both Sinedu & Trang was thoughtfully investigated and reported. I highly recommend this book for it's insightful and excellent writing.

Well-written and groping for answers

I finished this book in two days. I did not think the author was exploiting her subject matter; as an investigative writer she has to use all the resources that are available to her, including diaries, personal interviews, news reports, etc. I commend her on the thoroughness of her research. When something like this occurs a normal person naturally wants to make sense of it, at least to look for a reason why it happened. It was very obvious that the Ethiopian girl was emotionally disturbed and her cries for help were casually ignored. How can this happen, especially at such a prestigious school as Harvard? I hope this book will be a catalyst for change at all college campuses where mental health of the study body is concerned.

Darkly honest in its sensitive subject matter

I finished this book in two days and was not angered by the use of private journals; the author exposes readers to hard-to-bear truths that we are afraid to comfront. Harvard has its problem areas. And it is good to be made aware of that. I think the two young women were described fairly and not "used" as some readers have suggested. If this was such a "tabloid" and "uncompassionate" book as people proclaim, why did they even bother to finish it in the first place? We are so high on our morals that we forget to comprehend that the book was written to help us understand rather than make us think differently or negatively of the victim and murderer. A perceptive and enlightening book.