Wasted: The Preppie Murder

by Linda Wolfe

Book Overview

For the first time, here is the definitive, behind-the-scenes account of the infamous preppie murder case that made headlines across America--a shattering true story of teenage privilege, decadence and death. 16 pages of black-and-white photos.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0671641840
• ISBN13: 9780671641849
• Release Date: January 1989
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster
• Length: 303 Pages
• Weight: 0.90 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Interesting, true crime reading

I have done a lot of research on this case. Once I heard about it, I became engrossed, and facinated, by all aspects of it. This book added some details about the childhoods of both the murderer and the victim which I hadn't found elsewhere, which was interesting. It made for a good story. Some of the details were a little off when compared with the numerous other "official" accounts I have read, but I thoroughly enjoyed the read.

An in-depth yet quick read

If you want to get the complete story, what the papers didn't tell you, read this book. It's a quick read, yet gives you in-depth details about Jennifer and Robert's lives, from their not-so-normal childhood upbringings right until the night of the incident. And the book delves into how cold, calculating and blind with denial a mother's love can be for her son.

interesting

I read this book when it first came out so I don't remember much about it & I have seen the true crime show about it many times & everything I remember about this crime is from that show but I just wanted to say the the review by Dennis Littrell was great. He totally wrote what is was all about.

The dark side of the NYC Preppie Scene, circa 1988

This guy looks like a Kennedy. Indeed, his mother has styled him as a Kennedy. An Irish Catholic nurse born in Ireland, she has devoted her life to climbing up the social ladder of New York society and pushing her very handsome son through the best prep schools, etc. Only one problem. Robert Chambers is a pretty boy loser, a druggie and a sociopathic sickie. He bombs out of prep school after prep school, mainly because he is caught stealing to support his cocaine habit. He just parties. That's about it. Mommie, nonetheless believes her son will turn it around and amount to something. He is irresistible to the girls. They see him as an alpha male. They think his unsavory character is sexy. Along comes Jennifer Levin, a not completely pretty, but sexy, lively girl, who just wants to have fun. She finds Robert and wants to have fun with him. Unfortunately, his idea of fun is to get wasted, and while wasted he chokes her to death, and then realizing what he has done, tries to make it look like a rape in Central Park. Then while being questioned he has a brilliancy. He claims she raped him! And in fighting back he accidentally strangled her to death.Well. It's a sick scene. All the Studio 54 party preppies and wanna-bes think this is just the coolest scene. They now feel so important and they support Robert, one of their own. Meanwhile Mom hustles up bail and more to buy a high priced lawyer to defend her boy. We get a semi-competent judge, a not really talented ADA, and a "star of the show" defense lawyer. I'll leave it to the reader see how this sad story about the decadence of the New York-preppie scene, circa 1988, turns out.Of course one might say that the real villain here is, if you will, Mom. She doesn't care what evil things her boy has done. She doesn't care that it is obvious he is a degenerate sickie, all she cares about is he is her Hope. She lies to herself. She self-deceives and even though any idiot can see that her son needs to be put away she continues to let him party and do drugs and rob while she keeps working seventy hours a week to support his debased life style. Of course he doesn't work at all. If she had ever said "NO!" and put him on his own, the earlier the better, say at twelve, he might have amounted to something. But Mom had to indulge her mother...lust.Linda Wolf does an outstanding job of vividly bringing this tale to life. She has a literary novelist's eye for detail and the narrative control of a best selling thriller writer.

Innocence Lost

The story of Jennifer Levin and Robert Chambers made headlines in the late 80's and is summed up in this book. Wolfe's inciteful manner brings this story to life from all angles. This is a story of teenagers who live on the edge and do not understand the true consequences of their actions (or do they even care?). Society in it's hunger for sensationalism is seen as the catalyst for this unacceptable behavior. Everyone wants their 15 seconds of fame, don't they? At what cost