We did it! Twenty-six letters and, in my humble opinion, not a weak outing in the bunch; I threw a whole bunch of things on my reading list, for sure. Thanks so much to my esteemed panel for contributing, and to you readers for adding your own suggestions. Please keep doing so! And now, the end of the line: Z.
Kevin Smokler: Zoot Suit. The 1979 play by Luis Valdez dramatizing police abuse of Mexican-American young men in Los Angeles in early June 1943 was a landmark of Chicano theater, the first production written by a Latin-American on Broadway. Valdez would go on to direct his play's film adaptation, as well as the movie La Bamba, and found the film department at Cal State Monterey Bay. He received the National Medal of Arts in 2015.
SDB: Joshua Zeman. Weirdly, I probably had more prospective entries competing for pride of place here than for any other letter, in the sense that they all seemed equally strong — but since I knew someone in this fine brace of colleagues would pick Zodiac, I’ve gone with Zeman, the mind behind Cropsey, Killer Legends, The Killing Season, and Murder Mountain. With or without producer Rachel Mills, Zeman has a way of letting viewers learn the stories alongside him that’s a lot harder to do than he makes it look. And if you grew up in the tri-state in the late seventies and early eighties, Cropsey is a must-watch. (Honorable mentions: Zodiac; Abraham Zapruder; Mike “These Are Their Stories” Zirkilton; Zac Efron as Bundy.)
Susan Howard: Zodiac. David Fincher’s masterpiece stands out in a sea of content on the most famous unsolved murder spree in modern history.
A Greek tragedy about Armenians in California, this story of family murder entwined with family business is unforgettable. A story of immigration, parenthood, and how to enrapture the palate of Los Angeles, it brings together several contemporary obsessions: crime, nepotism, and food. Arax’s close access to the family provides depth to the story, which isn’t as simple as anyone would like it to be. Not to mention it’s the best advertisement for shawarma since Tony Stark. (Honorable mention: your dads.)
True Crime A To Z is available to all subscribers…and we’d love your feedback! Comment on our picks, and tell an interested friend!
This A-Z entire list was great! I looked forward to it every day and am sad that it's over. BUT! Ending on Margaret Howie's "(Honorable mention: your dads.)" cracked me up and is the perfect Best Evidence ending :)
I moved to California in 1980 for school, about the time Zodiac was winding down. When I watched the film, I paused it half way through to call a friend who is a native Californian to talk about Zodiac and to give myself time to breath. Then, because I couldn't sleep, I went for a walk. At 11 at night. My sister asked why? I said, "Well, if he's still out there, he's still out there, but I wasn't getting to sleep without a good walk." Also, Zankou Chicken Murders is a great piece of writing. I still have the article and recommend it to anyone who waxes gourmand about Zankou Chicken. Amazing what a secret garlic paste recipe will do to families ties. Finally, my nomination for true crimes is the fact that Ze Frank isn't a bigger star than he is. Here is a link to one of his clips. When you climb out of the rabbit hole that is True Facts About, you can thank me. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1YTeasbvJ2E
Cropsey! I’m from southern New England and we had our own legendary creepy people/ghosts/monster stories but none have a documentary (that I know of).
This A-Z entire list was great! I looked forward to it every day and am sad that it's over. BUT! Ending on Margaret Howie's "(Honorable mention: your dads.)" cracked me up and is the perfect Best Evidence ending :)
I moved to California in 1980 for school, about the time Zodiac was winding down. When I watched the film, I paused it half way through to call a friend who is a native Californian to talk about Zodiac and to give myself time to breath. Then, because I couldn't sleep, I went for a walk. At 11 at night. My sister asked why? I said, "Well, if he's still out there, he's still out there, but I wasn't getting to sleep without a good walk." Also, Zankou Chicken Murders is a great piece of writing. I still have the article and recommend it to anyone who waxes gourmand about Zankou Chicken. Amazing what a secret garlic paste recipe will do to families ties. Finally, my nomination for true crimes is the fact that Ze Frank isn't a bigger star than he is. Here is a link to one of his clips. When you climb out of the rabbit hole that is True Facts About, you can thank me. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1YTeasbvJ2E