EP 114: BLIND READ — "True Crime" by David Grann (Part II)

This episode drops the hammer on David Grann’s “True Crime” Blind Read, picking up mid-book with Bala’s sadistic, philosophy-fueled torture porn that’s less “literature” and more “confession disguised as art.” We unpack Amok’s noose-tightened murders, “white gloves of silence,” and Bala’s smug insistence that it’s all just postmodern wordplay—while detective Wroblewski turns his squad into literary sleuths, assigning chapters like it’s homework from hell.​This finale is a masterclass in how a “perfect crime” meets its match in dogged facts over slippery philosophy. If you love seeing pretentious creeps get cornered by their own words, don’t miss the payoff.“That’s Genevieve. And that’s Kaitlyn.”Sisters-in-law, best friends, former CNAs, and the sharp-witted duo behind Camping Is Canceled. Known for their mix of research-driven storytelling and unfiltered commentary, Gen and Kait tackle true crime cases (and paranormal rabbit holes) with empathy, curiosity, and a healthy dose of dark humor.📲 Instagram: @campingiscanceled 📲 TikTok: @campingiscanceled 📧 Contact: [email protected]🎧 Listen now — everywhere you get your podcasts.New episodes drop every Friday. Want more stories, no ads, and exclusive bonus episodes every Thursday? Join our Patreon to support the show!Source: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2008/02/11/true-crime

David Grann’s 2008 New Yorker masterpiece “True Crime” is a Polish whodunit that starts with a strangled woman and ends in a courtroom where fiction and murder collide. We dive into the case of Jacek Wroblewski, a cop turned amateur detective who becomes obsessed with a violent novel by a smug philosophy bro named Krystian Bala, convinced its twisted details mirror an unsolved killing.​What unfolds is pure mind-melt: Bala’s pretentious Nietzsche obsession, his internet auction site bragging, and a story so meta it blurs the line between art and confession—leaving us gasping, theorizing, and questioning every “sophisticated fiction” excuse along the way. Bala comes off as the ultimate insufferable smart guy who thinks he’s above consequence, but as the clues stack up, we can’t stop asking if Wroblewski’s hunch is genius or madness.​This one’s for anyone who loves a literary rabbit hole that turns into a real-life nightmare. How far will someone go to prove “it was just a book?”“That’s Genevieve. And that’s Kaitlyn.”Sisters-in-law, best friends, former CNAs, and the sharp-witted duo behind Camping Is Canceled. Known for their mix of research-driven storytelling and unfiltered commentary, Gen and Kait tackle true crime cases (and paranormal rabbit holes) with empathy, curiosity, and a healthy dose of dark humor.📲 Instagram: @campingiscanceled 📲 TikTok: @campingiscanceled 📧 Contact: [email protected]🎧 Listen now — everywhere you get your podcasts.New episodes drop every Friday. Want more stories, no ads, and exclusive bonus episodes every Thursday? Join our Patreon to support the show!Source: “True Crime” by David Grann, The New Yorker (Feb 11, 2008): https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2008/02/11/true-crime

In this final part, we revisit the Lutz family’s own words through their 1979 Good Morning America interview, then pull back the curtain to examine the contradictions, missing details, and the carefully crafted public image that made Amityville a media monster.​From there, we dig into what investigators, psychics, and skeptics uncovered behind the scenes: parapsychic Ron Mangravite’s claim that the house was soaked in ritual magic, Lorraine Warren’s belief that someone inside the home was acting like a magnet for dark energy, and the way George Lutz’s “regular guy” persona starts to crumble under closer scrutiny. We also bring in the perspective that’s usually ignored—the experience of Kathy’s son Danny—whose memories of abuse, manipulation, and spiritual chaos complicate the neat little “haunted house” narrative the public was sold.​ Where is the line between possession, performance, and plain old human darkness? “That’s Genevieve. And that’s Kaitlyn.”Sisters-in-law, best friends, former CNAs, and the sharp-witted duo behind Camping Is Canceled. Known for their mix of research-driven storytelling and unfiltered commentary, Gen and Kait tackle true crime cases (and paranormal rabbit holes) with empathy, curiosity, and a healthy dose of dark humor.📲 Instagram: @campingiscanceled 📲 TikTok: @campingiscanceled 📧 Contact: [email protected]🎧 Listen now — everywhere you get your podcasts.New episodes drop every Friday. Want more stories, no ads, and exclusive bonus episodes every Thursday? Join our Patreon to support the show!

This week’s episode is pure Merry Crisis energy in the best way: cozy chaos, seasonal depression, and holiday horror stories all rolled into one. We pull together Reddit confessions, off-the-rails family traditions, and a couple of bite-sized true crime tales that prove the holidays are less “Hallmark movie” and more “why is Santa staring at me like that?” If you need an excuse to put on noise-canceling headphones and hide from your kids, in-laws, or capitalism in general, this one’s your festive escape hatch.​“That’s Genevieve. And that’s Kaitlyn.”Sisters-in-law, best friends, former CNAs, and the sharp-witted duo behind Camping Is Canceled. Known for their mix of research-driven storytelling and unfiltered commentary, Gen and Kait tackle true crime cases (and paranormal rabbit holes) with empathy, curiosity, and a healthy dose of dark humor.📲 Instagram: @campingiscanceled 📲 TikTok: @campingiscanceled 📧 Contact: [email protected]🎧 Listen now — everywhere you get your podcasts.New episodes drop every Friday. Want more stories, no ads, and exclusive bonus episodes every Thursday? Join our Patreon to support the show!SourcesReddit Story: “Guy I’m Seeing Legitimately Thinks Santa Is Real (r/TrueOffMyChest).”

This Blind Read had us absolutely feral (in the best way). We thought we were dealing with a classic “mysterious tormentor” case and instead got hit with psych letters, birdhouse cameras, BTK-adjacent clues, and some of the wildest investigative whiplash we’ve had in a while. Every time we thought we knew who “The Poet” was, the story yanked the floor out from under us again.We pick the case back up with Ruth Finley being harassed. It’s ramping up, and the threats feel way too close to home. The question stops being “Who’s doing this?” and turns into “How far can an obsession go?” We’re talking psycholinguists, surveillance vans, and a reveal that made both of our jaws literally drop mid-read. This one scratches the itch if you love cases that feel unsolvable.It’s twisty, it’s unsettling, and it left us asking whether “the monster” was ever where anyone thought to look.“That’s Genevieve. And that’s Kaitlyn.”Sisters-in-law, best friends, former CNAs, and the sharp-witted duo behind Camping Is Canceled. Known for their mix of research-driven storytelling and unfiltered commentary, Gen and Kait tackle true crime cases (and paranormal rabbit holes) with empathy, curiosity, and a healthy dose of dark humor.📲 Instagram: @campingiscanceled 📲 TikTok: @campingiscanceled 📧 Contact: [email protected]🎧 Listen now — everywhere you get your podcasts.New episodes drop every Friday. Want more stories, no ads, and exclusive bonus episodes every Thursday? Join our Patreon to support the show!

We’re blind-reading Corey Mead’s article, "The Poet," set in late 1970s Wichita, Kansas. The city is already on edge due to the active BTK Strangler when Ruth Finley, a quiet telephone company employee, begins receiving menacing phone calls from a stranger who knows a traumatic secret from her past: she was branded by a "sex maniac" as a teenager in 1946. As the harassment escalates from letters to physical confrontations, the stalker—who eventually dubs himself "The Poet"—taunts Ruth and her husband Ed with crude, rhyming letters and public messages in the newspaper classifieds. Police, including Lieutenant Bernie Drowatsky, struggle to determine if they are hunting a copycat or if Ruth is the next target of BTK.Join us for part one of this baffling case as we discuss the resilience of Ruth Finley, the investigative hurdles of the 1970s, and the terrifying mystery of a stalker who operates like a ghost.“That’s Genevieve. And that’s Kaitlyn.”Sisters-in-law, best friends, former CNAs, and the sharp-witted duo behind Camping Is Canceled. Known for their mix of research-driven storytelling and unfiltered commentary, Gen and Kait tackle true crime cases (and paranormal rabbit holes) with empathy, curiosity, and a healthy dose of dark humor.📲 Instagram: @campingiscanceled 📲 TikTok: @campingiscanceled 📧 Contact: [email protected]🎧 Listen now — everywhere you get your podcasts.New episodes drop every Friday. Want more stories, no ads, and exclusive bonus episodes every Thursday? Join our Patreon to support the show!

We’re trading historical gratitude for the absolute dumpster fire of modern family gatherings. In Episode 108, we serve up a chaotic platter of listener-submitted nightmares that prove blood isn't always thicker than gravy. We’re exploring everything from a violent brawl between aunts nicknamed "Jailbird" and "Moonpie" involving a carving fork to a sentimental wedding video that abruptly cuts to NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt’s funeral. It’s a crash course in how quickly a holiday feast can turn into a crime scene.So, before you stress about your bad turkey leftovers or political arguments at the dinner table, tune in for a reminder that it could be so much worse. “That’s Genevieve. And that’s Kaitlyn.”Sisters-in-law, best friends, former CNAs, and the sharp-witted duo behind Camping Is Canceled. Known for their mix of research-driven storytelling and unfiltered commentary, Gen and Kait tackle true crime cases (and paranormal rabbit holes) with empathy, curiosity, and a healthy dose of dark humor.📲 Instagram: @campingiscanceled 📲 TikTok: @campingiscanceled 📧 Contact: [email protected]🎧 Listen now — everywhere you get your podcasts.New episodes drop every Friday. Want more stories, no ads, and exclusive bonus episodes every Thursday? Join our Patreon to support the show!

Buckle up, because today we’re wading into one of the internet’s strangest rabbit holes: feral people.What does that term really mean? We explore everything from Appalachian legends — backwoods creatures, cave-dwelling clans, and “wrong turn” horror stories — to folklore and psychology.In this episode, we’ll balance spooky Reddit tales with sobering real-life cases: children raised in isolation, adults who reject modern society, and the fine line between myth and survival.How does isolation reshape the human brain? We explore why rural myths often hide deeper social truths and what separates “living off the grid” from being truly feral. It’s a good reminder that every legend starts somewhere real.⚠️ Content Warning: Mentions of child abuse, neglect, isolation, and violence.“That’s Genevieve. And that’s Kaitlyn.”Sisters-in-law, best friends, former CNAs, and the sharp-witted duo behind Camping Is Canceled. Known for their mix of research-driven storytelling and unfiltered commentary, Gen and Kait tackle true crime cases (and paranormal rabbit holes) with empathy, curiosity, and a healthy dose of dark humor.📲 Instagram: @campingiscanceled 📲 TikTok: @campingiscanceled 📧 Contact: [email protected]🎧 Listen now — everywhere you get your podcasts.New episodes drop every Friday. Want more stories, no ads, and exclusive bonus episodes every Thursday? Join our Patreon to support the show!

Bless Kait for showing up on antibiotics and a prayer. After two weeks of chaos (and a possible case of strep), we are diving back into the most cursed address in American true crime: 112 Ocean Avenue, Amityville, New York.Last time, we left off with the DeFeo family found murdered in their beds. With Butch DeFeo’s confession echoing through Suffolk County, a new family moves into the now-infamous home: George and Kathy Lutz. They’re just trying to start fresh, but what follows over the next 28 days becomes one of the most debated hauntings in history.As we retell the Lutz family’s descent into terror, we pull apart the line between trauma, psychosis, and the paranormal. As the story spirals toward priests, psychics, and the arrival of Ed and Lorraine Warren, one question remains:Was the Amityville Horror a haunting… or a haunting of the mind?⚠️ Content Warning: Includes discussion of family violence, child death, and paranormal experiences tied to real trauma.“That’s Genevieve. And that’s Kaitlyn.”Sisters-in-law, best friends, former CNAs, and the sharp-witted duo behind Camping Is Canceled. Known for their mix of research-driven storytelling and unfiltered commentary, Gen and Kait tackle true crime cases (and paranormal rabbit holes) with empathy, curiosity, and a healthy dose of dark humor.📲 Instagram: @campingiscanceled 📲 TikTok: @campingiscanceled 📧 Contact: [email protected]🎧 Listen now — everywhere you get your podcasts.New episodes drop every Friday. Want more stories, no ads, and exclusive bonus episodes every Thursday? Join our Patreon to support the show!

You’ve heard the phrase “the devil made me do it.” But what happens when someone uses it to explain one of the most infamous family murders in American history?We dig into the real events behind The Amityville Horror — the gruesome 1974 murders that inspired a best-selling book, a Hollywood franchise, and decades of ghost stories. But before the hauntings and horror-movie jump scares, there was a family: the DeFeos.We unravel the disturbing home life behind the glossy façade of 112 Ocean Avenue, a mansion gifted by old New York money, ruled by abuse, addiction, and control. From Big Ronnie’s violent temper to Butch DeFeo’s spiral into heroin and paranoia, we trace how a toxic family dynamic became the foundation for a massacre. And when the gunfire finally shattered that “perfect” suburban home, the real horror had only just begun.⚠️ Content Warning: Domestic violence, child abuse, substance abuse, and graphic descriptions of homicide.“That’s Genevieve. And that’s Kaitlyn.”Sisters-in-law, best friends, former CNAs, and the sharp-witted duo behind Camping Is Canceled. Known for their mix of research-driven storytelling and unfiltered commentary, Gen and Kait tackle true crime cases (and paranormal rabbit holes) with empathy, curiosity, and a healthy dose of dark humor.📲 Instagram: @campingiscanceled 📲 TikTok: @campingiscanceled 📧 Contact: [email protected]🎧 Listen now — everywhere you get your podcasts.New episodes drop every Friday. Want more stories, no ads, and exclusive bonus episodes every Thursday? Join our Patreon to support the show!