This disappointing true crime tale never quite comes together, as author Zacharias tries to balance the story of two separate murders with scientific investigation into the possibility that inherited traits may predispose some people to violent acts.
Zacharias takes as her case study a grandfather / grandson pair who collectively were responsible for two murders, an attempted murder, a kidnapping, and a rape, and who, although they briefly lived under one roof during the grandson's childhood, had little or no contact beyond that brief period. Lincoln's issues apparently surfaced in adulthood, when professional failures and alcohol-abuse issues destroyed his marriage. Chang grew up in an extremely repressive Fundamentalist Christian home that relentlessly controlled most emotional responses and isolated Chang and his sister from the society around them. Chang's behavioral issues began to emerge in adolescence and came to a head after he went AWOL from the Marine Corps.
Zacharias frequently circles back from the acts of these two men to the "murder gene" notion cited in the title. At the core of the question lie scientific studies suggesting that a malfunction of the MAOA gene may cause the build-up of certain brain chemicals that trigger or inhibit nerve impulses. If the gene is not functioning properly some researchers believe an excess of neurotransmitters such as dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine may accumulate in the system and this seems to predispose individuals to violence when under stress.
But Zacharias never presents any evidence that Lincoln and Chang shared such a gene, or even that they were ever tested for its presence.
Even more problematical is when Zacharias suggests that more MAOA study and early intervention with children carrying the defect could help these people deal with the tendency in positive ways. She is, however, woefully short on specifics. What agency, for instance, should be tasked with testing the genetic makeup of every newborn? Is such testing even possible within a culture that values privacy, let alone practical when looking at three million or so newborns per year in the U.S. alone? And if these children's genetic makeup were to be determined to be problematical, what then? What kind of intervention is appropriate, and who would be responsible for putting it into action? Who would make the determination as to which children would be included? How does one maneuver a slippery slope that could lead to eugenics, or to the propping up of racial / ethnic prejudices? Would the funds and energy devoted to such a studies not be better spent on human services issues such as education, nutrition, and general health care (including mental health intervention)?
Big questions, and better suited to a bigger canvas than this one, which ends up concentrating largely on Chang's crimes, committed in the small Oregon city of Pendleton in 2012, 40 years after Lincoln's offenses in Michigan. The investigation into the murder of Amyjane Brandhagen and the devastating beating of another Pendleton woman a year later, provides a fascinating look into the difficulties faced by what is essentially a small police department, unaccustomed to dealing with crimes of this nature. Zacharias may have been better off focusing on this alone, and leaving the âmurder geneâ question to be handled on a broader scale.
Zacharias takes as her case study a grandfather / grandson pair who collectively were responsible for two murders, an attempted murder, a kidnapping, and a rape, and who, although they briefly lived under one roof during the grandson's childhood, had little or no contact beyond that brief period. Lincoln's issues apparently surfaced in adulthood, when professional failures and alcohol-abuse issues destroyed his marriage. Chang grew up in an extremely repressive Fundamentalist Christian home that relentlessly controlled most emotional responses and isolated Chang and his sister from the society around them. Chang's behavioral issues began to emerge in adolescence and came to a head after he went AWOL from the Marine Corps.
Zacharias frequently circles back from the acts of these two men to the "murder gene" notion cited in the title. At the core of the question lie scientific studies suggesting that a malfunction of the MAOA gene may cause the build-up of certain brain chemicals that trigger or inhibit nerve impulses. If the gene is not functioning properly some researchers believe an excess of neurotransmitters such as dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine may accumulate in the system and this seems to predispose individuals to violence when under stress.
But Zacharias never presents any evidence that Lincoln and Chang shared such a gene, or even that they were ever tested for its presence.
Even more problematical is when Zacharias suggests that more MAOA study and early intervention with children carrying the defect could help these people deal with the tendency in positive ways. She is, however, woefully short on specifics. What agency, for instance, should be tasked with testing the genetic makeup of every newborn? Is such testing even possible within a culture that values privacy, let alone practical when looking at three million or so newborns per year in the U.S. alone? And if these children's genetic makeup were to be determined to be problematical, what then? What kind of intervention is appropriate, and who would be responsible for putting it into action? Who would make the determination as to which children would be included? How does one maneuver a slippery slope that could lead to eugenics, or to the propping up of racial / ethnic prejudices? Would the funds and energy devoted to such a studies not be better spent on human services issues such as education, nutrition, and general health care (including mental health intervention)?
Big questions, and better suited to a bigger canvas than this one, which ends up concentrating largely on Chang's crimes, committed in the small Oregon city of Pendleton in 2012, 40 years after Lincoln's offenses in Michigan. The investigation into the murder of Amyjane Brandhagen and the devastating beating of another Pendleton woman a year later, provides a fascinating look into the difficulties faced by what is essentially a small police department, unaccustomed to dealing with crimes of this nature. Zacharias may have been better off focusing on this alone, and leaving the âmurder geneâ question to be handled on a broader scale.
