Inside the Mind of Casey Anthony

A Psychological Portrait

By: Keith Ablow

Narrated by: Henry Leyva

Length: 8 hrs and 24 mins

Publisher's summary

The trial of 25-year-old Casey Anthony for the death of her daughter, Caylee, was the most sensational case in America since O.J. Simpson’s—with a verdict every bit as stunning. After being acquitted in July 2011, Ms. Anthony instantly became one of the most infamous women in the world.

Dr. Keith Ablow distills tens of thousands of pages of documents he has obtained, his behind-the-camera, one-on one interviews, and his decades of experience in the world of forensic psychiatry to make sense of a woman whose defense attorney described her as an innocent victim of childhood sexual abuse, but the state insisted was a cold-blooded murderer.

Inside the Mind of Casey Anthony delivers an incisive, riveting way of understanding this troubled young woman.

©2011 Keith Ablow (P)2011 Macmillan Audio

Way too bias...

A majority of the investigations over the Casey Anthony case tend to paint the picture with Casey as a complete monster. This account of the Casey Anthony case was interesting in that it humanized Casey and evokes sympathy for her. With that said, it completely dehumanized her parents and personified them to be the monsters. While there is no doubt that their parenting may have been extreme in some ways, this author voids all accountability from Casey. As mentioned in other reviews, it harps on certain actions taken by the parents, and in my opinion, distorts them to such a degree that makes the author seem not very credible.

However, despite the cringy repetition of how good Casey was in bed, Casey’s father’s supposed fixation on her vagina, and the parents frugalness, I can appreciate the analysis of the psychology of Casey as it brings a different perspective and insight into the case.

Ugh. Could the author get out of his own way??

What disappointed you about Inside the Mind of Casey Anthony?

The fact that Ablow kept inserting himself into the story - I found it incredibly selfish and grating. In addition, he repeats phrases over and over (particularly about the viewing of Casey's natural childbirth - it's repeated so often that I could picture people performing a drinking game for every time Ablow mentions it. I don't recommend that - someone might slip into a coma with all the repetition.)

What could Keith Ablow have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

Remove all references on how he'd speak with the police investigators that interviewed her - his unnecessary interruptions and need to shuck and jive about how he would handle the situation was incredibly disruptive to the scene. I found him obnoxious. Hey Ablow - this isn't about you, okay??

What did you like about the performance? What did you dislike?

I thought that he had an effective performance style as a narrator.

You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

The beginning, detailing exactly what "emotional smothering" means and the details behind the history of the Anthony's was interesting.

Blame the mother!

Any additional comments?

It was a good read, but the author's demonization of Casey's parents got unbearable after a while. What to expect of a psychiatrist... of course he blame it all on the mother (in this case, Cindy Anthony). Anyway, that aside, I was able to understand Casey's behaviors and crazy lies a little better.

Author's strange obsession

What did you like best about Inside the Mind of Casey Anthony? What did you like least?

The author had some interesting analysis of the Anthony's family's dysfunction & Casey's behavior.

What was most disappointing about Keith Ablow’s story?

Dr. Ablow fixates on the fact that George Anthony was in the delivery room, leering at Casey and making odd remarks while she was prepped for delivery. Shaving is standard prep for many medical procedures including childbirth, which Dr. Ablow should know, since he went to medical school. I'm not sure why he makes such a big deal about it. He seems to think George Anthony was transfixed by the sight. But it sounds more like the author is the one obsessed. Casey is clearly a chronic liar, but Ablow never considers she might be lying about her dad & brother sexually abusing her as a way of justifying her actions. Ablow isn't a bad writer, but his ego keeps getting in the way. And his constant harping on prurient details ruined the book for me.

Did Inside the Mind of Casey Anthony inspire you to do anything?

Avoid buying Dr. Ablow's books in the future.

Any additional comments?

It concerns me that Ablow started writing sexually explicit detective stories, then began to write about female murder victims, first Lacey Peterson and now Caylee. He seems more interested in sensationalizing the case than giving psychological analysis. In some ways, Ablow is as unreliable and troubled as Casey Anthony.

Interesting insight to what may have been going on

What did you love best about Inside the Mind of Casey Anthony?

Interesting insight to what may have been going on in the mind of Casey, and her family

This is what I have been looking for...

A scientific, in depth, outside looking in perspective.
Given that the author is a forensic psychiatrist and speaks to a couple of his examples in the beginning of the book automatically makes him credible to me.
I have never once felt any empathy towards Casey Anthony ever, not once.
I always wondered why her brother was never in the picture and I always wondered about the parents, but not beyond anything surface level.
I appreciate his focus on disassociation and compartmentalization. He explains how oneself can be conditioned and exploited by our very own family. How the sins of the father and mother brew the perfect storm of complex family dynamics and dysfunction, that left denied and untreated can cycle through families over generations.
I actually found Casey to be relatable, understandable and just as screwed up as none of us ever want to be.
I've been a person that is unrecognizable, broken and focused on surviving. Sometimes you cannot control the circumstances in your life. So you become adaptable, kind, tolerant, confused, misunderstood, because you are just trying to make it, make it out just before you are completely corrupted by the very beings that birthed you.
Families and relationships are very complex and as we age we take those very behaviors that we learn so long ago with us and unconsciously teach them to our offspring so I can understand that some readers are frustrated and would rather throw their hands up and walk away from this book and say it's trash because who really wants to dig into that and deal with it because we all have stuff right? And actually I'm sure there's some people that do just really think it's absolute trash and I respect their opinion on that too but here's where I'm at...
However in contrast, this is the stuff that I absolutely love it's fascinating to me, it shouldn't be, it's just human behavior but it's absolutely fascinating to me and it's whatever your podcasts are saying, what everybody on YouTube is doing, or anyone else that has an opinion including yourself folks, they are writing reviews or stating their opinion at this very same moment, they're stating what they think, their thoughts, BUT there's a degree and experience to back up some of his claims and theories, It's not just regurgitated words of The person who spoke into the camera and commented before him. There's an edge. And when your story goes against the narrative that the majority believes you have to research,you have to have a deep understanding to bring those thoughts and ideas to the majority there's research behind it, there's an understanding, there's a depth of knowledge so I respect it and appreciate it.
Also, I do have one thing to say in Dr. Ablows complete defense, it is absolutely disgusting that George Anthony was in the delivery room with his daughter watching, standing over his daughter in the delivery room. There's nothing beautiful about that whatsoever, in any way shape or form, it's very traumatizing and I'm really surprised that that was able to even happen, it's just very very very odd, and I think the reason why he, the author kept bringing it up is because he found it that shocking. I find it shocking, that shocking, it's it's unbelievable. One more weird thought... I never even knew about the reference of a hamburger and a little girl's sonogram images I never have even heard of that. I didn't know what that was but that was also very odd to me and very pedophiliac in nature.
I recommend reading this book because or listening to this book because it's a different perspective and it gives you insight and it takes a plunge into the dark shadows of family dynamics and just where we come from or can come from and how dysfunctional families can really be and how some of us are not even consciously,knowingly nor understandingly aware that we're exploited and exposed by things that happen to us in our life until someone else from the outside points it out and says hey you know that's not normal.
I also think there needed to be a book written like this there needed to be a refute for everything that was claimed and brought about Casey Anthony that none of us knew to be true.
I wasn't there you weren't there none of us really know the facts we get shared details of what they want to share with us or what the media thinks is super enticing but no one really knows but it's good that someone decided to say hey we don't get this way on purpose, there's a reason this happened and maybe we look at a few things from this family and we can learn from it and become better learn human beings and learn how to treat dysfunction and odd family dynamics with the professionals that are experienced in the mental health community.
It's okay some won't agree with me but if anything this listen or this read will provoke a thought in you if you were growing up in this era when this happened. It gives Paul's to prospective and it was refreshing and I am the queen of run-on sentences so my apologies I got tired of adding commas.

during those precious adolescent years when we are most confused and so vulnerable, when we do stop to take a look you're disgusted so we just keep moving forward and reinventing and recreating ourselves over and over again.

Changed the way I felt about Casey Anthony

Where does Inside the Mind of Casey Anthony rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I highly recommend.

Who was your favorite character and why?

The insight in Casey's life and especially Cindy's well documented behavior was incredibly interesting and made me understand Casey.

If you could give Inside the Mind of Casey Anthony a new subtitle, what would it be?

The history of CMA that killed the future of CMA

Any additional comments?

Don't be surprised if you have a slightly different take on Casey, Americas most hated woman, after reading this book. At the very least, I understood Casey and truly began to feel sympathy for her while hoping she can recover and get the help she so needs before she has another child.

I love Keith Ablow

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

yes, to anyone interested in psychoanaysis, or criminology

What was the most compelling aspect of this narrative?

all great

What about Henry Leyva’s performance did you like?

couldn't have been better

If you could give Inside the Mind of Casey Anthony a new subtitle, what would it be?

evil woman!

Any additional comments?

super smart, never borin

Interesting take on Casey' mental health.

I have to agree with the other reviews this "DR" was obsessed w Casey's lady parts. I don't agree with how he placed all blame with George and Cindy.

They could have put Casey out of their home when they found out she was pregnant. They obviously enjoyed their grand daughter very much. Having another mouth to feed in a home where the budget was already stressed, had to make things that much more difficult. DR Ablow didn't really get into the psychology of why the Anthonys who obviously knew Casey never worked chose to look the other way. Beyond saying Casey would take Caylee away. Where would she have gone? She never supported herself.
Casey is indeed a pathological liar why the author would continue to think Casey was telling the truth about the molestation and continue ad nauseam to being it up almost caused me to stop listening to the book.
I wouldn't waste a credit on this book. I don't recommend.

Very interesting

I thought this book was a very interesting deep dive into what likely is the mental pathology behind how Casey Anthony could kill her daughter without showing any remorse. (And we all know she killed her daughter whether a jury found her not guilty or not. Just because the State of Florida could not provide enough evidence for the jury to find her guilty doesn’t mean it didn’t actually happen.) This book shows how sick a person’s mind can truly be and reveals the path that led to it.