The Devil You Know

Stories of Human Cruelty and Compassion

By: Gwen Adshead, Eileen Horne

Narrated by: Gwen Adshead

In this “unmissable book” (The Guardian), an internationally renowned forensic psychiatrist and psychotherapist explores the psychology of violence and demonstrates the remarkable human capacity for radical empathy, change, and redemption.

What drives someone to commit an act of terrible violence? Drawing from her thirty years of experience in providing therapy to people in prisons and secure psychiatric hospitals who have committed serious offenses, Dr. Gwen Adshead provides fresh and surprising insights into violence and the criminal mind. Through a collaboration with coauthor Eileen Horne, Dr. Adshead brings her extraordinary career to life in a series of unflinching portraits.

Alongside doctor and patient, we discover what human cruelty, ranging from serial homicide to stalking, arson or sexual offending, means to perpetrators, experiencing firsthand how minds can change when the people some might label as “evil” are able to take responsibility for their life stories and get to know their own minds. With outcomes ranging from hope to despair, from denial to recovery, these men and women are revealed in all their complexity and shared humanity. In an era of mass incarceration, deep cuts in mental health care and extreme social schisms, this book offers a persuasive argument for compassion over condemnation.

Moving, thought-provoking, and brilliantly told, The Devil You Know is a rare and timely book with the power to transform our ideas about cruelty and violence, and to radically expand the limits of empathy. “A welcome contribution to the literature of crime and rehabilitation” (Kirkus Reviews).

Critic reviews

"Lisa Flanagan does a superb job of giving voice to a mix of male and female characters from different parts of the world in this frightening story."

Great book

Great stories about treating a variety of mental health disorders inside psychiatric hospitals and prison.

Exactly what the title says - in a good way*

If you're interested in humanity, psychology/psychiatry, or just the general idea of how childhood and life experiences can lead people to do unspeakable things, this book is great. It's not a series of war stories, but rather an interesting and compassionate display of how difficult life is, what can happen when things go awry, and the complex relationships that occur between the patient, the clinicians, and the respective family members. If you enjoyed "The boy who was raised by a dog", you'll also appreciate this book - and if you read this and enjoy it, you should then go read The boy who was raised by a dog.

The listener could hear the patience and professional compassion that she had

Did not dislike anything about this book. Even though disturbing at times, the authors voice was always steady and easy to listen to. I will pass this on to other friends and family.

I'm telling everyone I know about this book!

Really helped me in very unexpected ways. Great books stick with you forever. This is definitely a book I needed to hear.

Some cases more interesting than others but provides a humanizing account of those with mental illnesses

This title consists of mostly the authors interactions with those who have been imprisoned or institutionalized. Some cases are more interesting than others, but the author gives a candid analysis about each case as well as documenting her own mistakes throughout her career and what she learned from them. The biggest takeaway is that most acts of cruelty do not come out of nowhere, but instead, there was a cascade of negative events and experiences leading to the incident itself, and the author did a great job humanizing her patients in a way that was non judgmental.