A cautionary tale of a young woman whose life held so much promise but was cut short at the hands of her husband.
It was the 1960s, Kathy, a college student at the University of Texas, met her husband there, the man who would end her life. Kathy sensed something was wrong with her relationship, her husband was controlling and violent. She felt tied to him financially, outside help was harder to come by at the time. Particularly riveting is the insight her parents had, they and her younger brother saw the warning signs and stood by her. Her brother saved his sister’s diaries and letters she wrote to her family, which he gave to Scott-Coe who has given a powerful voice to a victim and a sense of justice using Kathy’s words, through which we learn about her hopes and dreams. Scott-Coe succinctly encapsulates an era, recognizes the other victims who lost their lives during the country’s first mass murder when Kathy’s husband killed 17 people and wounded 31 more at the UT tower shooting in 1966, the day after he killed her and his mother.
Now we know who Kathy is, no longer a silent victim, like so many abused women just like her, because Scott-Coe has turned the table, by bringing her history, the documented signs, even if there were no official witnesses, because she was the only witness, and her words live on to prove it. This is far from a sensationalized true crime story. Because Kathy documented her state of mind and that of the perpetrator, perhaps, as the author’s research suggests, could possibly aid in intercepting mass shooters, who we now know often attack family members, in advance of future public targets.
Nothing can bring Kathy back, yet Scott-Coe has given her a chance to be heard in this profoundly moving portrait of a woman we can now imagine would have soared, by a writer who has taken the utmost care of her subject.
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From the Publisher
Kathy Leissner Whitman and her husband, Charles Whitman, Easter, 1964. Private archive of Nelson Leissner.
The front of an envelope dated July 13, 1963, one of many letters Kathy sent to her husband during their separation
The back of the same envelope, where her husband tracked his poker scores
Private archive of Nelson Leissner
Kathy waves from the Corvair as she leaves for her honeymoon. Private archive of Nelson Leissner.
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Reviews with images
This is a must read for those who care about domestic violence and gun violence prevention.
Our book discussion group had a fantastic conversation about Unheard Witness: The Life and Death of Kathy Leissner Whitman. Jo Scott-Coe offers both a history lesson and an eye-opening deep dive into domestic violence. She used Kathy’s own letters to reveal the experiences that eventually led to her murder and the University of Texas mass shooting in 1966. I’m not a true crime gal, and I struggled at the beginning knowing Kathy was murdered, but this was a powerful book worth reading.We’re so lucky the author was our guest speaker for our monthly Moms Demand Action meeting today. She was amazing! I can’t thank Scott-Coe enough for bringing this story to life. Domestic violence, complacent bystanders, and mass shootings are not new. Thank goodness there are authors who continue to frame difficult questions in thoughtful ways that inspire curiosity about finding meaningful solutions.
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Reviewed in the United States on December 20, 2023
Reviewed in the United States on March 3, 2024
We’re so lucky the author was our guest speaker for our monthly Moms Demand Action meeting today. She was amazing! I can’t thank Scott-Coe enough for bringing this story to life. Domestic violence, complacent bystanders, and mass shootings are not new. Thank goodness there are authors who continue to frame difficult questions in thoughtful ways that inspire curiosity about finding meaningful solutions.
This is a must read for those who care about domestic violence and gun violence prevention.
Reviewed in the United States on March 3, 2024
Our book discussion group had a fantastic conversation about Unheard Witness: The Life and Death of Kathy Leissner Whitman. Jo Scott-Coe offers both a history lesson and an eye-opening deep dive into domestic violence. She used Kathy’s own letters to reveal the experiences that eventually led to her murder and the University of Texas mass shooting in 1966. I’m not a true crime gal, and I struggled at the beginning knowing Kathy was murdered, but this was a powerful book worth reading.Reviewed in the United States on March 3, 2024
We’re so lucky the author was our guest speaker for our monthly Moms Demand Action meeting today. She was amazing! I can’t thank Scott-Coe enough for bringing this story to life. Domestic violence, complacent bystanders, and mass shootings are not new. Thank goodness there are authors who continue to frame difficult questions in thoughtful ways that inspire curiosity about finding meaningful solutions.
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Reviewed in the United States on October 21, 2023
Reviewed in the United States on December 30, 2023
Reviewed in the United States on January 10, 2024
