So my roommate got me a book for Christmas/Yule that I am probably a bit too excited by. The book is A History of Cannibalism written by Nathan Constantine. I can’t remember how I came across the book. I was either scrolling through Facebook and the suggested ads showed it to me or my best friend sent me a link to the book purely because she knew I would appreciate the spooky and weird. I took a screenshot of the book image and sent it to my roommate telling her I needed to own that book. Purely in a joking manner, but I had entirely depended on buying the book at some point. Apparently after I sent that to her she immediately ordered the book. The cover made me happy because some of the most famous cannibals are featured. There was even mention of the name of Albert Fish. I always remembered him as the cannibal who would send his recipes in letter to the parents of his victims. If you didn’t know already, I find the macabre entirely fascinating. This particular cannibal always stuck in my head. I’m not entirely sure why. ‘Re-finding’ information about him brought back a wave of memories. He was probably one of the first serial killers I had researched.
I have to say I am really glad that I can reread his letters to his victims’ parents and feel waves of disgust. At one point in my life I was desensitized to reading gruesome history and how awful people are. I didn’t care. Reading his letter with my current state of mind makes me feel a bit more human. As much as I joke around about murder and bodies with my friends, I feel a little more human feeling that disgust with the monster, Albert Fish.