... a true-crime juggernaut ... Glatt expertly interweaves the issues of mental health and privilege ... I was practically yelling at the pages—as if anyone can hear you through the pages and years ... Glatt...gracefully portray[s] the complicated maneuvers and motives of all parties in this case ... Golden Boy: A Murder Among the Manhattan Elite brings to the forefront two aspects of American life we are grappling with—privilege and mental health stigmas. John Glatt, by thorough investigative research and empathy for all involved, has managed to present these complicated matters in an intriguing, enthralling narrative.
Glatt lays out the facts of this story but resists analysis, penning an interesting tale that ultimately lacks insight. More exploration of Tommy’s childhood and relationships to his immediate family—his younger sister is all but missing from this book—as well as a nuanced look at the connections between his drug use, mental health and feelings for his father would’ve been welcome additions to the narrative ... a compelling story but a somewhat flat delivery. However, Golden Boy remains a worthwhile read for its disturbing peek into a horrific and avoidable event. You may experience some schadenfreude reading about an elite and rich family brought low, but most will find what Glatt sets out to reveal—the evident pain of the Gilberts and the struggles and horrors that their advantages couldn’t shield them from. As to Tommy’s control of his actions, and the mental health and court systems in general, Glatt gives readers lots of good discussion fodder.
Glatt is a balanced narrator of this story; though it would be easy to dismiss Gilbert as a privileged man-child protected by wealth and connections, the author also examines how complicated mental illness diagnoses can be, even for people with access to doctors and treatments ... A tragic character study at the intersection of wealth, privilege, and mental illness, told with empathy for Gilbert’s victims.
... disturbing ... a comprehensive look at how Gilbert’s mental illness mainly went unchecked ... Beyond this specific murder, Glatt shares alarming revelations about the state of the mental health system, where psychiatrists are largely powerless to intervene even when they see serious psychological issues that could result in harm to the patient or others. This is must reading for true crime enthusiasts who prize depth over salaciousness.
