{"product_id":"halfway-heaven-diary-of-a-harvard-murder-9780452280076","title":"Halfway Heaven: Diary of a Harvard Murder","description":"In May, 1995, a photograph and an anonymous note arrived at \u003ci\u003eThe Harvard Crimson\u003c\/i\u003e \"Keep this picture. There will soon be a very juicy story involving this woman.\" Soon afterwards, Sinedu Tadesse stabbed her roommate, Trang Phuong Ho, to death, and then hanged herself. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThis riveting book recounts the stories of these women, whose admission to Harvard was \"halfway heaven,\" a bridge to the American dream after lives of hardship. Sinedu grew up under communist tyranny in Ethiopia, while Trang was born in a Vietnamese forced labor camp, and fled the country with her father and sister to end up on welfare in Boston. Despite their similarities, the two were never friends; Trang was friendly and outgoing, while Sinedu, awkward and shy, had trouble adjusting to a culture vastly different from her own. Drawing upon her astonishing diaries, \u003ci\u003eNew York Times \u003c\/i\u003ebestselling author Thernstrom, a Harvard graduate herself, reconstructs Sinedu's inner life to reveal a girl struggling against isolation and depression. The book reveals Harvard as an institution ill-equipped to deal with mental illness on campus that apparently cared more for its reputation than for its student body. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eA brilliant synthesis of cultural analysis, psychological study, and first-rate investigative journalism, \u003ci\u003eHalfway Heaven\u003c\/i\u003e is a haunting exploration of the power of profound loneliness and an expose of one of America's most distinguished universities.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eMelanie Thernstrom\u003c\/b\u003e is a journalist and creative writing teacher, and the critically acclaimed author of \u003ci\u003eThe Dead Girl \u003c\/i\u003eand \u003ci\u003eHalfway Heaven.\u003c\/i\u003e A native of Boston, she graduated from Harvard University.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Plume Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50523639382290,"sku":"9780452280076","price":17.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_0b8cc956-5ff5-4c52-8c69-3be3db70f25a.jpg?v=1731159368","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/halfway-heaven-diary-of-a-harvard-murder-9780452280076","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}