However, while writing the book, Bernstein said he did borrow stylistically from Capote, including using “short bursts” of dialogue and facts. It is important to note that Bernstein stuck to the facts while writing his book, while Capote wove in bits of fiction for dramatic effect throughout “In Cold Blood,” which detailed the 1959 Clutter family murders at a Kansas farmhouse. “When I began writing the story, I wanted it to be my ‘In Cold Blood,’”īernstein said, referencing the 1966 Truman Capote true-crime classic.

“Their stories deepened and expanded the stories that were previously published.” “I felt I needed to interview them for the record,” Bernstein said. Bernstein conducted the interviews shortly after the first edition in 2009. The first, “Bath Massacre: America’s First School Bombing,” by Chicago author Arnie Bernstein, has been expanded with a new introduction and new interviews with two survivors, Myrna Gates-Coulter and Ralph D. One new book and one updated one detail that horrific day and bring surprising new information to the disaster. A day after the tragedy, the death total swelled to 45 after the wife of the bomber was found dead. Ultimately, it claimed the lives of 38 school children and six adults, including teachers, while 58 others suffered injuries. Following the explosion, the perpetrator set off a cache of explosives in his car - killing himself and others nearby. In response, Kehoe used dynamite to blow up the school. The violent attack was perpetrated by Andrew Kehoe, a disgruntled local farmer and former school board member who had collected grievances against the community, ranging from high taxes to losing local elections. Today, May 18, many Bath, Michigan, residents will wake up knowing it’s the 95th anniversary of the Bath School massacre, which remains the worst school disaster in U.S.

Bath Massacre by Arnie Bernstein