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Murder Shelf Book Club PodcastAuthor: murdershelfbookclub
YOUR true crime book club podcast.Jill tells the true crime book stories in 3 parts. Dive deep into the criminal psyche, updates, and outcomes with the greatest respect for accuracy, victims and families! Language: en Genres: Arts, Books, True Crime Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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Special Episode 184: I Ate His Heart: Interviews with a Cannibal by Nathalie von Zelowitz, translated by Jon von Zelowitz
Episode 184
Wednesday, 23 September, 2026
In this special episode, Jill ventures into one of humanity's oldest and most unsettling taboos through Nathalie von Zelowitz's extraordinary true-crime work, I Ate His Heart: Interviews with a Cannibal. Drawing on her decade-long therapeutic relationship with a man identified as 'Bernard', Nathalie von Zelowitz takes listeners far beyond shock value, into the complicated psychology of trauma, identity, compulsion, and the desperate human need to be seen and understood. Jill and the von Zelowitzs explore what it means to confront the unthinkable without sensationalizing it, balancing clinical insight with compassion, accountability, and respect for the victim. Just as compelling is the discussion of Bernard's possible release and the careful work of preparing him for his future outside of Château-Thierry prison in France, and his daunting transition back into a world that has changed dramatically during his decade in prison. This episode invites true-crime readers and psychologically curious listeners to look past the headline horror and ask deeper questions: how does a person become trapped inside such an extreme identity, what role can therapy play in transformation, and what happens when someone long defined by a monstrous act begins to imagine himself as something more? Though Bernard's case is widely known in France, it remains far less familiar to many listeners in the United States, making this conversation a rare introduction to a disturbing and psychologically complex story. Buy I Ate His Heart: Conversations with a Cannibal by Nathalie von Zelowitz, translated by Jon von Zelowitz, published by Feral House, on Amazon or Barnes and Noble. Thinking about going to Crimecon 2027? Use Jill's code murdershelf and save 10% on your badge! Jill's Merch shop is open! https://www.jusaskjan.com/murder-shelf-book-club Join Jill on PATREON for $2- $4 and help pick our next book and enjoy Jill's SERIAL KILLER Case Studies! www.patreon.com/murdershelfbookclub Sources, photographs, maps, and other information can be found on Jill's Blog- September 2026 https://www.murdershelfbookclub.com/2026/09/
