Book cover of Arrested Adolescence: The Secret Life of Nathan Leopold

Book description

During the summer of 1924, everyone was obsessed with Richard Loeb and Nathan Leopold, the two wealthy, brilliant, lovers who had brutally murdered a boy with a chisel just for the "thrill." Between the charm and accessibility of the dashing teenage defendants, their "deviant" sexual appetites, and the 1920s' culture…

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

Why read it?

1 author picked Arrested Adolescence as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

This book scratches a long-standing itch for aficionados of the Leopold and Loeb crime of 1924. After the murder of Bobby Franks, after the trial of the century, and after the killing of Richard Loeb, then what happened? Erik Rebain finally fills in that gap with this meticulously sourced biography.

The book has a strong sense of place for moments in Leopold’s life that shook and shaped him — from prison riots to his first time seeing a show again as a free man. There are characters to meet, like his later-in-life wife and the distasteful friends he made while…

If you love Arrested Adolescence...

Book cover of These Blue Mountains

These Blue Mountains by Sarah Loudin Thomas,

A moving story of love, betrayal, and the enduring power of hope in the face of darkness.

German pianist Hedda Schlagel's world collapsed when her fiancé, Fritz, vanished after being sent to an enemy alien camp in the United States during the Great War. Fifteen years later, in 1932, Hedda…

Want books like Arrested Adolescence?

Our community of 12,000+ authors has personally recommended 85 books like Arrested Adolescence.

Browse books like Arrested Adolescence

Book cover of Leopold and Loeb: The Crime of the Century
Book cover of For the Thrill of It: Leopold, Loeb, and the Murder That Shocked Jazz Age Chicago
Book cover of Never the Sinner: The Leopold and Loeb Story

Share your top 3 reads of 2025!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

1,366

readers submitted
so far, will you?

📚 If you like Arrested Adolescence, you might also like...

Book cover of The Duke's Christmas Redemption

The Duke's Christmas Redemption by Arietta Richmond,

A Duke who has rejected love, a Lady who dreams of a love match, an arranged marriage, a house full of secrets, a most unneighborly neighbor, a plot to destroy reputations, an unexpected love that redeems it all.

Lady Charlotte Wyndham, given in an arranged marriage to a man she…

Book cover of Coyote Weather

Coyote Weather by Amanda Cockrell,

Coyote weather is the feral, hungry season, drought-stricken, and ready to catch fire. It’s 1967, and the American culture is violently remaking itself while the country is forcibly sending its young men to fight in a deeply unpopular war.

Jerry has stubbornly made no plans for the future because he…

5 book lists we think you will like!