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Reviewed by Lesley Jones for Readers' Favorite
The Power of Truth by Tristin Engels is a book focused on true crime. When Louis Rocco Vitullo joined the Chicago police department in 1951, little did he realize that he would soon become a chief forensic scientist and crime scene investigation expert. In 1966, as Louis was involved in capturing the serial killer and rapist Richard Speck, he realized there was a misguided perception by law enforcement around the psychological trauma associated with sexual assault. In 1978, Louis developed the first version of the rape kit known as the Vitullo Kit. The equipment would be responsible, along with DNA testing, for solving hundreds of sexual assaults. However, when 400,000 untested kits were discovered, the consequences proved severe and left serial offenders roaming the streets freely. Louis’s work continues to empower victims to come forward and give justice to those wrongly accused of sexual crimes.
The Power of Truth by Tristin Engels is an incredibly inspirational and heartwarming story of a remarkable man and his life’s work. I adored the character of Louis. He was kind and generous, but his most redeeming quality was his modesty. There are several examples of his great soul throughout this memoir, especially the tyre changing interaction with the police officer and the times he spent with his family. He also never backed down to pressure from others but followed his intuition and instinct. I loved his unending determination to be the voice of the unheard and make a positive change to outdated thinking around victims of sexual assault. His work changed the perception of women who had been raped and gave them the justice they deserved. I thought the backstory to his life was fascinating, and the photography, letters, and documents provided the memoir with another fantastic layer of interest. There were so many points regarding the criminal justice system, the rehabilitation of prisoners that were intelligent and valid. I loved the chapters relating to how Louis's work and the invention of DNA testing contributed to the capture of infamous serial killers.
