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Have at It, Sister

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Have at It, Sister

By: Bill Griffeth
Narrated by: Bill Griffeth, Ryan Kailbourne, Scott Aiello, P. J. Ochlan, Cassandra Campbell, Dina Pearlman, Molly Secours, Lani Ford, John Pirhalla, Marco Cammarota, Gloria Burtzlaff
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About this listen

Gloria Burtzlaff feared for her life one day back in April of 1991 when her abusive husband, Larry, drunk and violent, slapped her, hit her, and began pelting her with glasses. After he tried to drown her in a tub, she got the family shotgun and confronted him in his underwear. “Larry, I’m going to kill you,” she declared. Defense lawyers would later claim he lifted a glass as if to say, “Have at it, sister.”

Have at It, Sister is a true-crime tale about Gloria, a South Dakota woman who shot her abusive husband and was put on trial in a precedent-setting case. She’s also a cousin of the wife of Bill Griffeth, a retired TV anchor on CNBC and PBS, and her story drew him into a years-long obsession to try to understand what was really at the heart of the shocking killing. How does a seemingly ordinary South Dakota marriage descend into abuse and murder? How have our views on abuse and justifiable homicide changed since the 1990s?

This is a true-crime story that’s not just about murder and mayhem; it’s about something real, relevant, and important. At the time that Gloria’s trial was held in the summer of 1991, South Dakota was the only state in the country not to allow expert witnesses to offer a diagnosis that a female defendant suffered from a psychological condition called “battered woman syndrome” as part of a self-defense plea in a murder trial. Gloria’s case helped lead to a change in the law, and Bill looks into why the case made legal waves and struck such a nerve with the public. Through the up and downs and appeals of her case, we see how society’s view of domestic violence in general, and battered women in particular, evolve.

As #MeToo continues to empower women, her case has become increasingly relevant. Like I’ll Be Gone in the Dark, this is a true-crime story that hits close to home. Bill Griffeth has served as an anchor at CNBC and a former cohost of PBS’ Nightly Business Report.

©2022 Bill Griffeth (P)2022 Audible Originals, LLC.
Murder

What listeners say about Have at It, Sister

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So so..

The story is an important one, but the narration/characters took something away from it for me. I actually enjoyed the afterward the most, which is by Gloria. I think I would have enjoyed more if Gloria had narrated the lot.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Fascinating and harrowing insight

A fascinating and harrowing insight into how many times the system can fail our most vulnerable. Such bravery and persistence.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Valuable story told well

Far too good a story to not be listened to
It’s a challenge to hear it, a greater challenge to use it as inspiration

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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poor bloke

weird how a woman who has never abused can be a battered woman she knows how to play the victim

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    3 out of 5 stars
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Not good

I couldn't finish listening the performance was terrible. I would listen if they changed to a single narrator or better actors. I wanted to know the story but I could only handle so much.

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She got a raw deal

Im glad I listened to this although some was had to listen too she got a raw deal

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