Welcome to Litsy!

This was an interesting, if dry, look at the initial creation of the polygraph, early cases, and how lie detection devices have evolved. It is also a tale of injustice, of guilty people going free and innocent people being executed, based on a device proven inaccurate. The polygraph won't die, but people do because of it. I found this to be heartbreaking and anger-inducing. It's one more example of how the justice system in the US is unjust.

Read this in two days. I couldn‘t put it down! It‘s a great example of narrative nonfiction which is why I couldn‘t stop turning pages. A look at the lives and world of the men that were responsible for the “lie detector” test and the cases that made this a household name despite its flaws. Really well done. #MCBC pick for February.

Less about the lie detector and more about the cases surrounding its use and believability. Some cases/stories kept me more engaged than others (like the ones that I literally fell asleep to 🤷), but I learned quite a bit just not my favorite unique history. I did find the clash between the inventor and the shared/split/shared/split research that eventually became enemies over the device that brought them together in the first place.