Podcast Summary: Reveal — “Why America Is Obsessed With True Crime”
Date: November 19, 2025
Host: Al Letson
Guest: John J. Lennon (Journalist, currently incarcerated in Sing Sing Correctional Facility)
Episode Overview
This episode of "Reveal" investigates America’s enduring fascination with true crime, interrogating whether the genre fosters genuine empathy or simply turns tragedy into entertainment. Al Letson invites journalist and author John J. Lennon—serving 25 years to life for murder at Sing Sing—to share his singular perspective from within the prison system. Through Lennon’s story and his new book, The Tragedy of True Crime: Four Guilty Men and the Stories that Define Us, the conversation critiques true crime’s conventions, explores the ethics of storytelling, and gives voice to those typically portrayed as mere villains.
Key Discussion Points and Insights
1. John J. Lennon's Background and Path to Journalism
- Setting the Scene:
- John calls in from a quiet tier in Sing Sing, painting a vivid picture of his current environment—mustard-colored walls, metal picnic tables, and a pervasive sense of isolation. (03:11)
- Criminal Lifestyle and Turning Point:
- Lennon describes his descent into crime in Brooklyn, culminating in murder and his initial years in prison where he felt he "belonged." His turning point was being stabbed in prison in 2008 as retaliation by a friend of the man he killed.
"It was that point where I got stabbed pretty bad in the yard. ... This is a disgusting place, and I'm a disgusting person. I just want to be better." (05:32)
- Finds sobriety and self-worth through 12-step meetings and a transformative prison writing workshop led by a college professor. (07:16)
- Lennon describes his descent into crime in Brooklyn, culminating in murder and his initial years in prison where he felt he "belonged." His turning point was being stabbed in prison in 2008 as retaliation by a friend of the man he killed.
- Discovering Journalism:
- Inspired by reading published essays and magazines, Lennon reverses engineers journalistic writing, eventually submitting his own work—despite a learning disability and literacy struggles.
"If you have to feel like you have something to say… if I could sort of write about this in a sober way, in an accountable way, then I think people would listen." (09:26)
- His first major piece, inspired by the Sandy Hook shooting, is published in The Atlantic—changing the course of his life. (10:16)
- Inspired by reading published essays and magazines, Lennon reverses engineers journalistic writing, eventually submitting his own work—despite a learning disability and literacy struggles.
2. The Mechanics of Prison Journalism
- Writing Process:
- Lennon participates in regular workshops, painstakingly revising drafts with peer and professor feedback. (10:16)
- Subsequent pieces, such as “Dying in Attica,” tackle life and death in prison settings and are rooted in Lennon's own observations and health struggles.
- The Power and Limits of Access:
- Lennon’s position as an insider allows for narrative depth unavailable to most journalists, but also generates tension regarding his own objectivity and proximity to his subjects.
3. Critique of the True Crime Genre
- Empathy vs. Entertainment:
- Al Letson distinguishes strong journalism as an "exercise in empathy," contrasting it with true crime—often described as entertainment that disconnects audiences from deeper understanding. (16:00)
- Lennon critiques popular true crime formats as formulaic and sensationalized:
"Every story you watch one, you watch them all. Bang, bang. Police take 911 calls, drop back, meet characters. I inverted that whole structure..." (19:38)
- Voice, Agency, and Origin of Storytelling:
- Lennon emphasizes that most true crime stories are told "from a perch"—by outsiders disconnected from the lived reality of incarceration. His own approach centers the voices and complexities of those inside, introducing readers to convicted men as people, not “monsters,” before revealing their crimes. (21:03)
4. The Ethics of Storytelling and Redemption
- Narrating Redemption While Honoring Victims:
- Lennon is candid about the difficulty of telling stories of redemption while respecting the pain of victims’ families. He explains his effort to contact families for inclusion but also acknowledges the shame and conflict inherent in writing about his own crime.
"She [the victim’s sister] asked in a letter... that I not use his name in my writing. So I’ve respected her wishes. ... It may cause her and her family more pain. Look, that causes me shame. But that whole equation... is this idea of remorse." (24:39)
- Lennon is candid about the difficulty of telling stories of redemption while respecting the pain of victims’ families. He explains his effort to contact families for inclusion but also acknowledges the shame and conflict inherent in writing about his own crime.
- Flaws and Subjectivity:
- Lennon rejects the notion of pure objectivity:
"I’d be lying to myself and the reader if I’m saying that I’m an objective journalist." (28:23)
- He likens his immersive, first-person approach to Gonzo journalism and openly explores his own flaws, addiction, and periodic relapses to render the reality of prison.
- Lennon rejects the notion of pure objectivity:
5. The Lure and Danger of True Crime Consumption
- Cultural Impact:
- Lennon connects the rise of true crime to a “thirst for punishment,” critiquing who gets to tell these stories and shaping public opinion about crime and justice.
"It creates this thirst for punishment. ... What does it mean when people so disconnected from crimes are telling the stories, shaping the narratives?" (26:13)
- Lennon connects the rise of true crime to a “thirst for punishment,” critiquing who gets to tell these stories and shaping public opinion about crime and justice.
- Struggle for Recognition and Parole:
- Lennon expresses concern that society might resent success stories from within prison, fearing his journalism might be misconstrued as a ploy for release:
"I just hope I’m not resented for that. That’s what I fear." (32:39)
- Lennon expresses concern that society might resent success stories from within prison, fearing his journalism might be misconstrued as a ploy for release:
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
-
On reckoning with his past:
"Like, I'm a guy who did a pretty terrible thing. I shot a man 10 times. I was deeply immersed in this lifestyle. I reckon with that on the page, and people read my stuff and there's a way that I connect with them and count for what I did."
(00:01, repeated later at 28:07) -
On the limits of objectivity:
"I’d be lying to myself and the reader if I’m saying that I’m an objective journalist ... I’m writing about men in prison and I also go to sleep behind bars."
(28:23) -
On true crime structure:
"Every story you watch one, you watch them all. Bang, bang. Police take 911 calls, drop back, meet characters. I inverted that whole ... structure with The Tragedy of True Crime."
(19:38) -
On redemption and shame:
"I don’t pretend to ... understand what brings me pride writing. I mean, it may cause her and her family more pain. Look, that causes me shame. But that whole equation, at least for me, is this idea of remorse."
(24:39)
Timeline of Important Segments
- 00:01 — Lennon’s Opening Reckoning: his crime and pursuit of accountability
- 03:11 — Overview of Lennon’s prison environment and lifestyle
- 05:32 — The turning point: attack in prison and the beginning of change
- 07:16 — Sobriety and writing workshop’s transformative influence
- 09:26 — First essay and finding his journalistic voice
- 13:08 — The first Atlantic publication and subsequent pieces on prison life
- 16:00 — Letson distinguishes true crime from real journalism; Lennon agrees
- 19:38 — Lennon’s critique of true crime conventions and the problem with “outsider” storytelling
- 21:03 — The narrative experiment in his book: humanizing before describing crimes
- 24:39 — Ethics of writing about crime and balancing perspectives of redemption/victimhood
- 28:23 — Acknowledgment of subjectivity as a journalist-inmate
- 32:39 — Fears about perceptions of his success and upcoming parole decision
Tone and Style
The conversation is self-reflective, honest, and grounded in hard-won insight. Lennon speaks candidly, occasionally self-deprecatingly, about his failures and growth, never shying from remorse or the ambiguities of justice. Letson provides empathetic guidance but also tackles tough questions about victimhood, objectivity, and the audience’s complicity in true crime’s popularity.
Conclusion
This episode is a searching, essential conversation about America’s relationship to true crime, the nature of redemption, and the ethical challenges in storytelling about violence and punishment. By foregrounding the voices and inner lives of the incarcerated—including his own—John J. Lennon offers listeners a rare and necessary counter-narrative to familiar “murder-as-entertainment” true crime tropes, challenging us to question both how and why we listen.
For listeners wanting more, Al Letson recommends “In a Mississippi Jail, Inmates Became Weapons,” another Reveal investigation into the complexities of justice and power inside the American penal system.