Andrew Vachss & Honey Pit Bull, courtesy of Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine

Andrew Henry Vachss (born 1942) is an American crime fiction author, child protection consultant, and attorney exclusively representing children and youths.^[1] He is also a founder and national advisory board member of PROTECT: The National Association to Protect Children.^[2] Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... 1942 (MCMXLII) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1942 calendar). ... Sherlock Holmes, pipe-puffing hero of crime fiction, confers with his colleague Dr. Watson; together these characters popularized the genre. ... An author is any person(s) or entity(s) that originates and assumes responsibility for an expression or communication. ... An attorney is someone who represents someone else in the transaction of business: For attorney-at-law, see lawyer, solicitor, barrister or civil law notary. ... “Children” redirects here. ... For other uses, see Youth (disambiguation) Youth is defined by Websters New World Dictionary as, The time of life when one is young; especially: a: the period between childhood and maturity b: the early period of existence, growth, or development. ... Protect can mean defend ...

Vachss's last name is pronounced to rhyme with "tax".^[3] He is a native New Yorker. New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ...

Biography

Prior to becoming a lawyer, Andrew Vachss held many front-line positions in child protection. He was a federal investigator in sexually transmitted diseases, a social-services caseworker, and a labor organizer. He served in the relief effort in Biafra.^[4] Upon his return, he directed a maximum-security prison for violent juvenile offenders.^[5] A lawyer, according to Blacks Law Dictionary, is a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person licensed to practice law. ... A sexually transmitted disease (STD) is an illness caused by an infectious pathogen that has a significant probability of transmission between humans by means of sexual contact, including vaginal intercourse, oral sex, and anal sex. ... National motto: Peace, Unity, Freedom Official language English Capital Enugu Head of State Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu Area ?- Total ?- % water Population;- Total 13,500,000 (1967) Currency Biafran pound (BIAP) Created May 30, 1967 Dissolved January 15, 1970 Demonym Biafran The Republic of Biafra was a short-lived secessionist state in... In law, a person who is not yet a legal adult is known as a minor (known in some places as an infant or juvenile). ...

He is the author of twenty-one novels, including the Burke series, and two collections of short stories, as well as poetry, song lyrics, and graphic novels.^[6] He has also written non-fiction works, including numerous articles and essays on child protection^[7] and a book on juvenile criminology. A novel (from French nouvelle Italian novella, new) is an extended, generally fictional narrative, typically in prose. ... This article is in need of attention. ... The Chinese poem Quatrain on Heavenly Mountain by Emperor Gaozong (Song Dynasty) Poetry (from the Greek , poiesis, a making or creating) is a form of art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its ostensible meaning. ... Lyrics are the words in songs. ... Trade paperback of Will Eisners A Contract with God (1978), often mistakenly cited as the first graphic novel. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Criminology is the scientific study of crime as an individual and social phenomenon. ...

Many Vachss novels feature the shadowy, unlicensed investigator Burke, an ex-con, career criminal, and deeply conflicted character. About his protagonist, Vachss says: A private investigator, private detective, PI, or private eye, is a person who undertakes investigations, usually for a private citizen or some other entity not involved with a government or police organization. ... Burke is the protagonist of a series of novels by Andrew Vachss. ... A convict is a person that has been convicted of a crime. ... for other uses please see Crime (disambiguation) A crime is an act that violates a political or moral law. ... A protagonist is the main figure of a piece of literature or drama and has the main part or role. ...

If you look at Burke closely, you'll see the prototypical abused child: hypervigilant, distrustful. He's so committed to his family of choice — not his DNA-biological family, which tortured him, or the state which raised him, but the family that he chose — that homicide is a natural consequence of injuring any of that family. He's not a hit man. But he shares the same religion I do, which is revenge. A family in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso in 1997 A family consists of a domestic group of people (or a number of domestic groups), typically affiliated by birth or marriage, or by analogous or comparable relationships — including domestic partnership, cohabitation, adoption, surname and (in some cases) ownership (as occurred in the... A hitman (alternately, hit man) is a hired assassin, often by organized crime. ... Guðrún agitates her sons, Hamðir and Sörli, to avenge their sister. ...

– "Andrew Vachss," Horror Online, April 1999.

Vachss coined the phrase "Children of the Secret," which refers to abused children, of whatever age, who were victimized without ever experiencing justice, much less love and protection.^[8] In the Burke novels, some of these Children of the Secret have banded together as adults into what Vachss calls a "family of choice." Their connection is not biological, and their bond goes well beyond mere loyalty. Most are career criminals; none allows the law to come before their duty to their family.

Another important theme that pervades Vachss's work is his love of dogs, particularly dogs of breeds considered to be "dangerous," such as Doberman pinschers, rottweilers, and especially pit bulls.^[9] Throughout his fiction and non-fiction,^[10] Vachss asserts that with dogs, just as with humans, "you get what you raise". This article is about the domestic dog. ... Country of origin Germany Common nicknames Dobie Classification Breed standards (external links) FCI, AKC, ANKC, CKC KC(UK), NZKC, UKC The Dobermann or Doberman Pinscher (also, more colloquially, Dobie) is a breed of domestic dog. ... This article is about the dog breed. ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ...

"There's a very specific formula for creating a monster," Vachss says. "It starts with chronic, unrelenting abuse. There's got to be societal notification and then passing on. The child eventually believes that what's being done is societally sanctioned. And after a while, empathy -- which we have to learn, we're not born with it -- cracks and dies. He feels only his own pain. There's your predatory sociopath."

That's why Vachss posed for a recent publicity photo cradling his pit bull puppy. "You know what pit bulls are capable of, right?" he asks, referring to the animal's notorious killer reputation. "But they're also capable of being the most wonderful, sweet pets in the world, depending on how you raise them. That's all our children."

– "Unleashing the Criminal Mind", San Francisco Examiner, July 12, 1990.

He is a passionate advocate against animal abuse such as pitbull-fighting, and against breed-specific legislative bans. ^[11] With fellow crime writer James Colbert, Vachss has trained dogs to serve as therapy dogs for abused children. The dogs have a calming effect on traumatized children. Vachss notes that using these particular breeds further increases the victims' feelings of security; their "dangerous" appearance, in combination with the extensive therapy training, makes them excellent protection against human threats.^[12] During her time as chief prosecutor, Alice Vachss regularly brought one such trained dog, Sheba, to work with abused children being interviewed at the Special Victims Bureau.^[13] Breed-specific legislation (BSL), is any law, ordinance or policy which pertains to a specific dog breed or breeds, but does not affect any others. ... Therapy Dog refers to a dog trained to provide affection and comfort to people in hospitals, retirement homes, nursing homes, mental institutions, schools, and stressful situations such as disaster areas. ...

Andrew Vachss's books have been translated into twenty languages, and his shorter works have appeared in many publications, including Parade, Antaeus, Esquire, Playboy, and the New York Times.^[14] Vachss's literary awards include the Grand Prix de Littérature Policiére, for Strega [as La Sorcière de Brooklyn]; the Falcon Award, Maltese Falcon Society of Japan, for Strega; the Deutsche Krimi Preis for Flood [as Kata]; and the Raymond Chandler Award for his body of work.

Andrew Vachss is a member of PEN and the Writers Guild of America. His autobiographical essay was added by invitation to Contemporary Authors in 2003. PEN American Center (PEN), founded in 1922 and based in New York City, works to advance literature, to defend free expression, and to foster international literary fellowship. ... The Writers Guild of America (WGA) is the collective bargaining representative, or labor union, for writers in the motion picture and television industries in the United States. ...

Alice Vachss

Vachss's wife, Alice Vachss, was a sex-crimes prosecutor, and later became Chief of the Special Victims Bureau in Queens, NY.^[15] She is the author of the nonfiction book Sex Crimes: Ten Years on the Front Lines Prosecuting Rapists and Confronting Their Collaborators, a New York Times Notable Book of the Year.^[16] The prosecutor is the chief legal representative of the prosecution in countries adopting the common law adversarial system or the civil law inquisitorial system. ... Queens County, often referred to as simply Queens, is the largest in area of the five boroughs of New York City, USA. It is home to New York Citys two major airports (John F. Kennedy and LaGuardia), the New York Mets baseball team, the USTA National Tennis Center, Silvercup...

The Burke series

1. Flood (1985)
2. Strega (1987)
3. Blue Belle (1988)
4. Hard Candy (1989)
5. Blossom (1990)
6. Sacrifice (1991)
7. Down in the Zero (1994)
8. Footsteps of the Hawk (1995)
9. False Allegations (1996)
10. Safe House (1998)
11. Choice of Evil (1999)
12. Dead and Gone (2000)
13. Pain Management (2001)
14. Only Child (2002)
15. Down Here (2004)
16. Mask Market (2006)
17. Terminal (2007)

Other novels

1. A Bomb Built in Hell (1973)
2. Shella (1993)
3. Batman: The Ultimate Evil (1995)
4. The Getaway Man (2003)
5. Two Trains Running (2005)

Short story collections

1. Born Bad (1994)
2. Everybody Pays (1999)
3. Proving It (2001) Audiobook collection.
4. Dog Stories Online collection.

Graphic novels and series

1. Hard Looks (1992-93) Ten-volume series.
2. Batman: The Ultimate Evil (1995) Two-volume graphic novel.
3. Cross (1995) Seven-volume series with James Colbert.
4. Predator: Race War (1995) Single-volume graphic novel.
5. Alamaailma (1997) Finnish graphic novel, based on two of the "Underground" short stories from Born Bad.
6. Hard Looks (1996, 2002) Single-volume trade paperback.
7. Another Chance To Get It Right: A Children's Book for Adults (1993, 1995) (Reprinted with additional material, 2003.)

Plays

1. Placebo (in Antaeus, 1991)
2. Warlord (in Born Bad, 1994)
3. Replay (in Born Bad, 1994)

Antaeus was a literary quarterly founded by Daniel Halpern and Paul Bowles and edited by Daniel Halpern. ...

Non-fiction

1. The Life-Style Violent Juvenile: The Secure Treatment Approach (Lexington, 1979)
2. The Child Abuse-Delinquency Connection — A Lawyer's View (Lexington, 1989)
3. Articles in PARADE Magazine (1985-2006)
4. Other Articles and Essays (1985-2006)

Honors and Awards

• A/V Peer Review (highest rating) by Martindale-Hubbell
• LL.D. (Hon.) Case Western Reserve University, 2004
• First Annual Harvey R. Houck Award (Justice for Children) 2003
• First Annual Illuminations Award (St. Vincent's Center National Child Abuse Prevention Program) 2003
• John Hay Whitney Foundation Fellow, 1976
• Industrial Areas Foundation Training Institute Fellow, 1970
• Who's Who in America

Volumes of the 2004 edition of Martindale-Hubbell The Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory is one of the oldest and best-known catalogues of lawyers in the United States. ... Saul Alinsky off the cover of Let Them Call Me Rebel: Saul Alinsky, His Life and Legacy by Sanford D. Horwitt. ...

References

1. ^ Author's listing, Random House
2. ^ National Association to Protect Children
3. ^ Pronunciation of "Vachss"
4. ^ Biafra
5. ^ Autobiographical essay, Contemporary Authors
6. ^ Index of author's written works
7. ^ Articles and essays on child protection
8. ^ "Children of the Secret"
9. ^ Dogs
10. ^ Dog stories
11. ^ Breed-specific legislation
12. ^ Training therapy dogs
13. ^ Sheba, therapy dog
14. ^ Magazines
15. ^ Alice Vachss
16. ^ Alice Vachss website

See also

• Child abuse
• Child pornography
• Child sexual abuse
• Emotional abuse
• Incest

Child abuse is the physical, sexual, or emotional maltreatment or neglect of children by parents, guardians, or others. ... Child pornography refers to pornographic material depicting children. ... Child sexual abuse is an umbrella term describing criminal and civil offenses in which an adult engages in sexual activity with a minor or exploits a minor for the purpose of sexual gratification. ... Emotional abuse refers to a long-term situation in which one person uses his or her power or influence to adversely affect the mental well-being of another. ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ...

External links

• The Zero - Official website of Andrew Vachss
  • Andrew Vachss - Credentials
  • WBAI radio interview of Andrew Vachss
  • Contemporary Authors article
• PBS radio interview of Andrew Vachss
• Fan-Made Vachss Tribute car from Forza Motorsport