The Third Rainbow Girl
| Company type | Non-fiction book |
|---|---|
| Industry | Publishing |
| Founded | January 21, 2020 |
| Founder | Emma Copley Eisenberg |
| Products | Book |
The Third Rainbow Girl: The Long Life of a Double Murder in Appalachia is a non-fiction work authored by Emma Copley Eisenberg, released on January 21, 2020, through Hachette Books. This book delves into the 1980 homicides of Vicki Durian and Nancy Santomero within Appalachia, analyzing regional attitudes and prevailing stereotypes.
Plot
This narrative recounts the 1980 killings of Vicki Durian and Nancy Santomero in Pocahontas County, West Virginia, who were hitchhiking en route to the Rainbow Gathering. Despite numerous suspects over the years, no one was convicted for 13 years, with many suspects depicted as "impoverished, dangerous, and backward." A local farmer was found guilty in 1993 but was subsequently freed after Joseph Paul Franklin admitted responsibility. Copley Eisenberg critiques the harmful portrayals of Appalachian residents and investigates how this case shaped local anxieties and collective identity across generations.
Background
Emma Copley Eisenberg first learned about this case during a 2007 internship in Pocahontas County, where she found that community stories conflicted with her own experience of a "caring, interconnected" society. Between 2009 and 2011, she returned as an AmeriCorps participant and counselor at a girls’ empowerment camp.
In response to incidents like the Charlottesville car attack, she transitioned to nonfiction to contribute to broader conversations concerning the South, Appalachia, gender dynamics, class distinctions, race relations, and sexual violence. Her research uncovered that earlier reports were rife with stereotypes and offensive language, motivating her to address these issues through the lens of the murders.
Prior to publishing, Eisenberg sought input from both Appalachian community members and outsiders to ensure an accurate and respectful portrayal. The manuscript also underwent professional fact-checking.
Reviews
The Third Rainbow Girl garnered attention from prominent media outlets such as The New York Times Book Review, Booklist, Star Tribune, The Globe and Mail, The Seattle Times, NPR, Library Journal, Kirkus, Publishers Weekly, among others.
Reviewers emphasized the book’s insightful examination of contemporary misogyny and the fears experienced by women. NPR’s Maureen Corrigan characterized it as "[a] haunting ... book about restless women and the things that await them on the road." Melissa Del Bosque from The New York Times Book Review described it as "an unflinching interrogation of what it means to be female in a society marred by misogyny."
Critics also remarked on how the book challenges traditional true crime conventions. The Nation's Rachel Monroe noted, "The Third Rainbow Girl belongs to a new generation of works disrupting true-crime norms and expanding the genre’s scope. While centered on a murder, it equally explores economic exploitation in Appalachia, systemic injustices within the criminal justice system, and the fallibility of memory." Corrigan labeled the book as "difficult to categorize." Booklist praised it as "far more than a typical true crime memoir; Eisenberg has created a nuanced and eloquent tribute to West Virginia. Beautifully written, it offers a compelling critique of societal views on gender, violence, and rural America."
Conversely, Spectrum Culture provided a critical perspective, suggesting that Copley Eisenberg "attempts to incorporate too many themes into one narrative, ultimately losing focus on the central storyline."
Furthermore, The New York Times included this title among its notable books published in 2020.
Awards
| Year | Award | Category | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Edgar Awards | Best Fact Crime | Contender |
| Anthony Award | Novel | Contender | |
| Lambda Literary Awards | Bisexual Nonfiction | Finalist |