Popular Reviews of Broken Harts

I was intensely curious about the Hart family, so I listened to all of this limited-run podcast. I think the structure could have been stronger. The episodes didn't stand alone, and there wasn't a strong story arc. I think the writers did the best they could, given that there doesn't seem to have been a lot of information out there about the family. Despite not having all the answers, this podcast does an good job of diving into the story. Recommended.

This is a very thoughtful podcast about the tragic murders of Markis, Hannah, Devonte, Abigail, Jeremiah and Sierra Hart. I hadn't heard their story before and I feel the hosts did a great job at discovering information that was difficult to find on such a complex case. Unfortunately there's still a lot that we don't know about the years leading up to the tragedy, and we will likely never know. The only downside to the podcast was its lack of structure, as the story jumped back and forth a lot which could get quite confusing. Regardless, Broken Harts has been a very eye-opening podcast that I hope will start a conversation about black children's welfare when adopted by white families.

While the story of the Hart children is one that needs to be told, and I enjoyed the podcast enough to listen to it all the way through, I feel that this podcast did not honor the kids in the way they deserved. It was clear that the intention of Broken Harts is to provide a story for the audience far more so than to honor the victims of this tragedy. Chasing Cosby and The Orange Tree are podcasts that I feel honor victims very well while also providing a compelling narrative (in fact, a narrative that was more compelling than that of Broken Harts).

My main critique of this podcast can also be a general critique of true crime consumption in general: it focused far too much on the "story" while, for me, devaluing the victims. The story is multi-layered and intense and deserved a little less shock value.