Book Description
Kerry Cook is an innocent man who wrongly served two decades in Texas's notorious death house for the brutal 1977 rape and murder of 21–year–old Linda Jo Edwards. His struggle for freedom is said to be one of the worst cases of police and prosecutorial misconduct in American history.
In the summer of 1977, Cook was staying in Tyler, TX. He met an attractive young woman named Linda Edwards and was invited back to her apartment for a drink and left his fingerprints on the sliding glass door. Four days later, Ms. Edwards was found brutally murdered. When the police dusted for prints, they found Cook's and immediately arrested him. Edward Jackson ly testified that Cook confessed to the murder during a jailhouse conversation. Jackson was set free, only to kill again several years later. Cook, on the other hand, was convicted and sentenced to death.
He was thrown into a world for which no one could be prepared, and he survived beatings, sexual abuse, and depression; all the while, he fought against a justice system that was determined to keep him quiet and loath to admit a mistake. Through the work of a crusading group of lawyers who forced a series of retrials, his case made its way to the U.S. Supreme Court, which ordered the case be reconsidered.It wasn't until the spring of 1999 that Cook was finally able to put the nightmare behind him: long–suppressed DNA evidence had linked James Mayfield, Linda Edwards's ex–lover, to the crime.
Customer Reviews:
You will not be able to sleep until you finish this book.......2007-06-04
I have read the book twice. This is a first hand account of one of the worst cases of injustice in American History. Kerry Max Cook has brilliantly written his own book about life before and after death row and the scars that he still carries with him from the experience. I highly recommend this book to all. I have already bought copies for all my friends.
Moving true-life account of perfidious injustice.......2007-05-30
There have been a spate of books lately about how poorly the American criminal justice system performs. This is surely among the best, though it is not without fault.
Kerry Max Cook was convicted in 1978 of a brutal rape and murder. He was sentenced to death. Over the course of 21 years with the help of a series of committed criminal defense attorneys and capital punishment opponents, he was able to obtain three re-trials. One resulted in a hung jury, another in guilty verdict and the fourth pending trial led to an agreement that saw him released from prison and death row, still as a convicted murderer.
After 20 years on death row, several appellate court decisions and DNA testing, it is abundantly clear that Kerry Max Cook didn't committ murder, rape or any other crime against Linda Jo Edwards in 1977. It is also clear that a long line of Smith County, Texas prosecutors, police officers and others committed crimes against Cook, the least of which is perjury. Nothing of course happened to those who perpetrated frauds upon the court, violated their canon of professional responsibility or flat out perjured themselves. The man the DNA evidence and early eyewitness account pointed to as the murderer has never been charged. In fact, the Smith County, Texas District Attorney's office still maintains, despite the proverbial mountain of evidence against it, that Cook is guilty.
Cook is literate, but not overly articulate. His tale of unbelievable hardship drags in places, but the message resonates clearly: there are proecutors and cops who lie simply to get a conviction. There are criminals who will conjure up stories with the help of prosecutors and cops to get a good deal for themselves while an innocent person is condemned.
I live in the Chicago area where dozens of convicted murderers have been set free because DNA evidence, unavailable or untested at the time of their trial, has established that they could not have been the perpetrator of the crime. The man who headed the State's Attorney office that secured many of these false convictions, Richard M. Daley, has been repeatedly elected Mayor of Chicago. The media never questions him about how all these innocent men were convicted. The same holds true in Smith County, Texas: the several District Attorneys who used perjured evidence or even perjured themselves go unpunished as does the suspect most likely to have committed the murder.
With the recent case of the three Duke University lacrosse players accused of a non-existent rape by Mike Nifong, dubbed a "rogue prosecutor" by the North Carolina Attorney General, we've seen once again how easy it is for prosecutors with the help of dishonest law enforcement officers to frame totally innocent victims. (The NC Attorney General called the three accused innocent.)These three young men were fortunate in that their families had enough resources to get them good legal help and that mostly conservative bloggers investigated and started poking holes in Nifong's stories. It was months before even parts of the mainstream media began to doubt Nifong and the accuser. Kerry Max Cook and the many other convicted innocents weren't as fortunate.
Kerry Max Cook has written a compelling account of his life. That he can have any hope at all is indeed inspiring. His story is a caution that the guardians, above all, must be guarded. The innocent are, as we learn almost monthly as more convicted murderers are found to be innocent through DNA testing, condemned to lengthy prison terms or even death based upon mistaken or knowingly false testimony.
Jerry
Justice-Texas style.......2007-05-08
In March 2007, I attended a talk by Kerry Cook with a 80+year old nun who asked me to go with her. I did not have a clue the subject, I just went to drive for her. What an eye opening experience hearing Cook talk about his experiences in the small room crowded with college students, some of whom are part of various programs to help those imprisoned who are innocent. I later bought the book and I was angry the entire time I read it and ashamed I am a Texan, but relieved that Texas lawyers were the ones who finally helped Cook get free. Cook's story will change your life; if you are in favor of the death penalty, it will change your mind. If you are on the fence, you will get off it. You know in your heart and by current events that there are many more innocents wrongly on death row, put there by "evil" prosecutors, sheriffs, lawyers, etc., not to mention just sloppy police work. It's a crap shoot how you are treated. Kerry Cook is white, can you imagine how Blacks and Hispanics are treated in the criminal justice system?? I am still reeling and Kerry Max Cook has the rest of his life to have nightmares....
If you believe in Justice in our court system, read this...........2007-03-17
because you won't be a believer for long.
Kerry Max Cook tells us exactly how it is to be on death row in this country. He paints the picture of being wrongly convicted that chills one to the very core of their being.
If your pro death penalty... you won't be so sure of that belief after reading this.
One has to give this man KUDOS for enduring a 20+ year nightmare. As well as the attorney's that stuck by his side and believed in him and worked pro bono. It takes a hell of a belief system to get through what this man survived.
I recommend this book to everyone, pro or anti death penalty. It is very educational on our justice system, prosecutor misconduct, judges who are blind to "real justice" & Investigators who will stop at nothing to gain a conviction.
TRUST THE EVIDENCE, NEVER TRUST THE AUTHORITIES.
Justice?.......2007-03-15
Having just finished reading Chasing Justice I probably should be waiting a few days - or even months - to calm down a bit, but I'm finding that impossible. The anger I feel, not only for what the author somehow managed to endure for over 20 years, but how little has been done by the people of Texas to rid themselves of the continuing menace that infects their legal system makes me wonder what kind of a people we are, to continually put our heads in the sand, ignoring the continuing abuses perpetrated by the police, prosecutors, judges and politicians that are supposed to be serving us.
In one of Cook's final chapters he tells us what most of the main participants are doing today. Aside from a few that have died or retired, all police, prosecutors and judges are still doling out Texas-style justice. The person who all of the legitimate evidence points to as the real murderer is still free. Of course all of the residents of Death Row who were there with Cook have been executed. I realize that this thirst for blood is not just peculiar to Texas - much the rest of our nation isn't that much better - but one would think that if we're going to be handing out the ultimate punishment so frequently, even though it doesn't accomplish anything other than satisfying a savage hunger for revenge, it might be wise to make sure that we get it right and make sure that the innocent don't get flushed down with the guilty. One also has to wonder how the family of the murdered girl managed to go along with the charade all of this time, knowing full well that the wrong man was being persecuted.
It's also interesting that who should make an appearance in this Kafka-like saga other than George W. Bush himself. As Texas Governor between 1995 and 2000 one of the first things he did was to sign off on legislation to make it easier to execute those on Death Row by limiting the appeal process available to them, resulting in him signing off on over 150 executions in 5 years. How many of those men were innocent? Is this where he developed his officials-can-do-no-wrong attitude that he has ruled with since he came into power in 2001? In the case of Texas vs. Kerry Max Cook errors and incompetence led to lies and cover-ups which led to more lies as witnesses were coached into changing stories, forensic evidence misinterpreted and pages from witness accounts "lost." All this so officials in charge of the case wouldn't have to admit that they erred in the first place -something that they've refused to admit to this day. In the case of the Bush Administration vs. the U.S. - or perhaps it should be the World - errors and incompetence made after 9/11, accompanied by a huge dose of arrogance resulted in lies and cover-ups which have led us to where we are today. If those parallels aren't enough and we need more all we have to do is throw in a huge portion of a public that is willing to accept practically anything that is told to them because we must "trust our leaders."
Kerry Max Cook is an example of what a human being is capable of. He's managed to take those 20 years that were stolen from him and make them meaningful to all of us. He shouldn't be ignored.
Amazon.com
Dead Run is the story of Dennis Stockton, mastermind of one of the most daring mass prison breaks in American history. It begins with his conviction for a crime he maintained that he didn't commit and weaves through his troubled life, his perpetual incarcerations, and his often brilliant, often comical escapades within the prison system. With frequent excerpts from Stockton's prolific diaries, the book reveals not only much about its surprisingly insightful protagonist but about the prison system in general, including institutionalized corruption, power-hungry guards, inmates, and prison officers. There's more than enough intrigue, action, and disturbing comedy to fill several thrillers, but Dead Run is a true story of a man who refused to sit still and wait for the hour of his death. --Lisa Higgins
Book Description
Summers are always stifling in southern Virginia, and they're even hotter on the Mecklenburg Correctional Center's Death Row when Dennis Stockton arrives there in July 1983. Charged with murder for hire, Stockton insisted he was innocent, but his jury sentenced him to die. In prison, he begins keeping a diary and it soon becomes his lifeline, nurturing dreams of freedom and publication as an author.
Mecklenburg's officials had always prided themselves on running a secure prison, but that left them vulnerable to an ingenious escape conspiracy. Though indispensable in the plotting, Stockton decides not to run, betting instead on a new trial and exoneration. The escape of the "Mecklenburg Six" is dazzlingly suspenseful, as they take hostages, don guards' uniforms, and, staging a monumental bluff, make history with America's first mass escape from Death Row. Mean-while, Stockton notes it all in his journal.
After the escape, a Norfolk newspaper editor, William F. Burke, Jr., writes to the remaining inmates, seeking information on the unprecedented breakout. Stockton's diary becomes the most revealing account, and when excerpts are published, a scandalous portrait of Death Row emerges: bribed guards, marijuana plants, homebrew alcohol, weapon stashes, unlocked cell doors, and jailhouse sex. Overnight, Stockton becomes the most hated man in Virginia's prisons for his exposé. During the next eleven years, he survives plots against his life and endures subhuman conditions.
Throughout his ordeal he struggles to find his voice as a writer, while battling to gain a new trial and escape the "monster factory," his name for Death Row. As Stockton's scheduled execution nears, the case against him begins unraveling, leaving readers to ponder the true nature of justice.
Customer Reviews:
Important.......2003-03-09
This tells the story of an innocent man killed by the state of Virginia for political reasons, an event made easy and in all probability common by a law banning the reopening of a case to hear new evidence later than 21 days after a conviction. This applies even to evidence illegally suppressed during the original trial.
The book is extremely well-written, and much of it is exciting and suspenseful, particularly that dealing with the escape. Stockton was in on planning an escape from death row, but did not take part in it. New evidence of his innocence had just emerged, and Stockton apparently had enough faith left in the justice system to believe that he stood a better chance of freedom by not escaping. He may also have been driven by a desire to declare his innocence. He later refused a deal from the state of life imprisonment in exchange for ceasing to appeal his conviction. He also published diary entries in a newspaper which he knew would win him the ill-will of many with power over him.
This excellent book is marred slightly by the introduction's instructing us that "...there is no need to pity most criminals." Such a comment transfers its author's inability to pity to the rest of us. I'd be curious to know how many readers of this book feel no pity for the escaped murderer who arrives at the border of Canada, grows scared, telephones his mother, and - on her advice - turns himself in to be killed.
More importantly, the comment about pity leaves the debates over criminal justice within the framework of a battle between vengeance and pity - a framework in which the reduction of harm done by and to both criminals and the falsely accused can have no place.
The vengeance-versus-pity idea shoves aside the question of innocence-versus-guilt, and even where guilt is evident it shoves aside questions of societal healing, restitution to victims, rehabilitation of offenders, deterrence, and costs to tax-payers.
Everyone knows that crime is most easily and cost-effectively reduced by fighting poverty. It is unlikely that America's recent draconian measures will reduce crime in the long run. Stockton chose to trust the system rather than attempt an escape, but he was relieved to be killed when the only alternative was the hell-hole known as a correctional institution, a place full of flying feces, rape, murder, and abuse of every sort.
Lately, Virginia has been doing to juveniles what it has long done to adults convicted of crimes. The director of the dept. of juvenile justice [pun possibly intended] has resigned effective Dec. 1, 1999, following the death of a retarded youth in custody, the initiation of a self-defense program allowing guards to hit and kick kids, a girl being handcuffed on her way to a hospital to give birth, and poor conditions at the state's largest detention center so egregious that the agency's board decertified the place last week citing overcrowding and sexual misconduct.
Concern for convicts (innocent or not) is not in conflict with crime reduction. It is in
conflict with state violence, with the anger promoted by politicians even in the names of victims who publicly disown it. As long as advocates of vengeance are permitted
to masquerade as advocates of crime reduction, justice will be a sham.
This book is so well done that to find anything significant to complain about, I had to turn to the introduction, which the authors didn't write. The authors are an editor and an ex-reporter for the Virginian-Pilot, a Norfolk newspaper. Much of what they write is taken from Stockton's diary, transposed into the third person, fact-checked, and supplemented. The only thing I could fault these talented writers for is the occasional misplaced journalistic balance. The preface mentions "ultimate fairness - or lack thereof," as if the whole point of the book were not to describe unfairness. On page 19, the authors accept the term "monsters" as a useful one, without really defining what it should mean. On page 234 of a book describing the Dantean conditions of a prison, they write of a victim's mother's dealing with the years before an innocent man was executed for her son's murder: "It was like she was in prison too." Maybe she had said those words, but had she read this book? Did she have any idea what being in a prison is like? On page 251 the authors say that Stockton was "witness to a struggle between justice and mercy." He wasn't. He was witness to a struggle between evil politics and vengeance on the one hand, and the demands of innocence on the other. Justice cannot be opposed to mercy because justice should be merciful. Justice is, after all, an attempt - where all else has failed or not been tried - to reduce harm.
This book is not just an exciting page-turner. It also provides a great deal of useful information, including some shocking statistics. For example: "An October 1993 report by the U.S. House Judiciary Committee said that forty-eight innocent men had been freed from Death Rows across the nation since 1972, That came to a nearly one-in-six ratio of freed to executed prisoners. Of the forty-eight men, 52 percent 'were convicted on the basis of perjured testimony or because the prosecutor improperly withheld exculpatory evidence.'" Is this surprising in a country with the bizarre practice of ELECTING prosecutors to office - and voting them out if they leave a crime unpunished?
Not what it purports to be.......2002-08-16
This book presents itself as a story of a prison escape, and while it does include information about the Mecklenburg escape, that's not what the book really is.
The real intention of the book is to make an anti-death penalty pitch and to suggest that Dennis Stockton is innocent.
I don't have a problem with either of those positions (I am against the death penalty myself), but I do have a problem paying for a book that isn't what it claims to be.
Moreover, if they want to make a pitch for Stockton's innocence, they ought to be much more thorough and fair. Juries, judges and the governor of Virginia disagree with that view. Now it may be that they're wrong, but in order to make a fair judgment you need a complete presentation of the facts. What we get here instead is a lot of suggestions about possible exoneration but no serious analysis.
Still, it's an interesting story that I can't give a "1" rating to in good faith. It's an OK book. It's just not what it claims to be.
Real Life, Real Drama.......2002-03-09
"Dead Run" is the best prison drama I have ever read, made more gripping by the fact that it is ALL TRUE. The bookd recounts the final prison term of Dennis Stockton, who was probably innocent and spent over a decade on Death Row. The first part of the book deals with the only successful mass escape from Death Row in American history, but the drama does not end there. Following that, by following Stockton through the system and finally to his execution, one becomes acquainted with the grim, crushing reality of the brutality and neglect of the American prison system.
On top of being a gripping tale of prison life, the book is a damning account of capital punishment and our prison system in general. By picking Stockton as a subject, a probably innocent man singled out by the UN as an example of a case of capital punishment that did not meet up with the standards expected of international law, the authors make a ringing statement against death penalty laws and procedures in the United States. Only the most rabid pro-death penalty advocate could read this book and not come away questioning their support for the execution of criminals.
A further feature that permeates the story is just how seedy and corrupt everyone and everything in the book are. The courts, the cops, the guards, the prisoners, the politicians - they are all part of the same basically corrupt world. Only (not coincidentally) the reporters and some of the witnesses come off as being white in a very grey and black world.
The book is a magnificent, cannot-put-it-down peice of work that I heartily recommend to any lover of a good non-fiction tale!
My GOD!! What a MASTERPIECE!!.......2001-05-29
What I wanted to know, after reading this simple, eloquent, masterfully written prose blockbuster is WHERE DO I GO TO NOMINATE THESE GUYS FOR THE NOBEL PRIZE??? Not since I read JAWS have I been so absolutely riveted!!! And I HATE prison books. And, let me tell you, I never would have thought that I would glean so many powerful management techniques from a book about prisons!! I have learned more about human nature and, you'll pardon the expression, it's "Dark Side", than I ever dreamed possible!! When I was growing up in Southern California I met quite a few prisoner, usually working in my mother's garden. Later, when I was at a large insurance brokerage in San Francisco we often had underwriting meetings that touched upon the subjects that this book treats so eloquently and persuasively. But, I have to say, if I'd read this book before I moved to Oregon I would have remained in "the life" and kept applying the valuable risk management techniques described therein to my business. I give the thing SIX stars!!!!
Impossible to put down.......2001-01-10
I'm not a big reader but this work reads fast and is extremely absorbing. I remember the Briley escape while I was in college, so the new context I never had was fascinating.
Average customer rating:
- There are no words to explain how wonderful this book is
- Karla Faye Tucker A Life Changed By God
- Save The Syrup for Your Pancakes!
- Radiance
- Free Indeed!!
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Karla Faye Tucker Set Free: Life and Faith on Death Row
Linda Strom
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ASIN: 0877887756
Release Date: 2000-03-07 |
Book Description
This gripping story about the first woman executed in Texas in over one hundred years draws on accounts from family, prisoners, government officials, and friends to show how God used a remarkable woman to reach countless lives with a message of redemption and joy. Linda Strom, Tucker's spiritual advisor and close friend for eleven years, includes photographs as well as excerpts from Tucker's letters and interviews.
Customer Reviews:
There are no words to explain how wonderful this book is.......2007-08-04
There is so much to say about Karla Faye Tucker, she was a woman who did a complete turn around from who she was in 1983. Set Free is unlike any other recordings of Karla's life, it shows the TRUTH. It was a book not only about Karla, but about the women on Life Row and how they in the end affected others in their transformation. It's a healing book, you realize that no matter how different your life is from hers, you have similar struggles in your walk with the Lord, and you see exactly how Karla got through it which in the end helps you over come obstacles. God bless Linda Strom for writing such a wonderful book about a woman no one will forget. Rest in peace Karla.
Karla Faye Tucker A Life Changed By God.......2006-09-10
Karla Faye Tucker A Life Changed By God
Linda Strom has captured the real story of Karla Faye Tucker. As a Member of the Discipleship Unlimited Ministry Team and having the privilege of walking with Dallas and Linda Strom, I had the privilege of meeting Karla Faye. She prayed for me. I was going through a tough time and she knelt at my feet, held my hands and lifted up the requests to God. What is written in this book is the truth. She never denied she was a murderer. When you read of her life before the crime, you will understand what could bring Karla to circumstances, situations and a place of bad choices. She never made excuses for her past. She accepted responsibility for her actions. She met Jesus in the county jail. From that day forward there was a spiritual, mental, emotional and physical transformation that changed Karla and allowed her to touch the lives of so many and share the love of the Lord. Karla had a tough exterior and a rutty complexion when I met her the first time. Right before her execution, I saw a transformed woman of God with a bright smile, a clear and glowing complexion, a woman who spoke scripture and recited Bible verses. She was a totally and committed Christian who knew Jesus had forgiven her. She was at peace. She was ready for what ever God had for her to do on earth and she was also ready to go to Heaven. She said she was the murderer crucified next to Jesus and knew that He paid the price for her sins and was forgiven. In the knowledge of this forgiveness, Karla Faye loved others to the fullest and many loved Karla inside and outside the prison. Her story will live on forever and will be recorded in the Christian history for the future generations. This story will bless you and give you hope to see lives transformed before your very eyes. Our God is a God of forgiveness. Read this book and pray for the lost souls of this world. Believe in miracles and transformed lives. Read and learn about our mighty God.
Save The Syrup for Your Pancakes!.......2005-08-04
How slick can you get? If I read one more book about some savage
killer, serial rapist, or habitual pedophile "finding" Jesus AFTER savagely killing several innocent people or raping and killing two dozen young boys over a 10 year period, I'm going to lose my breakfast, lunch, dinner, and TOMORROW'S breakfast too. Karla Faye Tucker truly did get exactly what she deserved; she just got it 14 years too late! This book is so one sided, you'd think her mother wrote it! Save your money for a much less one-sided book, if one ever gets written.
I imagine that the Lord must be wondering by now, or long before, if some of these types of clowns will ever find him
B E F O R E they they commit such heinous crimes against their fellow men and women and not try (or seem to) to use it as a crutch to a lighter sentence. Hoo Boy.
Radiance.......2005-02-19
Great story about a real woman whose face shown with a radiance that only comes through knowing the forgiveness and peace of Christ. The author doesn't sugarcoat the crime, and she doesn't downplay the miracle of transformation that took place in Karla's life.
Free Indeed!!.......2001-02-06
Karla Faye Tucker first became known to the world when she was convicted of the brutal pickax murder of two people in 1984. A brief rundown of her childhood history reveals how Karla found herself on such a violent path, which led her to Death Row and no hope or future. But her story doesn't die there...it is only the beginning. The Karla who was executed on February 3, 1998 was in no way the same woman who entered Death Row 14 years before. She was transformed by God's Spirit shortly after entering prison. This is her story of redemption, hope, faith, grace, and the power of God in a life wholly yielded to Him. I actually found myself jealous of this pickax murderer on Death Row because of the consuming peace, joy, and hope, which filled her life. She even renamed her unit from Death Row to Life Row.
The author Linda Strom was Karla Faye Tucker's spiritual advisor and dear friend. Linda tells not only Karla's story, but she also tells her own story and the testimonies of many of Karla's fellow Life Row Mates. These testimonies overwhelmed me and revealed that without question, the Spirit of God is able to bring sheer joy out of any person yielded to Him, no matter what their circumstance. It portrays the power of forgiveness...not just the forgiveness of others who have sinned against us, but perhaps even more difficult for some, forgiving ourselves of our own sins and accepting God's forgiveness as well. And these testimonies show vividly that there is nowhere we can go where God is not able to use us. If we are willing, God can and will use us powerfully to change lives and encourage our fellow believers. This is an incredibly joyful, life-changing book, which every believer should read!
Book Description
Written by an inmate condemned to Arizona's death row, this unique work describes in powerful detail the challenging realities for prisoners sentenced to die for their crimes. Through a disturbing narrative and rare glimpses into execution regulations, including prison forms and documents, this account reveals the core issues of one of the most controversial and enduring social issues in America today. Examining the rules that govern every aspect of death row inmates' life, this volume describes a world of horrendous medical neglect, dangerous and taxing work on chain gangs, inadequate food, and unrelenting psychological abuse by the prison authorities. A precise and sinister tale, it explores the world of more than 3,500 condemned men and women who will die through lethal injection or a gas chamber.
Customer Reviews:
Dissolutioned..........2005-12-30
Rossi's inability to look at his situation from his victims' and society's point of view is somewhat understandable seeing as how he obviously lacks the capability of critical thinking. After all, this inability is what handed him his current residential predicament. He does reiterate several times throughout the book that he takes responsibility for the heinous crime associated with his death sentence, however he falls short of delivering any real sense of regret for the crime itself. Sort of, "Okay - yeah I killed someone but look at what I'VE had to endure....".
I was disappointed that there wasn't more of an insight into daily routines and mental and emotional transitions that a death row inmate makes after years of reflection. This book was more a sponsorship of prison reform than anything else.
What I was able conclude about my own views after reading Rossi's account: 1) I remain an opponent of the death penalty, 2) I strongly support legislation regarding Life Without Parole sentences, 3) I firmly support humane treatment in our penal systems but do not support country club style institutions. Prison is a place for people who have victimized and violated codes of trust within our society. The more violent the crime, the more restrictive a person's sentence should be. We shouldn't forget the men and women that must protect against and for the prisoners. Many inmates have nothing to lose (death row inmates) and are mentally capable of doing whatever they deem necessary to free themselves. Remember the escape attempt Rossi describes? Restrictions and structure are absolutely necessary to protect inmates from each other and to secure the prison staff. Death row inmates have already committed crimes that are considered especially heinous.
Although I would like to someday see Rossi removed from death row, I hope that he never walks as a free man in our society again.
boring.......2005-10-29
If you are looking for something that is nice and happy, you won't be able to find it in this book. Waiting to Die is a first hand account of a death row prisoner's life told by Richard Michael Rossi. Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, Rossi began to develop an addiction to cocaine and amphetamine. He becomes clean, but once again picks up the habit when he moves to Arizona. While on a cocaine high, he shoots a guy over a dispute about a typewriter. This eventually lands him behind bars. Rossi describes the inhumane treatment of the prisoners in Arizona's death row. He blames the politicians for taking away their privileges and making life even harder for them. Rossi complains about their inadequate food, medical neglect, and the abuse from the prison guards. I found this book rather boring and hard to sympathize for those prisoners, after all they did do something to land them there in the first place. In Rossi's case, his actions can not be justified. Even though he was high on cocaine, he still took the life of another human being. Along with that, the book was not well written, it lacked the professionalism that makes a book, a piece of art.
Bring a Hankie to this Pity Party.......2005-08-30
I am a lover of good non-fiction...discovering new worlds and the learning about the lives of real people and their experiences. That was my anticipation when I purchased "Waiting to Die"...I thought I would get some juicy insight into prison life and gain a better understanding of what life is like "on the inside". What I got was ~150 pages of whining and complaining from Mr. Rossi. He spends lengthy sections of this book trying to convince his readers how terrible prisoners are treated on death row (duh...it's prison), and how these conditions are a result of mean-spirited politicians and a corrupt and inept judicial system. I was looking for insight into prison life...what I got was a 150 page diatribe on how inmates are victimized, mistreated, and lonely, and how America lacks morality and conscience.
Warning...I NEVER write reviews on books or anything, but I'm taking the time to write this one. DO NOT BUY THIS TRASH!
Amazing insight in the Injustice system.......2005-08-10
This book is a good read, a deep and insightful book, it is harsh at times, it is sometimes unbelievable to read what happens in the lives of incarcerated people. We all have to read this book, to see what warehousing all these millions of people does to us as a society. Do we really want to treat other human beings this way. This is a good read for anybody interested in the subject of Human Interest, politics, human rights issues etc. It is worth reading, and it is certainly going to touch the heart of all readers.
It has definitely convinced me once and for all that the death penalty serves no purpose in a modern day society.
AWESOME!.......2005-08-01
I just happen to run across this at the library.....I could NOT put it down. It is raw and real. You must read this if this is the type of book that interests you. It is written so well...so clear. I zoomed right thru it.
Customer Reviews:
The Pretox to Detox.......2007-04-09
By now, Dre's musical influence acting as a template for other Producers has grown to such a common knowledge in the industry that it doesn't need saying anymore. However, one point that could stand a little more attention is how dre has single handedly managed to turn rap into a Producers game on the mainstream level. Prior to Dre's celebrity, producers enjoyed the limelight either in their own circles, on the undergroud or in front of the camera if they were the song and dance type. But after dre, suddenly everyone is checking to see who produced what song. This is not to say that DJ's were anonymous all this time, but certainly Dre has pushed our recent facination of them into the spotlight.
Part of this facination has raised the question: "What is it exactly that Producers do?" Lesser known producers have tried to answer this question and more often than not we are left unsatisfied. Maybe because what we are all really wondering is "What is it exactly that Dr.Dre does?" And that's where this book becomes what most fans, inquirers and even skeptics have been waiting for.
First, it might be helpful to describe what the book isn't: It isn't current, though you can tell it wishes that it was. This book apparently was not a passport inside the studio while Dr.Dre works his magic. So you're not going to find a recent, first hand account of Dre orchestrating, producing, conducting, coaching or guiding his musicians and artists. Descriptions like that happened after the Chronic, when a journalist described Dre taking a sample and re-shaping it with his own sounds. BTW, this early description is recounted in this book. But it's not clear if this is how Dre still crafts his beats. Surely his production methods have evolved.
You also won't find any new material or interviews with the man himself. But this is a mild dissapointment that passes when you realize that the author has taken the time to make a gumbo soup of quotes that came from the people who have worked with Dre over the years. Like the Ronin-Ro biography, most of these quotes are blow backs from interviews I read already. But having various sources under the same roof validating each other should at long last bring closure to some of the controvesy surrounding Dre's studio habits.
The most helpful and insightful pieces to this book are the quotes from the "2001" co-producer Mel-Man. His interviews and excerpts are entirely new (as far as I can tell) and save the book from being nothing more than a re-hashing of old information. Mel confronts and conclusively answers all those lingering questions about Dre stealing credit from other producers and more importantly what it is that a Producer like Dr.Dre does exactly in the studio. It helps that Mel's response are concise and well articulated -- a big relief compared to the choppy responses we usually get from rap artists. Mel-Man's contributions to this book alone justify the cost of this book.
Those who have been anticipating the release of "Detox" will be even more anxious once they get through the last chapter of this book. Both Mel-Man and Scott Storch give some curious clues as to what to expect for Dre's last and most anticipated body of solo work yet. According to Storch, the results heard thus far are overwhelming.
This is definitely a book to have. Aside from a few embarrassing typos (which made me wonder if I had been sent a working copy), I was really satisfied at the end of my read. This is probably as good as we're going to get until Detox hits the streets, at which point we won't need a biographer since the music will undoubtedly speak for itself.
Book Description
When Caryl Chessman appeared on the cover of Time’s March 21, 1960 issue, he was the most famous prisoner in America and arguably the best-known in the world. He not only put a face on the issue of capital punishment, he made one of the most remarkable transformations by any American writer. Through access to the papers and letters of his attorneys, George T. Davis and Rosalie Asher, the unpublished manuscripts and papers held by Joseph Longstreth; reminiscences with those who knew him, like Mr. Davis, Mr. Longstreth, his agent and executor; and country music legend Merle Haggard, the first definitive portrait of the enigmatic Caryl Chessman emerges.
Customer Reviews:
When you Read This They Will Have Killed Me.......2007-01-28
Fine read. Makes you think hard abouth the Death Penalty
A refreshing take on an otherwise tragic subject.......2006-10-14
I was given Mr. Bisbort's "When You Read This They Will Have Killed Me: The Life and Redemption of Caryl Chessman, Whose Execution Shook America" as a gift, and what a gift it was. I have read many books related to the tragic nature and ultimate futility of capital punishment, but not recently. One reason, perhaps, is the dry, "cookie-cutter" publishing approach to the re-telling of these stories. One reviewer stated, "At times the spirited defense engages in hyperbole--for instance comparing Chessman with Alexander Solzhenitsyn--rather than just letting the facts of the case make the powerful argument." It's that exact sentiment that had me drifting away from the genre. Rather than re-tell a story by rote, Mr. Bisbort's lively take is sprinkled with a treasure trove of historical and pop culture references. Also, rather than having the typical all-in-one photo section, Mr. Bisbort's book is illustrated throughout with a wide range of photos, news clippings, book cover art and illustrations. All of these elements, combined with the sad tale of Mr. Chessman, make this book a true page-turner.
Excellent bio of a forgotten figure whose life and execution ignited the death penalty debate.......2006-09-02
Alan Bisbort has delved deep into heretofore unplumbed archives to present a solid, nuanced portrait of a compelling American anti-hero: a small-time career criminal who never killed anyone but wound up being executed anyway by the state of California for reasons that, in hindsight, seem driven mainly by public hysteria and political calculation. The injustice of his execution is one matter, but what really drives Bisbort's narrative is the fascinating tale of Caryl Chessman's jailhouse redemption. During a lengthy internment preceding his trip to the electric chair, Chessman transformed himself into a legal expert and a literary figure of renown. Bisbort delves into Chessman's interior psychology, and the reader feels as if he or she is in that dim San Quentin cell with Chessman as, for the first time in his misspent life, the lights come on and burn bright within his fertile brain. It's a remarkable tale that is ripe for rediscovery in our present age, given all the debate about the death penalty. And it would make a great movie, too. Sean Penn as Caryl Chessman, perhaps?
SOUL ON FIRE.......2006-08-20
Only now, some forty-five years after the barbaric execution of Caryl Chessman, Los Angeles' so-called, 'Red Light Bandit,' are we introduced to the man behind the myth. Bisbort brillantly mirrors Chessman's real face. Over a dozen years, on death row, we hear the voice of a soul on fire begin to cool and mature as it seeks light and finds true personal redemption. Alan Bisbort's sensitive historical postmortem stands in service of the truth."
Steve Hodel, author of Black Dahlia Avenger: A Genius for Murder
Book Description
Joseph Carl Shaw, a military policeman who suffered from schizophrenia and attempted to medicate himself with illegal drugs, committed three murders after being turned away from a mental health clinic; a court-appointed lawyer advised him to plead guilty and put his fate in the hands of a politically ambitious judge who sentenced him to death. Judy Haney was convicted of killing a man who had abused her and her children; she was represented by a lawyer who appeared in court so drunk that the presiding judge sent him to jail to dry out, and then later appointed the same lawyer to handle Haney's appeal.
For many prisoners on death row, the stories are similar, the dispensing of justice questionable. Katya Lezin now shows in this thought-provoking book how an array of factors often lead people to commit capital crimes -- and how perfunctory treatment by judges and court-appointed attorneys often leads them to death row.
Drawn from the case files of appeals attorney Stephen B. Bright, Lezin provides illuminating profiles of six convicted murderers, two of whom have been executed. She tells about the crimes, life circumstances that contributed to the capital offenses, the legal cases, and the torment endured by the families of the condemned. Her compelling portraits of these men and women underscore the question of whether the death penalty is more often imposed on the poorest and most vulnerable perpetrators rather than on the worst criminals.
Lezin's work goes behind the slogans of the war on crime to unmask the human face of capital punishment. It casts new light on the inequities inherent in the criminal justice system and offers food for thought for anyone struggling with the moral dilemmas raised by the death penalty.
Customer Reviews:
strong stuff.......2000-04-03
Anyone who begins this book with ambivalent feelings concerning the ethical wisdom of the death penalty will not finish it with those reservations. I began the book with no strong convictions on the issue of the death penalty and ended it ashamed that our nation continues to condone such barbarity.
Important, whether you're for or against the death penalty........1999-10-19
If you are concerned about the issue of the death penalty, whether you consider yourself for or against it, this is an important book for you to read. Advocates for the abolition of the death penalty will certainly find moving and compelling support for their position in the lives of the condemned described here. Proponents of the death penalty can educate themselves about the inadequacies of the criminal justice system with this book. This is a very well-written and straightforward book. It will be interesting and informative to those in the legal field as well as to any member of the general public who is concerned about this issue.
Average customer rating:
- review of frankie silver
- Intriguing and Suspenseful ...
- A really great read!
- 'Frankie Silver Walks!'
- Sorry, I just don't get it.
|
Ballad of Frankie Silver
Sharyn McCrumb
Manufacturer: Dutton Adult
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The Rosewood Casket
ASIN: 0525939695 |
Amazon.com
Sharyn McCrumb is one of the major wonders of the mystery world. Her books about forensic anthropologist Elizabeth MacPherson (including Highland Laddie Gone) are strong, meaty contemporary stories; her comic novels (Bimbos of the Death Sun, Zombies of the Gene Pool) are delightful satires. And then there's the jewel in her crown, the series known as the Ballad novels (including The Hangman's Beautiful Daughter and The Rosewood Casket) where the third-generation Appalachian resident McCrumb sews together what she calls "colored scraps of legends, ballads and fragments of rural life and local tragedy" into books that are like Appalachian quilts. The Ballad of Frankie Silver is the fifth in the Ballad series, and it might well be the best. The blend between the old story and the new is perfect, as Sheriff Spencer Arrowood digs into the 1832 case of the first woman ever hanged for murder in North Carolina--18-year-old Frankie Silver, charged with dismembering her husband--while some disturbing new evidence is surfacing about another, much more recent capital crime. If you have friends who don't read mysteries but liked Cold Mountain, pointing them toward McCrumb might be the start of something big. --Dick Adler
Book Description
In 1832, an 18-year-old girl was charged with murdering her young husband. In 1833, Frankie Silver became the first woman in the state of North Carolina to be hanged for murder. But was she guilty? More than one hundred years later, Tennessee Sheriff Spencer Arrowood is determined to reveal the truth behind unanswered questions. Obsessed by the story of Frankie Silver, Arrowood is investigating a case that has many parallels to the long ago murder. Lafayette Fate Harkryder, convicted of murdering a young couple hiking the Appalachian Trail, is scheduled to be executed, and Sheriff Arrowood has been summoned to be his witness. But is an innocent man about to die? The time is near and the executioner may yet carry out his solemn duty before Arrowood finds answers from the past that can save Fate Harkryder from Frankie Silver's tragic end.
Sharyn McCrumb's two previous novels, The Rosewood Casket and She Walks These Hills, were New York Times bestsellers.
Among her honors are the Edgar, Agatha, Macavity, Anthony, Nero, and Outstanding Contribution to Appalachian Literature awards; she is the two-time winner of the award for the Best Appalachian Novel.
Her novels have also been named Notable Books of the Year by both The New York Times and the Los Angeles Times.
Download Description
"From New York Times bestselling author Sharyn McCrumb comes the fifth novel set in the Appalachian wilderness blending legends and folklore with high suspense. A career lawman will bear witness to the final judgement, as a man he put away twenty years ago is about to be executed for the brutal slaying of two hikers. However, his conscience is no longer clear to the point of absolute certainty about the man?s guilt. Also of intense interest to the lawman is the parallel between the current events and a legendary murder and execution over 100 years old-- the story of a great injustice, and a woman condemned to die for a crime she didn?t commit. Suddenly, the sheriff finds himself in a race against and across time to see that history doesn?t repeat itself! "
Customer Reviews:
review of frankie silver.......2007-01-04
we needed book quickly for school project. book was sent in a couple of days and was very interesting. Project finished thanks to quick shipping! Thanks.
Intriguing and Suspenseful ..........2006-11-29
I happened to find this one on my mom's bookshelf over the holiday weekend and I thought it would be a good read for this busy time. It is a great read ~~ much more than I expected and definitely one of the best novels I've read in awhile.
I love how McCrumb tied two stories together in one novel ~~ set apart by at least a hundred and twenty years. This book starts out with Spencer Arrowood, the sheriff recovering from a shotgun wound, and his recollection of sending a young man to death row. Fate Harkryder was accused of murdering a young couple in such a heinous way that in spite of his claims of innocence, no one believed him in their rush for justice. While Arrowood is recovering, he finds himself intrigued with the case of Frankie Silver, a young mother who was accused of murdering her husband and butchering his body so that there's three grave sites for him. McCrumb writes in great detail of Frankie's trial, observed by the young clerk of court, Burgess Gaither, who tells her tale so vividly that I actually broke down in tears at one point. And Arrowood rushes to find out who really did murder the young college couple that fateful night, twenty years ago, Fate or someone else?
The stories of Fate and Frankie are tied up so beautifully ~~ and of the strength of family ties that bind even in death. This is one of the most provacative novels I have read in a long time ~~ while it addresses the legal system (which is deeply flawed as portrayed in this novel) and the issue of capital punishment. The stories were wrenching as well as thought-provoking ~~ but it didn't feel like you were reading a legal discourse on an argument of capital punishment ~~ till you've turned the last page and realized just how persuasive the argument against capital punishment was. It is definitely a worthwhile read ...
11-28-06
A really great read!.......2006-11-24
I noticed that McCrumb was listed on a website as being a very good mystery writer and I picked up my first book to see for myself. I was not disappointed! Although I am not from the Appalachian area, my family is, so it was fun reading about the flavor of the mountain culture. I have heard a few stories of family members living in their beloved mountains as well.
I really enjoyed the book, especially the old tale of Frankie Silver. The author tied it together with a modern Trail Killing and did a nice job comparing the two. Finding out at the end that Frankie Silver was a real person was sad but interesting. I intend to read more of McCrumb's books.
'Frankie Silver Walks!'.......2006-08-21
Sharyn McCrumb brought this spine chilling, true tale to life in her novel about Frankie Silver. The drama isn't too heavy, nor is the story telling bogged down with too much fact. She was also able to balance the present with the past as Sheriff Arrowood compares the fate of a man condemned to the electric chair with the miserable end of a young woman's life during a time where poverty most certainly contributed to whether or not you went free or hanged. Very haunting story that will leave mystery lovers eager to visit the old cabin site where Charles Silver died.
Chrissy K. McVay
Author of 'Souls of the North Wind'
Sorry, I just don't get it........2006-07-20
I was intrigued by the title and the jacket blurb. I was expecting an eerily suspenseful historical mystery. I found the book to be plodding drudgery. I realized at some point that I didn't care enough about the characters to read through all the melancholy verbiage, and I flipped to the end to find out who had murdered and why. I'm glad I did. There is a fine line between mysterious and depressing and I think the author has worn a path across it.
The author's obsessive absorption in the aging process was also distracting and irritating. Every other page there were observations, such as a description of a formerly pretty cheerleader who was now a blowsy middle-aged woman who had turned into her mother or how the murdered victim would no longer be a a nineteen year old girl, but- twenty years later- just an aging woman. Although, the author conceded that at least she should have been allowed the chance to become something else. Is this author having a midlife crisis or what? I chose this book to be entertained, and I felt a bit ripped off.
Average customer rating:
- Excellent book which I highly recommend
- Raising doubt about Mumia's trial
- Points out the gross flaws of Mumia's trial
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The Case of Mumia Abu-Jamal: A Life in the Balance (Open Media Pamphlet Series)
Manufacturer: Open Media
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Mumia: A Case for Reasonable Doubt
ASIN: 158322081X |
Book Description
Mumia Abu-Jamal, a black man, was convicted and sentenced to death in 1982 for the murder of white police officer Daniel Faulkner. Based on an exhaustive review of the trial transcript and other original documents, Amnesty International determined that the case failed to meet minimum international standards safeguarding the fairness of legal proceedings and here explains why a new trial is mandatory.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent book which I highly recommend.......2007-02-07
This is a very well researched, very thoughtful and very interesting book which in my opinion everyone should read as part of understanding the world we live in. I agree with the other reviewer that this book makes a compelling case that a re-trial absolutely essential in order for justice to triumph. Please buy and read this book. It is first rate in every way.
Raising doubt about Mumia's trial.......2002-01-01
If you are from Philadelphia or the Philadelphia area, then you can truly understand the problems of the case of Mummia. It seems that every time you mention his name here you get into some kind of arguement. The sad thing about this is most people have absolutely no knowledge of the facts on the case of Mumia. This book, if you read it, can change that. The book attempts, and does a good job of, explaining why Amnesty International thinks that Mumia Abu Jamal recieved an unfair trial. At no time does Amnesty International say that Mumia should be set free, or that he is innocent of said charges. I will repeat this so there are no misunderstandings,AT NO TIME DOES AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL SAY THAT MUMIA SHOULD BE SET FREE OR THAT HE IS INNOCENT.
Now anyone should be skeptical of a book written on such a sensitive subject, but Amnesty International is a highly respected global human rights watch dog group, and I believe that their information is reliable. If you are from Philadelphia and would like to read a book on Mumia, or you are from somewhere else and just interested, this book is a good start, but not an end to informing you on this subject.
Points out the gross flaws of Mumia's trial.......2001-03-11
Amnesty International in this little pamphlet presents the gross problems in the way Mumia Abu Jamal, black journalist and activist on death row since 1982 for allegedly killing a police officer, has been treated by the legal system. And there are a great many gross problems. AI does not declare him to be guilty or innocent nor have they adopted him as a prisoner of conscience.
AI points out that of the three witnesses who claimed to have heard him confess to killing officer Faulkner after being brought into the emergency room, on, officer Gary Wakshul wrote in his log after finishing his shift that night that "the negro male made no comments." Another, a hospital security gaurd, claimed to have handwritten a note to her supervisor after the incident. Another, officer Gary Bell, Faulkner's "best friend," made no record of the incident until two months later.
The security gaurd did not come forth with her claim until two months later. The alleged handwritten note was not found but a supposed typewritten copy of it was. The security gaurd denied having seen that copy before but despite its dubious authenticity Judge Sabo admitted it into evidence. Wakshull, Bell and Durham, the security gaurd, all came forward two months after the alleged confession, after Mumia had complained of being beaten by police after his arrest. Mumia tried to get Wakshul to testify but he was for some reason "on vacation" and Judge Sabo refused to pursue the matter furhter.
The alleged witnesses to the crime. AI points out that Cynthia White, the prostitute, who changed the details of her story numerous times, was serving an eighteen month sentence in Massachusetts at the time of the trial, with three charges pending, and was arrested twice in the days following the shooting, though she was not prosecuted for those two incidents. They point out that in 1987 a detective involved in Mumia's case testified successfully in support of releasing White, who was then on trial for numerous felonies, on bail despite her very extensive criminal record. They point out that Veronica Jones, the second prostitute, testified at the trial that "they [the police] told us we could work the area [as prostitutes] if we tell them [that Abu Jamal was the shooter]." She said that "they [the police] were trying to get me to say something the other girl [White] said. I couldn't do that." She said that she saw two men running from the scene but later retracted the statement, as she later testified in 1996, after being visited by police officers in jail where she was being held on charges of robbery and assault. Judge Sabo struck her original statements from the record. AI points out that Robert Chobert, the cab driver, intially told police that the shooter had "run away." He was on probation for arson at the time and was driving with a suspended liscence for which he was not prosecuted and he approached the prosecutor, as he later testified, wanting to know how he could get his liscence back so he could earn his living driving his cab. "We'll see" the prosecutor replied.
AI points out that the police did not conduct tests on Mumia's hands or smell his gun to see if had recently been fired. The medical examiner, was declared at the trial by Sabo to be a ballistics expert though at the 1995 hearing he reversed himself. The examiner made a "lay guess"--Sabo's words--that the gun was a .44 calibre whereas Mumia's gun was a .38 calibre. The medical examiner testified that though the bullet found in officer Faulkner seemed similar to those from Mumia's gun, the tests were inconclusive as to wheather it actually came from Mumia's firearm.
They point out, among other things,, him being a frequent target of law enforcment, especially the FBI's COINTELPRO program and how the prosecutor exploited Mumia's political views to secure a death sentence from the jury.
I think he's probably innocent. Give him a new trial or release him immediately.
Average customer rating:
- Great book to read
- tupac is the best ever
- Read what realy goes down with Snoop and the Death row crew
- What a waste of talent.
|
Chosen by Fate: My Life Inside Death Row Records
McKinley "Malik", Jr. Lee , and
Frank B. Williams
Manufacturer: Dove Books
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ASIN: 0787114324 |
Customer Reviews:
Great book to read.......1999-09-07
This book really let's you know how it was in the midst of the Death Row project. I was really amazed on the life of McKinley Malik Lee, Jr. Buy the book. You will not be disappointed . I hear he is recording great music now (gospel rap) that should be released at the beginning of the year (2000). Wouldn't it be awesome to hear somthing with him and Snoop Doggy Dogg? Platinum baby!!!!! God Bless!!!!!!
tupac is the best ever.......1999-04-19
Ok well Tupac Shakur is the best rapper that ever liver and no one will ever top him. It is a same what happened to him he was very talented and i wish he was still here. I have ever cd he ever maede and he is mostly all i listen to.. I think all the books writen about him are good as long as they say the good points about him to and how sweet lhe was.Tupac Amuru Shakur R.I.P.
Read what realy goes down with Snoop and the Death row crew.......1998-06-02
Just like Li'l Kim says first you get the money then you get the power after you get the power you get the respect. No matter what coast your from most people got respect for Snoop and his crew. Told to you by McKinley 'Malik',Jr. Lee you get the inside info about the rise of Death Row Records. This book is one of the ones that will make you want to keep reading forever. After you read tihs book you'll know more about Suge, Snoop, Dre, and how they came to be.
What a waste of talent........1998-04-04
I am a white female who is into all kinds of music and I found Snoop and 2Pac, both to be very talented people. I felt that reading this book would help me understand the lifestyles of a gangsta rapper. I am afraid all I found was a complete waste of life and talent. Death Row Records was appropriately named. All involved seemed to have encountered death at some time. It's really a shame that people these days are so quick to pick up a gun and use it without regard for human life. Hind sight is indeed 20/20. Nothing will bring Tupac or Biggie Smalls back and still the guns and drugs are out there every day, stealing away the great talents from our world. People wake up. Death isn't the answer to Life, it is only the end of an era.
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