4 comments about 15 to Life: How I Painted My Way to Freedom.

1. Anthony Papa, just one of the thousands of victims of the draconian drug laws that hit America in 1973, tells his tale of how he "painted his way to freedom." It is similar to Life on the Outside, by Jennifer Gonnerman, but unique in its first hand account. This is not your usual story of a notarized drug dealer from the streets serving his bid and coming home to stir up more trouble. This is a story of a family man who gets caught in the web of the penal system, but fights his way back to personal triumph. Commended by the likes of Russell Simmons, Susan Sarandon, and Jack Black, 15 to Life will have you singing its praises after the first few chapters.



2. 
   Anthony Papa only took one risk to find the $500 he needed to pay rent so his
   family could live. Like being asked to do some landscaping for a friend, Papa
   was to deliver four and one half ounces of coke for some quick money and quick
   resolution to his financial crisis. The deal was a setup to break the fall of
   a dealer higher up in the hierarchy of the drug market and Papa endured the
   mandatory 15 year minimum in court. Thereafter Papa lived an ordinary story of
   acclimation to prison life as a first-time offender, as well as an extraordinary
   story of discovery of latent talent, and a strategic engagement of that talent
   to pursue his freedom. Through the pages we see the scant resources prisoners
   have for advocating for their freedom. We see those scant resources exhausted
   as Papa becomes a jailhouse lawyer creating appeals that are manhandled to his
   misfortune by outsider law firms. In the end, as the title suggests, it is the
   resource of art that prevails. Both as an occupation that allowed Papa to
   transcend his despair in the cell and the afflictions of civil bureaucracy.
   Papa wins his freedom through playing the ooh's and ah's of the art world and
   its media following. His builds his campaign for clemency from then governor
   George Pataki on the moral/aesthetic arguments that only his art is allowed to
   communicate. And `moral argument' ought not be confused with plastic sympathy.
   It is no puppy dog stare from a pet store window.
   
   Papa's story is a milieu of competitiveness and resigned cooperation with an
   inhuman system of power. Papa is forced to wile and trick a system to gain an
   advantage that should be afforded to him on the basis of human rights. Papa
   competes against many characters: lawyers, judges, dealers, other inmates,
   CO's, high society artists and critics. And the prize of this competition is
   not the fame associated with hanging portraits in galleries. That is just the
   means to the real finish line: the freedom those on the outside all readily
   take for granted. Papa literally paints for his life; it may well be the
   reason he paints ("I knew that participating in the show [at New York's Whitney
   Art Museum] was the break I had been waiting for. As I re-read the lines, they
   blurred into a single word: FREEDOM.").
   
   So art, the aesthetic realm all too often valued as transcendent of the hard
   truths of life, finds a very practical cause. Art's power is used for a very
   focused and determinate end: to sow a campaign for public opinion. Papa's
   sentence at Sing Sing faces the opposite direction Oscar Wilde experienced
   during his stay at Reading Gaol. Whereas Wilde was an aesthete whose genius
   was eroded by the toil of his imprisonment, Papa finds his genius because of
   the toil, because the normal argumentative paths to pursuing freedom (court
   appeals) in maximum security prisons ultimately don't exist in his favor.
   While Wilde may view art as those things that are unnecessary, Papa makes art
   (and maybe more precisely the outside world's mass-mediated appreciation of
   art) the absolutely necessary path to his campaign for clemency and his
   freedom.
   
   15 to Life reveals the conflicts and cooperation between the artist's brush,
   jailhouse-law study, and numerous letters from legal bureaucracy. Papa
   struggles through them all, playing them with and against each other in hopes
   that he can freely reclaim his humanity. It leaves a lot of questions for the
   reader such as "What happens to the inmates who don't have talent or technique
   to entice the sympathy of the free world, what about the rest of them?"
   Fortunately, Papa doesn't take his freedom and run. As co-founder of the
   Mothers of the New York Disappeared he uses his clout as a cultural and moral
   sensation to campaign for the rights of those he left behind the gates of Sing
   Sing. Papa leaves the story of 15 to Life with a strong and quickening gaze
   toward liberation for the Rockefeller incarcerated.
   
   Papa's memoir will be easy and important reading for those who want to figure
   art as a politicizing and strategic resource for creating real change for
   social justice. It will inform the reader not only about Papa's artistic
   process but also the political process he must engage to make his art work for
   social change and his freedom. This process includes mobilizing audiences,
   critics, press, and other locations of power toward an ethic or political good.
   Papa's art is great and can stand alone as a form of beauty. However, "How I
   Painted My Way to Freedom" is a complex subtitle and ought not conjure an image
   of the paintbrush as a mystical key to the cellblock latch. Papa's story does
   not let one underestimate the amount of work and struggle Papa needed to endure
   to direct his art toward political resolution.



3. This book is one of the besst stories I have read recently. 15 to life starts right out w/ an exciting beginning and keeps you hooked the whole time. Anthony Papa's story will shock you. Every law and sociology class should be required to read this book. Buy it and support the cause.



4. 
   
   In 1985, Anthony Papa was a 29-year-old small business owner living in the Bronx with his wife and young daughter. Bills were mounting, rent was due and tensions were rising in his marriage when a gambling acquaintance stepped up and offered him a quick $500 to deliver a package. Papa had doubts and misgivings, but he accepted the proposal. The package Papa carried was full of cocaine and he delivered it directly into the hands of undercover cops. To make matters worse, this particular event came with an added twist; namely New York's Rockefeller drug laws, which mandate a 15-year-to-life sentence for the weight of the drugs Anthony had delivered.
   
   15 to Life details how Papa transformed himself while in prison, from a convicted drug courier into an artist and later into an activist. The first 80+ pages cover his dealings with a shady lawyer, codefendants turning on him and his initiation into the jail system. Papa reinforces that what you see in the movies about prison life is not far from reality. Sex, violence, drugs, deals made and deals broken all take place on a regular basis behind the prison walls.
   
   15 to Life takes a turn from prison narrative to survival tale when Papa realizes that he is going to serve a good deal of his sentence. Papa finds his inspiration to not give up when he sees a prisoner painting in his cell and becomes mesmerized by the act. A short while later, emerging from a three-day lockdown Papa has an epiphany as he looks around his cell. He considers the ten paintings he has completed and sees his freedom on the canvas. At this point Papa becomes committed to his art, realizing it is the only way he can survive prison.
   
   While Papa works on his art he starts to realize that his lawyer is not doing much to help him. While in the library studying his case, a prisoner tells him about the law that has sentenced him to 15 years to life. The Rockefeller drug laws state that a judge must impose a minimum sentence of 15 years to life to anyone convicted of selling two ounces or possessing four ounces of a controlled substance. Kingpin or first time bust, everyone receives the same minimum sentence. Papa now had another focus besides his art, his case and more specifically, the law that put him behind bars.
   
   Papa gets a break in September of 1993 when the Whitney Museum contacted Sing Sing about a show they would be putting together. The Whitney was looking for art by a murderer for their show. Papa saw an opportunity and pursued it, telling The Whitney that he was a convicted killer. In his mind the lie would expose his are and hopefully get him closer to freedom.
   
   After the Whitney show Papa received his first press exposure, an in depth piece in the Gannett Suburban Newspaper. An article in Prison Life magazine followed, then a NY Times letter to the editor penned by Papa in regard to the Rockefeller drug laws. Later, an Associated Press story that is printed in six New York newspapers follows. Papa welcomes the press; the prison does not and reassigns him to a harsher area of the prison.
   
   Papa later learns of an opportunity to join a Master's Degree Program from the New York Theological Seminary. While he is enrolled in the Master's Program Papa starts the ball rolling on his plea for clemency from Governor George Pataki. Papa details his attempts at clemency and his joy at finally receiving the news that it had been granted.
   
   After his release Papa tells of his days outside of prison. His major focus is on the group he co-founds, Mothers of the New York Disappeared, named for the mothers and relatives who have had family members disappear behind prison walls. The group is focused on repealing the Rockefeller Drug Laws. The efforts of the group have helped change public opinion on the law, however the public and the government that represents them are not on the same page and the laws remain unchanged.
   
   The story of Anthony Papa is a great read and at points a heartbreaking story. Papa is a man that did not give up when he could have easily done so. Papa capitalized on every chance he had while in prison and his story is one of triumph. His story is also one that should make the reader think about the prisoners that do give up, that are not given any chances. 15 to Life should make you think about the prisoners that are left to rot behind bars due to unfair and restrictive sentencing guidelines. Papa's story helps the reader to realize that the Rockefeller Laws are not putting away the big dealers like they intended and need to be reevaluated and ultimately scrapped.

5 comments about Tattoos on My Soul: From the Ghetto to the Top of the World.

1. This is a good book that tells a powerful story.
   If the American Gangster movie is your forte, this book will be also.



2. This book is something else - what a page turner! For me, reading Tattoos had the same effect as going to Vegas - I developed a swagger like an unstoppable VIP, and suddenly, a wallet full of $100 bills didn't seem like an impossible goal. For those who commented that some of the stories are unbelievable, open your eyes: this kind of money exchanges hands in legal and illegal enterprises every day. Burrel has given us a rare glimpse into the world of big thinkers. Okay, sure, it's the literary version of a daredevil's televised stunt: kids, don't try this at home. But I think he does a good job of explaining WHY the gangsta life is ultimately self-defeating. Bravo!



3. It's raw reality, hard to swallow-but still true! He shows the glamour and the seduction of a successful gang leader, but as you keep on reading, he makes clear how shallow, empty and lifeless was his life. How easy to get in and how hard to get out! It trilled me to follow the thoughts that would lead him to get out of it all. Finally, he ends up giving it back - a confession to inspire personal growth without being a self-help book.



4. The first thing that called my attention was the book's title. I got totally hooked on this true story of a man who survived the best and the worst - many times in the same day. Burrel's story stood up to the powerful title. His character, his persona, his friends jump out of the page from beginning to end. I was very impressed that he had courage and determination not only to get out of the thug-business, but also to tell everything to the public. It's a story of survival indeed. Told by a man who has been there, seen that, done that. And that's one of the reasons that Burrel has the authority to talk about crime, drugs and the worst of the world with clarity and knowledge to people around the world - not just ghettos.



5. This ghetto dude glorifies a life of pimpin,druggin,and other illicit business's he spends about 2 pages in the book talking about his so called new profession as a life coach and mentor. I saw him on the news show fox thing in the morning in chicago and from the title of the book and his so called conversion from being a thug to being an honest businessman made me want to support the brother, but after reading this book I wished I had saved my money!
   
   I get the impression he is still probebly doing stuff that is illegal and his story is not one I would want my children or anyone I know imulating! Life Coach? Pulezze! There are alot of hardworking folks who grew up poor and made it without all of the activities he is glorifying in this book. This book is a waste of money!
   
   artj

5 comments about Mob: Stories of Death and Betrayal from Organized Crime.

1. This book is not unlike a buffet at a small office party. A few morsels here and there... most everything is pretty tasty, nothing's too filling, and there's one "mystery dish" that looks okay...... until you bite into it.
   
   Clint Willis has compiled a baker's dozen of mob-stories, from the infamous, to the you-never-heard-of-em. Some are great, some are good, and some might have been better to have been left on the table.
   
   On the infamous side is an excerpt from Mario Puzo's classic, THE GODFATHER. I've never read the book, but like any other self-respecting adult American male, I've seen the movie enough times to have lost count. After reading the excerpt in MOB, (regarding the memorable scene where Michael Corleone retrieves the gun from the restaurant bathroom and shoots the crooked cop in the head), I've discovered that I've GOT to read Puzo's book!
   
   Another interesting story comes from David Fisher. It comes from a book by "JOEY," a long-time mob hit-man (though not a "made" man in the mob, because, as "Joey" tells it, as a member of the Jewish faith, he is ineligible to attain that level within the organization.) Still, he considers himself really good--and quite enjoys what he does for a living. And, it would appear that he's very much a psychopath. Whether one can believe everything that is written about JOEY is questionable, as there seemed to be a number of "facts" that contradicted other "facts," but I guess that's for each reader to decide.
   
   I did actually SKIP one story: Bruce McCall's "GANGLAND STYLE: THE TRANSCRIPT." Written in the format of a play, I became disinterested after about a page and a half of reading accented-goombah-speak spelled out phonetically.
   
   Jeffrey Goldberg's piece, THE DON IS DONE, is the final chapter in the book, and is the fascinating true story of the last days--along with some of the personal insights of mob boss, Paul Castellano... whacked, so the story goes, under the orders of the notorious John Gotti, Sr.
   
   All in all, MOB was a pretty enjoyable read. And because each of the stories stands completely by itself, you could theoretically finish a chapter, and pick the book up a year later without having to start over.
   
   - Jonathan Sabin



2. You're much better off going to the original books this compilation rips off. There are editing mistakes galore in this volume, and the editor adds nothing new (except some typos). I'd sell mine as a used book but I don't want to rip off someone else with this trash.



3. This book is great,it is what got me hooked on stories about the mob and mafia. I would recomend it to any one who is intrested in organized crime.



4. Overall, I think that this book was exceptional. The stories contained are, for the most part, gripping and real. I couldn't put the book down when I read the story by "Joey", the anonymous hitman. The most exciting thing about this book is the reality of it. The mojority of stories contained are about real people and real things. I recommend this book to everyone



5. Only the most ardent organized crime reader probably won't find something new in this collection of short stories dealing with reader fascination with dangerous lifestyles. This sampler of mob-lore covers stories allegedly by the folks who lived and died it, and some history to add dessert to your meal.

   For those who like the relative safety of their reading chair, we get a step-by-step process of the so-called "hit men" of the mob. They are so-called because most members who have reached any decent level of leadership have all done at least one hit, so the true full-time professional is not that common. For this profession though, we do get an evolution of the man, and his general techniques.

   The stories here are excerpts from other works, so if your a mob junkie, you might have read a lot of it already. I previously had read the Sammy Gravano book that contributed this excerpt. You not only get a sample of the self-admitted bad man, but also a taste of what I didn't like in the full-length book, which was a constant jabbering of what a decent, honorable guy Sammy really is. This book, was, of course, before the guy got busted out West for running meth labs while in witness protection.

   My favorite of the "true life" stories was the one that inspired the movie "Donnie Brasco". Here we have the story of how a guy had to sacrifice a lot of family time over a period of years to do his undercover work, even once having to spend Christmas with mobsters when he promised his own family some quality Holiday time. The book I'm reviewing is good because now I want to read the whole "Brasco" saga.

   In the history part, we do get a brief glimpse of how this whole type of society came about. True, the people of Italy were extremely oppressed at the time of it's formation, but it also tells how the local culture first establishes male "honor", then expects him to prove it via competition, and if you won by using your own rules, that made you that much more of a worthy opponent. To his credit, the editor of this compilation does not glorify this behavior, and makes it clear to the audience that any honorable "codes" only last as long as is convenient for anyone involved.

5 comments about Forget You Had a Daughter: Doing Time in the 'Bangkok Hilton': Sandra Gregory's Story.

1. Sandra Gregory takes us deep inside life in a Thailand women's prison and then into the Durham prison of England. Life was terrible for this woman who was arrested for drug trafficking a very small amount of heroin in her vagina. She truly did not deserve such a long and harrowing sentence. She is a hero in my opinion for having survived such an incredibly soul-destroying incarceration. God bless Sandy for writing such a critically-needed memoir. Her book should be on everybody's required reading list, especially high school and college-age kids. They could benefit from Sandy's horrible experience, and might be deterred from doing the same. Thank God she finally got released, but how terrible was her suffering in the mean time! A truly sad but unforgettable read.



2. This was a rather timely read given the current situation in South East Asia with Sharpelle Corby and the Bali 9. In this book, Gregory tells the story of how she set out from Britain to spend 8 weeks in Thailand, accompanying a friend of a friend she had no previous acquaintance with. Gregory loved Thailand so much that she decided to stay on, until she became seriously ill and distraught over the political situation at the time. Having no money to return to Britain and too stubborn to ask her family for financial support, she 'serendipitously' re-encounters her former travelling companion who offers her one thousand pounds to smuggle a small quantity of heroin for him. Desperately ill and under the impression her acquaintence has 'fixed' things at customs, she agrees. She is, of course, caught.
   
   The story describes her time at Lard Yao, known worldwide as the 'Bangkok Hilton' and the shocking conditions she was forced to endure. Following her transfer to a British prison, Gregory continues her tale, drawing contrasts between the penal systems of the two countries, and finding Britain to be the worse of the two.
   
   Of particular interest were Gregory's encounters with some very notorious offenders such as Rosemary West. She also speaks of the shadow of Myra Hindley in two of the prisons she was incarcerated in. I actually found the second part of the book, where Gregory was in British prisons to be more horrifying than her descriptions of Thai prisons.
   
   Gregory's book is very readable, honest and pulls no punches. However, at the end, you realise that Gregory's book is not so much about her physical survival, but her emotional survival and the evolution of her soul.



3. Gregory's book details her life from meeting the guy who offered her money to smuggle drugs, to her life in Thai prisons, adapting to the harsh way of life and finally moving back home to a British prison. The development of her character from beginning to end is evident to all through her concise narrative about her guilt and shame, especially when she speaks of her family members. All in all, this is a haunting real-life story that shouldn't be missed by anyone, especially Caucasians travelling for long periods of time in Southeast Asia. The temptation may be great when funds are running low, but the horrors of prisons in the less-developed regions are not exaggerated.



4. I live in Bangkok, less than 10 km from the prison Sandra was held in. I enjoyed reading the book for several reasons. One, as a ex-pat resident of Thailand, I could relate to and even walk past many of the places she described. Second, I'm a sucker for real-life dramas--the gorier, the better. And third, from reading the book,it was a shocking realization that as an ex-pat, one cannot necessarily rely on one's embassy to "take care" of any legal entanglements while in the Kingdom of Thailand (ex-pats living here are generally very spoiled and well-taken-care of). I also felt sorry for Sandra, as there are more heinous crimes than the one she commited every day herethat go unnoticed, unpunished (ie, sex-slavery, child trafficking).
   The prose is readable, enjoyable, but not beautiful nor well-crafted, However, anyone travelling to Thailand as a backpacker or as a tourist would be well-served to read this book. Many legal aspects of Thailand seem erratic or lackadasical compared to Western countries, but if you DO get caught doing wrong, the consequences are harsh indeed.



5. Having lived in Thailand for a gratifying 5 years, I am familiar with everything she describes and feels for the country. Thailand is a stunning country known as the "land of smiles" but numerous people don't realize that behind those smiles there is an entire different side to Thailand. That life I like most people have never gone through and do not realize how hideous it is. That is what this book is about, a book filled with fact stating the hideous side of Thailand. I was traumatized by some of the events not realizing that such a beautiful country has such a dark side too it when crossing the path of a good person to breaking the rules. I think it is definitely worthwhile reading, it touches your heart so much because you realize that as we speak about the harsh life in prison there are people out there in those hideous prisons which animals control who think they are gods and the prisoners are slaves. Even though Sandra Gregory made a huge mistake the reason for such was so understandable. Even though she smuggled the drugs I think she is a great and caring person helping others realize that you should think twice before smuggling drugs. This is one of the unsurpassed books I have ever read, it isn't an enjoyable book, where you can laugh, it is depressing and sad but so realistic because you know this is a true story, which a human being has been through. Some of the events disgust you but you continue to read because the book has so much gratitude to it.

No comments about Dynamite and Six-Shooter.

2 comments about Meyer Lansky: The Shadowy Exploits Of New York's Master Manipulator (Amazing Stories).

1. Meyer Lansky was a genius who happened to be a criminal. He is the inventor of the forerunner to today's lottery. He was declared a criminal and we use the same system today claiming that it helps pay for education. Personally, I find his greed refreshing.



2. As a fan of this genre I found Mr. Montague's Meyer Lansky an interesting tale. While the story did not reveal anything new, it was a well done accounting of the Lanksy we have all come to know!

5 comments about Dead Run: The Untold Story of Dennis Stockton and America's Only Mass escape from Death Row.

1. 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?



2. 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.




3. "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!




4. 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!!!!



5. 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.

4 comments about Undoing Time: American Prisoners in Their Own Words.

1. I read this book in a day...well half of it. I finished it in two days and I found it to be very informative about prison since the stories come from prisoners.



2. This compassionate collection of prisoner autobiographies made me feel very sad in places, angry in others, hopeful and encouraged in still others. The accounts, like the prisoners who wrote them, are diverse: their tone varies from poetic and sublime to gruesome and shocking. Few, if any, are self-pitying. The editor seems to have taken great pains in selecting pieces that tell a different story about criminals' lives: how backgrounds (mostly horrific) aren't always to blame for their choices in life, how criminals *can* tell right from wrong, and how deeply sorry (but not always able to express that sorrow, and seldom encouraged to do so) many of these prisoners are for the damage they've done to others and to themselves. This is a fascinating, revealing read. Anyone who has any interest at all in prisoners' backgrounds, crime or criminals will relish this superb collection of autobiographical stories that editor Jeff Evans has compiled.



3. I met the author of this book recently at a reading/signing in Brooklyn, NY and asked him why he wrote it. He was careful to point out that it was a collaborative effort of nearly 40 people but that he was always interested in the personal histories of prisoners and just could never find a book on them. Indeed, this is the first time I've ever come across a book like this too. I'm always skeptical about anything prisoners have to say, but I was deeply affected by the stories of these prisoners' lives. They were honest-sounding and eye-opening, and the piece by William Skeans, in which he describes his own family as "white trash" was especially heartbreaking. One woman prisoner wrote about her father's suicide and, although her piece was short, it left me feeling as numb as the author after she saw her blood-spattered mother seated in the living room. Not all criminals are witnesses to violence, but as Jimmy Santiago Baca writes in his preface, "For most of these writers, their childhood environment consisted of dope fiends, alcoholics, or thieves who lied, cheated, stole and raped, plundering their innocence and any chance of a normal life. When this happens to you as a kid, it virtually guarantees you'll end up behind bars." These well-chosen autobiographical stories will live on in your mind and make you think seriously about the nature of crime and our unforgiving justice system.



4. Moving, heartbreaking, infuriating, disturbing: this anthology gives voice to those behind bars, giving context not only to their crimes, but also to their lives. Some writers are self-serving - celebrity "Preppie Murderer" Robert Chambers whines about the daily drone of prison life, mentioning the reason for his incarceration only in passing. Just when he is on the cusp of getting your sympathy, he is sabotaged by his narcissistic verbosity. More moving are childhood remembrances that start off with a Norman Rockwell glow, but turn into traumas that scar for life - a father's suicide, a mother's abandoning her children at a social worker's office...

   Editor Jeff Evans has done something that neither hang 'em high judges nor bleeding heart liberals have tried: he has given the supposed worst of our society back their humanity by giving them a forum. Whether you agree or disagree with what they say, their words from the inside give more understanding to our world on the outside...and where the two collide.

5 comments about Conversations with the Capeman: The Untold Story of Salvador Agron.

1. I picked up the book a little skeptically, even though I admire the author, because I was afraid it might glorify a murderer. Richard Jacoby has a simpler goal. He humanizes the Capeman and makes him understandable.
   
   The Capeman was a 16 year old involved in a gangfight in which he stabbed two other teenagers and they died. Sentenced to death, Governor Rockerfeller commuted the sentence under heavy pressure.
   
   Meantime, Richard Jacoby was doing a thesis about whether people on death row had life changing experiences. He got in touch with the Capeman, letters were exchanged, then they met in person and a deep friendship started. The author also got to know the Capeman's family very well. The original goal was for the Capeman to write his life story, but as it becomes clear, after he's paroled that he won't really do it, Jaocby uses all of his notes to put the story together.
   
   Meantime, Paul Simon wrote a musical based on parts of the Capeman's life. It's a story of redemption, but to Richard, that's only part of the story. He uses this book to tell the whole story, not just about the Capeman's life, but about our prison system and about our insane asylums. He's very careful to let the fact's speak for themselves.
   
   The biggest surprise is how hard the book is to put down. You get inside the head of the Capeman and his relatives and his story becomes an American story and yet, still a very individualized story. The book can perhaps best be summed up by Jacoby's encounter with a racist cop, where, referring to the Capeman, he tells the cop "Yeah, but he's still a human being" At it's most basic, that's what the book is about. Without glossing over his crimes, Jacoby shows us the Capeman as a human being. It's a moving, well balanced portrait that is completely compelling reading. Highly Recommended.



2. Conversations with the Capeman is an absolutely stunning, beautifully written book about the life of convicted murderer Salvador Agron. Richard Jacoby weaves a brilliant and sensitive memoir of his real-life interviews and relationship with Agron. Jacoby paints a compelling, unbiased portrait of a tragic life; from Agron's youth as a member of a violent New York street gang to his conviction for a murder that he may not have committed, to life beyond prison. This impossible to put down book reads as if one is watching a motion picture. It involves all the elements of a modern-day epic; heartbreak, mystery, deception, love, friendship, redemption, and ultimate tragedy. This novel, of all the books I have read, has had the biggest impact on me...Simply amazing.



3. Each page of this beautifully written book brings raw emotion to the surface. Richard Jacoby paints a vivid picture of the poverty stricken, abusive childhood that surer than any court sentenced Salvador Agron to a life of alienation and despair. Yet despite being the youngest person ever sent to New York State's electric chair, Agron possessed a spark of human spirit that would not die. It is Jacoby's great accomplishment that he lets Agron's story speak for itself as he takes us through the dark alleys of Puerto Rico, the doo-wop drenched streets of New York and the cold corridors of state prisons where despair is plentiful, yet hope lives. If you want to know why we should treat our kids better and why giving people in trouble a second chance is NOT some mushy-headed idea, read this extremely engaging book.



4. This insightful, sensitively written book which brings to light Salvador Agron's life that was imprinted by race, sexual abuse and the condemnation of society gave me not only a new awareness of the criminal justice system, but of human redemption as well. Reading Conversations with the Capeman was a powerful eye-opening experience.



5. Conversations with the Capeman, the story on which the musical Westside Story is loosely based, blew me away. I literally read this 500+ page book in two days. I almost could not sleep for want of finishing it on the first day.
   
   The life of Salvador Agron provides a window into humanity that society tends to overlook when confronted with a crime in light of the death penalty. Mr. Agron's life can be viewed as social commentary that makes this a very important look at our penal system but more importantly it renders him human.....not an evil animal. The loyalty that Salvador garnered from people he didn't even know was overwelming. This is the first book that ever brought me to tears to the point that I could barely see the words on the page while reading the last two chapters.
   
   I subsequently bought Paul Simon's Songs from the Capeman and was pretty impressed by the way that he captures Salvadors life in music.

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