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Last Words Of The Executed (2010)

by Robert K. Elder(Favorite Author)

3.6 of 5 Votes: 2

ISBN

0226202682 (ISBN13: 9780226202686)

languge

English

genre

Memoir & Autobiography

publisher

University Of Chicago Press

review 1: Just received this free UChicago press e-book about last words before executions through American history. The words are followed by short notes of historical consequence. Sorted by method (hanging, firing squad, electric chair, gas chamber, lethal injection), they are mostly the words of murders or accused murders, but also include religious, political, and military figures (Mary Dyer, Joe Hill, the Haymarket anarchists, presidential assassins, deserters and German espionage agents among others) from the colonial period until the present day. The number of different capital crimes diminished substantially in the 19th century. In the beginning, before the 19th century, there are many confessions coupled with warnings (against sin), these continue into the 19th century ... more(mostly against liquor or women) when many conversions also begin to appear and the condemned claim to be going to meet Jesus. As we near our day there are some direct confessions and requests for forgiveness, but also many more claims of innocence (and the book does note some are now considered innocent, while at least one was noted as not exonerated by DNA evidence), blaming of other people, or attacks on capital punishment for its cruelty and/or its racial bias. One even quoted Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure. Most of the lethal injection last words come from Texas. A morbidly fascinating commentary - the final section did become oppressive in its repetition.
review 2: A laugh riot! No, not really... but sometimes. It's a sobering look at the evolution of all forms of capital punishment in the good ol' US of A told through the final words uttered by people just before they fell through the gallows or had the electric chair switched on. The crimes many of these people committed are disturbingly grisly, and the book doesn't attempt to imply that the penalty is just as awful. It just unflinchingly recounts peoples' last words, explains what they were convicted of, and in a few cases mentions when they were subsequently exonerated. Whoops. Woulda liked to see a bit more analysis, but it's an interesting read nonetheless. less

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