Customer Reviews

Alcatraz Island: Maximum Security

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This book was great!!! It contained much precise information about the Island, from beginning to end: Conquistadores to the closure of the Federal Pennitenary on March 21, 1963. It personified many individuals who lived on Alcatraz, both families and inmates. It also gave a very descriptive overview of almost every part of the prison and it's operations. The book also has much information about individual prisoners and their escape attempts. Not to mention, the book is loaded with tons of pictures. I believe this book was the greatest book ever writtten about Alcatraz Island Federal Pennitenary. I guess enough to make me want to go into the field of Corrections Administration. The book is very easy to read, along with many vivid pictures on each page that makes the entire book very impressive. Mr. Donald Hurley did an outstanding job!!!

I have read about ten books on Alcatraz and this one is by far the best. The author is the son of one of the guards that was at Alcatraz. He has certainly done his homework before writing this book. He lists each attempted escape from the first to the last listing the participants and what happened during the attempt and also what eventually happened to each inmate.

I have read dozens of books on Alcatraz and this is by far the worst book I have read about the prison. The book is not well resarched, as it contradicts many other texts that have been consistent in their documentation about the prison and major incidents that ocurred there. The format gives the appearance of newpaper clippings that have been clipped and saved in a scrapbook. The writing could have been done by a ten year old. I would recommend avioding this book as it was a big dissapointment. There are far better definative texts about the prison on the market.

as a person who has read many books on Alcatraz, i can say that this is an excellent book to read, filled with many pictures. Describes all the escape attempts, and generally keeps you from putting it down to read it in one sitting..... I highly reccommend it!!!Great insites on The Birdman, Creepy, etc...some facts that other books dont reveal...