Customer Reviews

Among the Lowest of the Dead: Inside Death Row

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Among the Lowest of the Dead is a book for readers who want to understand the Byzantine legal history of the modern incarnation of the death penalty. It traces the inner workings of the Florida legal system from the brief abolition of the death penalty by the Supreme Court in the 1972 landmark case, Furman v. Georgia, through its reestablishment in 1976, until the early 1990s. Its heroes are the lawyers and lay advocates on both sides of the issue who fight the legal battles in the courts and in the prisons. This book is NOT for readers who are interested principally in the tabloid details of murders, rapes and mayhem. It is educational rather than entertaining, interesting in an intellectually stimulating way.

While the prisoners and their crimes are well described, the main thrust of the book is to give the reader a good understanding of the incredibly complex legal, ethical and moral issues surrounding the death penalty. Why are so many people condemned to death row while so few are actually executed? Why does it take so long for a criminal to get to the death chamber? Why does it cost between 3 and 6 times as much to execute a criminal as it would to feed, clothe and imprison him for his natural life? The author is genuinely interested in presenting both sides of the issue, although I cannot help but feel that his sympathies lie with the anti-death penalty camp. This, however may be a consequence of the nightmarish legal complexities, uncertainties and inequities that are a natural consequence of an issue that judges wish would go away, and the public wants to embrace.

This well written, readable book, is an excellent resource on the modern evolution (since reinstitution in 1974) of the death penalty in general, with special application to it's practice in the State of Florida. I would highly recommend "Among the Lowest of the Dead" to anyone who wants to challange themselves and discover what the death penalty is really about in the United States.

The book is written by a journalist who knows the players on both sides of the issue, but is not one of them. This fact lends the book a degree of unbias that is not often found in books on this subject.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone - it is an excellent way to educate onesself with regard to this life-and-death issue. I would especially recommend it to students, however, as it would be an excellent resource for essays and papers on the topic.

This book is a good read. I found it to be fascinating in that the stories related by the author give the reader a first hand look at how the death penalty system developed and operates in Florida. Von Drehle is a journalist and gives ample space to the individuals who have been key players on both sides of the issue. This book is perfect for those seeking to understand the recent history and the pragmatic realities of our use of the death penalty in the United States.

Abraham J. Bonowitz, Director, Citizens United for Alternatives to the Death Penalty, <abe@cuadp.org> or 800-973-6548

Excellent book for those on either side of the Death Penalty issue. Brings to life the hell of both the victims and the perpetrators. A good background book and starting point for those who are wrestling with their own opinions on crime and punishment. Even though I am a pro-death penalty turned anti, I felt it gave a balanced view of both sides. I went away from this book with a better understanding of the positions on both sides and with more compassion for EVERYONE involved.

Though the author never specifically articulates his beliefs about the death penalty anywhere within this volume, I had the distinct impression that he was actually, in principle, a proponent of the punishment, but had become increasingly frustrated with its practice as he investigated every capital case in Florida during the first few years of the death penalty's reimposition. It is this perspective, along with the excellent writing and the telling details he unearths about each case (details concerning the commission of the crime, the investigation, trial, appeals, execution, and aftermath) that separate this volume from most of the other anti-death penalty materials. Above all else, it is an excellent read.

This book is a very thorough, but not tedious, chronology of Florida death penalty cases in the post-Furman v. Georgia era. I could not put the book down, it interested me and educated me at the same time. I think this book is an essential read for those who want to study the recent politics and procedure of the Florida death penalty.

The author does an excellent job of researching and detailing the exhausting process of trying to save condemned prisoners' lives. But it is troubling to me that he fails to address the question: why do the anti-death penalty proponents spend so much effort trying to subvert what the public resoundingly demands -- execution of its heinous criminals. Perhaps I am being harsh (I can see both sides of the debate), but I wanted to know what causes people to spend long hours defending murderers, when their time could perhaps be spent with helping prevent the causes of the crimes.

This is perhaps one of the best works of non-fiction that I have read in the last ten years. For well over two decades, we have seen the death penalty process play out in the media, but only upon the careful, close and precise examinination of the author is the real story told. Beautifully written and painstakingly researched, Von Drehle proves that when it comes to the ultimate criminal penalty, there are no easy answers; indeed, there are no easy questions. This compelling and brilliant account is one of those very rare books on this subject that is impossible to put down. Along the way, Von Drehle drops a bombshell or two, all the while providing unvarnished and unsentimental accounts of crimes and criminals; judges and juries; victims and families; wardens and chaplains; politicians and lawyers. It's a shame that this book is currently out of print, especially when one considers the roily debate that surrounds the death penalty today.

This book is a very readable survey of the last 30 years or so of capital punishment law in the U.S., although the focus on case precedents, constitutional issues and the appeals process probably make it most of interest to attorneys and others who know something about the justice system. It relates the stories of numerous attorneys, defendants, and activists involved in cases, and is told primarily from the point of view of the defense, although occasionally you hear the voice of a prosecutor. If you know anything about the anti-death-penalty movement in the USA you will recognize many of the key characters and cases, and the book will give you a good timeline and background. If you are interested in learning more about this area or are still figuring out where you stand on the death penalty, this book will provide good food for thought.

The book is not for the squeamish, since the details of some of the crimes leading to Death Row are pretty horrific, and may make some readers wonder how anyone could stand to defend a person. The fact that at least some of the anti-death-penalty advocates and activists are cast in a bit of a heroic light contrasts with the fact that many of their Death Row clients are without a doubt guilty of very bad acts. Nevertheless, the author does get the point across through many, many examples that capital punishment is an unwieldy process, unevenly applied. I was on the fence about the death penalty when I first read this book but after I read it, I was convinced that the death penalty as applied in the US today is irretrivably broken due to the disparity in sentencing and the very real possibility that some innocent persons end up getting executed.

The book subtly hints at some of the "class" distinctions between the lawyers on either side. For example, one of the anti-death-penalty counsels went to a very fine school and was also one of Bill Clinton's defense attorneys, while the prosecutor on the other side is someone without such advantages who feels that he has had to fight for everything he got in life. If you know anything about the legal system, you know what the book doesn't explicitly state, namely that losing a major death penalty case can adversely affect the career of a prosecutor or other state or local official, while it may or may not have an effect on the defense counsel depending on where he practices and the public's perception of the convicted person (i.e. guilty, innocent, or having some mitigating circumstances). But these points are not hammered home in the book; you just have to know or understand them as you read the human-interest stories within.

The author has written a very informative and easy to read and understand book about the death penatly. Beginning with a specific execution in 1979, the first since the death penatly was reinstated, the author pans out and discusses other aspects of the death penalty system and the players that are involved in the killing process as well as those trying to prevent it. I read it in a day, so it had to be good!