Animal Factory [Paperback]

Eddie Bunker (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 2002

Now a film directed by indie film star Steve Buscemi, THE ANIMAL FACTORY tells the story of Ronald Decker, who is put away in San Quentin on a minor drug dealing charge, where he is befriended by Earl Copen, member of the White Brotherhood, just one of the many race gangs that abound within prison walls. Bunker writes of the sordid, violent and lawless prison life with a great literary quality and the knowledge gained by spending over 25 years in prison. 'A gripping and harrowing read' - Daily Mail 'A classic' - Time Out

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Integrity, craftsmanship and moral passion...an artist with a unique and compelling voice" - William Styron "The best first person crime novel I have ever read" - Quentin Tarantino "Quite simply, one of the great crime novels of the past 30 years" - James Ellroy "A stone classic" - Time Out "A gripping and harrowing read" - Daily Mail

About the Author

Edward Bunker, Mr Blue in the film, Reservoir Dogs, is the author of four other books, No Beast so Fierce, Little Boy Blue, Dog Eat Dog and his autobiography Mr Blue, all published by No Exit. He is co-screenwriter of the Oscar nominated movie, The Runaway Train and has appeared in over 30 feature films including Straight Time with Dustin Hoffman, the film of his book No Beast So Fierce. At present he is working on his new novel, Soledad Brothers. He lives in L.A.

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: No Exit Press (November 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1842430815
• ISBN-13: 978-1842430811
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,995,877 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Powerful manifesto against the prison industrial complex, November 14, 2000

By 

David P Jaudon (Ballston Spa, NY United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Animal Factory: A Novel (Paperback)

Edward Bunker's "The Animal Factory" is not just a great novel about prison life, but a powerful critique of America's penal system. While the book is over 20 years old, it is more timely than ever, with the United States now holding more people in prison than any other country on the planet, both in terms of percentage of population and total numbers.

"Factory" chronicles how an intelligent, thoughtful, non-violent drug offender becomes a cold-blooded killer in little over a year. The San Quentin of Bunker's novel is an arena where anyone can die at any time, many times just hours before being released/paroled. It is a world where any slight to your character must be responded to with force (and oftentimes murder), or you are seen as weak and instant prey for prison rapists. Bunker's novel demonstrates that U.S. prisons are "factories" for super-predators, turning out far more dangerous criminals than those who enter.

While many of the book's arguments are not neccessarily original or ground-breaking, "Factory" condenses these themes brilliantly in a lean and intensely written narrative that grabs you by the throat and doesn't let go.

"Factory" should be required reading by just about everyone, but especially those people who believe that the solution to crime is to pass more laws and build more prisons.

Also highly recommended: "You Are Going to Prison" by Jim Hogshire; "The Hot House" by Pete Earley.

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A prison classic., January 22, 2000

By 

kuroneko1 "kuroneko1" (Istanbul Turkey) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Animal Factory (Hardcover)

An extremely realistic book about the life in San Quentin prison written by an ex prisoner who transfers his first hand experiences to the reader. Characters,prison environment and incidents are very well crafted and shaped. This book is strong enough to put the fear of God into even literally the most hardened reader.You will not even think of emptying your car's ashtray to the streets after reading this.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars The Animal Factory..., November 17, 2001

By 

Luis Paredes, Jr. (United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Animal Factory: A Novel (Paperback)

The Animal Factory is a great intro book for those who aren't familiar with the rest of Edward Bunker's stabs at fiction.

Though it drags on in places it is great narrative (though not the best) about life in jail. Edward Furlong starred in a film version directed by Steve Buscemi (Mr. Pink in Reservoir Dogs) that does the book justice. So if your still unsure about reading this book, at least check out the movie. Mickey Rourke does a great job as a transvestite con.

FYI: Edward Bunker has a small part in Reservoir Dogs, I think he was Mr. Black.