Education of a Felon: A Memoir [Paperback]

Edward Bunker (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 18, 2001

In Education of a Felon, the reigning champion of prison novelists finally tells his own story. The son of an alcoholic stagehand father and a Busby Berkeley chorus girl, Bunker was--at seventeen--the youngest inmate ever in San Quentin. His hard-won experiences on L.A.'s meanest streets and in and out of prison gave him the material to write some of the grittiest and most affecting novels of our time.
From smoking a joint in the gas chamber to leaving fingerprints on a knife connected to a serial kiler, from Hollywood's steamy undersde to swimming in the Neptune pool at San Simeon, Bunker delivers a memoir as colorful as any of his novels and as compelling as the life he's lead.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In this picaresque, harrowing, humorous yet deeply sad excursion through his dark-starred youth, Bunker (No Beast So Fierce, etc.)--arguably the most renowned convict writer in America--serves as both participant in and witness to the mid-century carnival of L.A. crime immortalized by James Ellroy. The bright, mischievous product of a Depression-era broken home, Bunker was raised in a worsening succession of institutions. In this account, he initially explores how the violence he experienced in these places directed him toward criminality, culminating in a stretch in San Quentin at age 17. These experiences instilled in Bunker the Convict Code, which boils down to: Don't ever snitch, and respond to all threats with uncompromised ferocity. This ferocity made him notorious among his jailers and peers. Bunker details experiences among pimps, prostitutes, gamblers, thieves and L.A.'s nascent gang and drug culture, plus flirtations with affluent society, in the person of a benefactor, Louise Wallis, a producer's wife for whom he worked as a chauffeur and who nurtured his literary dreams. He captures the kaleidoscope of postwar California's underworld with a disturbing seductiveness reminiscent of Ellroy. Bunker ultimately returned to prison for two long periods due to relatively minor infractions; he describes the dangers of California prisons, greatly worsened in the 1960s by racial polarization. Though out of prison now for 25 years, Bunker remembers the experience well: these chapters, as in his novels, present a uniquely searing portrait of life behind bars. Although the memoir ends abruptly with the 1974 acceptance for publication by W.W. Norton of one of Bunker's novels, it remains a thought-provoking and richly re-created tale of a career criminal. (Mar.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Having served a total of 18 years in prison, Bunker has made a career out of being an ex-felon in the decades since his release. His four works of fiction (No Beast Too Fierce, Animal Factory, Little Boy Blue, and Dog Eat Dog) describe adolescents in trouble with the law--as he was. This memoir, his first nonfiction book, has stories similar to those in the other volumes, but this time the stories are apparently true. Bunker is sufficiently like the juvenile offenders of today to make his self-revelations hit home. The legal system that he describes, however, goes back several decades. Readers who are interested in how things used to be will find substance here; those who are looking for insights into today's correctional facilities may be misled. Bunker writes well, and his hard-boiled episodes can hold the readers' attention. Devotees will probably like this new volume; others may want to pass.
-Frances O. Sandiford, Green Haven Correction Facility Lib., Stormville, NY
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin; 1st edition (August 18, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312280769
• ISBN-13: 978-0312280765
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (36 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #447,368 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Well done, but not his best work, July 18, 2000

By 

D. Ross "http://directorblue.blogspot.com" (USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Education of a Felon: A Memoir (Hardcover)

I'm a huge fan of Bunker's fictional work. _Dog Eat Dog_ is among the the most powerful works of fiction (irrespective of genre) I've ever read.

_Felon_ is relatively comprehensive, describing Bunker's troubled youth and adulthood in a series of increasingly tough institutions; it details his experiences as a student, parolee, fugitive, prisoner and author.

I had two minor bones to pick: in this day and age, a Father effectively abandoning his child to the arms of an institution seems nearly incomprehensible. Perhaps I didn't understand the true motivation, but wished there had been a more suitable explanation for his father's willingness to pawn off his increasingly troubled child to any home that would have him.

I also wished that the book had covered more of Bunker's life in the last twenty-odd years. There was no explanation of Bunker encountering Tarantino or similar events that would seem to be interesting and unique. The book effectively ends with Bunker still in prison, being notified that one of his novels has been accepted by Norton for publication.

Nonetheless, I devoured the entire book in a rush and would recommend it highly. It is a worthwhile description of a complex (if atypical) life.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good, but troubling, September 30, 2003

By 

kevnm "kevnm" (Costa Mesa, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Education of a Felon: A Memoir (Hardcover)

Bunker's definitely a felon, a bad person who has hurt others
throughout his life. But he can write, and he opens a window to a ruthless underground jungle few of us ever see. I sure wouldn't want him as a friend (few have escaped that role unscathed) but the books are compelling. Somewhat reminiscent of Bukowski's self-justifying assault on convention: highly entertaining if taken in the right spirit.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Intelligent, July 3, 2003

By 

B. Mckee "beemac" (Alma, AR United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Education of a Felon: A Memoir (Paperback)

I was impressed by Mr. Bunker's writing skill. Apparently he is the only living author who knows the difference between "trusty" and "trustee".

Some of the writing is self-serving, which is to be expected, but the story as a whole is interesting, intelligent, and informational. I personally resented Mr. Bunker's constant insistence that he was a criminal because the "system" had made him one. He was a criminal because he failed to control his impulses--unless it was in his interest to do so. Even if his upbringing did not include such lessons, his experiences should have taught him that certain actions have certain consequences and it would be a good idea not to keep repeating them.

This was my first in-depth look into a life of crime that I thought was believable. All in all, Mr. Bunker is to be commended for giving readers the opportunity to see inside jails, prisons, reformatories, etc. and the people who inhabit them.