Eyewitness on Alcatraz, Life on The Rock as told by the Guards, Families & Prisoners. [Paperback]

Jolene Babyak (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1988

Anecdotal history of people who lived, worked and were prisoners on Alcatraz, including the author, who lived there twice as a child. Included many photographs, source notes and index. Has sold more than 100,00 copies.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

As a child of seven, Babyak went to live on "The Rock" in the 1950s. Her father, Arthur Dollison, was office manager of the prison's industries and later associate warden. Through interviews with former employees and their families, Babyak compiles a series of inside reminiscences that excludes readers. Dull and gray, like imagined prison walls, the prose is replete with restrictions ("Women and children were forbidden on the shoreline during daylight hours while prisoners were out of their cells. Families were not permitted dogs or cats") and with ordinary events like fishing (when the water on the west side of the island teemed with bass and "you could not get your line back without a fish on it"). Perhaps Babyak describes the crux of her book's problem when she admits, "Seemingly ordinary concerns took on exaggerated meaning on an island prison," or when she explains that "because our fathers felt that few outsiders understood their problems, prison people often remained insulated. Vacations in our household tended to include tours to other prisons . . . " She provides sparse, dry reports on escapes and attempted escapes, hints vaguely at complex prisoner-guard relationships and repeatedly fails to delve into potentially fascinating material. Photos.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"Others have attempted the history of the prison; few offer the diversity of interviews and personal approach." -- Bookwatch, 1988

"What is remarkable is the way in which many of the pictures convey a sense of a normal, orderly, domestic life..." -- Berkeley Voice

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 127 pages
• Publisher: Ariel Vamp Pr; First Edition edition (July 1988)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0961875208
• ISBN-13: 978-0961875206
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 8.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #277,382 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars not worth reading, February 9, 2003

By 

Luke McCoy "papafish" (Northwood, NH United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Eyewitness on Alcatraz, Life on The Rock as told by the Guards, Families & Prisoners. (Paperback)

AS A PERSON WHO HAS READ MOST BOOKS ON ALCATRAZ, I WANTED TO ADD THIS ONE TO MY COLLECTION, TO PICK UP ANY INSIGHTS THAT THE OTHERS MISSED...WELL, KEEP YOUR MONEY...JOLENE, NEVER MAKES A CASE FOR ANYTHING NEW, DESCRIBES MOSTLY SECOND HAND KNOWLEDGE, AND READILY ADMITS, THAT THE ONLY THING SHE REALLY REMEMBERS IS PLAYING ON THE CEMENT COURT YARD AS A LITTLE GIRL!!

THERE ARE BETTER BOOKS THERE...MOVE ON...

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars great book, December 20, 2000

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Eyewitness on Alcatraz, Life on The Rock as told by the Guards, Families & Prisoners. (Paperback)

It was a great book featuring lots of imformation about the rock. It got me very interested in Alcatraz history. I hope you will enjoy this book as much as I did. Jolene Babyak is a great auther and has first hand experiance on this island we call The Rock.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating Memoir!, March 18, 2003

By 

Igon Wonderin (Denver, CO) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Eyewitness on Alcatraz, Life on The Rock as told by the Guards, Families & Prisoners. (Paperback)

I found this book to be a fascinating memoir of an aspect of the island that not many people stop to consider. Ms Babyak demonstrates both a superior knowledge of Alcatraz history, as well as a unique viewpoint of an island resident that is neither guard nor inmate.