Customer Reviews

I Am a Fugitive from a Georgia Chain Gang! (Brown Thrasher Books)

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This autobiographical account of Robert E. Burns' amazing double escape from a Georgia chain gang in the 1920s seems like a made up tale for Indiana Jones or some such movie hero. The events of his escape, his rise from a laborer to one of the most prominent citizens of Chicago as well as his return to the chain gang are incredible. And he escapes again! The second escape is even more amazing than the first, though he never is able to return to his ideal life or love in Chicago. The very good film version made in 1932 doesn't begin to cover the exciting details of the book, but it makes a good companion piece. The new, modern, well researched introduction, fills in the details that the reader will wonder about at the book's conclussion. It is suggested that the introduction material be read last.

The story of Robert Burns is an amazing one. Told in the first person, he recounts his life after service in World War I, being sent to a Georgia chain gang, and escaping successfully twice. Although at times he seems to be playing for your sympathy, it is still nonetheless an excellent true story of a man dealing with harsh conditions and overcoming them. The end of the book doesn't tell what happens to him. In a nutshell, he is caught and sent to Georgia and is before a committee, which brings the man he originally robbed in the store. The man says Burns should not be imprisoned and he should be free. Burns is released and lives the rest of his life as a successful businessman.