The Last Face You'll Ever See: The Culture of Death Row [Paperback]

Ivan Solotaroff (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 26, 2002

In fascinating detail, Ivan Solotaroff introduces us to the men who carry out executions. Although the emphasis is on the personal lives of these men and of those they have to put to death, The Last Face You'll Ever See also addresses some of the deeper issues of the death penalty and connects the veiled, elusive figure of the executioner to the vast majority of Americans who, since 1977, have claimed to support executions. Why do we do it? Or, more exactly, why do we want to?

The Last Face You'll Ever See is not about the polarizing issues of the death penalty -- it is a firsthand report about the culture of executions: the executioners, the death-row inmates, and everyone involved in the act. An engrossing, unsettling, and provocative book, this work will forever affect anyone who reads it.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Chilling.” (Globe Magazine )

“Profound...” (New York Times Book Review )

About the Author

Ivan Solotaroff is a journalist who has been published in Esquire, the Village Voice, and Philadelphia Magazine, among other leading magazines. He is the author of a collection of essays, No Success Like Failure. He lives in Doylestown, Pennsylvania.

Product Details

• Paperback: 232 pages
• Publisher: Harper Perennial (November 26, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060931035
• ISBN-13: 978-0060931032
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,780,034 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not The Last Book You Should Read on the Subject, February 7, 2004

By 

JMack (Chicago) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Last Face You'll Ever See: The Culture of Death Row (Paperback)

Solotaroff's original idea for this book was a good idea in theory. The book is focused on stories from Mississippi's death row, but the stories don't go anywhere. It was about as interesting as reading the phone.

The book follows the life of a particular executioner and those who work around him. The one redeeming quality of the book is detail given to the infamous execution of James Lee Gray. A few humorous points in the book were also worth reading such as the practical jokes on inmates and testing the gas chamber out on a turtle. These exceptions, the book is dull and depressing. The author spends an exceptionally long time discussing details which which are unncessary. Musing about the commute to work, what was for dinner, and other miscellaneous ramblings take away from the book. The writing also seems to focus more on the structure of the gas chamber than how it was used. While the book does give insight as to the deteriorated condition the lives of executioners often go into, the structure of the book leaves much to be desired. Solotaroff should have broadened his focus to include other executioners with varying and interesting stories.

I would discourage people from buying this book. This view of a life working on death row is very limited and certainly would have been a better read with storyline that focuses less on one man's experience in Mississippi.

4.0 out of 5 stars Flawed But Engaging, May 22, 2011

By 

The Comtesse DeSpair (http://asylumeclectica.com) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Last Face You'll Ever See: The Culture of Death Row (Paperback)

Very interesting book about the modern death penalty in America - mostly discussing its history from the 1976 lift of the Supreme Court ban on executions through the 80's when the criminally dull lethal injection method gradually replaced the far more morbidly interesting gas chamber and electric chair. It goes into graphic detail on some of the most infamous bungled gas and electricity executions of the era and gives insight into why some of the men who carried out the executions later became staunch anti-death penalty activists. The book gets a bit dull about half-way through when it starts to focus on the life story of an unpleasant man named Donald Hocutt who was the Mississippi executioner for several years. (That's his ugly mug on the cover.) Honestly, I could not possibly care less about the guy or his practical joking daredevil macho past. However, when the book isn't indulging in Hocutt's meager accomplishments, it's an excellent morbid read.

5.0 out of 5 stars enlightening reading., November 1, 2008

By 

B. perks (warley, west midlands United Kingdom) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Last Face You'll Ever See: The Culture of Death Row (Paperback)

Having seen a tv programme about the American capital punishment system during which The author of this book was being interviewed, I thought I'd like to read his work. This book is very interesting and shocking in some ways. very good information, makes you stop and think from the executioners point of view, and also how deserving some prisoners are to be executed, while others perhaps not. Good informative reading, though not for the faint hearted.