Life Plus Ninety-nine Years. [Hardcover]

Nathan F. Leopold (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 381 pages
• Publisher: Praeger; 1 edition (January 14, 1974)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0837172071
• ISBN-13: 978-0837172071
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,881,561 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Important Work For Anyone Interested in Crime & Punishment, June 11, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Life Plus Ninety-nine Years. (Hardcover)

This is a memoir of life in prison by an articulate old man who committed a horrible senseless crime as a teenager. The notorious murder of an innocent boy naturally shocked the nation then - - as the Columbine shootings shock us today. What makes this book interesting is that it is not an effort to excuse a crime, but an effort at describing prison life. In this case prison life was nearly an entire life. I think it is a shame that it is out of print. Particularly, since the topic of how to punish, rehabilitate or retrain yourthful offenders seems a fresh topic. There are not many other books that give as frank an assessment of what happens after the trial. I think it worth reading.

19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A VERY VERY important book., October 30, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Life Plus Ninety-nine Years. (Hardcover)

I've always been facinated by the "criminal mind," but mostly from the point of view of how it differs from "healthy," and most importantly why, and can it change? Nathan Leopold tells the reader about himself with an honesty so apparent that his integrity is not questionable. I gained incredible insight also into what life is like in a prison- the surprising "moral" structure that evolves, etc. Although appauled by the crime, I am touched every time I think about this book, because it is the story of an honest human conversion which must be truely as rare as gold when involving a situation like this. A must read.

23 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Propaganda - A self serving attempt to (re)write history, June 3, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Life Plus Ninety-nine Years. (Hardcover)

Leopold uses the book as a tool to push off any remaining stigma of his crime on his dead partner and to boast about his "charitable" works in prison - most of which were done to make prison life bearable for himself or to increase his chances of parole more than to help others. He selectively leaves out details of his activities that paint him in a negative light. The book is a must read, however, for anyone who seriously wants to learn about the case, but it should be read alongside a more objective account such as that by Hal Higdon.