Skip to main content
PBS logo
 
 

Book Review of The Autobiography of an Execution

The Autobiography of an Execution
reviewed on + 63 more book reviews


This book is one man's story of his law practice, which is solely representing death row inmates and attempting to get them a get off of death-row free card.

The same personality traits that somehow allow him to day-in and day-out live with deadlines that literaly are life and death related, seem to spill out into his dailty life with not so likeable a personality. He spends much of the book discussing his wife, son and dog in ways that made me wonder how those three can put up with him on a daily basis.

Citing many actual death penalty clients, but hiding the details behind made up names, dates, states, etc, was annoying because there is no way to validate what he was saying.

On the other hand, the reader did get a glimpse into the penal system, how the daily life of a death row inmate can become unbearable, and how sometimes, innocent men can be executed while guilty ones go free. There isn't anything new here, but reading it from the prespective of a man who ONLY practices law trying to get execution dates extended or permanently withdrawn was interestering.

I am glad I read the book, but glad I borrowed it from the library.