Escape from Alcatraz: The True Crime Classic

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Surrounded by the most notorious, dangerous and unpredictable inmates, you will quickly learn that the only means of escape will be from solving hidden puzzles using the code wheel left behind by the renowned criminal mastermind Robert Stroud – the famous Birdman of Alcatraz.

By the time the book was published in 1963, the infamous maximum-security federal prison was no longer in operation, closing just two months before the book hit shelves. As a whole the book was not as good as I though it was going to be and I probably say that as the whole entire book is not purely about the famous Frank Morris and Anglin Brothers escape. This gripping true crime classic, originally written in 1963 and newly reissued, tells the story of life on The Rock and of 14 ingenious escape attempts by the prisoners.

Few characters are given enough time to be memorable, especially as readers are probably concentrating more on clues than character names. I didn't know too much about Alcatraz before reading this book, only that some men had tried to escape and the prison closed shortly thereafter. I've always loved Alcatraz - I find it holds such incredible history so just hearing stories about how the inmates lived and the different escape attempts was incredibly interesting.

I have been looking for books on the escape from Alcatraz and there are several out there, including this one. At the end, however, the reader is suddenly asked to remember certain details with no indication as to how long ago these were or the best way to check back to find them. Archer contemplates suicide; he is allowed out and followed by 100 reporters on the day of his mother's funeral; he's moved to the Lifer's wing because of the security; and he becomes a trusted confidant for fellow convicts. More than a tale of prison break, Escape from Alcatraz is a scathing indictment of a penal system that strives for dehumanization, rather than rehabilitation, of its prisoners.Photographs that help the reader visualize parts of the prison and parts of the plan are also included. The possibly successful escape of inmates Frank Morris and Clarence and John Anglin, so vividly recreated by the author, was a sensational story in the media and cast serious doubts on the effectiveness of Alcatraz’s security.