Last Words of the Executed
Contents:
The result is a riveting, moving testament from the darkest corners of society. Who knows how we will emerge from the encounter? It makes me want to live, use my energies in soul-sized pursuits like justice, like love.
Death Row Information
One of the psalms says that God collects our tears in a flask—so too does this collection of last words from human beings before they were killed. Most horrifying is the realization that some of those who claimed innocence until the end probably were telling the truth. The last words are remarkable for their remorse, humour, hatred, resignation, fear and bravado.
Some rambled; others were concise. Several blamed the drink; others reasserted innocence, or especially in recent years railed against the death penalty. Some accepted their fate. But read in aggregate, all that pain piles up.
Executed Offenders
Essentially, Elder has amassed a collection of what people say when they know they are going to die, the final product of what could be seen as psychological torture. Law and Legal Studies: You may purchase this title at these fine bookstores. Outside the USA, see our international sales information.
University of Chicago Press: About Contact News Giving to the Press. On War and Writing Samuel Hynes. Playing the Fool Ralph Lerner. Reading the World Mary Franklin-Brown. Mutants and Mystics Jeffrey J. Last Words of the Executed Robert K. Elder With a Foreword by Studs Terkel.
The last words spoken by criminals before execution stand as the final statements from these convicted offenders, having been uttered moments before their deaths. Much like the statements made by famous people in their suicide notes, these are the famous last words before. The Official Website of Last Words of the Executed by Robert K. Elder with a foreword by Studs Terkel. \"This is a dangerous book \" says Sister.
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Who were the "hillbillies" that built a modern industrial Ohio? Learn to Read with Great Speed: Save your time by reading more in less time. Exercise in minute chunks. From Publishers Weekly From colonial era public hangings to the last moments before a lethal injection, Northwestern journalism teacher Elder revisits the final words of the condemned, both famous and forgotten. Often more interesting than the final thoughts of some of these men and women are the short descriptions Elder provides of their backgrounds and the crimes they committed.
Whatever side in the argument one habitually takes, this book is recommended reading, so that in addition to learning how we put people to death, one can also test the firmness of one's convictions. Elder has created an extraordinary book. Because this is not a political book, but a human journey. You may find your beliefs challenged, changed, or reaffirmed, but you will not come away unaffected. Instead, the book tells a harrowing and bewildering tale of aggression and redemption, pride and humility, strength and weakness.
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Who knows how we will emerge from the encounter? I highly recommend it. Instead, the book tells a harrowing and bewildering tale of aggression and redemption, pride and humility, strength and weakness. Twitter Facebook Youtube Tumblr. Last Words of the Executed author Robert K. For more information, or to order this book, please visit https:
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Please try again later. Kindle Edition Verified Purchase. This is good but not as good as expected. First of all, it would have been better had the crime been described first, then the last words. This is kinda backwards and therefore hard to follow at times. But, a time passer for the doctor's office, etc. One person found this helpful 2 people found this helpful. This is a book I'll be reading in small doses - easy to do with the format. The author doesn't go into detail of the crimes, but the last few sometimes many words of the executed are haunting.
I highly recommend it. As a fan of true crime books, this is along that genre. Its an interesting look into the final moments of a person life as they have one more chance to communicate with this world. I'm not exactly sure what I was expecting with this book, but I suppose I hoped for more insightful last words. This isn't the author's fault, Elder does a fine job compiling the last words and describing the crime of each person. He also provides a very brief background of each major method of execution.
While it is interesting to see the effect that incarceration and impending execution have had on their psyche, the Last Words themselves are often void of any impact. Some of the convicted use their last opportunity to speak against the death penalty but most simply apologize.
Within this collection I would say there about 10 - 15 worthwhile entries. I was hoping for the spill your beans kind of book, it seems the book took the cleanest saying. There has to be some real sayings somewhere. I sold it back to amazon and took a loss.
- bahana-line.com: Last Words of the Executed (): Robert K. Elder, Studs Terkel: Books.
- Editorial Reviews.
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This book was different in the fact that it is what you pay for. Final words of people who die. One person found this helpful. This book is really interesting if you think about life and relationships and people and how life plays out. What they did wrong, perhaps a little of their life story, perhaps unusual info about their execution The entry on a person may be less than half a page to perhaps two pages. These are the unique stories of individual people facing their final milestone and their final words - often well-considered words.
Crimes committed include murder, treason, robbery, larceny - and even merely refusing to accept banishment in a struggle for religious freedom due to personally held religious beliefs. The last words may be spoken or a letter written someone, or sometimes more than one letter. Check out a few of the entries themselves on the book's website same name as the book and you can determine from that whether this book is for you. Or even better, since the fonts used are distracting on the book website at least to me , check out a more-reader-friendly version an excerpts of actual entries on the publisher's website.
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A valuable cutural and historical record. Last Words are fascinating and Last Words of those about to executed are often the most fascinating. Elder has compiled what is the best compilation and portrait of Last Words of executed persons published to date. It is not only of excellent historic and cultural value -- it is a very interesting read.