A01=Robert K. Elder
america
american
Author_Robert K. Elder
capital
Category=DNXC
Category=NHTD
cell
crime
criminal
death
dying
electric chair
end of life
eq_bestseller
eq_biography-true-stories
eq_history
eq_isMigrated=1
eq_isMigrated=2
eq_nobargain
eq_non-fiction
famous
firing squad
forgiveness
gas chamber
historical
history
inmate
innocence
joe hill
john brownnathan hale
journalism
journalist
justice
killers
lethal injection
obscure
prison
punishment
punitive
recording
records
research
row
sentence
serial
ted bundy
well known
Product details
- ISBN 9780226202686
- Weight: 539g
- Dimensions: 15 x 22mm
- Publication Date: 30 May 2010
- Publisher: The University of Chicago Press
- Publication City/Country: US
- Product Form: Hardback
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Some beg for forgiveness. Others claim innocence. At least three cheer for their favorite football teams. Death waits for us all, but only those sentenced to death know the day and the hour-and only they can be sure that their last words will be recorded for posterity. "Last Words of the Executed" presents an oral history of American capital punishment, as heard from the gallows, the chair, and the gurney. The product of seven years of extensive research by journalist Robert K. Elder, the book explores the cultural value of these final statements and asks what we can learn from them. We hear from both the famous-such as Nathan Hale, Joe Hill, Ted Bundy, and John Brown-and the forgotten, and their words give us unprecedented glimpses into their lives, their crimes, and the world they inhabited. Organized by era and method of execution, these final statements range from heartfelt to horrific. Some are calls for peace or cries against injustice; others are accepting, confessional, or consoling; still others are venomous, rage-fueled diatribes.
Even the chills evoked by some of these last words are brought on in part by the shared humanity we can't ignore, their reminder that we all come to the same end, regardless of how we arrive there. "Last Words of the Executed" is not a political book. Rather, Elder simply asks readers to listen closely to these voices that echo history. The result is a riveting, moving testament from the darkest corners of society.
Robert K. Elder has written for the New York Times, Chicago Tribune, Salon, and many other publications. He teaches journalism at Northwestern University and is the author or editor of several books.
