Among the Lowest of the Dead: The Culture of Capital Punishment

This is perhaps one of the best works of non-fiction that I have read in the last ten years. For well over two decades, we have seen the death penalty process play out in the media, but only upon the careful, close and precise examinination of the author is the real story told. Beautifully written and painstakingly researched, Von Drehle proves that when it comes to the ultimate criminal penalty, there are no easy answers; indeed, there are no easy questions. This compelling and brilliant account is one of those very rare books on this subject that is impossible to put down. Along the way, Von Drehle drops a bombshell or two, all the while providing unvarnished and unsentimental accounts of crimes and criminals; judges and juries; victims and families; wardens and chaplains; politicians and lawyers. It's a shame that this book is currently out of print, especially when one considers the roily debate that surrounds the death penalty today.

This book is a very thorough, but not tedious, chronology of Florida death penalty cases in the post-Furman v. Georgia era. I could not put the book down, it interested me and educated me at the same time. I think this book is an essential read for those who want to study the recent politics and procedure of the Florida death penalty.

This well written, readable book, is an excellent resource on the modern evolution (since reinstitution in 1974) of the death penalty in general, with special application to it's practice in the State of Florida. I would highly recommend "Among the Lowest of the Dead" to anyone who wants to challange themselves and discover what the death penalty is really about in the United States.The book is written by a journalist who knows the players on both sides of the issue, but is not one of them. This fact lends the book a degree of unbias that is not often found in books on this subject.I would highly recommend this book to anyone - it is an excellent way to educate onesself with regard to this life-and-death issue. I would especially recommend it to students, however, as it would be an excellent resource for essays and papers on the topic.

Excellent book for those on either side of the Death Penalty issue. Brings to life the hell of both the victims and the perpetrators. A good background book and starting point for those who are wrestling with their own opinions on crime and punishment. Even though I am a pro-death penalty turned anti, I felt it gave a balanced view of both sides. I went away from this book with a better understanding of the positions on both sides and with more compassion for EVERYONE involved.

Among the Lowest of the Dead is a book for readers who want to understand the Byzantine legal history of the modern incarnation of the death penalty. It traces the inner workings of the Florida legal system from the brief abolition of the death penalty by the Supreme Court in the 1972 landmark case, Furman v. Georgia, through its reestablishment in 1976, until the early 1990s. Its heroes are the lawyers and lay advocates on both sides of the issue who fight the legal battles in the courts and in the prisons. This book is NOT for readers who are interested principally in the tabloid details of murders, rapes and mayhem. It is educational rather than entertaining, interesting in an intellectually stimulating way. While the prisoners and their crimes are well described, the main thrust of the book is to give the reader a good understanding of the incredibly complex legal, ethical and moral issues surrounding the death penalty. Why are so many people condemned to death row while so few are actually executed? Why does it take so long for a criminal to get to the death chamber? Why does it cost between 3 and 6 times as much to execute a criminal as it would to feed, clothe and imprison him for his natural life? The author is genuinely interested in presenting both sides of the issue, although I cannot help but feel that his sympathies lie with the anti-death penalty camp. This, however may be a consequence of the nightmarish legal complexities, uncertainties and inequities that are a natural consequence of an issue that judges wish would go away, and the public wants to embrace.