REVIEW
Battle at Alcatraz: A Desperate Attempt to Escape the Rock
Lageson, Ernest B., Jr. (Author)
ISBN:1886039372
Publisher: Addicus Books
Published: 1999-01
Binding/Price/Pages: Paperback, $19.95 (304p)
Subject: Social Science | Penology; Political Science | Political Freedom & Security – Law Enforcement
Reviewed: 1999-04-01
After months of planning, six inmates attempted to escape from the infamous Alcatraz prison in May 1946. Although their plan was thoroughly thought out, it failed because the key needed fro escape from the cell block was missing. Instead, a battle ensued between the inmates and the prison authorities. The author is the son of one of the guards taken hostage that day. When the plan failed, the guards were shot so there would be no witnesses. Miraculously, though, the hostages were only wounded and kept still, pretending to be dead. In the meantime, the inmates fought to the bitter end: three died in battle, and the other three eventually stood trial. Lageson thoroughly researched this tragedy, giving the reader a real feeling of what happened that day. Although he does give the readers an update of the principle characters involved, he fails to follow-up on the aftermath of the incident. However, libraries with a interest in prison history will probably want this for their collections
—Michael Sawyer,
Library Journal
