“Alcatraz” by Michael Esslinger is meticulously researched and well written, this title definitely meets the criteria of “a definitive history.” Before it became the Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary in 1934, a place without hope for more than 1,500 inmates for 29 years, it was originally a lighthouse before becoming a military fortification and prison. The author address the mystery and mythology surrounding “The Rock.”
Alcatraz was used as a maximum security prison to house some of the most notorious criminals of the era, “Scareface” Al Capone, Machine Gun Kelly, Doc Barker, serial bank robber Roy Gardner and Floyd Hamilton were among first public enemies to be transferred to Alcatraz. Esslinger outlines the daily routines and procedures the inmates endured, and the consequences for not following the rules at Alcatraz.
Among the many interesting facts covered in the book, there were 5 recorded suicides on Alcatraz, 8 inmates were murdered, and 15 died of natural causes while incarcerated. Capone tried to arrange to have special privileges as he had enjoyed at the Atlanta Penitentiary, but was denied. Thanks to Hollywood, many have the wrong perceptions of Henri Young and “The Birdman of Alcatraz” Robert Stroud, but Esslinger separates the facts from fiction.
Esslinger examines the 14 documented escape attempts, including the often debated escape by Frank Morrison and The Anglin brothers on June 11, 1962. The first escape attempt in April 1936 has been depicted by sources as a suicide, and with each escape attempt, the author offers a fair portrayal based on reports and eye witness accounts. In the second attempt, two inmates disappeared and were never seen or heard from again. Could they have made it to safety?
Other interesting escape attempts featured Joseph Cretzer of the prolific Cretzer-Kyle Gang, a group of thieves that successfully robbed an astonishing 80 bankers. Cretzer became the 4th most sought after fugitive by the FBI. Cretzer would ultimately die in the bloody “Battle of Alcatraz” in 1946. Another member of Cretzer’s gang, Fred Hunter, also attempted to escape in 1943, along with Floyd Hamilton from Bonnie and Clyde’s Barrow Gang.
This book makes a great companion to Esslingler’s “Escaping Alcatraz,” which reveals the latest evidence uncovered in the famed 1962 escape from Alcatraz. “Alcatraz” and “Escaping Alcatraz” contain many must see photographs and illustrations, so I recommend both audiobooks, and physical books.
By: Michael Esslinger
Narrated by: Eric Medler
Length: 14 hrs and 18 mins
Release date: 01-05-15
