I've read very few books in the genre of true crime but these were perhaps the most famous in the field: In Cold Blood by Truman Capote and The Executioner's Song by Norman Mailer. I knew from this experience that the cover illustration of Surviving Execution would keep drawing me back to look into Richard Glossip's eyes trying to detect the truth of his story. And there are several more photos in the text.
Ian Woods is an English journalist who decided to investigate the whole concept of capital punishment in the US as well as the justice of this one case. He describes in detail the death row experiences of Richaard Glossip and how he became involved and met the prisoner. His acount examines the variations between different states, the difficulties death penalty states have found in administering the sentence, the fairness of juries and the quality of legal advice.
I did hope to find out more about Glossip's early life and interviews with the members of his family Woods met but there was plenty of interest in the stories of those who became supporters in later years. Perhaps Glossip's background is of little relevance anyway because the astounding fact is that no one has ever accused him of violence or killing. The execution of a man on the evidence of the admitted killer (who will escape the death penalty) is one of many facts that non-Americans find hard to grasp.
This book is inconclusive in the sense that at the time of publication Glossip remains on death row and in the sense that he has withdrawn his contact with the author. This is fitting in that we should not expect moral questions to be tidied up for us - we must consider as individuals and be certain of our own values. This book certainly takes us to the brink of personal determination.
Ian Woods is an English journalist who decided to investigate the whole concept of capital punishment in the US as well as the justice of this one case. He describes in detail the death row experiences of Richaard Glossip and how he became involved and met the prisoner. His acount examines the variations between different states, the difficulties death penalty states have found in administering the sentence, the fairness of juries and the quality of legal advice.
I did hope to find out more about Glossip's early life and interviews with the members of his family Woods met but there was plenty of interest in the stories of those who became supporters in later years. Perhaps Glossip's background is of little relevance anyway because the astounding fact is that no one has ever accused him of violence or killing. The execution of a man on the evidence of the admitted killer (who will escape the death penalty) is one of many facts that non-Americans find hard to grasp.
This book is inconclusive in the sense that at the time of publication Glossip remains on death row and in the sense that he has withdrawn his contact with the author. This is fitting in that we should not expect moral questions to be tidied up for us - we must consider as individuals and be certain of our own values. This book certainly takes us to the brink of personal determination.