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jdubbs8791's review
3.0
Interesting and very readable. It does interrupt the information to take historical rabbit trails that are only loosely related to the subject and seem to have the purpose of padding the book.
hulttio's review
3.0
Publication date: 21 July 2022 by University of Iowa Press
The Plea is a fairly quick read that covers the history of Wesley Elkins, a notorious juvenile murderer from the state of Iowa. I had not heard of this case before reading this book, but the authors write in a simple and clear style and quickly engage the reader in the pitiful story. The blurb may be slightly misleading—this is not really a case of someone falsely accused, nor would I describe it as ‘true crime’, as the crime is dispensed with in the first few chapters of the book and serves only as a foundation for what is to come. Rather, this book is an expose on Elkins’s struggle as a juvenile offender for whom the legal system offered no reprieve, nor understanding of his unfortunate past. Spanning several states and many decades, this book is an expansive work whose authors have definitely poured many hours into the research and transmission thereof.
Wesley Elkins is just 11 years old when he coldly plans to murder his father and stepmother, all while his infant half-sister is sleeping in the same bed (luckily, he lets the infant live). The attitude of many in Clayton County, Iowa was direct: this was a heinous and morally depraved act, and Wesley should be incarcerated and the key thrown out. However, Bryan and Wolf explain the circumstances and efforts behind Wesley and his supporters who successfully seek his pardon and parole as a young adult—not to spoil the book too much, but the reasons are as complex as the case itself.
Are people to be defined by the worst thing they have ever done? Are criminals capable of rehabilitation and true repentance? Even now, these are far from simple questions. Juvenile justice reform has come a long way from Wesley’s time—we have dedicated juvenile courts and laws to ensure that the legal system treats minors (and the adults responsible for them) appropriately. I was fascinated by the legal history—Bryan and Wolf even manage to make a legislative session sound exciting and suspenseful. I would certainly recommend this book to those interested in the social and legal history of young offenders in the early 20th century.
The book also goes into great detail about the prison Wesley was incarcerated at, as well as the characters of various wardens and inmates. There is an almost excessive amount of attention given to Susan Glaspell who write a short story, ‘The Plea’, modeled on Wesley Elkins and aiming to rouse the sympathies of the public towards child offenders; looking at Bryan’s academic interests, it seems that she has done quite a lot of work on Glaspell, so I can see why she tied her work into the narrative.
However, one of the biggest drawbacks of this book is due to the nature of its extensive reliance on archival and written records. Much of the basis of this book, as the authors explain early on, is based on writings from Wesley and other people involved in the case directly. As such, the authors frequently turn to make speculative claims about one or other aspects of Wesley’s life. This is one of the few things that made me wonder if this would have been better off remaining as a short article rather than an entire book; there is just so much of Wesley’s life missing, and thus the authors must include too the narrative of the prison, the legislative processes at work in the background, etc. These were interesting, no doubt, and the context was very helpful for the case. However, it does highlight the difficulty in focusing your narrative on a man whose entire later years you have no record of. Perhaps some authorial reflection on Elkins would have helped to pad out the book—I couldn’t help but wonder why he made certain decisions and what he may have thought about his life. Surely the authors, having done so much research and having walked in his footsteps, have some thoughts on these matters.
I do very much appreciate this book for giving me a new perspective on juvenile criminal justice and prison reform; these are certainly important and relevant for the modern reader. While it was far from a perfect book, the authors’ style was engaging and this was a quick read. I learned a lot about Wesley Elkins, and I am happy to think that, even long after his death, his case may still impact the way we think of juvenile justice. I would hesitate to recommend this book if you’re merely interested in true crime, as it is barely about the crime itself and there is no mystery or otherwise suspenseful element to it; but if you are interested in accessible legal and social history, this may be up your alley.
Disclaimer: Thank you to NetGalley and the University of Iowa Press for providing an advanced reader copy of this book. This review reflects only my honest thoughts.
The Plea is a fairly quick read that covers the history of Wesley Elkins, a notorious juvenile murderer from the state of Iowa. I had not heard of this case before reading this book, but the authors write in a simple and clear style and quickly engage the reader in the pitiful story. The blurb may be slightly misleading—this is not really a case of someone falsely accused, nor would I describe it as ‘true crime’, as the crime is dispensed with in the first few chapters of the book and serves only as a foundation for what is to come. Rather, this book is an expose on Elkins’s struggle as a juvenile offender for whom the legal system offered no reprieve, nor understanding of his unfortunate past. Spanning several states and many decades, this book is an expansive work whose authors have definitely poured many hours into the research and transmission thereof.
Wesley Elkins is just 11 years old when he coldly plans to murder his father and stepmother, all while his infant half-sister is sleeping in the same bed (luckily, he lets the infant live). The attitude of many in Clayton County, Iowa was direct: this was a heinous and morally depraved act, and Wesley should be incarcerated and the key thrown out. However, Bryan and Wolf explain the circumstances and efforts behind Wesley and his supporters who successfully seek his pardon and parole as a young adult—not to spoil the book too much, but the reasons are as complex as the case itself.
Are people to be defined by the worst thing they have ever done? Are criminals capable of rehabilitation and true repentance? Even now, these are far from simple questions. Juvenile justice reform has come a long way from Wesley’s time—we have dedicated juvenile courts and laws to ensure that the legal system treats minors (and the adults responsible for them) appropriately. I was fascinated by the legal history—Bryan and Wolf even manage to make a legislative session sound exciting and suspenseful. I would certainly recommend this book to those interested in the social and legal history of young offenders in the early 20th century.
The book also goes into great detail about the prison Wesley was incarcerated at, as well as the characters of various wardens and inmates. There is an almost excessive amount of attention given to Susan Glaspell who write a short story, ‘The Plea’, modeled on Wesley Elkins and aiming to rouse the sympathies of the public towards child offenders; looking at Bryan’s academic interests, it seems that she has done quite a lot of work on Glaspell, so I can see why she tied her work into the narrative.
However, one of the biggest drawbacks of this book is due to the nature of its extensive reliance on archival and written records. Much of the basis of this book, as the authors explain early on, is based on writings from Wesley and other people involved in the case directly. As such, the authors frequently turn to make speculative claims about one or other aspects of Wesley’s life. This is one of the few things that made me wonder if this would have been better off remaining as a short article rather than an entire book; there is just so much of Wesley’s life missing, and thus the authors must include too the narrative of the prison, the legislative processes at work in the background, etc. These were interesting, no doubt, and the context was very helpful for the case. However, it does highlight the difficulty in focusing your narrative on a man whose entire later years you have no record of. Perhaps some authorial reflection on Elkins would have helped to pad out the book—I couldn’t help but wonder why he made certain decisions and what he may have thought about his life. Surely the authors, having done so much research and having walked in his footsteps, have some thoughts on these matters.
I do very much appreciate this book for giving me a new perspective on juvenile criminal justice and prison reform; these are certainly important and relevant for the modern reader. While it was far from a perfect book, the authors’ style was engaging and this was a quick read. I learned a lot about Wesley Elkins, and I am happy to think that, even long after his death, his case may still impact the way we think of juvenile justice. I would hesitate to recommend this book if you’re merely interested in true crime, as it is barely about the crime itself and there is no mystery or otherwise suspenseful element to it; but if you are interested in accessible legal and social history, this may be up your alley.
Disclaimer: Thank you to NetGalley and the University of Iowa Press for providing an advanced reader copy of this book. This review reflects only my honest thoughts.
kschukar's review
dark
informative
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
roxanamalinachirila's review
4.0
I don't usually read books about true crime, but this one caught my eye - it's not every day that an 11 year-old boy murders someone. I was half-expecting to learn Wesley Elkins hadn't killed his father and stepmother at all, only to discover he did in fact eventually plea guilty and never retracted that plea later on.
The story of the crime itself is pretty straightforward: in the late 19th century, 11 year-old Wesley Elkins was (probably) mistreated at home. One night he shot his father and hit his stepmother with a club until she also died. Initially, enough people in the town believed he was innocent, only for someone to extract a confession from him not too long afterwards, resulting in mostly everyone turning violently against him, including his own lawyer. He was sentenced to spend the rest of his life in jail.
As he grew older, he discovered that he could have gotten a lighter sentence had his age been invoked during the trial and, with the help of outside friends, he began asking for a pardon, even if it proved elusive to obtain.
The strength of the volume lies in the description of the world Wesley lived in: what the justice system looked like; who the people involved in his trial were and what their interests might have been; the lack of differentiation between children and adults, except by the discretion of the judge; the power of a community to damn someone; the prison system and the philosophy behind it; the prison he was actually in, what it was like, and what principles it was founded on.
It's an exploration of society even more than it is a story about a particular person; yet even so, we get to find out as much as we can about Wesley Elkins. Where court papers, newspaper articles and official letters end, Patricia L. Bryan looked into other sources (censuses, company records etc.) to reconstruct his life after regaining his freedom and becoming an upstanding citizen and a great help to his family.
Many thanks to NetGalley and University of Iowa Press for providing me with a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.
The story of the crime itself is pretty straightforward: in the late 19th century, 11 year-old Wesley Elkins was (probably) mistreated at home. One night he shot his father and hit his stepmother with a club until she also died. Initially, enough people in the town believed he was innocent, only for someone to extract a confession from him not too long afterwards, resulting in mostly everyone turning violently against him, including his own lawyer. He was sentenced to spend the rest of his life in jail.
As he grew older, he discovered that he could have gotten a lighter sentence had his age been invoked during the trial and, with the help of outside friends, he began asking for a pardon, even if it proved elusive to obtain.
The strength of the volume lies in the description of the world Wesley lived in: what the justice system looked like; who the people involved in his trial were and what their interests might have been; the lack of differentiation between children and adults, except by the discretion of the judge; the power of a community to damn someone; the prison system and the philosophy behind it; the prison he was actually in, what it was like, and what principles it was founded on.
It's an exploration of society even more than it is a story about a particular person; yet even so, we get to find out as much as we can about Wesley Elkins. Where court papers, newspaper articles and official letters end, Patricia L. Bryan looked into other sources (censuses, company records etc.) to reconstruct his life after regaining his freedom and becoming an upstanding citizen and a great help to his family.
Many thanks to NetGalley and University of Iowa Press for providing me with a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.
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