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A review by sundazebookcafe
Alcatraz: The Last Escape by Ken Widner
3.0
Thank you to Globe Pequot and NetGalley for my advanced-reader copy of this book. This review features my own opinions and authentic thoughts.
Alcatraz: The Last Escape is a compelling account of the Anglin brothers, the infamous Alcatraz escapees, who are widely believed to have drowned during their escape attempt from the equally infamous prison island. Written by their nephew, the book uses a collection of government documents, personal letters and testimonies, and photographs to paint a strong case that the brothers actually survived. In fact, Widner suggests that his uncles escaped with the help of their mobster friend Mickey Cohen and wound up in Brazil, living out their lives and fathering children.
I’m fascinated by this case and have been for years, so I enjoyed this engaging read. It was super interesting to see government documents and even read the somewhat intrusively private personal letters. For all the petty crimes they committed, they were humans, brothers, sons, after all. The format was a little hard to follow at times, and I could just about let the reconstructed dialogue pass – it took me away from the overall story, because it just felt cheesy and forced. I also found it emotionally captivating: here is a nephew desperately reconstructing the potential story of his uncles and whose family has been irrevocably changed by their actions and paths. Is it his wishful thinking? I finished the book with more questions than before!
Alcatraz: The Last Escape is a compelling account of the Anglin brothers, the infamous Alcatraz escapees, who are widely believed to have drowned during their escape attempt from the equally infamous prison island. Written by their nephew, the book uses a collection of government documents, personal letters and testimonies, and photographs to paint a strong case that the brothers actually survived. In fact, Widner suggests that his uncles escaped with the help of their mobster friend Mickey Cohen and wound up in Brazil, living out their lives and fathering children.
I’m fascinated by this case and have been for years, so I enjoyed this engaging read. It was super interesting to see government documents and even read the somewhat intrusively private personal letters. For all the petty crimes they committed, they were humans, brothers, sons, after all. The format was a little hard to follow at times, and I could just about let the reconstructed dialogue pass – it took me away from the overall story, because it just felt cheesy and forced. I also found it emotionally captivating: here is a nephew desperately reconstructing the potential story of his uncles and whose family has been irrevocably changed by their actions and paths. Is it his wishful thinking? I finished the book with more questions than before!