Alcatraz: The Last Escape tells the story of a daring escape from a prison that was supposed to be impossible to escape from. In 1979, the movie Escape from Alcatraz was released. According to this movie, Frank Morris, John Anglin, and Clarence Anglin did succeed in escaping from Alcatraz only to drown and become fish food. That wasn’t much of a success. But is that what really happened?
The Anglin boys (Alfred, John, and Clarence) grew up poor. They came from a family of farmers and were almost constantly teased and made fun of, not only by their schoolmates but also by their teachers, and drawn into fights at school. Since they were so poor, they learned to fix things when there was seemingly nothing to fix them with. In other words, they could MacGyver themselves out of about any situation.
As they grew older, they became involved in small petty crimes. They were sent to jail a lot, but they really didn’t like being locked up. I mean, who would? And since they didn’t like being locked up, they would attempt escape. Sometimes the escape was successful, other times not, but when they were successful, they would go back home where they were easily taken back into custody.
Finally, John and Clarence were sent to Alcatraz, the prison from which everyone said it was impossible to escape. Frank Morris—also guilty of bank robbery, burglary, and repeated escapes from prison— was also sent there.
On June 11, 1961, those three made history and escaped. The story of how they accomplished this is fascinating. The patience they must have had. The things they had to do to make their escape a success blows my mind: digging the tunnels to escape through, making the dummy heads, constructing a raft and life preservers, arranging to be picked up by boat, etc. And they had to hide all they were doing from the guards.
Alcatraz: The Last Escape is a fascinating and thrilling. It is obvious how much time and research the authors put into writing it. While reading this book, I found myself rooting for the Anglin brothers to escape even though they deserved to be locked up. For me, the photos and documents shared in this book prove the story. I believe they not only successfully escaped but that they also survived and went on to have families and children in another country.
This is a great read for those interested in history, prisons, crime, and/or criminal biographies. I received a free copy of this book and am leaving this review voluntarily. If you would like your own copy of Alcatraz: The Last Escape, I’ve provided an Amazon link for you below.
Amazon Link: Alcatraz: The Last Escape
Recommended Article: The Story Beneath the Story – Guest Post by Mike Lynch
Below is part 1 of an interview with Ken Widner and Mike Lynch. Part 2 of the interview is below the Favorite Sentences section of this review.
Favorite Sentences:
In many ways, my family’s privacy has been ripped from us since that fateful day when we were thrust onto the world stage.
Prejudice against different peoples and groups had left deep and painful scars within the culture, and when one learns to hate others, bitterness and anger are usually the result.
The boys’ descent into crime started out innocently enough—skipping school at first, which soon turned into shoplifting at the local store, then breaking into neighbors’ houses.
The more friends you had the better protected you were, but it was nothing compared to family.
New Words Learned:
cabbage palms – palms with terminal leaf buds that are eaten as a vegetable or in salads
vireos – several small, insectivorous American birds of the family Vireonidae, having the plumage usually olive-green or gray above and white or yellow below.
water oak – any of several American oaks that thrive in wet soils
About the Authors
Mike Lynch is an award-winning author whose historical nonfiction book, Dublin, came out in 2007, followed by eight novels, including the historical fiction book After the Cross. He has also written novellas, short stories, and anthologies.
Ken Widner grew up hearing stories about his famous uncles from his mother and family. In 2015, he participated in The History Channel documentary, Alcatraz: Search for the Truth, in which he shared previously unknown stories and photos. He also became friends with James “Whitley” Bulger, who was incarcerated at Alcatraz the same time as his uncles, the escape, and prison life. Ken also filmed an episode about the Alcatraz escape for the Discovery Channel series Expedition Unknown in July 2022.
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