Last Suppers: Famous Final Meals from Death Row

by Ty Treadwell, Michelle Vernon

One condemned man requested 24 tacos, 6 enchiladas, and 6 tostadas. Another wanted wild rabbit, biscuits, and blackberry pie. And a two-time murderer asked for a can of SpaghettiOs then complained to the press when he didn't get it!Newly revised and updated, the 10th Anniversary Edition of Last Famous Final Meals from Death Row contains dozens of intriguing last meals ranging from succulent steak and lobster to the lump of dirt ordered by a former voodoo priest. But Last Suppers is more than just a list of meals; you'll also be treated to weird execution facts, prison recipes, and other tidbits of trivia from America's toughest cell blocks. Ever wondered how the last meal tradition began, or what the most popular entrees are among condemned diners? Curious about the lives and loves of capital punishment's fairer sex, the Death Row Dames? Are you craving a taste of Texas Jailhouse Chili, but don't have the recipe? Dying to know what Ted Bundy, John Wayne Gacy, and other famous serial killers ate before their demise? Then pull up a chair, tuck in that bib, and enjoy!

Genres: True Crime, Nonfiction, Food, Crime

152 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 1, 2001

Reviews

[Jon Nakapalau · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting look at what people have ordered as a final meal before execution. I really don't understand this; having a final meal (for me) would just connect me to a place I would be leaving soon - almost a way of finding one more thing you will regret leaving forever. Maybe I am looking at this the wrong way - a terrible position to be in.

[Erica Powers · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book turned out to be a nice surprise; I expected it to just be a list of last meals ordered by inmates before they were executed, but the authors also gave a little background on each person, plus some interesting facts about the death penalty and prison life in general. It's all told in a very tongue-in-cheek style that some people apparently don't like, but personally I'm a fan of "gallows humor" and I enjoyed the writing style. It kept the book from being too "heavy." All in all, very clever and enjoyable.

[Jennifer]

This book is funny and good. i was researching the subject of last meals in general, and most of them are workmanlike. Any newspaper columnist could have written them. This Loompanics book is well designed, and they have a funny bone. Probably because its not a large company that fucks up design with overly interesting lay out ideas. That's like music trying too hard to be interesting and ending up being soulless. This book is not too shabby.

[William Bigelow · Rating 4 out of 5]

My main complaint about this book is that it was too short.

[Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you don't have a sick sense of humor, you won't like this book.
This book details what certain inmates request for their last meal, it also mentions other interesting facts about them. And the authors have other oddities thrown in just for good measure.

[Zoe Sullivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Its actually really interesting.

[Marissa Hope · Rating 3 out of 5]

Funny and interesting, but beware if you can't stand dad jokes every other sentence or a pun for everything. I loved the idea/topic of this book... I would have really loved if there were pictures (even just recreations of the meals) and I would've bought this for my coffee table, puns and all!

If the topic interests you, go for it. It's short and entertaining! But I feel like this book had a lot of missed potential and the humor was just too corny for me. Also, there's no citations anywhere in this book, so don't take any of their facts too seriously!

[Aaron the Pink Donut · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sarcastically funny, entertaining little book. Not super informative but gives nice, brief comically (corny but within reasonably good taste) written bios of the majority of convicts along with the lists of what they requested and ate before their executions. The real gems from this book are the recipes of basic prison food that are sprinkled threw out this book. Learn how to make Chicken and Dumplings for 250 with the most crude and basic ingredients-awesome!

[Kjgreen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A hip, clever look at the last meal tradition. Pretty funny, too.

[Melinda · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5, rounded up to 4 due to the interesting subject matter.

Reading about the last meals and some details about the crimes were interesting, but the puns got old quick. Basically, there were a lot of "dad jokes" thrown in, which I found kind of odd.

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just finished reading “LAST SUPPERS: FAMOUS FINAL MEALS FROM DEATH ROW” by TY TREADWELL & MICHELLE VERNON. One condemned man requested 24 tacos, 6 enchiladas, and 6 tostadas. Another wanted wild rabbit, biscuits, and blackberry pie. And a two-time murderer asked for a can of SpaghettiOs then complained to the press when he didn't get it! Newly revised and updated, the 10th Anniversary Edition of Last Suppers: Famous Final Meals from Death Row contains dozens of intriguing last meals ranging from succulent steak and lobster to the lump of dirt ordered by a former voodoo priest. But Last Suppers is more than just a list of meals; you'll also be treated to weird execution facts, prison recipes, and other tidbits of trivia from America's toughest cell blocks. Interesting as well as amusing! 🍗🍳🥞🥓🍰🌮🍩🍝

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Admit it!! Anyone who picks this up and is intrigued certainly has a bit of a twisted sense of humor. I found this short little read to be punny and funny. I was especially amused by the prison recipes sprinkled throughout.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting read for those with a crass sense of humor! Always interested in food, this appeals to my taste, even though the subject is prison inmates. Made me think of what I would like as a "last supper" and gave me a chuckle as to what others chose for theirs.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

really liked this book

[Lora Graham · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Famous Last Meals"? Famous where, and with whom? I'd only previously heard of MAYBE 10 of the murderers in this book, but even with the notorious ones, I had no idea what their last meal had been, and I'm a hardcore true crime fan.

The book turned out to be a lot better than I expected though. Contrary to my usual M.O., I began my research while still reading the book, because I wanted to know who these people were and how bad their crime was. Some of the stories were insane, and some were just tragic. Most of the names listed were listed as: Name, Execution date, state & method, crime, last meal. they were often followed up by a blurb about how the crime happened, and sometimes even the criminal's last words. Those were what really livened up the book. Of course, in my research, I found that some things were left out of the cases, but nothing too egregious. In some places, only the name, date, state, and meal were listed, with no back story. There were a number of "Weird Execution Facts" sprinkled throughout that, of course, I found fascinating. The inclusion of recipes for some of the last meals... not sure the motivation there but maybe someone will be able to cook them and not think of a person eating that food in a cell shortly before dying.

I'm glad to know that I'm not the only person who took issue with the jokes. There were exactly 2 lines in the whole book that I considered funny; everything was else was just in really poor taste. If I were the editor, almost every one of the "jokes" would've been removed.

[❂ Ann ❂ · Rating 3 out of 5]

What would I want to eat if I knew my days were numbered or if I were in the shoes of these poor souls (who are still human)? I'd want comfort food as well--I'd want snowballs and a bottle of coca cola, caramel macchiato and cherry ice cream, meatloaf and hombow. It was worth reading because it gave me food for thought. I did not find it funny like some of the reviewers had suggested.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Somehow the author makes reading about death row, death, last meal choices, and execution mishaps entertaining. I wish the book was longer and had more recent/ more well known death row inmates. Overall, I enjoyed it and was disappointed that it ended so soon. Also, illustrations of the meals would have been appreciated.

[James Glass · Rating 5 out of 5]

Definitely not boring!

There’s at a lot of information about the death row inmates, how they died, what their last meal was, and peppered with some humorous commentary from the narrator. This book certainly wasn’t boring. If you’re interested in death row inmates and what they ate for their last meal, then this book is right up your alley.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are probably a lot of boring people out there who would take offense at the tone of this book. You definitely need a dark sense of humor to appreciate it, but I personally found it hilarious and informative.

[Erika Johnston · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was vibrating with anticipation for this book. I got it and was a bit let down. I am not sure I can say anything articulate. Not even the author's prob, I got into the way of my own enjoyment. I can say it is entertaining and well written. My kids both enjoyed it. I'm horrid at reviews. Sorry.

[Jessica Leckie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would have liked to give it a 2.5. I shouldn’t be surprised because the subject itself is morbid but the humor in here was in terrible taste and I didn’t care for it. I got this when Bailey Sarian mentioned it, it was morbid curiosity.

[The Master · Rating 3 out of 5]

Would have liked more recipes. There are only six.

[Timothy S. Henson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting, quick read. It is very interesting the meals that some condemned criminals had for their final meals.

[Tiffany Paruch · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting fast read!

Fast read! I felt that some lines were repetitive but overall it is interesting what people choose as their last meals!

[Madeline · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting. Not what I expected but a good read, nonetheless.

[Natalie · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars, interesting premise and info, humorous presentation but some off-color jokes that have already aged poorly since 2011.

[Angela Kay · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting read. The dad jokes were a little excessive.

[Janna Hill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice read was a little sad it was short but other than that a nice quick read. Very interesting!!

[Charlotte Aspin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Damn, I’m hungry.

[GM · Rating 2 out of 5]

quick read.

not the most interesting - could've done something visually with some of the stats like X% has a meat option, x% was >$X price, when were they served etc.

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