Buried Alive: Eighteen Years in the Missouri Penitentiary

by James B. Johnson, Charles Edward Hoffman, William Jameson Novalany (Editor)

This historical thrilling read is in five parts:

First, the breathtaking story of J. B. Johnson, who spent more time in the Missouri Penitientiary than any other prisoner before his time, and broke the record for the longest time in solitary;

Second, fascinating articles about the Missouri Penitentiary itself;

Third, enlightening stories of other penitentiaries;

Fourth, thrilling tales of historic prisoner escapes;

Fifth, poems expressing the woe of prison life and death.

Originally published in 1903, this classic truly tells the ghastly story of the time. Specially edited to retain its original style, this humanizing masterpiece will be exciting for all readers.

198 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1903

About the author

AKA J. B. Johnson. Middle name: Blair

Was nominated for best first novel - Locus Awards - 1982 - Likely for "Daystar and Shadow."

Reviews

[Cari · Rating 2 out of 5]

I recently did a ghost tour of The Missouri State Penitentiary. It was such an eerie feeling being inside those old stone walls and imagining all of the history staining and seeping inside of those structures. While nothing overtly scary happened, there was a certain heaviness in the air that made me hyper-aware of my surroundings and inspired goosebumps.

The most memorable part of the tour took place in the very "dungeon" where James "Firebug" Johnson spent 18 years in complete darkness. The air was so thick it was suffocating and the darkness so complete that calling it black does not quite do it justice. I can't imagine spending even an hour down there. When our tour guide mentioned that Firebug Johnson wrote a book about his lengthy confinement in the dungeon after setting a fire in an attempt to escape, I knew I had to read it.

I was expecting something a little more profound than what I found in Buried Alive: Eighteen Years in the Missouri State Penitentiary. The style of the writing (zero paragraphs or indentations, just page after page of sentence after sentence) mimics the tone of the author's voice, kind of dry and with very little description or appeal to the senses.

If you want to know what it was like to be imprisoned at MSP 150 years ago, take a tour and let your imagination work. You'll gain so much more from that than this book. ☆☆

[JoeBob Trash · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting.