No Choirboy: Murder, Violence, and Teenagers on Death Row

by Susan Kuklin

No Choirboy takes readers inside America's prisons, and allows inmates sentenced to death as teenagers to speak for themselves. In their own voices—raw and uncensored—they talk about their lives in prison, and share their thoughts and feelings about how they ended up there. Susan Kuklin also gets inside the system, exploring capital punishment itself and the intricacies and inequities of criminal justice in the United States.

This is a searing, unforgettable read, and one that could change the way we think about crime and punishment.

No Choirboy: Murder, Violence, and Teenagers on Death Row is a 2009 Bank Street - Best Children's Book of the Year.

Genres: Nonfiction, True Crime, Crime, Teen, Memoir, Death, High School

224 pages, Hardcover

First published August 5, 2008

Reviews

[Maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Both of my grandparents died tragic deaths-one was murdered and the other was killed by a drunk driver. My parents believe in the death penalty, therefore, as a kid it seemed like a reasonable practice. As an adult, I have become interested in how "the system" works and I'm realizing that it is totally messed up.

One thing I like about No Choirboy, is that it represents various sides of the story. Although the subject matter is heavy and dark, I was surprised to find hope in some of the stories.

I think all school and public libraries should put this book in their collections.

[BAM doesn’t answer to her real name · Rating 2 out of 5]

Book consists of vignettes of either the boys on death row (who were then moved off) or a family member. Quite uninteresting considering not very emotional or riveting

Lenten Buddy Reading Challenge book #5

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

A compelling look at men who were sentenced to death for crimes they committed when they were only teens.

This book doesn't try to excuse the horrible crimes that the boys committed, nor does it try to claim that they are innocent. Instead, it asks why some people are sentenced to death while others are given life in prison and still others are allowed to walk free because of plea bargaining or testifying for the prosecution.

The last point was the one that really resonated with me. If there are three defendants in a case and two of them are brothers, of course those two will band together to put all of the blame on the third guy. And yet, some of the guys in this book were sent to death row based on testimony like that. It's a scary thought.

Overall, this is an brief but interesting look at our flawed legal system and prison life.

[Brian Gent]

It was good

[Marjanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a short, quick look into the lives and experiences of men who are (or were) on Death Row and were given the sentence while still a teenager. There are a lot of sad things about this book, and maybe even a few things that will make some readers angry. The author has a definite cause she's trying to promote, but I think she did put effort into being fair about it. I liked that she included a section written by family members of a murder victim, but who also happen to support "the cause". I didn't think that this book was incredible, but it is further evidence for my feelings that the death penalty is ineffective and should be abolished.

[Areli · Rating 5 out of 5]

No choirboy by Susan Kuklin are cases of young teenagers who are given the death penalty before the age of 18. Not only do she state the cases but also gives us the point of view from the victims family. We learn the importance of impact. The impact caused on both parties,the grief of the killers feel and the sadness from the families. But we also learn that some of these ruling were unfair, that they convicted innocent people. Or that the rulings were extremely based on racism and discrimination.
The book is arranged by cases each one different to the other. The one that was inspiring to me was the case about Nanon Williams. He was accused of killing a man at the age of 17, but the thing is he is innocent.He was turned in by his older acquaintances. Williams has been in jail for a long time now but he hasn't let that tear him down. He found refuge in writing books,reading,and being a better version of himself. He is an inspiration because he has turned his life around. He dreams of freedom and he wants to help people. It made me cry to think of the injustice they did to him. He is innocent and yet he is held in a high security facitilty next to sexaul predators and real killers. The book is written in a interview sort of style and it helps the reader feel more connected to the story.It makes you feel like you can hear their voices and hear their stories firsthand.
Although the book is well written I wish she would “update it”. It would be nice to hear more about the cases to see if things have changed. Or to know if they are still alive. If they aren't what were there last words? How were there last days alive? Did they get closure? Did they see their family? Did they forgive themselves? She left us on a cliffhanger,we might never get these answers. It’s scary to think of all these questions and not know what happened to them.
I would give this book 4 stars because it was really good. It kept me wondering what was going to happen next. It gave me another way to view life, it changed my perspective. I enjoyed it the book because I feel more informed.I would recommend it because it’s very interesting to learn about these particular cases. I liked the fact that it gave us personal details of their lives and that helped us understand more about them.

[Kayla · Rating 5 out of 5]

IR Project 2
No Choirboy is about three boys who tell the story of how they are sentenced to death row. Nanon Williams, Roy Burgess, and Mark Melvin, explain how they got to death row and what they did to get themselves in that situation. The book mainly gives you the idea that a person can change and is not judged by a crime, no matter how awful it was. The audience of the book focuses on reaching all age groups, so everyone can learn from it. No Choirboy is a prime example that you can make wrong choices and still make it to the other side unscathed. What I liked about the book is No Choirboy demonstrates that people can change, even though they do something awful. The main thing I loved about No Choirboy is even though the boys did something terrible they still changed into new people and bettered themselves. The boys never experienced a real world because they were in prison at such a young age, and never raised by real parents.They would like to go into the world and make a positive difference.
What I did not like about the book was that Nanon was still convicted of murder. Yes Nanon did do other bad things but he never pulled that trigger. I did not particularly like that while they were in Prison they were hurt and experienced to such vulgar things at such a young age, especially Mark. One thing that really stood out to me was the fact that all the boys became a new person and changed. I also, did not like that they got in a lot of fights.
I honestly would 100% recommend this book. It is a great learning experience for teens and it really opens up on how horrible it is to commit a crime. No Choirboy in my book is 5 Stars. It really teaches and shows kids how awful prison is and that teens or younger, should never go there. This book is very deep and shows a lot of the characters emotion and how hard it is to be convicted of a crime such as the ones the boys made. No Choirboy, should really be shown to kids who have it really hard and think acting out is the best way to get attention. Kids like that, might end up like Nanon. Roy or Mark.

[Jess Haswell]

The book No Choirboy: Murder, Violence, and Teenagers on Death Row was an amazing read. This book shares the experiences of three teenagers who were placed on death row for an abundance of crimes. Every individual case was extremely interesting and very emotional to hear about. When you’re 16 years old, hearing stories of people your age and younger being sentenced to death is absolutely terrifying and extremely upsetting.
There were multiple things I enjoyed about this book. First of all, I loved the format. The way each chapter described one person’s life and experience in jail was amazing to me. Also, Writing the book from the prisoner’s points of view was a very smart thing to do. This book didn’t feel like a nonfiction book, which is a good thing. I’m not the biggest fan of nonfiction in most cases but No Choirboy really made me rethink the genre. I definitely cried while reading this book, I just imagined myself in these people’s shoes, or my 6 year old niece growing up and being in these people’s shoes, it was very touching.
The only thing I disliked about the book was that there weren’t enough individual cases. I could have read fifteen or twenty, not only three. Also I wish that each case contained more information about these people’s families responses, and the support they received. Maybe a section at the end of the book could have been included with more specific details on these teenagers’ home lives and family.
I give No Choirboy ⅘ Stars. The book was amazing, so much better than I thought it would be. My only complaint was wanting more! I definitely recommend this book, especially to anyone researching or particularly interested in the American prison system. I was so impressed with this book! I think everybody should read it, it has so many important details that I think everybody should hear. Educating yourself on your country’s (corrupt) prison system is necessary.

[Emily Meave · Rating 4 out of 5]

Staying out of trouble has been hard for these young guys especially when some of them weren’t guilty. Going to jail for the first time isn’t so easy especially when you’re sixteen and charged as an adult. Although it is bad enough to be jail and charged as an adult for these young adults was just the beginning because they were in death sentence. In this novel No Choirboy Murder, Violence, and Teenagers on Death Row by Susan Kuklin there are six victims including five males and one female.
Sharing stories like these young adults did is pretty brave of them considering they went through so much. Susan didn’t only plan out in what order she was gonna put the victims in, but she also included her story. These teenagers were passionate, for example in the first chapter the cop helped Roy wear his cap and gown to his graduation, and Roy was so grateful that he wrote to the cop by sending him a letter, but Roy never got a letter back. I liked how the victims still had faith and never let the pressure bring them all the way down although they may have changed a little in their opinion.
Defending the ones you love is okay until you take it to the xtreme to the point where people take the blame and go to death row in jail. I personally was not satisfied on how the judge didn’t think it was sketchy how the ones that actually were the cause of the accident weren’t recognized of being guilty. There weren’t enough descriptions on why death row was different then just jail and why they were treated better in a way. How come they didn’t rat their families out or have enough explanation to do in front of the judge.
The rating i would gives this book is four star rating. No Choirboy was a real interesting book to read with so much emotion in it. This book did not only include victims point of view but others too and how they went through jury and what they went through with their family member being in death row.

[ChapmanH · Rating 4 out of 5]

No Choirboy by Susan Kuklin is a very powerful and emotional book about the lives and thoughts of convicts that were sentenced to death row as teenagers. She interviews multiple of these men whose childhoods and freedom were cut short by, in many instances, a wrong, split second decision that would change their lives forever. She also interviews the family member of a murder victim to share their views on capital punishment and the justice system.
The thing I enjoyed most about the book was that the author made the reader realize that these men are not mindless, unfeeling killers. They are men with hopes, dreams, and regrets that made a very major mistake. I personally am not a crier, but if I was, this book would have definitely made me cry. It is immensely emotional and causes the reader to think of many subjects in a different light such as the aspect of death row itself. In the book there is a quote that made me think a lot. It said that “Everyone is better than the worst thing that they have ever done”-Helen Prejean.
What I did not like about the book was that the deeper the reader gets into the book, the more repetitive it seems. The author gets her point across very well and fairly quickly but seems to run out of steam the further along the reader gets into the book.
I give the book a 4-star rating. It would be a five except that it is depressing and would not be very enjoyable to read multiple times like my other favorite books. I greatly enjoyed the book and would highly recommend the book to my peers and others around me.

[Zoé · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can't remember what compelled me initially to pick up this book years ago when I was a teenager, especially considering it took me almost 10 years to finally read it, and I'm glad I finally came around to it. I knew the subject matter was pretty heavy, but I did not expect to be so affected by what I was reading and feel so much for the people involved.

Each chapter, with the exception of the last two, focuses on a different person who was convicted for murder as a teenager and either sentence to death or to life without parole. The author's voice is almost non-existent as most of the book is made of excerpts from interviews or writings, which enables the reader to truly feel the sense of lost of people who did a mistake when they were young and will pay it for the rest of the lives. I feel compassion for these people and anger at a justice system that's imperfect and at times warped and unfair. You can't read this book and still support the current way we treat prisoners.

The last chapter is from a lawyer who's a strong advocate against the death penalty, which is pretty interesting, but the chapter ends pretty abruptly and doesn't bring any new ideas or drive any point further. It might be hard to write a neat conclusion when the battle against the death penalty is still ongoing, but I still felt like there was something missing to conclude on the important themes of the book. Still, it was a great read that's leaving me with a lot to think about.

[Tifanee Mask Jackson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kuklin's book, more than anything, is a testament to the cruel nature of America's unjust justice system. I would be surprised by anyone who could still believe in and uphold the death penalty after reading testimony by the speakers in this book and strongly agree with many of the sentiments disclosed by said speakers. I agree with Mark that we have no right in determining who is redeemable and when, and I agree with Bryan that there is a distinct air of "who loves who most?" when determining how victims are "avenged". Ultimately, there is value to every life, and I believe that with every fiber of my being.

One thing I wanted from this book was simply more. I wanted more statements from people charged with crimes as juveniles, more perspectives, more depth. I want to see how perspectives and sentiments change. Would prisoners in northern states feel differently than those in southern states? What about victims? I also felt that some of the perspectives were a little bit difficult to follow. There are distinctions between voices, but they are blurred.

[Deidra Pugh · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book follows inmates in American prisons who were sentence to death row as teenagers. It tells their stories in their own voices. Their thoughts and feelings are exposed as well as what lead them to death row.

For me, I loved this book. I think it talks about subjects that may not always been in the spotlight. I think it is so cool these inmates were willing to speak and share their lives. I am really into this kind of topic, my brother is a corrections officer so this hit home.

Violence, language, illegal activity

[Talia Drinkwater · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a good read to give insight into what teenagers on death row experienced firsthand. It is a nonfiction novel that includes firsthand accounts of what it is truly like to be in prison. Some were misunderstood, and some did not know any other way than violence and murder. It really helps to show the other side of what seems like an obvious reason for condemnation. It shows the boys' thoughts and feelings on how they ended up on death row.

I had a hard time connecting with the book, but it definitely made me more aware of situations like that. IT showed me that the death penalty is pretty harsh, and sometimes it is not so cut and dry what a punishment should be. It made me wish there was more mercy in the court system, but it is so risky at the same time. I appreciated hearing the raw and uncensored truth of the upbringings of these boys. They had hard lives that led them to commit some of the crimes. It should not be overlooked, but they also deserve to be heard.

censorship:
*violence
*murder
*language
*crime
*controversial issues like the death penalty
*drugs/alcohol
It has a lot of heavy material, so I'd recommend it for no earlier than high school.

[Sofia DiMartino · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book with interviews about the impact of the death penalty from both the victim and perpetrator’s sides. I think it had the potential to be a bit more interesting had the author expanded more on the topic/crimes in her own voice, but it’s powerful to hear these stories through the voices of the victims and incarcerated directly and I think it’s very worth the read. May make you think about the death penalty from a different perspective.

[Ivis · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book No Choirboy was a book written about murder, violence, and mainly about teenagers on Death Row. The author Susan Kuklin went around interviewing and finding out information about teenagers who had committed crimes and had been given a death sentence. This book focuses on life stories and background information on the inmates interviewed and it describes their crimes committed and their sentences. It also describes how horrible, prison can be for teenagers and how knowing that death is upon those teenagers is a really scary thought. The book also tackles the idea of capital punishment and about whether or not death should be sentenced to people who have committed unforgiving crimes like for example murderer. No Choirboy enhances the fact that many teenagers are given death penalties for crimes committed which the author disagrees with since according to her a crime committed is not the sum total of a human being.

What I liked about the book No Choirboy was that it was based on teenagers and their life stories and going in depth about how they ended up before and after committing their crimes. The inmates interviewed made me feel all twisted inside since they always had mixed emotions while they would talk to the author. They would speak about prison and how horrible it was while they would also speak about having some good friends in prison and how they always have to stick up for themselves and not let anyone see their weakest point. Even though this book wasn’t really a story, it was more of a documentary, the stories all have one thing in common; and that was the fact that all of them had a death sentence they had to pay one day. This book was enjoyable to read because of the fact that it gave me different viewpoints on death penalties which led me to have mixed emotions towards it, and that’s what a good book is supposed to make you feel like. This book literally had me turning the pages since the stories were all interesting experiences and they just sent you feeling like you were in an emotional roller coaster since prison is something so horrible to read about.

What I did not like about the book was the fact that it didn’t really show how the inmates ended up after having a trial to make their sentences shorter and whether or not those trials were successful. The stories from the inmates also went a little too in depth about prison and how it can drive you insane which just kind of scared me. The inmates would talk about how they felt like they lost themselves in prison and how they started having relationships with other inmates which was not necessary to talk about. The book also seemed a bit too long and talked too much about one inmate and it kind of bored me when I had to read about the same person for like 15 pages. No Choirboy was a little depressing to read since some of the characters were just about done with living and they just spoke about how their lives could end any time. Also, the author never really spoke her thoughts about the stories on the inmates and about whether or not they deserved a death penalty until the very end of the book.

My star rating for this book was 4 out of 5 stars since this book was really good at making you feel different emotions at the same time which shows how I was very emotionally connected with the characters. I indeed enjoyed the book because it taught me about how death penalties should not be wished upon anybody even if the crime they commit is unforgiving. I would recommend this book to others since it will give you an insight on families who have gone through having their teenage son or daughter in the death row waiting for the day assigned for their death. This book will help people with offering a different point of view on death penalties on teenagers and how it is a very inhuman idea.

[Carson · Rating 4 out of 5]

No Choirboy was a set of stories/interviews with four different convicts (and/or their families), who committed murder while they were a minor. There was also one interview with the family of a victim toward the end. Each of the convicts were originally sentenced to death and one did suffer the death penalty. The book provides an interesting perspective. The convicts were all very sane and calm, contrary to the popular belief that most prison inmates are terrible people and can never redeem themselves. The convicts and their families understand why they are in prison and have accepted the fact that they must serve time for their crime. They all regret what they did and most of them have matured during their time as inmates. They generally feel very sorry for the victims and their families and wish that they could undo their crimes.

I enjoyed the story about Mark Melvin because he accepted his wrongdoing and his consequences. It is very enlightening to hear a murder convict accept responsibility and not try to escape punishment. The book did keep me coming back because it was a new point of view and I wanted to learn more about the experiences of these people. It is very uncommon to hear directly from prisoners themselves about the conditions of different prisons and how they coped with their pain. The book also provides factual information alongside the stories that helps the reader understand what is going on. It also made me very emotional because it showed how these people have turned their lives around but at the same time, they have to stay in prison to serve time for what they did. If the government let people go right after they started to become a better person, then others would fake it to get out of prison and they would end up returning to their old lives. They also need to serve time for their actions so that there is justice for the victim's family. The amazing thing is that the prisoners understand this. They know that they cannot be freed. The book also rarely discussed the issue of race, which I viewed as refreshing because most of the stories that are broadcast on the news or printed in newspapers are biased one way or the other and this book provides a very unbiased and objective point of view.

One of the only things that I did not like about the book was that, every time I would put the book down and then come back and pick up where I left off, I would forget about the characters and what their situations were. I would then have to go back and re-read portions of the book so I could catch myself up again. The other thing I did not like was the fact that the book is mainly just the inmates talking about their lives. There were not very many added comments from the author and, although it was very moving, it was not very persuasive in a traditional manner where there are arguments and information to back up the arguments about why the death penalty shouldn't be in effect. The only devices used were emotional. There were not very many facts to help argue against the death penalty.

Although this book had a few issues in my eyes, it was overall very compelling and very interesting. It is not the best book I have ever read, but I definitely enjoyed it. It is a good read for anyone. It can show teens that the consequences of some of their actions could be harmful to them much later in life, and it can depict a very unusual perspective for close-minded adults as well.

[Alberto · Rating 3 out of 5]

In No Choirboy, Susan Kuklin rewrites multiple conversations with boys who were put on trial as an adult and were even given the death sentence. The book goes over 5 different cases on people whose lives were changed by violence, crime and the justice system. In the first case, Kuklin shares the recording of a boy who was sentenced as an adult, although being only 16 years old. The second case Kuklin shares tells of a boy who was nicknamed, “The 14 year old adult”, which tells of a 14 year old boy trialed and sentenced as an adult. For the third case, Kuklin goes to Texas and visits a 17 year old who was recently saved from a law that passed, saying that no person under 18 can be available for the death penalty. For the fourth case, Kuklin changed the point of view from the prisoner to the family of a victim of crime. Kuklin interviewed the entire family of the victim capturing the reactions of all. For the final case, Kuklin interviews the siblings of a teenager who was victim to a restaurant robbery, which happened years before.
Personally I enjoyed the fact that nothing in each case is fake or a lie, everything is fact and stated. Every character is real and every experience happened to them and the way they were interviewed, I had no questions and every story was resolved in a good manner. I enjoyed reading about Roy, I was interested through the entire chapter. Roy’s story was enjoyable because even though he did not want to be in prison, he grew up and adjusted to the life and figured out how to survive. I enjoyed how each case in the book was different and had different factors and variables through every chapter. I enjoyed how Kuklin was able to give a backstory before every case, and even gave the setting of the interview she was conducting. Kuklin did well when writing about the family of the victim in case four, she had the name of every family member before each statement they made. The way she wrote it, I was not confused and knew exactly what was happening.
What I did not enjoy about the book was how I could not connect and feel for all the characters, I could not relate to any of the characters because I hadn’t been ever involved in any criminal experience. I did not find it easy for turn the page and keep on reading because there was no suspense or reason for me to want to turn the page. The story did not grip me or keep me entertained although it was interesting. Although I am interested on the topic of law enforcement I could not focus or be concentrated on the facts that Kuklin presented. I wish that Kuklin would have had longer chapters on the inmates, I feel as if the chapters were longer, I would be more interested in the book and want to read it and keep on reading it.
I enjoyed what the message was through Kuklin sharing these stories and the inmates being insightful and recognizing what they did was wrong. I enjoyed reading about the growth and maturity of the inmates as they told of their past and new present. I would recommend this book to someone who enjoys reading about court cases and law. I would not recommend this book to people who cannot enjoy nonfiction or reading biographies because, this book consist of these two factors. Personally I would give this book a three star rating and I would read it again in the future to see if I could enjoy it more and get over the things I did not like about the book.

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book “No Choirboy” by Susan Kuklin is a nonfiction book. It’s a documentary type book about men in prison who were sentenced to death row while they were still teenagers. No Choirboy also includes interviews from the families and Lawyers of the death row victims.
The settings of each story in this book were in Texas, Huntsville, Alabama, Virginia, Tennessee, New York, Chicago, and Las Angeles, during the 1980s-1990s. The main characters were Nanon Williams, Roy Burgess, and Mark Melvin. Williams was convicted of murder. The witness testified against him and later took back his statement and made it clear that Nanon was not the man who pulled the trigger. Williams was later sentenced to death at 17 years of age still after the witness made it clear. Nanon is 6 feet 2 inches tall, very muscular and weighs approximately 225 lbs. with black hair and brown eyes. Williams is trying to overcome the fact that’s he’s imprisoned on death row for a murder he didn’t commit. Mark Melvin was 14 years old when his brother requested some of his help one day. He never wanted to do things such as wash the dish, take the garbage out or clean. He wanted to be bad like the rest of the “crew”. His older brother wanted him to shoot a man. Mark did. He stated “I knew my life was over the moment I pulled the trigger. I was just as guilty of the wife’s death too, not because I shot her because I didn’t, but because I was there.” Mark was white, brown hair blue eyes and approximately 6 feet tall. He was born 1973 and died 2007. Roy Burgess was sixteen years old at the time he killed someone. He complained to his friends that he needed money and proceeded to tell them about a plan to make money by robbing someone or by stealing a car or a car stereo. One of his so called friends tried to warn Kevin about what he others intentions were. Roy was convicted of murder and sentenced to death.
I liked Nonan Williams a lot. Hat story was the best part of h book. Even though he’s an inmate in a prison on death row for murdering someone, he speaks out. H speaks out to a woman whom he became clos with. She was his reporter/interviewer for is case. Nonan opens his heart and speaks out and tells his story and how he thinks he deserves a second chance, everyone does. The woman is trying to get his story old because has a warm heart. I would recommend this book to anyone who’s learning about the justice system and how unfair it is. Also to someone who’s interested in reading about inmates stories on death row. Also to someone who likes to think to themselves when something is not right or if something is unfair, because in the book they somewhat show you how unfair our legal system is, sentencing teenagers on deathrow.

[Cassidy Frier · Rating 4 out of 5]

No Choirboy by Susan Kuklin follows the lives of four people who were sentenced to death as teenagers as well as the family of a murder victim. The book illustrates how these convicts and their families have dealt with these convictions and it shows readers what it is really like inside of a prison and on death row. The inmates are interviewed by Kuklin and their stories are portrayed in this novel. It describes the different cases and trials and how each of the inmates feel about what they have done and how their life has changed since being in prison. The author uses these stories to fight for basic human rights and by the end of the novel, she has the reader rethinking everything he or she has ever believed about the nation’s prison system.
What I liked about the book is that the characters really came to life in their interviews. I hear about crimes, especially murder, all the time, whether it be on a cop show or a real event on the news, and I never got to see what it was like to be in the criminal’s shoes. This book changed my views on criminal justice. It got me thinking about our punishment system. I never would have thought I would find myself feeling sorry for a murderer, but this book was so convincing. Once I picked it up, I could not put it down. I think my favorite character was Mark. He was only 14 when he killed someone. His brother convinced him to do it and he was too young to know any better, but he still takes full responsibility for what he did. He states, “I accept the fact that I’m going to pay the consequence for what I did. I killed a man” (Kuklin 36). He does not make any excuses; he knows what he did was wrong. After finishing this book, I found myself wanting to fight for these people and their rights.
Although I liked how the book changed my views and made me really think, I did not like how the author ended the book. Her interview with Bryan Stevenson in chapter 6 only really mentioned Roy and Mark, instead of all the characters mentioned in the novel. After such a powerful and moving story, I think she should have found a better way to end it and include all of the characters. The rest of the book was wonderful and really got me thinking, but the last chapter was kind of boring and in no way tied everything together in the way that it should have.
I gave the book a 4 star rating because it was a very good book and I enjoyed reading it. The reason I did not give it 5 stars is because of the ending. Other than that, however, I loved the book and I would definitely recommend reading it! It will change the way you think about the death penalty and our crime and punishment system.

[Jeffry J · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good book with a really good stories

[Jessica Olvera · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the novel No Choirboy, Susan Kuklin goes to different states interviewing prisoners on death row. Following different death penalty cases, the reader gets insight of what prison is really like for a teen on death row. Susan Kuklin takes you beyond the bars of prison and allows you to get inside the head of these killers. What were these teens thinking at the time of their crime? How have they grown? What have they learned? This novel takes you on a rollercoaster of emotions and gets you thinking, how different are we really from these teens.
There was so much to love about the novel No Choirboy. Everything said by the criminals was truthful and put into perspective how much of a privilege our freedom is. All of the cases were vastly different giving you multiple takes on prison life along with what each of the guys went through. The amount of detail given allows the reader to visualize almost everything about prison life. From food to cells, Kuklin gives you more than enough detail to paint a picture of the day to day life of these men. This book was almost impossible to put down and constantly had me wanting to read more. Nothing these guys went through was ordinary and kept me on my toes.
One thing I did not like was the ending chapter. The final chapter was not like anything else in the novel and was not as intriguing as the previous chapters. I understand how the final chapter may tie everything in together, but was not the best way to end the book. The last two chapters really let me down and I was quite disappointed with them. They did not go into as much depth about the subject as the previous chapters had and did not answer all of my questions pertaining to the case talked about in that chapter.
I gave this book 5 stars. This was a very interesting book and constantly had me wanting more. No Choirboy is easily one of my favorite, if not my favorite, book. I believe Susan Kuklin did a very good job giving these men a chance to speak freely and is very well written . I would without a doubt reread this book and I highly recommend it to anyone interested in the death penalty or criminal justice.

[Daesha Conner · Rating 5 out of 5]

No Choirboy is a book about inmates who were on death row since their teen years either previously or currently. It's about stories of men who have been on death row since their teenage years under the age of 18, and how they feel about being in there. The first is about Roy Burgess, Mark Melvin, Nanon Williams, and Napoleon Beazely. They all were interviewed about their crimes that they committed and how many prisons they visited and how they felt about it. This book talks about their prosecutors, the crime they committed, trials, and other things.
My favorite character in this book is Roy Burgess because he was a good kid in his teenage years, and stayed out of trouble more than the rest of the inmates. The characters felt real to me because of their emotions and the regret of their crimes. The story kept me guessing the whole time whether they were going to get out of prison or get a shorter prison sentence. My favorite part of the book is when they started talking about what they did in their spare time because it showed me that inmates have not completely lost their minds being in there with mental inmates as well. They chose to do somethings that I never thought an inmate would be interested in. I thought the interview with Roy and Melvin were fantastic because they got deep into their prison lives. The book did make me cry at times and I'm really glad it did. This book kept me turning the pages and kept me inside.
The book had a good ending but I thought it could've been better. There wasn't a main character it was really a couple. They had a lot of of time being interviewed. Some of the themes I didn't really like. Like the violence and the focusing on some things that weren't really important like the prosecutors.
I gave it five stars because it was a really good book, and I like crime and things to do with the law. I would recommend it to people who like mystery and some crime involved. Someone who likes learning about people's lives.

[Kyrsten Howard · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book is centered toward teenagers who were placed on death row. The stories are told through each inmate being interviewed by Susan Kuklin, the author of the book. Each inmate tells their experiences in prison and what their thoughts are about what all has happened to them. The book consists of five different interviews that have to do with separate cases. The book also includes an interview with some of the lawyer’s introduced in the book and a follow up of some of the cases.
What I enjoyed about the book is that the text was taken from exactly what each person said. Nothing was left out or altered. I enjoyed this because it made it seem like the persons being interviewed weren’t just some characters in a book. It was almost as if they were sitting there talking directly to me. I was pleased that even the smallest details were written down. If a person paused or laughed or cried, you knew exactly what emotions they were showing. You knew what each person was feeling, how they were saying their words. In my opinion, this made the words have more emotion behind them rather than just being text on a page. The follow up of each case was most likely my favourite part of the book. I actually kept reading just so that I could hurry to that part of the book. I was very interested in finding out what had become of the previous interviewees when I was done with their interview.
The endings were somewhat of a cliffhanger for me. I wished they had put the interviews and follow ups together instead of in different parts of the book. I was actually quite worried for a while that I would never know what happened to the people being interviewed.
I am giving this book a rating of four out of five stars. the book was very enjoyable and probably one of my favourite books now. There were very few I disliked, especially when compared to what all I loved about this book. I will most certainly recommend it to anyone interested in these types of books.

[Rachel Steahr · Rating 5 out of 5]

Non-fiction is as real as it can get. Based on facts and real life issues Non-fiction is one of the most riveting genres I have read from. From world hunger to natural disasters, these stories seem to almost always be heart-wrenching. Susan Kuklin’s book No Choirboy as recently caught my attention.


Susan Kuklin started out as your average girl. At the age of 8, she had become a prima ballerina. As a teenager, Kuklin switched from dance to theater. She later went on to major in theater at New York University. In graduate school, she started directing plays. She went from acting and directing to being a Non-fiction writer all because her uncle bought her a Leica and seeing the world through that 35mm lense changed her life forever. From there she began writing anything from teen pregnancy to life in prison.


No Choirboy is a 192 paged Non-fiction book about murder, violence, and teenagers on death row. Susan actually went to these prisons and spoke to these inmates about their stories. From life without parole to executions Susan covers it all in this heartbreaking book. Susan doesn’t just ask these inmates questions, she listens and tries to get their stories to be heard. From prison riots to rape, it’s all being spoken about.


There is no main character in this book. There are many inmates and stories she covers. She even speaks to the families of the victims along with the criminals’ lawyers. Everything in this book is written directly how it has been told. She wrote this book using the same language and aggression as the inmates.


I would recommend this book to anyone who knows someone who is in prison or to anyone who thinks the justice system has failed them. If you enjoy learning about others’ experiences this book is for you. Beware, this book is not for the faint-hearted. I would rate this book a solid 5/5. There was never a dull moment with this book! Being Non-fiction makes it that much more interesting.

[Whitney · Rating 4 out of 5]

No Chiorboy is about death row and capital punishment. The author Susan Kuklin writes about six different stories all having to do with teens on death row. Each chapter is a different story about different people and how they handled being on death row. All the stories are true and described in detail how each of them feels about what happened and how it happened. The author also got the family’s side of the story and how it made each family feel and how they feel about the death penalty.
I liked how all the stories are real people dealing with major life changing problems. I also like how she goes into detail about everything to make you feel like you are there during the interview or receiving the letters. She put all the information she had in her book to make sure you understand what is going on. The stories are ones that’ll grip you and keep you wanting to read more. Once you start the book you want to read it to the very end to see what happens to each of the boys and their families.
    While most of it kept you wanting to read more there were some parts that could get boring. For example when the author goes into detail about some of the laws and rules it can seem like that’s all you read about for a while. There wasn’t much I personally did not like but if you don’t find criminals experiences interesting than the book would most likely not be for you. At some parts I did not agree with everything that was said but everyone has a different opinion about the death penalty. Overall there was not much I did not like about the book.
    I gave this book 4 stars because to me it is a great book. It gives a lot of information about what it is like on death row and other prison facilities. I really did enjoy the book and learning about what it is like to have such a difficult life. I would recommend the book to people that enjoy learning about things like the death penalty and what it is like in prison for a long time.  

[brandon chapin · Rating 5 out of 5]

In No Choir Boy the book follows the lives of three inmates. Nanon Williams, Roy Burgess, and Mark Melvin who are all convicted and are awaiting the death penalty. this book goes through how the convicts were convicted. Nanon Williams was convicted of murder he was sentenced to death at the age of 17. Roy Burgess was convicted of murder at the young age of 16 even though he didn't actually kill the victim. Mark Melvin was convicted of murder also due to his brother. This also goes into the horrible conditions set on innocent victims. such as the constant threat of rape and assault.
My favorite character in the book is Mark due to how even though he was sentenced to death he keeps a positive attitude. This character feels extremely real due to the struggles he has been through are actually relatable. My favorite part about the book is learning about Marks story due to how in some way I feel like i'm can relate to him because in my life i have bad family influences. This book make me sad due to the unfair treatment of the inmates.
I didn't like this book completely because even though this book had a lot of emotional information. i feel like the book was would've been better we would've had more outside information in order to connect more to the character. I connected to Mark a lot but not really the other characters. This is my opinion and only a small flaw i saw in this great book.
I gave this book five stars because of the emotional pull and how much the book pulls you in and makes you feel for the characters and their lives. This is overall an amazing book and i recommend it to anyone.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was amazing in a very sad way. For people who are against the death penalty, this book will reaffirm what you believe 100%. For people who support the death penalty, I'm not sure what you'll think, but I hope you give it a chance anyway. The teenagers in this book were all minors when they were convicted of their crimes, but they all served some time on death row, or were eventually executed. I'm glad that it's no longer legal to sentence someone to the death penalty if they were convicted while they were a minor, but it's still chilling to think about the effect that it has on their families, and on the victims' families. My favorite chapter was the story of William, who was murdered at work one day. The author interviewed his younger brother and sister (who at the time of the interview, were college-aged) and emailed his parents. I was surprised to read that they were all against the death penalty, but I also thought that it was refreshing to see that even people who have had their entire lives turned upside down by murder can find it in their hearts to forgive.

This book is definitely not for anyone under 16... I'm 25 and parts were too intense for me! But if it's something that's an interesting subject for you (like it is for me) it's a good read.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting and heartbreaking set of interviews with teenagers who were on death row and are now in prison for life (since the Supreme Court decision that one cannot be sentenced to death for a crime committed before age 18), as well as interviews of the family of a young man executed around the time of that decision, the family of a teenager killed by a young man who was not executed, and several attorneys for death row inmates. Kuklin cannot avoid bias: the young prisoners generally admit to their crimes or their parts in the crimes for which they were sentenced, but she only needs to show the facts to show how terribly biased the application of the death penalty is in the US, and how "Kafkaesque" (her term) the appeals process is.

Much less glamourizing than most of the popular YA books about crime and prisons are. This would be an interesting companion to Jack Gantos's Hole In My Life in a discussion of rehabilitation.

[Angela Bailey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Title / Author / Publication Date:
No choirboy: murder, violence, and teenagers on death row. / Susan Kuklin. / 2008.

Genre: Young Adult Narrative Nonfiction - Interviews.

Format: Book - print. 198 pages.

Plot summary:
"In-depth interviews with teenage prisoners who have been sentenced to death and are awaiting execution on death row provides a powerful look at life behind bars, the effects their decisions have had on themselves and others, and their personal views on the death penalty itself" (NoveList).

Considerations or precautions for readers advisory:
capital punishment, murder, violence, prison, juvenile justice system, crime, law

Review citation:
"This powerful book should be explored and discussed in high schools all across our country" (Wendy Smith-D'Arezzo in School Library Journal).

Section source used to find the material:
YALSA: 2009 Top Ten Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers
YALSA: 2009 Best Books for Young Adults

Recommended age: Ages 13 - 18.