Letters from Alcatraz: A Collection of Real Letters, Interviews, and Views from Al Capone, James Whitey Bulger, Mickey Cohen and Many Others...

by Michael Esslinger

This special edition has been completely revised and updated with new content including author interviews with James "Whitey" Bulger and a chapter on Mickey Cohen.

This book contains graphic depictions of crime and prison violence.

Alcatraz Island was home to some of the nation's most notorious criminals. Prisoners include Al Capone, Mickey Cohen, James "Whitey" Bulger, George "Machine Gun" Kelly, Robert Stroud- the Birdman of Alcatraz, Alvin Karpis, Henry Young, John and Clarence Anglin, and Roy Gardner. In Michael Esslinger's classic book, Letters From Alcatraz, the prisoners' stories come to life in their own words. With over twenty years of research, Esslinger, author of Definitive History of the Penitentiary Years, has salvaged and compiled an extraordinary collection of inmates' letters, many never before published. Letters from Alcatraz • A foreword by former Alcatraz Larry Quilligan • Over 280 photos depicting inmates and the prison workforce • Over 125 letters and original correspondence from inmates both on-and-off the Rock.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, True Crime, Crime, Memoir, Historical, Biography

458 pages, Paperback

First published October 7, 2008

Reviews

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this on the plane home from San Francisco. I went to visit Alcatraz for the first time yesterday and standing in the bookstore on the island I wanted to get the best book that told the most stories about the inmates. They weren't allowed contact with the outside world - no magazines, newspapers, TV or radio. They were allowed letters from their families but the prison opened them first and retyped them if there was any information on what was happening outside the walls in them. They then put copies of the letters in their files. So the author took these letters and grouped them as well as the inmates letters and painted a picture of what daily life was like on the island. I thought it was really informative. This is actually the second book. The first one talks about the guards and families who lived on the island so I want to get that one next.

[Joann Kuster · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great depiction of life on Alcatraz. Reading the words written by the men who lived there and endured the path they chose was not only history, but the human soul and spirit at work. To read the personal writings of notorious criminals makes you see them as normal as you and I. And yet, they have been sentenced to a life of solitude with none of the pleasures that we enjoy. Very well written and documented, although I would have liked to see more letters of response from wardens and officials. Highly recommended for anyone interested in history and Alcatraz.

[Lynne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I started out thinking I would rate this book with 4 stars, because I didn't know much about Alcatraz and found the history, as well as the inmates' letters interesting. However, about two thirds of the way through the book the letters started to get rather repetitious in their content and I had to force myself to read the last quarter of the book just in case there was one out-of-the-ordinary letter I might miss.

[Melanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book pretty interesting. Only things that were a little distracting were the editing (I found a few errors) and I really wish the letters were in chronological order. Other than those minor things, I found it interesting & it was a fast read.

[Connie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very interesting read providing Unique insight into life on “the Rock.”

My only negative commentary is that it could’ve been more concise, and been more selective in the letters chosen, and that the kindle version made it impossible to read some that were only scanned and not transcribed in a caption.

All in all something I’d recommend to someone visiting Alcatraz any time soon.

[Terence Eden · Rating 2 out of 5]

A grim and uncompromising read. Page after page of letters written by barely-literate violent offenders. Each trapped on Alcatraz, each pleading with someone for a little mercy, or arguing ... https://shkspr.mobi/blog/2019/01/revi...

[Joop Debruin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book with new insights that I was unaware of, though I've read deeply about many of the criminals covered.

[Abe · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was only slightly interesting. Since I live nearby, I was looking for some new details or stories and there were none...

[Molly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book about some of the prisoners of "The Rock" told through their letters

[Rita · Rating 4 out of 5]

ngl this book helped me fall asleep countless times in the past month or two. the font is small on the letters so 400+ pages felt even longer than usual, hence the 4 months it took me to finish. it was interesting to learn about some of the individuals who lived on alcatraz, but as far as history of alcatraz itself goes, i wouldn't say i learned a whole lot more than i'd previously learned.

[Shawn Manning · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very informative

I've read numerous books on Alcatraz, but this volume provides a great insight into the lives of inmates that others failed to portray. Additionally, the photos are superb. All in all, a must read for anyone interested in the subject.

[Mili · Rating 4 out of 5]

Si bien se presenta como un libro de correspondencias, se trata de una radiografía completa de Alcatraz contada a través de la historia de algunos de los prisioneros más conocidos de la historia: Al Capone, Robert Stroud, Machine Gun Kelly, Mickey Cohen, entre otros.

El contenido está desarrollado a partir de información que el autor, Michael Esslinger , dejó de lado en un libro más completo que cuenta la historia de Alcatraz de principio a fin, con entrevistas a ex presidiarios, guaridas y directores. Si bien no tuve oportunidad de leer aquel libro, el presente me dejó una buena cantidad de información MUY interesante para conocer la historia de la prisión más famosa del mundo, al mismo tiempo que me permitió conocer la vida íntima de algunos de los criminales más reconocidos.

Si te interesa la historia de la mafia, la historia de la justicia en USA, o simplemente querés saber más sobre el lugar, este es un gran libro para tener.

[Charlotte · Rating 3 out of 5]

I started this book, then set it aside for several weeks, but finally finished it. I found it difficult to read because of the large amount of errors. The author said he was including the letters just as they were written with no editing. However, I feel certain that many errors were ADDED to those letters. I could tell from the word choice and sentence structure that some of the letter writers were quite intelligent and would not make the mistakes the letters contained. It seemed as if someone had dictated the letters and that English was not the primary language of the person doing the typing. I did learn things about Alcatraz that I did not know before reading the book, but I could have learned more, and I could have enjoyed the book much more if this Kindle version of the book had been edited thoroughly by someone good at English.

[Carrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was very interesting. I found it haunting to hear the voices of prisoners and their loved ones through the letters sent to and from Alcatraz at the time. Very moving, especially after having seen the island first-hand.

The only thing that could have made this book better would be better organization. It seemed that the author and editors were thinking more of how to get the letters to fit on the page in a visually appealing way than putting them in chronologically. While this did effect the impact of the storytelling process, it was still an effective book.

[Vanessa · Rating 2 out of 5]

It should have been titled "letters from Leavenworth" because 75% of correspondence was from, well, Leavenworth USP. It was the same letter, over and over, written by different famous criminals. No real insight to how prison life was. The author did a good job at background descriptions but overall the flow of the book was monotonous and disconnected. It would have maybe read better had I been able to zoom in on the small pictures of the handwritten letters (I suggest paperback or an ereader with zoom capability).

[Douglas Castagna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Awesome pictures and backstory of the prisoners. Some letters were cool and insightful but most of them were a bit on the boring side, all in all this may be best viewed on something newer than a kindle keyboard because the pages of the actual letters and correspondence, as well as the inmates ids were cool and would have been awesome to read. I looked at a few on my computer and wished I was able to do so on my device. Perhaps I will revisit this when I upgrade.

[Angel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed this book SO much. The insights into the personal notes and lives of the inmates was unbelievable. I loved the photographs and telegraphs.
There were some issues where some letters were duplicated out of order prior to transference to print and this was annoying. I wish the telegraphs were all transcribed to print. Also some grammar issues, outside of the letters.
Will read more by this author - has another book about Alcatraz and one about Veruca Salt!

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good book

Brilliant book, i read one of his 'Alcatraz - The Definitive History of the Penetentiary Years' years ago. And was full of useful info.

This book has it all, good letters, good photos, well researched.

The only thing i was disapointed in, was that it was not compatible with my 2024 Kindle Scribe.

So i had to read on my phone.

[Ivy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book told about the history of Alcatraz and what it was like to live there. It also has letters written by the inmates to family and prison officials.

It was well written but was also slow in some places. I found it interesting from a history point of view and even learned a few things that I didn't know about The Rock.

[Amelia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Uggers, I would not have wanted to be in Alcatraz. No books, no magazines, no nothing except heavily redacted letters from the outside.

The book starts good and the author is great, but the letters and their personal authors are a tad on the boring side. Nothing to be done about that and not Micheal’s fault.

The books is what it is and it is done good for it. (Oh funny me.)

[Emily Rodolff · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is about as good as I expected it to be. I did find it interesting, and enjoyed reading the stories of some of History's most notorious criminals and gangsters, and while I was somewhat curious about their "back-stories" I do not feel compelled to do any further research.

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great insight and perspective of Alcatraz through letters from the people that actually experienced it, along with their family and friends. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone interested in the history of Alcatraz or its inmates of long ago.

[Shana Best · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book gave me more insight into how prisoners, some guards and the warden from Alcatraz lived , the conditions within the prison and their lives before/after Alcatraz. I definitely want to visit the prison. I would recommend this book on Audible if you are into history.

[Tia · Rating 1 out of 5]

I liked the premise of this book but it really failed to hold my attention. I have up only 30 pages in.

[Rachel 💚 · Rating 3 out of 5]

it gave a beautiful insight into the pain, loneliness and hopelessness felt by the prisoners. very good.

[Mert · Rating 4 out of 5]

interesting read. A good book to pick up now and then and read a little at a time.

[Kat · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting collection of stories from some of Alcatraz's notorious prisoners. Pretty entertaining and it seems historically sound.

[Michael Webb · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting, but kind of gets repetitive

[Michael Mueller · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was very interesting but, given its non-story telling nature, took me a long time to work through.

[Jennifer]

I enjoyed it very much especially after seeing Alcatraz in person. What a depressing place.