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Breaking the Rock: The Great Escape from Alcatraz
Investigates the 1962 escape of three prisoners from Alcatraz, paying special attention to the role played by prisoner Allen West, and speculates about whether the men survived their escape attempt.
275 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 2001
28 people are currently reading
469 people want to read
About the author
Jolene Babyak
4 books18 followersJolene Babyak (who also writes under the pseudonym Cory Kincade) as a child lived on Alcatraz. Her father was guard and at one point, Assistant Warden. Jolene now writes books about Alcatraz and goes regularly to the Alcatraz store to have book signings.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 50 reviews
June 20, 2012
I've got to Alcatraz three times in the last six years and it does nothing but amaze me how somebody could escape from the rock. This book was incredible, but the biggest downfall was when Babyak decided to throw in conversations between the men that may, or may not have happened.
July 25, 2021
A more serious review for a book that was so incredibly well planned, well written and so enjoyable. For me, it wasn’t quite good enough for 5 stars as it took me a short while to get into it, but nonetheless I devoured the second half of the book, which is why it’s rated so highly for me.
In her book ‘Breaking the Rock’, Babyak uses evidence from guards, prisoners, civilians on Alcatraz and the surrounding city, San Francisco. Expertly, she cross references interviews, newspaper articles- some saved from her time living in the civilian quarters on The Rock- and official records. She even goes to the extent of using scientific reports to investigate how plausible it was for the men to escape by looking at weather and tide reports of the day they broke The Rock. Every person interviewed (and that was hundreds of them) was affected by the escape.
Skilfully, Babyak uses her own firsthand experience to describe, in detail, what life living on The Rock was like. As the daughter of an administrator on Alcatraz, she lived in the staff quarters down a hill from the prison itself, so knew the struggles of having alarms and searchlights filling the air regularly, or having to take a boat to a school every day on the mainland. She knew how treacherous those tides surrounding the fortification really were. Although her father never wanted to talk about the escape, Babyak was determined to explore the truth and rediscover her history that had drowned in the murky waters of police cover-ups and negligent record keeping.
A culmination of her persistence and skill produced the most engaging, accurate and well-written narrative of the build up and then consequences of the escape. She combines the emotion of the guards recalling their mistakes with the evidence produced in the FBI investigation, to create a whirlpool of engaging twists and turns that recall the fast- flowing events leading up to the fateful day. 90 photographs are used to further immerse you in the inmates’ world, including images used in the investigation afterwards, and aerials of the island to help you visualise their escape route.
It all started with one man, Allen West, who had fantasised about Breaking the Rock as soon as he got on it. He schemed every day to find ways of leaving the wretched place that confined and punished him… for breaking out of previous prisons! Babyak described it as ‘hard to believe he was anything but talk’, but for the 3 convicts who escaped his talk was inspiration to keep going. The two Anglin brothers and Morris were captivated by West’s plan and so they set to work.
Although, as Babyak indicates in her narrative, it wasn’t as easy as it sounds. Complications arose weekly-daily, even- when materials wouldn’t show up, inmates had been told about their plan and threatened to compromise the whole thing or when guards did ‘shakedowns’ to turn over everything in their cells. The operation included whole wings of the prison and was one of the largest prison breaks of all time. Almost everyone did something to help.
The guards, when interviewed, said that the three who escaped did so because they were menaces. They only wanted to cause trouble and endanger innocent people by stealing their way through life outside of jail. However, our view cannot be limited by the convictions of the guards that Babyak focuses on; there are more emotional factors that compelled their escape, showing the real humans that were protected by a criminal outer shell. The Anglin brothers both had girlfriends and a large family at home, who were poor and as the two boys had gone, they had nothing. Babyak touches on this in her brief biography of each prisoner mentioned, but she focuses more on their violent criminal past, rather than their emotional connections in the outside world.
Overall, a thoroughly enthralling read. One I would really recommend.
In her book ‘Breaking the Rock’, Babyak uses evidence from guards, prisoners, civilians on Alcatraz and the surrounding city, San Francisco. Expertly, she cross references interviews, newspaper articles- some saved from her time living in the civilian quarters on The Rock- and official records. She even goes to the extent of using scientific reports to investigate how plausible it was for the men to escape by looking at weather and tide reports of the day they broke The Rock. Every person interviewed (and that was hundreds of them) was affected by the escape.
Skilfully, Babyak uses her own firsthand experience to describe, in detail, what life living on The Rock was like. As the daughter of an administrator on Alcatraz, she lived in the staff quarters down a hill from the prison itself, so knew the struggles of having alarms and searchlights filling the air regularly, or having to take a boat to a school every day on the mainland. She knew how treacherous those tides surrounding the fortification really were. Although her father never wanted to talk about the escape, Babyak was determined to explore the truth and rediscover her history that had drowned in the murky waters of police cover-ups and negligent record keeping.
A culmination of her persistence and skill produced the most engaging, accurate and well-written narrative of the build up and then consequences of the escape. She combines the emotion of the guards recalling their mistakes with the evidence produced in the FBI investigation, to create a whirlpool of engaging twists and turns that recall the fast- flowing events leading up to the fateful day. 90 photographs are used to further immerse you in the inmates’ world, including images used in the investigation afterwards, and aerials of the island to help you visualise their escape route.
It all started with one man, Allen West, who had fantasised about Breaking the Rock as soon as he got on it. He schemed every day to find ways of leaving the wretched place that confined and punished him… for breaking out of previous prisons! Babyak described it as ‘hard to believe he was anything but talk’, but for the 3 convicts who escaped his talk was inspiration to keep going. The two Anglin brothers and Morris were captivated by West’s plan and so they set to work.
Although, as Babyak indicates in her narrative, it wasn’t as easy as it sounds. Complications arose weekly-daily, even- when materials wouldn’t show up, inmates had been told about their plan and threatened to compromise the whole thing or when guards did ‘shakedowns’ to turn over everything in their cells. The operation included whole wings of the prison and was one of the largest prison breaks of all time. Almost everyone did something to help.
The guards, when interviewed, said that the three who escaped did so because they were menaces. They only wanted to cause trouble and endanger innocent people by stealing their way through life outside of jail. However, our view cannot be limited by the convictions of the guards that Babyak focuses on; there are more emotional factors that compelled their escape, showing the real humans that were protected by a criminal outer shell. The Anglin brothers both had girlfriends and a large family at home, who were poor and as the two boys had gone, they had nothing. Babyak touches on this in her brief biography of each prisoner mentioned, but she focuses more on their violent criminal past, rather than their emotional connections in the outside world.
Overall, a thoroughly enthralling read. One I would really recommend.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 23, 2023
A good novel depicting the ingenious escape of the renowned US Penitentiary, Alcatraz by a trio of men in 1962. I read this book after visiting the prison on a tour in September 2014 (long after it's official closure) located in the middle of San Francisco Bay on the West Coast of California. My experiences from my visit on an eerie, foggy San Francisco day through the halls that these prisoners once inhabited made for a chilly experience that was constantly etched in my mind while absorbing the details of Babyak's novel.
Having lived on Alcatraz Island as a child due to her father working there as the acting warden, Babyak used her first-hand experiences as a resident to guide her research into the ultimate escape of three prisoners who used a homemade raft constructed from materials that they had at their disposal whilst interned. However, despite the gripping story documenting the history of the Anglin brothers and Morris up to their escape, it appears quite predictable however unfortunate that the possibility that the trio of escapees may have successfully escaped and survived the initial bay crossing (the official FBI report concluded they had drowned) is dismissed by Babyak on the grounds of circumstantial evidence such as the rapidly falling tide that reportedly occurred during their escape. However, this bias is understandable considering the close relationship her family had to the prison and her potential unwillingness to court controversy.
Having lived on Alcatraz Island as a child due to her father working there as the acting warden, Babyak used her first-hand experiences as a resident to guide her research into the ultimate escape of three prisoners who used a homemade raft constructed from materials that they had at their disposal whilst interned. However, despite the gripping story documenting the history of the Anglin brothers and Morris up to their escape, it appears quite predictable however unfortunate that the possibility that the trio of escapees may have successfully escaped and survived the initial bay crossing (the official FBI report concluded they had drowned) is dismissed by Babyak on the grounds of circumstantial evidence such as the rapidly falling tide that reportedly occurred during their escape. However, this bias is understandable considering the close relationship her family had to the prison and her potential unwillingness to court controversy.
May 1, 2019
This book was interesting but it was slightly confusing at some points and it took me forever to read.
February 23, 2021
I really enjoyed this book. Having been to the island I cold picture the escape as it happened but now knowing the full story it makes me want to go back and imagine how it would have happened while being there. Definitely recommend!!
April 5, 2022
“Breaking The Rock” by Jolene Babyak. It is a nonfiction book that follows 3 men who escaped Alcatraz and how they found ways around to make their escape successful. I typically am not a non-fiction book reader but after I visited the actual prison in San Francisco, I was very interested in how they had escaped and I wanted to learn more. I actually got the book I read for good reads at Alcatraz and the author was there and signed it. I've had this book ever since in my basement and once I heard we were reading a nonfiction book for this assignment I knew exactly what book I was going to read and it was Breaking The Rock.
This book is an investigation about 3 men Clearance, John Anglin who are brothers and Frank Morris escaping the prison, Alcatraz in San Francisco. These were the 3 men who escaped Alcatraz successfully and were never seen again. After tracing all their steps on how they escaped the last thing they came to was a raft on Angel Island. Jolene Babyak, the author who wrote this book lived on the island when she was 15 with her family and another 60 other families for 2 years. Art Dollison, Jolene's dad, worked as an administrator on Alcatraz for nine years. Jolene was still living on the island the morning of June 12th, 1962 when the escape siren went off and blasted out the news that 3 prisoners had broken out of their cells.
“That night, June 12, at about 10:15pm., a homemade paddle matching the one found on top of the roof, was found floating off the northwest side of Angel Island.” This is my favorite part of the story on how they had escaped. I find it so interesting the last thing they found of the 3 men escaping was a raft on Angel Island. They found a paddle in the water that was the same as the one on top of the rooftop of the prison. This not only makes me question but I'm sure makes many other readers question if they made it through the deep dark waters of the San Francisco Bay alive or did they fall deep into the bay. The way the book ended was actually in a cool way. Allen West, another inmate, was planning on escaping with the 3 other prisoners but he was unable to finish removing the ventilator grill in his cell in time. They say even though Allen West didn't escape he had still won the game. He lived to tell his story, and most importantly for the rest of his life, he got bragging rights. Allen remaining behind could have been an “ultimate double-cross” as they say and that he had done what he set out to do. He had broken the rock.
I honestly think this book is so interesting and being able to get all the details and insights about the book from someone who actually lived on the island at the time of the 3 prisoners who escaped one of the hardest prisons in the world, is so incredibly cool. I think people who find prisons and escapes cool will really enjoy this book and all the planning that goes into the escape. A similar book would be “Prison Break” by Arthur Taylor.
This book is an investigation about 3 men Clearance, John Anglin who are brothers and Frank Morris escaping the prison, Alcatraz in San Francisco. These were the 3 men who escaped Alcatraz successfully and were never seen again. After tracing all their steps on how they escaped the last thing they came to was a raft on Angel Island. Jolene Babyak, the author who wrote this book lived on the island when she was 15 with her family and another 60 other families for 2 years. Art Dollison, Jolene's dad, worked as an administrator on Alcatraz for nine years. Jolene was still living on the island the morning of June 12th, 1962 when the escape siren went off and blasted out the news that 3 prisoners had broken out of their cells.
“That night, June 12, at about 10:15pm., a homemade paddle matching the one found on top of the roof, was found floating off the northwest side of Angel Island.” This is my favorite part of the story on how they had escaped. I find it so interesting the last thing they found of the 3 men escaping was a raft on Angel Island. They found a paddle in the water that was the same as the one on top of the rooftop of the prison. This not only makes me question but I'm sure makes many other readers question if they made it through the deep dark waters of the San Francisco Bay alive or did they fall deep into the bay. The way the book ended was actually in a cool way. Allen West, another inmate, was planning on escaping with the 3 other prisoners but he was unable to finish removing the ventilator grill in his cell in time. They say even though Allen West didn't escape he had still won the game. He lived to tell his story, and most importantly for the rest of his life, he got bragging rights. Allen remaining behind could have been an “ultimate double-cross” as they say and that he had done what he set out to do. He had broken the rock.
I honestly think this book is so interesting and being able to get all the details and insights about the book from someone who actually lived on the island at the time of the 3 prisoners who escaped one of the hardest prisons in the world, is so incredibly cool. I think people who find prisons and escapes cool will really enjoy this book and all the planning that goes into the escape. A similar book would be “Prison Break” by Arthur Taylor.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 16, 2025
A few months ago, I rewatched "Escape from Alcatraz" for perhaps the 3rd or 4th time. This time around, it got me wondering what the real story was, so I thought I'd give this a read. Here's a so-so book that, with a half-decent editor, could've been a great one. I like that the author had a personal connection to Alcatraz (her father was an official there at the time of the escape) and wish that she'd woven a little more of her own life there into the account and that she'd perhaps made better use of her access to some of the retired personnel. The book suffers from a lot of grammatical and typographical errors. When a book contains so many of such errors, things that are easy to catch, it makes you wonder where the author may have erred in presenting facts. The writing is also uneven--at times very good, but at others almost laughably bad, particularly when the writer needlessly editorializes or simply makes up little facts that she simply couldn't have known or reads the minds of those involved, with no documentation to back up her departures from the objective truth. What's odd is that the copy I read was a revised edition, making me wonder just how much worse the original must have been. And despite having supposedly been revised several years after authorities received a letter claiming to be from one of the escapees, a story that made national headlines, she felt no need to mention it, even to debunk it. Despite all of the shortcomings in the book, though, the story is a fascinating one, and it'd probably be difficult to write a bad book about it. Truth be told, I found much of the book interesting and learned quite a bit, but I can't give it more than 3 stars.
March 22, 2020
A solid, entertaining, at times even suspenseful account of the infamous (and brilliant) escape from Alcatraz in 1962. Babyak writes well, but occasionally loses the plot when she tries desperately to assign all blame over the breakout on the warden – an idea that is, frankly, a little ridiculous, considering the fact that he wasn’t personally in charge of supervising the inmates. In fact, the only prison official who gets a free pass in terms of blame is the author’s own father…
Also, towards the end of the book, the author dismisses all clues pointing to the idea that the trio survived as unconvincing, while all clues pointing towards death and failure, no matter how flimsy the clues, are regarded as believable. She also speculates that, had the men escaped, they would have immediately gone on a long, loud crime spree, and been caught. This speculation is a tad bizarre, considering the fact that the escapees were able to plan and carry out one of the most incredible escapes in history, and keep their mouths shut about their plans for years. Seems it’s in the author’s family DNA to underestimate the prisoners on Alcatraz.
Still, I recommend this book to history fans and true crime readers.
Also, towards the end of the book, the author dismisses all clues pointing to the idea that the trio survived as unconvincing, while all clues pointing towards death and failure, no matter how flimsy the clues, are regarded as believable. She also speculates that, had the men escaped, they would have immediately gone on a long, loud crime spree, and been caught. This speculation is a tad bizarre, considering the fact that the escapees were able to plan and carry out one of the most incredible escapes in history, and keep their mouths shut about their plans for years. Seems it’s in the author’s family DNA to underestimate the prisoners on Alcatraz.
Still, I recommend this book to history fans and true crime readers.
July 31, 2024
I purchased my copy of this book in paperback at a "Friends of the Olathe Public Library" used book sale last year. The author's father was an official at the Alcatraz prison, so the author was a 15 year old girl living on the island at the time of the "Great Escape" in June 1962. I visited Alcatraz way back in 1997 and I found both the island and this book to be pretty interesting. The book includes many details about what life on the island was like for the inmates and the guards. It's amazing the amount of work and ingenuity the prisoners put into their scheme, and the number of security slip-ups and lapses that contributed to their success in breaking out. As for whether they actually made it across San Francisco bay and freedom is another matter - the author seems to conclude that they perished in the attempt. The author uses the device of fabricating dialogue and thoughts for the escapees, since they aren't around to tell their stories, but where she took this liberty it is indicated with italic print. The book has numerous incorrectly spelled words and broken sentences, but that just seems to be the way books are going to be in the 21st century. The pacing of the writing is brisk and for me it was a quick read. Four out of five stars.
April 30, 2020
Why I'm interested in this book at the first place
One of my favorite unsolved mysteries, *and* possibly the most (in)famous prison break of all time.
This is the 1st book I picked with where it was covered in Buzzfeed Unsolved Network. Or else, you can watch the video here:
https://youtu.be/qr4MSVxfYBE
What do I think of this book... now that I've done reading it
Little that I know that the author, whose father used to work at The Rock itself! When I watched other documentaries later on, I noticed she was frequently featured too.. now it makes sense.
Given the circumstances, I'm honestly believe they managed to reach to their intended destination. But then again, anything is possible.
+
1. The chronology starting from Allan West, the mastermind of the escape plan.
2. Babyak also includes stories from the prison administration and officials during the duration of the escape crew serving their time.
-
1. So, the narratives told from third person (point of view) sounds too good to be true. I mean, was wondering if the conversations do really happen since there is no official record, and only from the testimonies of Allan West.
2. I wish there are more pictures included. I understand if it's about copyrighted stuff and all.
Get this
1. If you're a fan of/have seen the award-winning tv series, Prison Break (2005).
2. If you've yet to see the movie adaptation, Escape from Alcatraz (1979).
One of my favorite unsolved mysteries, *and* possibly the most (in)famous prison break of all time.
This is the 1st book I picked with where it was covered in Buzzfeed Unsolved Network. Or else, you can watch the video here:
https://youtu.be/qr4MSVxfYBE
What do I think of this book... now that I've done reading it
Little that I know that the author, whose father used to work at The Rock itself! When I watched other documentaries later on, I noticed she was frequently featured too.. now it makes sense.
Given the circumstances, I'm honestly believe they managed to reach to their intended destination. But then again, anything is possible.
+
1. The chronology starting from Allan West, the mastermind of the escape plan.
2. Babyak also includes stories from the prison administration and officials during the duration of the escape crew serving their time.
-
1. So, the narratives told from third person (point of view) sounds too good to be true. I mean, was wondering if the conversations do really happen since there is no official record, and only from the testimonies of Allan West.
2. I wish there are more pictures included. I understand if it's about copyrighted stuff and all.
Get this
1. If you're a fan of/have seen the award-winning tv series, Prison Break (2005).
2. If you've yet to see the movie adaptation, Escape from Alcatraz (1979).
January 13, 2024
I love historical-fiction and crime so this was an interesting read. Written in the perspective of a girl whose father worked on Alcatraz made it more of a narrative, which I loved, but some of the details of the escape got confusing. I like how the images helped to give a picture of the complicated details of the escape and life on Alcatraz as well as the prisoners. I was shocked at the end when West was left behind-even though we aren’t sure if he stayed behind willingly. All of the theories discussed at the end I enjoyed learning about and although I don’t think they survived, it’s a really interesting story and shows how smart and industrious these prisoners were. I definitely want to visit Alcatraz once in my life!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 19, 2024
Almost as long as I've been obsessed with Al Capone, I've been obsessed with Alcatraz. Much like the Salem Witch Trials, for me, it seems like historic moments and places that are glossed over. Maybe they should be, but they fascinate me.
This book specifically is about the famous 1962 breakout of Frank Morris and the Anglin brothers. It outlines some of the history of the convicts as well as the Rock itself. Jolene's father worked at Alcatraz and their family lived onsite during this time and she does a fabulous job of recreating the time and energy that went into the master escape plan from interview with those who were there, along with crime scene evidence collected by the FBI to weave a tale that pulls you in and keeps you there.
This book specifically is about the famous 1962 breakout of Frank Morris and the Anglin brothers. It outlines some of the history of the convicts as well as the Rock itself. Jolene's father worked at Alcatraz and their family lived onsite during this time and she does a fabulous job of recreating the time and energy that went into the master escape plan from interview with those who were there, along with crime scene evidence collected by the FBI to weave a tale that pulls you in and keeps you there.
November 16, 2020
I had the privilege of meeting Jolene on Alcatraz, I purchased all her books and she was happy to sign each one. The book is very well written, she builds the characters well and brings in the side players to accent the story and move it along. The book has no fill or fluff, the men in-prisoned at Alcatraz are there for a reason and I felt she did a great job of bring out who they are, not building heroes. If you enjoy true crime, add this to your list, if you like well written non-fiction, add this to your list, if you just like a great well written story add Jolene's books.
July 24, 2019
This book had a very interesting storyline, but some parts were confusing and hard to understand. I had just gone to Alcatraz a few weeks ago and that helped me understand some parts, but other parts I had to read many times over again and I barely got the gist. There are many mechanically advanced parts that I had to skip over because I had NO idea what was happening. I gave this book four stars because it was intriguing, interesting, and mostly informative.
February 10, 2022
The first thing to note about this book is it's not written by an academic and that's obvious the whole way through. Having said that, it was clearly extensively researched by someone who, due to their background, probably had better luck than most would at getting eye witnesses to talk.
It was genuinely interesting, not badly written and an easy read. My main niggle was the made up dialogue, which wasn't needed. But all in all, a decent account.
It was genuinely interesting, not badly written and an easy read. My main niggle was the made up dialogue, which wasn't needed. But all in all, a decent account.
May 11, 2024
I visited Alcatraz in 2011 and the author was there and she signed my copy for me. When she heard I was from the UK she asked if I was also interested in Holloway which was amusing. I find the escape fascinating, and having been there myself and be able to picture all of the references and places in the book make it that much more interesting. I read the book back in 2011 and so this was a re read and just as much fun as the first time.
July 20, 2020
It was interesting. I hadn't ever spent much time learning about the breakout, just that it happened. The chance of those men escaping to the mainland was slim to none, based on the tide during their swim, along with no evidence of anything stolen in land and various articles found only in the ocean. But the escape was pretty impressive.
January 4, 2025
The author’s dedication to the topic is impressive. Her research is thorough, and her knowledge on the topic is evident in every chapter. Despite being a piece of non-fiction filled with dates, document references, and interview quotes, Babyak does a good job building the arc of the story, maintaining characterization and tension as she builds the factual plot.
June 17, 2025
Interesting book. I found it difficult to follow at times. I bought this book at Alcatraz when I visited, so it was interesting that I bought it there. I’ve also always been interested in the escape. However, if I didn’t buy this book at Alcatraz after my visit, it would probably be a 1.5 or 2 star.
May 19, 2019
A really interesting book about the 1962 Alcatraz escape, written by a woman who was a young girl living on the island when it happened (her father worked at the jail). However the book is filled with grammatical errors & misspellings, which makes it very confusing to read at times.
July 30, 2017
Really good and engaging book on the escape from Alcatraz.
July 10, 2018
One of the most interesting books I have ever read.. this book + a trip to the actual prison has literally blown my mind 🤯
November 11, 2018
Good book
May 27, 2019
Go ahead and picture what you think this book is like...correct!
February 23, 2022
Poor grammatical editing. The “notes” section indicate an event where the date could not be verified and was therefore inserted where it was “for dramatic effect”.
April 14, 2023
This took a long time to finish. I am fascinated with Alcatraz, but this was very dense.
August 12, 2023
Interesting! 3.5⭐️
August 31, 2023
The book was interesting ( especially after visiting Alcatraz) but sometimes confusing in describing things and somewhat of a low read.
December 23, 2025
The story was fine, but this book is in dire need of an editor. Grammar errors, incorrect word use, misspellings abound. It happened often enough that it became distracting.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 50 reviews