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Bingo! The Horrifying Eyewitness Account of a Prison Riot
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240 pages, Hardcover
Published January 1, 1987
2 people are currently reading
166 people want to read
About the author
Roger Caron
13 books7 followersExcerpts from Wikipedia: Roger Caron:
Roger "Mad Dog" Caron (April 12, 1938 – April 11, 2012) was a Canadian robber and the author of the influential prison memoir Go-Boy! Memories of a Life Behind Bars (1978). At the time of publishing, Caron was 39 years old and had spent 23 years in prison.
Bibliography:
1978 Go-Boy! Memories of a Life Behind Bars, Hushion House, 292 pages, ISBN 0-9682522-3-0
1985 Bingo! The Horrifying Eyewitness Account of a Prison Riot, Methuen, 216 pages, ISBN 0-458-99700-5
1988 Jojo, Stoddart Publishing, 180 pages, ISBN 0-7737-2208-4
1992 Dreamcaper, Stoddart Publishing, 215 pages, ISBN 0-7737-5486-5
Roger "Mad Dog" Caron (April 12, 1938 – April 11, 2012) was a Canadian robber and the author of the influential prison memoir Go-Boy! Memories of a Life Behind Bars (1978). At the time of publishing, Caron was 39 years old and had spent 23 years in prison.
Bibliography:
1978 Go-Boy! Memories of a Life Behind Bars, Hushion House, 292 pages, ISBN 0-9682522-3-0
1985 Bingo! The Horrifying Eyewitness Account of a Prison Riot, Methuen, 216 pages, ISBN 0-458-99700-5
1988 Jojo, Stoddart Publishing, 180 pages, ISBN 0-7737-2208-4
1992 Dreamcaper, Stoddart Publishing, 215 pages, ISBN 0-7737-5486-5
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
March 30, 2023
“‘God,’ I thought as my vision blurred, ‘wipe these memories from my mind.’”
Whether you think of it as social commentary, true-crime, or schlock journalism, Roger Caron’s second memoir, Bingo!, is a legendary piece of Canadian publishing history. Admittedly, the book – like its author – is unsophisticated and rough around the edges. However, what Caron lacks in literary style, he makes up for in his unique sense of perspective, and his unflinching duty to bear witness.
In plain language, Caron offers a first-hand account of the unrelenting brutalities inside Kingston Penitentiary, which culminated in the explosive riot of April 1971. If you have the stomach for it, Bingo! is an invaluable resource for anyone researching the history of human rights, criminal justice, and labour movements in post-war Canada. Caron does a particularly good job outlining some of the day-to-day issues that sparked the powder keg. In terms of prison reform, it was interesting to see what changed (and what stayed the same) since those harrowing days in 1971.
Against popular belief at the time, Kingston Penitentiary recovered from the horrors of the riot and remained fully operational for another fourty-two years. Yet the fate of the institution was sealed after 1971 – its pulse beginning to fade; its reputation tarnished by well over a century of controversy and legal drama. When Kingston Penitentiary closed its doors for the last time in 2013, Canada’s most notorious prison finally died, not with a violent spasm, but with a pathetic whimper. Perhaps Caron was correct when he observed that, in the spirit of Neil Young: “[…] old penitentiaries never die, they just rust away.”
Whether you think of it as social commentary, true-crime, or schlock journalism, Roger Caron’s second memoir, Bingo!, is a legendary piece of Canadian publishing history. Admittedly, the book – like its author – is unsophisticated and rough around the edges. However, what Caron lacks in literary style, he makes up for in his unique sense of perspective, and his unflinching duty to bear witness.
In plain language, Caron offers a first-hand account of the unrelenting brutalities inside Kingston Penitentiary, which culminated in the explosive riot of April 1971. If you have the stomach for it, Bingo! is an invaluable resource for anyone researching the history of human rights, criminal justice, and labour movements in post-war Canada. Caron does a particularly good job outlining some of the day-to-day issues that sparked the powder keg. In terms of prison reform, it was interesting to see what changed (and what stayed the same) since those harrowing days in 1971.
Against popular belief at the time, Kingston Penitentiary recovered from the horrors of the riot and remained fully operational for another fourty-two years. Yet the fate of the institution was sealed after 1971 – its pulse beginning to fade; its reputation tarnished by well over a century of controversy and legal drama. When Kingston Penitentiary closed its doors for the last time in 2013, Canada’s most notorious prison finally died, not with a violent spasm, but with a pathetic whimper. Perhaps Caron was correct when he observed that, in the spirit of Neil Young: “[…] old penitentiaries never die, they just rust away.”
July 12, 2019
This was the third time I've read this book and I feel Roger Caron tells the story beautifully, from his trip to Toronto and the ill fated Armed Robbery that he didn't commit, to his interrogation by Inspecotr Kane, to he and his buddy January Jones searched through Kingston Pen for coffee and the violent and senseless death of two men.
It can be a little tough to get through, but it is well worth it.
It can be a little tough to get through, but it is well worth it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 13, 2019
Very interesting story
February 3, 2025
Horrifying inside account.
September 26, 2012
A few months ago, the author passed away. He was many things: a career criminal, a good public speaker, and a good author. Roger "Mad Dog" Caron stayed true to something we are all taught when we were in a high school English: "Write what you know". Bingo is a presentation of brutal reality during the Kingston Pen riots of the early 70s. In his words, Roger is honest without any apologies. This is not something you would find in an official report. It's better!
July 26, 2011
A frightening account of the problems in our prison system. While I know some have been fixed I am sure a great many remain. A few scenes in the last few chapters made me cringe.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews