This is perhaps one of the best works of non-fiction that I have read in the last ten years. For well over two decades, we have seen the death penalty process play out in the media, but only upon the careful, close and precise examinination of the author is the real story told. Beautifully written and painstakingly researched, Von Drehle proves that when it comes to the ultimate criminal penalty, there are no easy answers; indeed, there are no easy questions. This compelling and brilliant account is one of those very rare books on this subject that is impossible to put down. Along the way, Von Drehle drops a bombshell or two, all the while providing unvarnished and unsentimental accounts of crimes and criminals; judges and juries; victims and families; wardens and chaplains; politicians and lawyers. It's a shame that this book is currently out of print, especially when one considers the roily debate that surrounds the death penalty today.

This book is a very thorough, but not tedious, chronology of Florida death penalty cases in the post-Furman v. Georgia era. I could not put the book down, it interested me and educated me at the same time. I think this book is an essential read for those who want to study the recent politics and procedure of the Florida death penalty.

This well written, readable book, is an excellent resource on the modern evolution (since reinstitution in 1974) of the death penalty in general, with special application to it's practice in the State of Florida. I would highly recommend "Among the Lowest of the Dead" to anyone who wants to challange themselves and discover what the death penalty is really about in the United States.

The book is written by a journalist who knows the players on both sides of the issue, but is not one of them. This fact lends the book a degree of unbias that is not often found in books on this subject.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone - it is an excellent way to educate onesself with regard to this life-and-death issue. I would especially recommend it to students, however, as it would be an excellent resource for essays and papers on the topic.

This book, by the editors of the Washington Post, does a good job of describing the events which led to the deadlocked 2000 Presidential election. In addition to detailing the paths which led to the deadlock, the book discusses all the post-election issues in a very readable format. Surprisingly, the books editors seem only slightly tilted towards Gore (especially considering it is the Washington Post, which is noted for its liberal bias), so no matter who you voted for, there is much to be found here for anyone with an interest in contemporary politics.

Two things struck me while reading this book, the first is that I doubt there is a book out there that is truly balanced and not somewhat biased. The second thing was that Gore really got the shaft, not so much by the recount wars, but by the election official that came up with the Butterfly Ballot. In the history of the USA this decision ranks up there with new Coke and the XFL, what a mistake. As far as the reporting in the book it was not bad for a review of all the articles they had in the paper, but it did not really dig into the particular issues very deeply. I wanted more detail and behind the scenes with both the candidates. I also wanted more details on the court cases; I felt like the sky-high overview of the issues of the cases did not do such an important issue justice.

In reading the book I think a little bit of a democratic bias comes out, just a little, but enough to notice. I also thought it interesting that they had far more details of the Gore group then the Bush camp, it follows the perception that the Post is somewhat liberal in its views. The book is an overview that came out almost 10 minutes after Gore hung up the phone on the second concession call so there are a few more details out now that they did not get in the book. Overall it is a good effort and a readable book, but not the end all be all on the subject.

This book recounts the nation's closest election with fascinating detail. The authors' genuine style of storyweaving lends the impression that the fly on the wall must have had a Washington Post tape-recorder implanted in it's wing. Deadlock was not at all like re-reading the same old newspaper articles again; this book casts a fresh look at the dramatic strategy game that took place in Florida. I enjoyed it as a self-professed political junkie and my husband found it equally readable as a historical account of remarkable events.

If you dislike crying from boredom, I would not suggest this book. I found myself very frustrated with the incessantly repetitive nature of his writing. Some paragraphs made no sense at all. I highly reccomend this book to anyone suffering from insomnia!

This book doesn't hold a candle to Von Drehle's "Among the Lowest of the Dead." I picked this book up hoping to be informed and possibly persuaded that the death penalty is a poor system. The author's uninteresting discussions about personal conflicts with people and organizations made me less than empathetic to his point of view.

For Mello, capital punishment is "government-sponsored homocide." He sees the system as being an "unambiguous disgrace to civilized humanity; besides being classist and indecent, it is racist." I couldn't agree more. And that's why I found this book so compelling to read. Mello places his first-hand analysis of "government-sponsored homocide" in a legal, cultural, philosophical, and ethical context. Though our common sense may say that capital punishment is the best, most justifiable consequence for cold hearted murder, we must use our uncommon sense to see the larger picture.

Government-sponsored homocide is not like a crime of murder--even though both seek retribution, but it's a systemic form of murder in which death is seen as a solution to problems in our society and world. As long as we hold to this solution, we'll never be able to understand man's inhumanity to man. We'll simply take the "common sense" route to soloving complex problems with simplistic answers.

Many readers will say that Mello is too biased in his analysis. But with well over 3,000 men and women in this country facing a death sentence (nearly 400 in Florida alone), and with a president who resided over 100 death sentences in Texas, we have to think much more critically about what type of country and culture we're livng in and allowing to develop.

Reading Mello helps us think about this "anathema to civilization." He does it with passion, insight, and years of committed work. Even though he has stepped down from being a capital public defender, I think his book will be useful to generations to come who can join others to take on anti-death work.