Book Review: Alcatraz: The Last Escape by Ken Widner and Mike Lynch

“When Frank Morris and brothers John and Clarence Anglin boldly escaped from Alcatraz prison on June 11, 1962, it is widely believed that they succumbed to the waters of San Francisco Bay, though no trace of the men has ever been found, only their makeshift raft. In this reexamination of the escape and its aftermath, the Anglin brothers’ nephew presents compelling evidence that his uncles did in fact survive and eventually made their way to Brazil, where they married and had children.”

Goodreads blurb for Alcatraz: The Last Escpae

Review:

For years, I’ve been fascinated by both Alcatraz as an institution as well as the famous escape. Although this book focuses far more on the escape, I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of history about the jail and some of the better-known inmates included as well.

Brothers John and Clarence Anglin, along with a man named Frank Morris, attempted the impossible: escaping from Alcatraz Island, a maximum security prison. It’s long been believed that the three drowned in the surrounding waters, but the Anglin brothers’ nephew, Ken Widner, suggests evidence that his uncles survived. 

I find the author’s argument compelling, although the persuasion gets lost in the somewhat fictionalized presentation. Still, I enjoyed the speculation, and I could be convinced this scenario is likely. I enjoyed the audiobook narration, which kept me engaged. I’m curious to look up the documentary related to this. 

Likes & Dislikes:

What I liked:

• I liked hearing an account from a relative. Even if it’s naturally biased, it was interesting.
• Great as an audiobook.
• Lots of ‘extra’ history included without overshadowing the main story.

What I didn’t like:

• I’m not a huge fan of fictionalized or stylized fiction. This wasn’t consistently reading like a novel, but there was quite a bit of dialogue that the author couldn’t have possibly known.

Afterthoughts:

After reading about some of the other inmates, I plan to look up any books on them as well.

Where to buy the book: