Alcatraz: A Definitive History [Kindle Edition]

Price: 1,499

Snag "Alcatraz: A Definitive History of the Penitentiary Years" (Kindle Edition) for FREE with Swag Bucks!


ALCATRAZ ? the name alone said it all? It was meant to send a shudder down the spines of the nation's most incorrigible criminals. It stripped Al Capone of his power. It tamed "Machine Gun" Kelly into a model of decorum. It took the birds away from the Birdman of Alcatraz.

When prisoners boarded the boat for Alcatraz, they knew that they had reached the end of the line. Not only was this the toughest of all Federal penitentiaries, but it was also said to be virtually escape-proof. The island was a natural fortress, separated from the mainland by a narrow strait of freezing water and deadly currents. This prison was the U.S. government?s drastic answer to the lawlessness unleashed under Prohibition, which continued throughout the ?Roaring Twenties? and into the teeth of the Great Depression. Alcatraz, with its damp cold and austere isolation, its rigid discipline and strict rule of silence, was as tough as the criminals that were sent there, and by the time the prison closed down in 1963, "the Rock" had indisputably done its job.

Historian Michael Esslinger thoroughly details the prominent events, inmates, and life inside the most infamous prison in American History. His research included hundreds of hours examining actual Alcatraz inmate files (including rare original documents from Al Capone, Machine Gun Kelly, and over a hundred others) exploring the prison grounds from the rooftop to the waterfront to help retrace events, escape routes, in addition to conducting various interviews with former inmates & guards.


NOTE: This item will be delivered to you as a Kindle file to the e-mail address listed on your Swag Bucks account. YOU MUST HAVE A KINDLE DEVICE OR A FREE KINDLE READING APP TO CLAIM THIS PRIZE.