Proximity to Death

by William S. McFeely

Book Overview

On a misty September morning in rural Georgia, a Pulitzer Prize-winning historian found himself cast in a role that he had never imagined for himself: an expert witness in the sentencing trial of a convicted kidnapper, rapist, and murderer. His brief testimony that day would ultimately lead him on a personal journey into the criminal justice system, to confront the actions and decisions of lawyers battling for and against the death penalty, convicts...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0393321045
• ISBN13: 9780393321043
• Release Date: February 2001
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
• Length: 208 Pages
• Weight: 0.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.5" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

fighting for a cause

I would agree with the reviews which claim that this book tells one side of a major debate, but I do not consider this a fault. The author never claims to be presenting a fair and balanced account of the death penalty, nor does he claim the status of an expert on capital punishment. Contrary to what one might be lead to believe from other reviews, I certainly do not understand the book, to assert that capital punishment is Unconstitutional, but simply gives an overview of an organization that fights to make sure that if the death penalty must be administered, it be administered in a constitutional and fair manner, in one of the most sad death penalty systems in the country. In sum, if you are looking for an in depth debate on the constitutional and policy aspects of capital punishment, read Furman v. Georgia, not this book. If you want to read about a group of warriors wit top notch legal abilities who sacrifice all the riches and political clout such ability could bring them, in exchange for 30k per year and fighting for a cause they believe in, this is the book to read.

Excelllent primer on death "penalty" in USA

The format of the book is less than ideal. I think the author adopted a format that centered on character sketches of a group of death-penalty lawyers because he wanted to emphasize that the whole business is about people, not about abstract ideas. The whole issue of the humanity of the death-row inmate is dealt with 100 times more effectively in George Orwell's essay "A Hanging", but that is another story altogether.The book gives the reader a lot of useful history and information about the death "penalty" in Georgia, both then and now, and shows how the modern death penalty has, in a sense, taken over where lynching left off.There are well researched notes and references for each chapter for those who want to go deeper. The USA stands proudly alongside jurisdictions like Yemen and Saudi Arabia in retaining the death penalty and this book provides a good discussion of why. The author includes a great deal of information in support of his opinion that the primary purpose of the continuation of the death "penalty" is to feed the desire for revenge. One may disagree with this thesis, but it is there. He also presents ample data suggesting that the death penalty lacks value as a deterrent. If you are looking for a book that provides support and justification for retention of the death "penalty", this is not it.