Awards

• Commended for National Book Critics Circle Award (Autobiography) 2010
• Winner of Discover Great New Writers (Nonfiction) 2010

Overview

"Near the beginning of The Autobiography of an Execution, David Dow lays his cards on the table. ""People think that because I am against the death penalty and don't think people should be executed, that I forgive those people for what they did. Well, it isn't my place to forgive people, and if it were, I probably wouldn't. I'm a judgmental and not very forgiving guy. Just ask my wife."" It this spellbinding true crime narrative, Dow takes us inside of prisons, inside the complicated minds of judges, inside execution-administration chambers, into the lives of death row inmates (some shown to be innocent, others not) and even into his own home--where the toll of working on these gnarled and difficult cases is perhaps inevitably paid. He sheds insight onto unexpected phenomena-- how even religious lawyer and justices can evince deep rooted support for putting criminals to death-- and makes palpable the suspense that clings to every word and action when human lives hang in the balance."

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9780446562065

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Reviews

For a lot of good reasons, and some that are not so good, executions in the U.S. are carried out in private. The voters, the vast majority of whom support executions, are not allowed to see them. The Autobiography of an Execution is a riveting and compelling account of a Texas execution written and narrated by a lawyer in the thick of the last minute chaos. It should be read by all those who support state sponsored killing. <br><br>-- John Grisham, author of The Innocent Man <br>

David Dow's extraordinary memoir lifts the veil on the real world of representing defendants on death row. It will stay with me a long time. <br><br> -- <br>

David Dow's extraordinary memoir lifts the veil on the real world of representing defendants on death row. It will stay with me a long time . <br> -- <b> Jeffrey Toobin, author of The Nine<br><br></b>

Author Information

David R. Dow is professor of law at the University of Houston Law Center and an internationally recognized figure in the fight against the death penalty. He is the founder and director of the Texas Innocence. He lives in Houston, Texas.

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