Almost Home: My Life Story Vol 1 by Damien Echols
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Book Reviews of Almost Home: My Life Story Vol 1
Book Review: An Honest and Unique Memoir
Summary: 5 Stars
The case of the West Memphis Three is an important example of how the poor suffer in our "justice" system. It is horrible when any innocent person is convicted; it is particularly so when the innocent is set to be executed by the state -- the same state that provided him with ineffective and inexperienced counsel, and put him (several times) into the courtroom of a corrupt judge.
The tragedy is furthered when that innocent man on death row is an intelligent and moral person like Damien Echols. He is beyond brave and his courage to stay positive and sane for over a decade in barbaric circumstances is evidence of his character.
This fascinating book is a valued insight into a deep and thoughtful man, someone I have come to admire greatly over the years.
Book Review: unbelievable.
Summary: 5 Stars
I've been closely following the WM3 site and documentaries and ANYthing pertaining to it. I was SO excited about this book. To actually get, in Damien's own words, an account of the events was WAY too much to pass up. I was FAR too curious and this book really quenched that for me. Finally, he speaks up freely and tells it like it is. I'd buy a million copies of this book and pass them around, if I could. The insight he gives to his mind, heart, and soul is unreal. This book took me on a rollercoaster of emotion. I devoured every word and, still hungry, look forward to volume 2. Hey, you can't have volume 1 without a follow up, right? I recommend it to ALL readers, young, old, informed, and uninformed. The story is simply too shocking to not be told. Buy it, read it, pass it on.Book Review: Simply Amazing!
Summary: 5 Stars
I am a newcomer to this case, so I read Almost Home with no preconceived notions.
Aside from the astounding miscarriage of justice that is at the heart of this memoir, I was also blown away by the portrayal of class issues and the strength of the human spirit. Though by his own admission, Damien Echols was a disinterested, alienated and alienating student, whose home life was chaotic at best, he has managed to write a book that is both compelling (I couldn't put it down) and beautifully written. I believe every academic who teaches about class in America or the criminal justice system should place this book on his or her required reading list.
Rita Bleiman
Northampton, Ma.
Author of "Dirty Tricks"
Book Review: damien echols almost home
Summary: 5 Stars
This book was an excellent portrait of a person who was inprisioned on appearances only. Damien has had a rough life, hes been through so much, an the fact that he has maintained his humor and positive outlook is truely a testament to his intelligence and the size of his heart. This book is not a bitter account of someone who feels wronged but rather and accurate story of overcoming hatred and becoming a better person because of the negative in your life. I appreciate and admire Damien Echols. Everyone should read this book to enlighten themselves to the negative side of the judicial system, which is so often overlooked. You read this book and it will leave no doubt in your mind as to Damiens innocence.Book Review: BEAUTIFUL
Summary: 5 Stars
Amazingly intimate and personal reflections of Damien Echols, an innocent man currently enduring a deathrow prison sentence (Jason Baldwin and Jessie Miskelley were also convicted and got life sentences). While the West Memphis case has been under a magnifying glass -- two HBO documentaries, two books written about the case and the clearinghouse for all legal information, the wm3.org website -- not much is known about who he was before the murders that resulted in his unjust conviction. And he does not disappoint. The bulk of the book concerns his growing up poor mostly in the repressed south. Fascinating and a must read for anyone who has taken an interest in the West Memphis Three case.