Braun, Eric. Escape From Alcatraz.

Braun, Eric.  Escape From Alcatraz.  Capstone Publishers    2017  112p  $29.99  ISBN 978-1-5157-4551-8        ms/jr  nonfiction  VG         

When Frank Morris, along with John and Clarence Anglin, escaped from Alcatraz in 1962, the story riveted the nation. How did three men escape from Alcatraz, the island prison that claimed to be inescapable?  Did the fugitives survive their attempt to flee authority? Or did they die crossing the San Francisco Bay? The three were never caught, and the case remains open to this day.

Young readers may not be familiar with this prison break and will definitely be intrigued by the unsolved mystery.  Author Eric Braun provides readers with claims by relatives that the escaped prisoners made it to Brazil.  He reviews theories about what happened to the men and shares facts gathered from people who dealt with the men and the escape first-hand.  The text will spark lively debate and would make a fine companion volume to the novel Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko, and volumes from the Tales from Alcatraz series.            

Summary: How did three men escape from Alcatraz, the island prison that claimed to be inescapable?  Did they survive their attempt to flee authority? Or did they die crossing the San Francisco Bay?   

Alcatraz Prison, Prison Escapes                                   --Hilary Welliver

     

Braun, Eric.  Escape From Alcatraz.  Capstone Publishers    2017  112p  $29.99  ISBN 978-1-5157-4551-8  ms  nonfiction  VG-BN   

Frank Morris, John Anglin, and Clarence Anglin escaped from Alcatraz prison in 1962 and have never been caught. This book represents a review of the confirmed facts as well as possible outcomes for these three men after they broke out of prison.      Life in prison is never easy, and it was many times worse at Alcatraz, according to the inmates there who spoke of it. Four men were determined to break out of Alcatraz. They developed a precise plan, had the patience to follow through on all of its steps, and finally put the plan into action. All but one escaped. To this day, no one knows what happened to the three who escaped. The author writes in some detail about the prisoners and their plan, and the subsequent search for them by state and federal officials. The tone of the book is established by its dark cover and page frames, and this tone continues throughout the book. All of the photos are done in shades of black, white and sepia, further enhancing the mood of secrecy that hovered over the  planning and implementation of the jailbreak. The text is followed by a bibliography that includes print and web sources, a gallery of photographs of Alcatraz, and lists of the key locations in Alcatraz and the key players in the escape. The book concludes with a glossary, critical-thinking questions based on the Common Core, a list of further resources in both print and web formats, and an index. Middle-school students will love this book, as will their teachers. This librarian certainly did, although she wonders: if the prisoners had put this much effort into legitimate life pursuits, they would not have had to escape from prison at all.              

Summary: Frank Morris, John Anglin, and Clarence Anglin escaped from Alcatraz prison in 1962 and have never been caught. This book represents a review of the confirmed facts as well as possible outcomes for these three men after they broke out of prison.

Alcatraz Island-History                                           --Lynn Fisher