Life After Death Audiobook

In 1993, teenagers Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin, and Jessie Misskelley, Jr.—who have come to be known as the West Memphis Three—were arrested for the murders of three eight-year-old boys in Arkansas. The ensuing trial was marked by tampered evidence, false testimony, and public hysteria. Baldwin and Misskelley were sentenced to life in prison; while eighteen-year-old Echols, deemed the “ringleader,” was sentenced to death. Over the next two decades, the WM3 became known worldwide as a symbol of wrongful conviction and imprisonment, with thousands of supporters and many notable celebrities who called for a new trial. In a shocking turn of events, all three men were released in August 2011. Now Echols shares his story in full—from abuse by prison guards and wardens, to portraits of fellow inmates and deplorable living conditions, to the incredible reserves of patience, spirituality, and perseverance that kept him alive and sane while incarcerated for nearly two decades. In these pages, Echols reveals himself a brilliant writer, infusing his narrative with tragedy and irony in equal measure: he describes the terrors he experienced every day and his outrage toward the American justice system, and offers a firsthand account of living on Death Row in heartbreaking, agonizing detail. Life After Death is destined to be a riveting, explosive classic of prison literature.

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"I gave this book 4 stars for 2 reasons. First, because of the strong emotional connection I felt towards the author. The first time I heard about Damien Echols and the West Memphis Three was a few months ago when I happened upon the book Devils Knot, a documentary about the case and trial of the three murdered boys in Arkansas. Normally I stay away from true crime, especially something so violent as this, but curiosity led me to read the back of the book. As I was skimming its contents a guy in the bookstore said to me "dont worry, they didnt do it". He didnt explain and just walked away. Now I'm interested. I devoured the book and felt outraged at the injustice. I started looking online at articles and newspaper clippings from the trial to piece as much as I could together. The story and Damien lingered in the back of my mind for months. Then I found about his release from prison and heard about this book he wrote recounting his childhood, the arrest, time in prison and his future. I kept thinking to myself how strange that I would happen upon Devil's Knot, which was written more than 10 years ago, within months of Life After Death. The second reason is because I think Mr. Echols did a fantastic job of condensing and organizing not only his childhood, but the seventeen years he spent in prison, where I can only imagine time isn't easily measured. Autobiographies scare me- how could you possibly choose from a lifetime of experiences to accurately portray yourself? His honesty and sincerity is alarming and refreshing, and yet he keeps an air of mystery about him to keep the reader from getting arrogant and too close. The fact that he is willing to share anything about his life with the rest of the world is confusing for me, but I am so grateful that he did."

— Caroline (4 out of 5 stars)