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Life After Death Audiobook
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(4.00) - 2,379 listener ratings
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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)
Quotes
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“His story will appall, fascinate, and render you feeble with tears and laughter. A brilliant memoir to battle literary giants of the caliber of Jean Genet, Gregory David Roberts, and Dostoevsky.”
— Johnny Depp -
“Damien Echols spent eighteen years on death row for murders he did not commit. Somehow, in the depths of his unspeakable nightmare, he found the courage and strength not only to survive, but to grow, to create, to forgive, and to understand. Life after Death is a brilliant, haunting, painful, and uplifting narrative of a hopeless childhood, a wrongful conviction, a brutal incarceration, and the beginning of a new life.”
— John Grisham, #1 New York Times bestselling author -
“Wrongfully imprisoned by willfully ignorant cops, prosecutors and judge, Damien Echols draws on all his wits and his unique view of humanity to survive eighteen years on death row. My admiration for him, and the strength of his spirit, increases with every page.”
— Sir Peter Jackson, Academy Award–winning director -
“The life of Damien Echols is a journey similar to that of the metal that becomes a samurai’s sword. Heated and pounded until it becomes hardened, it can hold its edge for centuries. It is incredible that Damien endured and survived one of the most tragic miscarriages of American justice, and emerged such a centered, articulate, and extraordinary man and writer. Life after Death proves that he paid dearly for his wisdom.”
— Henry Rollins, former front man of Black Flag -
“A dual memoir, partly about Mr. Echols’ boyhood and partly about his prison life…[It is] so well told that Life after Death sometimes sounds like the work of a ghostwriter. But the book reprints enough…pages of Mr. Echols’ prison writing to make it very clear that the literary talent is entirely his…A haunting book.”
— New York Times -
“[An] evocative, chilling memoir.”
— Entertainment Weekly -
“Exceptional…Echols is at heart a poet and a mystic, and he has written not just a quickie one-off book to capitalize on a lurid news story, but rather a work of art that occasionally bears a resemblance to the work of Jean Genet…Essential reading for anyone interested in justice or memoir.”
— Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
Awards
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A New York Times bestseller
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A USA Today bestseller
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A Los Angeles Times bestseller
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A Kirkus Reviews Top 25 Book for Nonfiction
Life After Death Listener Reviews
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" Poetic and heartbreaking, this is a memoir of Damien Echols 19 years in prison on Death Row for a crime he didn't commit. He flashes back and to the present, telling the reader about his life leading up to his arrest, and reflecting on what his time in prison has done to him. It's absolutely astounding to read of his personal strength and the support group he had on the outside. If you're looking for lurid details of the West Memphis Three case, it's not really here, as Echols tells you. This is how a man faced absolute hell, head on, for half his life and came out the other side. It's beautiful, disheartening, horrifying, and hopeful. Wonderful writing. "
— Rachel, 2/1/2014 -
" going to be a classic "
— Leighanne, 1/30/2014 -
" Damien's story is so many things: heartbreaking, frustrating, disgusting, horrifying, unbelievable. But he writes it beautifully. "
— Beth, 1/22/2014 -
" I've always been interested in this case. The book was told completely from Echols point of view and consisted of a lot of his writing from his time in prison. Not a bad read but it won't knock your socks off "
— Teri, 1/12/2014 -
" This book is a must read for anyone who has any interest in social issues. This story takes you into the depths of poverty and becomes a coming of age story. The challenges grow as Damien gets arrested and tried and sentenced to death. He takes you intimately every step of the way and the takes you into the prison system and shows you what it is like to be a prisoner. Also, a close peek into spiritual awakenings and what can happen with in. I will never be the same and cannot wait to see the documentary. I feel like I know Damien now. He is very open and does not leave out any details. I hope to meet him in a book signing someday. When ever I feel down or troubled I will think of Damien Echols and how he survived the unthinkable and came out a spiritual giant!!!!! Wow and WOW!!!! "
— Zoeynickole, 1/11/2014 -
" I just won a giveaway copy of this book. I'm looking forward to receiving and reading it, and being able to update my review! "
— Bri, 1/5/2014 -
" It was sad, yet enlightening to read this. Damien does a good job projecting life on Death Row. "
— Johnny, 1/3/2014 -
" So glad they are free now.. "
— Sebastiaan, 12/27/2013 -
" Highly recommend the Paradise Lost documentary series on the West Mmphis 3, if you haven't seen it yet. I was hoping this book would be on par with the series, but not so much. "
— Marie, 12/26/2013 -
" THIS WAS VERY DISAPPOINTING "
— Suzie, 8/11/2013 -
" Thanks Honey, waiting made it better. "
— Jason, 4/10/2013 -
" A heartbreaking and eye opening story told in an interesting narrative. Definitely a book and a person I won't ever forget. "
— Stacee, 12/23/2012
About Damien Echols
Damien Echols grew up in Mississippi, Tennessee, Maryland, Oregon, and Arkansas. At age eighteen, he was arrested along with Jason Baldwin and Jessie Miskelley and charged with the deaths of three boys, now known as the Robin Hood Hill murders, in West Memphis, Arkansas. He received a death sentence and spent almost eighteen years on Death Row, until he, Baldwin, and Misskelley were released in 2011. The West Memphis Three have been the subject of Paradise Lost, a three-part documentary series produced by HBO, and West of Memphis, a documentary produced by Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh. Echols is the author of a self-published memoir titled Almost Home. He and his wife live in New York City.