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Life After Death
Goodreads Choice Award
Nominee for Readers' Favorite Memoir & Autobiography (2012)In 1993 three teenagers, Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin and Jessie Miskelley Jr were arrested and charged with the murders of three eight-year-old boys in West Memphis, Arkansas. The ensuing trial was rife with inconsistencies, false testimony and superstition. Echols was accused of, among other things, practising witchcraft and satanic rituals – a result of the “satanic panic” prevalent in the media at the time. Baldwin and Miskelley were sentenced to life in prison. Echols, deemed the ringleader, was sentenced to death. He was eighteen years old.
In a shocking reversal of events, all three were suddenly released in August 2011. This is Damien Echols' story in full: from abuses by prison guards and wardens, to descriptions of inmates and deplorable living conditions, to the incredible reserves of patience, spirituality, and perseverance that kept him alive and sane for nearly two decades. Echols also writes about his complicated and painful childhood. Like Dead Man Walking, Life After Death is destined to be a classic.
In a shocking reversal of events, all three were suddenly released in August 2011. This is Damien Echols' story in full: from abuses by prison guards and wardens, to descriptions of inmates and deplorable living conditions, to the incredible reserves of patience, spirituality, and perseverance that kept him alive and sane for nearly two decades. Echols also writes about his complicated and painful childhood. Like Dead Man Walking, Life After Death is destined to be a classic.
399 pages, Hardcover
First published September 17, 2012
641 people are currently reading
10878 people want to read
About the author
Damien Echols
14 books561 followersDamien Wayne Echols, along with Jessie Misskelley and Jason Baldwin, is one of the three men, known as the West Memphis Three, who were convicted in the killing of three eight-year-old boys Steve Branch, Christopher Byers, and Michael Moore at Robin Hood Hills, West Memphis, Arkansas, on May 5, 1993.
Damien Echols was convicted of murder by a jury and sentenced to death by lethal injection. He was on death row under 23 hours per day lockdown at the Varner Supermax. On August 19, 2011, Echols, along with the two others collectively known at the West Memphis Three, were released from prison after their attorneys and the judge handling the upcoming retrial agreed to a deal. Under the terms of the Alford guilty plea, Echols and his co-defendents pleaded guilty to three counts of first degree murder while maintaining their innocence. DNA evidence failed to connect Echols or his co-defendents to the crime.
Damien Echols was convicted of murder by a jury and sentenced to death by lethal injection. He was on death row under 23 hours per day lockdown at the Varner Supermax. On August 19, 2011, Echols, along with the two others collectively known at the West Memphis Three, were released from prison after their attorneys and the judge handling the upcoming retrial agreed to a deal. Under the terms of the Alford guilty plea, Echols and his co-defendents pleaded guilty to three counts of first degree murder while maintaining their innocence. DNA evidence failed to connect Echols or his co-defendents to the crime.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,097 reviews
August 8, 2016
I had several problems with this book.
Like everyone else has noted, Echols' overuse of the word "Magickal" was beyond cloying. I could rant about this for a paragraph, but suffice it to say that it was infuriating within twenty pages and it only increased over the rest of the three hundred seventy.
Echols had a shitty life. One of the shittier imaginable. But he seems to have contempt for about ninety-five percent of people, which, given his history, is completely understandable. But it made the book difficult to read and Echols impossible to like for me. He seems to hold on to his pain, anger, and dislike for humanity more than any Buddhist I've been exposed to. That's not to criticize his religious journey. It's just surprising (and distasteful to me).
I understand that the book is his point of view, so he doesn't have a ton of perspective on who the victims were, but I don't think he expressed even the littlest bit of sympathy for their plight or their parents' grief. This lack of empathy makes him seem self-centered to me.
That's a reccurring theme throughout the whole book. I get the feeling that he's a narcissist, though innocent of the crime he was imprisoned for. That scene from Paradise Lost of him styling his new haircut while in court kept popping up in my mind. He just doesn't understand how people could dislike him and suspect him of misbehavior. Perhaps you shouldn't go to churches dressed in heavy metal t-shirts and a trenchcoat to spy on a girl whose parents want you to leave her alone. You have the right to present yourself the way you want, but he knew the associations of going to a church in all black with Satanic imagery all over him. That's your fault, fella. If he was tired of people giving him shit, change the presentation. Pretending otherwise makes me think he was stupid or disingenuous. But that's the thing with Echols; he seems to crave the attention. You got it, dude, along with eighteen years in prison.
Like everyone else has noted, Echols' overuse of the word "Magickal" was beyond cloying. I could rant about this for a paragraph, but suffice it to say that it was infuriating within twenty pages and it only increased over the rest of the three hundred seventy.
Echols had a shitty life. One of the shittier imaginable. But he seems to have contempt for about ninety-five percent of people, which, given his history, is completely understandable. But it made the book difficult to read and Echols impossible to like for me. He seems to hold on to his pain, anger, and dislike for humanity more than any Buddhist I've been exposed to. That's not to criticize his religious journey. It's just surprising (and distasteful to me).
I understand that the book is his point of view, so he doesn't have a ton of perspective on who the victims were, but I don't think he expressed even the littlest bit of sympathy for their plight or their parents' grief. This lack of empathy makes him seem self-centered to me.
That's a reccurring theme throughout the whole book. I get the feeling that he's a narcissist, though innocent of the crime he was imprisoned for. That scene from Paradise Lost of him styling his new haircut while in court kept popping up in my mind. He just doesn't understand how people could dislike him and suspect him of misbehavior. Perhaps you shouldn't go to churches dressed in heavy metal t-shirts and a trenchcoat to spy on a girl whose parents want you to leave her alone. You have the right to present yourself the way you want, but he knew the associations of going to a church in all black with Satanic imagery all over him. That's your fault, fella. If he was tired of people giving him shit, change the presentation. Pretending otherwise makes me think he was stupid or disingenuous. But that's the thing with Echols; he seems to crave the attention. You got it, dude, along with eighteen years in prison.
September 19, 2021
This review is on the book, Life After Death, not on the case of the West Memphis 3, my opinions on the case, or how injustice like this can (and does) happen within the legal system of America.
I was very disappointed in this book. Because for the first 60% of the book, with the exception of maybe 10 pages, it was word-for-word his previous memoir, which I purchased and read a few years ago. I pulled out Almost Home and compared the text.
I learned very little about the time leading up to when the Alford plea was offered and even less about his life after death. All in all, I was very disappointed.
There were parts of the book that were repetitive, like the mentioning of the 70's porn mustache on several occasions or when he would repeat incidences later in the book that he already wrote about in earlier chapters. It was very disappointing.
I am very happy that Jesse, Jason, and Damien now have their lives back and they all have an opportunity to share their stories. I believe in the case of this book, however, minimum effort was put into its content and there was, instead, a rush to publish it as close to the one year anniversary of their release as possible. There was a lot of potential here, but it was wasted by using his previous memoir as the meat of the book.
I was very disappointed in this book. Because for the first 60% of the book, with the exception of maybe 10 pages, it was word-for-word his previous memoir, which I purchased and read a few years ago. I pulled out Almost Home and compared the text.
I learned very little about the time leading up to when the Alford plea was offered and even less about his life after death. All in all, I was very disappointed.
There were parts of the book that were repetitive, like the mentioning of the 70's porn mustache on several occasions or when he would repeat incidences later in the book that he already wrote about in earlier chapters. It was very disappointing.
I am very happy that Jesse, Jason, and Damien now have their lives back and they all have an opportunity to share their stories. I believe in the case of this book, however, minimum effort was put into its content and there was, instead, a rush to publish it as close to the one year anniversary of their release as possible. There was a lot of potential here, but it was wasted by using his previous memoir as the meat of the book.
January 22, 2015
This is an interesting read about prison life, about what it's like to be falsely accused, about being a misunderstood and vilified teenager, about growing up in poverty and about trying to enlighten oneself and avoid focusing on hate.
Damien Echols has received so much media attention in his life that you probably already know he was one of the West Memphis Three (WM3), who were three teens accused of killing three boys in Arkansas in 1993. Damien was accused of being a satanist and of sacrificing the boys in a ritual, even though much of the evidence was reportedly circumstantial, misconstrued and hearsay. He was convicted and spent 18 years on death row before he was finally released in 2011. Several documentaries have been made about the case (the most famous one being "Paradise Lost") and numerous celebrities have raised money and support to help free Echols and his two friends.
"Life After Death" is a good read but I didn't like how scattered it was. It jumps around willy-nilly -- one moment he's writing wistfully about how much he loved winter as a kid and the next he's teaching you prison slang. In one breath he's talking about becoming a Buddhist, the next he's writing about how much he loved his high school girlfriend. The effect is one of a racing mind -- someone who has trouble focusing and who didn't bother to reread or edit his writing. Which is a shame because there are some beautiful and haunting passages. Damien is a promising writer, but I think he needs a better editor.
Damien Echols has received so much media attention in his life that you probably already know he was one of the West Memphis Three (WM3), who were three teens accused of killing three boys in Arkansas in 1993. Damien was accused of being a satanist and of sacrificing the boys in a ritual, even though much of the evidence was reportedly circumstantial, misconstrued and hearsay. He was convicted and spent 18 years on death row before he was finally released in 2011. Several documentaries have been made about the case (the most famous one being "Paradise Lost") and numerous celebrities have raised money and support to help free Echols and his two friends.
"Life After Death" is a good read but I didn't like how scattered it was. It jumps around willy-nilly -- one moment he's writing wistfully about how much he loved winter as a kid and the next he's teaching you prison slang. In one breath he's talking about becoming a Buddhist, the next he's writing about how much he loved his high school girlfriend. The effect is one of a racing mind -- someone who has trouble focusing and who didn't bother to reread or edit his writing. Which is a shame because there are some beautiful and haunting passages. Damien is a promising writer, but I think he needs a better editor.
September 28, 2012
I will start with what I didn't like because there was only one thing. Much of the content of Life After Death was essentially Damien's memoir Almost Home, which I also own.
That being said, I understand that not every person has read Almost Home and for those people, the entire book is new content. It is IMPORTANT for people to know the story of Damien's life before the murders of Christopher Byers, Michael Moore, and Steven Branch. Why? Because Damien Echols is a human being. He is a complete person with thoughts and feelings of his own. He was living a life of his own before those murders and the resulting witch hunt that swept him away and changed everything.
I find his story before prison almost as heartbreaking as the details of prison life. Before I read this book I believed that Damien Echols had to be a man of incredible strength to have survived through all of this. After reading this book, I know it. I also feel fortunate to now know the sources from which he drew that strength, both internally and externally. I feel honored and privileged to have been allowed the window into a man's heart and soul.
I read all over the internet people complaining that this book didn't tell them enough. To that I say, Damien Echols lived 18 years of his life in prison, on Death Row, for a crime he did not commit. People have treated him as less than human. He was not entitled to any modicum of privacy. Let him have that now. Be content that he has shared the amount that he has. Feel blessed to have been allowed that glimpse. Be thankful that he didn't just fade into obscurity as he seems to desperately want to.
After reading this book, I see Damien Echols as a deeply spiritual man who has walked through hell and come back to tell us about it. His perspective is unique because no one else has lived as he has lived and witnessed the things that he has witnessed. Every person is like that, but it seems to me that Damien is more so as his life reads like a horror story. Yet he comes out the other side gentle, loving, and appreciative of the kinds of things that the rest of us take for granted. There is a picture in this book of Damien looking up and allowing snow to fall on his face. Even wearing shades, I could see the expression of awe and wonder on his face as he savored the experience of snow landing on his cheeks and lips. I wonder if he stuck out his tongue to catch snowflakes at any point that day. My heart breaks at everything he has gone through to get to that point, but part of me sings to know that there is at least one man on this Earth that gives thanks in the depths of his soul for something as simple as snowfall.
That being said, I understand that not every person has read Almost Home and for those people, the entire book is new content. It is IMPORTANT for people to know the story of Damien's life before the murders of Christopher Byers, Michael Moore, and Steven Branch. Why? Because Damien Echols is a human being. He is a complete person with thoughts and feelings of his own. He was living a life of his own before those murders and the resulting witch hunt that swept him away and changed everything.
I find his story before prison almost as heartbreaking as the details of prison life. Before I read this book I believed that Damien Echols had to be a man of incredible strength to have survived through all of this. After reading this book, I know it. I also feel fortunate to now know the sources from which he drew that strength, both internally and externally. I feel honored and privileged to have been allowed the window into a man's heart and soul.
I read all over the internet people complaining that this book didn't tell them enough. To that I say, Damien Echols lived 18 years of his life in prison, on Death Row, for a crime he did not commit. People have treated him as less than human. He was not entitled to any modicum of privacy. Let him have that now. Be content that he has shared the amount that he has. Feel blessed to have been allowed that glimpse. Be thankful that he didn't just fade into obscurity as he seems to desperately want to.
After reading this book, I see Damien Echols as a deeply spiritual man who has walked through hell and come back to tell us about it. His perspective is unique because no one else has lived as he has lived and witnessed the things that he has witnessed. Every person is like that, but it seems to me that Damien is more so as his life reads like a horror story. Yet he comes out the other side gentle, loving, and appreciative of the kinds of things that the rest of us take for granted. There is a picture in this book of Damien looking up and allowing snow to fall on his face. Even wearing shades, I could see the expression of awe and wonder on his face as he savored the experience of snow landing on his cheeks and lips. I wonder if he stuck out his tongue to catch snowflakes at any point that day. My heart breaks at everything he has gone through to get to that point, but part of me sings to know that there is at least one man on this Earth that gives thanks in the depths of his soul for something as simple as snowfall.
March 4, 2013
When I started to read this book, I knew nothing about the West Memphis 3. When I finished the book, I knew almost nothing about the West Memphis 3. The author and two of his contemporaries served jail time in the double digits (the author on death row) for the murder of three young boys. According to various statements, confessions and retractions they made, they didn't do it, then did it, then didn't do it, then did it but got to go free.
I think I can be forgiven for my naivete in thinking that the book might shed some light on the subject. I was wrong....again! Now that I think about it, I can't remember how this book appeared on the radar, or what ill wind blew it my way. Instead of enlightenment, I was treated to a non-stop crying session by this whiny self-centered narcissist. He doesn't like the prison haircuts. The food is bad. His fellow inmates aren't nice. There's no grass in his cell. The guards are big meanies. It goes on and on and on. He uses his biography as a platform to attack practically everyone he has met in his life, right from his first girlfriend to the cop who arrested him for B&E and sexual misconduct. Basically, if you didn't fall in line with his train of thought and kiss his arse right lustily, he'll tear you a new one right here on paper. A free sample:
"I was led to an office in which sat a bloated, corpulent man with beady little rat's eyes. Jerry Driver, juvenile officer for the county, and I came face-to-face for the first time."
How about this from Page 158, in which he describes the officer who caught him in someone's trailer:
"He was a real piece of work - about four and a half feet tall, with the sort of mustache you see only on cops or gay porn stars. He was the kind of guy who needed a badge and gun just to stop people from laughing at him."
All this from a man who claims to be both a devout Christian AND a Buddhist. No mention was made of how he knows what type of mustache is worn by gay porn stars.
So for just over 200 pages he goes on about his hard childhood, stupid teachers, obese cops, and all this negative crap. The murdered boys are mentioned only in passing, very little worthwhile information on his trial or anything like that. Finally, on Page 209, he starts to actually write, and something almost profound is the result. it's only fair to add it here:
"In this part of the world all shrines are built to honor the great spirit of mediocrity. The celebrations are for mediocre events, and everyone praises a mediocre god. Heads upon pillows dream mediocre dreams and loins all give birth to mediocre offspring. At the end of a pointless life awaits a mediocre death. Love comes wrapped in a bland little package and fulfillment of the biological urge leads to swift decline. There are no monuments to greatness in this land of stupor.
Down here in the deep, dark South we know and live with the real world. Candy-Land idealism is quietly suffocated in the relentless humidity. This is the world where fist meets face. This is where the calluses on a man's hand are bigger than his conscience, and dreams get drowned in sweat and tears. Mutually assured destruction rides the roads on gun racks in the back windows of pickup trucks. The goodness of human nature gets packed away with childhood toys, and the only third eye I have is the one I use to watch my back. Everyone puts on their Sunday best and pays tribute to religions slaughterhouse and then dines on a cannibal communion.
I didn't want to score the book too severely considering that Echols has little formal education, but even a simpleton should be able to realize when he has gone past descriptive writing and entered the realm of spiteful drivel. And having a hard childhood is really no excuse for being a jerk; I've known many who had more severe childhoods and reached late adulthood with an unstained criminal and moral record. Did he do it? I don't know...I don't like to think that he was convicted with no evidence, and he did enter a guilty plea in order to get released. He claims innocence throughout the book, but really gives little by way of proof. I suspect that the reader will have to go elsewhere for an honest answer.
I think I can be forgiven for my naivete in thinking that the book might shed some light on the subject. I was wrong....again! Now that I think about it, I can't remember how this book appeared on the radar, or what ill wind blew it my way. Instead of enlightenment, I was treated to a non-stop crying session by this whiny self-centered narcissist. He doesn't like the prison haircuts. The food is bad. His fellow inmates aren't nice. There's no grass in his cell. The guards are big meanies. It goes on and on and on. He uses his biography as a platform to attack practically everyone he has met in his life, right from his first girlfriend to the cop who arrested him for B&E and sexual misconduct. Basically, if you didn't fall in line with his train of thought and kiss his arse right lustily, he'll tear you a new one right here on paper. A free sample:
"I was led to an office in which sat a bloated, corpulent man with beady little rat's eyes. Jerry Driver, juvenile officer for the county, and I came face-to-face for the first time."
How about this from Page 158, in which he describes the officer who caught him in someone's trailer:
"He was a real piece of work - about four and a half feet tall, with the sort of mustache you see only on cops or gay porn stars. He was the kind of guy who needed a badge and gun just to stop people from laughing at him."
All this from a man who claims to be both a devout Christian AND a Buddhist. No mention was made of how he knows what type of mustache is worn by gay porn stars.
So for just over 200 pages he goes on about his hard childhood, stupid teachers, obese cops, and all this negative crap. The murdered boys are mentioned only in passing, very little worthwhile information on his trial or anything like that. Finally, on Page 209, he starts to actually write, and something almost profound is the result. it's only fair to add it here:
"In this part of the world all shrines are built to honor the great spirit of mediocrity. The celebrations are for mediocre events, and everyone praises a mediocre god. Heads upon pillows dream mediocre dreams and loins all give birth to mediocre offspring. At the end of a pointless life awaits a mediocre death. Love comes wrapped in a bland little package and fulfillment of the biological urge leads to swift decline. There are no monuments to greatness in this land of stupor.
Down here in the deep, dark South we know and live with the real world. Candy-Land idealism is quietly suffocated in the relentless humidity. This is the world where fist meets face. This is where the calluses on a man's hand are bigger than his conscience, and dreams get drowned in sweat and tears. Mutually assured destruction rides the roads on gun racks in the back windows of pickup trucks. The goodness of human nature gets packed away with childhood toys, and the only third eye I have is the one I use to watch my back. Everyone puts on their Sunday best and pays tribute to religions slaughterhouse and then dines on a cannibal communion.
I didn't want to score the book too severely considering that Echols has little formal education, but even a simpleton should be able to realize when he has gone past descriptive writing and entered the realm of spiteful drivel. And having a hard childhood is really no excuse for being a jerk; I've known many who had more severe childhoods and reached late adulthood with an unstained criminal and moral record. Did he do it? I don't know...I don't like to think that he was convicted with no evidence, and he did enter a guilty plea in order to get released. He claims innocence throughout the book, but really gives little by way of proof. I suspect that the reader will have to go elsewhere for an honest answer.
April 16, 2013
Five despairing stars out of five, despite almost losing my faith in humanity reading this book. I'm still struggling to see through my tears.
My primary thought: the death penaly should be abolished world wide and particularly in the United States for the following reasons.
- It dehumanizes society
- The act is inhumane in itself
- As long as there is a risk of having anyone innocent on Death Row, the ones who have forfeited their right to live through whatever atrocities committed will just have to be kept alive.
- Most people on Death Row are either poor, colored, retarted or insane - or all of these. People who can afford to pay a lawyer end up elsewhere or go scotfree.
- "Justice" isn't dealt with "eye for eye" or "tooth for tooth" anymore. Revenge and justice are not the same thing.
"The truth is that insanity is rampont on Death Row, as is retardation. The law says that the insane and the mentally retarted (the law's terminology, not mine") cannot be executed, yet it happens on a regular basis". (Highlight loc. 3497-9)
"Sometimes I think the biggest challenge in life is overcoming the urge to recoil in horror when you see the blackness that lies slightly beneath the skin of the world". (Highligt Loc. 4352-53)
Quite frankly I cannot imagine living or in anyway dealing with a country or state who executes a man who does not even understand that there will be no eating the other half of the pie served as the last meal "later". I need to involve myself more in Amnesty International - as things stand, I just pay a monthly fee - and any other organization who can help fight these atrocities. Even in "civilized" countries.
Damien was only eighteen when he was sent to Death Row without a shred of physical evidence for a crime he did not commit. Much of this was because a police officer in his hometown had taken a rabid dislike of him, claiming he was a satanist. Damien wasn't anything of the sort, but he did like to dress in black and listen to heavy metal. He was "white trash" and an easy target. Someone needed to be convicted for the murders of three 8-year old boys and whether it was the real culprit or not was irrelevant.
While on Death Row Damien met his wife-to-be Lorri. Without her he would probably never have gotten released. It's rather amazing that she would keep at it, year after year, trying to save him. It gives you faith in love, if nothing else. The description of prison life and particularly the guards just makes you want to bury your head and cry.
I don't know how this guy made it through eighteen years - half of his life - with his sould intact, but he did. Damien is a pretty well-rounded guy and there isn't much rage, hate or bitterness in this book as one would expect. Rarely has there been a book that cries out to be read as much as this one. This story deserves to be read. It will be worth your time.
My primary thought: the death penaly should be abolished world wide and particularly in the United States for the following reasons.
- It dehumanizes society
- The act is inhumane in itself
- As long as there is a risk of having anyone innocent on Death Row, the ones who have forfeited their right to live through whatever atrocities committed will just have to be kept alive.
- Most people on Death Row are either poor, colored, retarted or insane - or all of these. People who can afford to pay a lawyer end up elsewhere or go scotfree.
- "Justice" isn't dealt with "eye for eye" or "tooth for tooth" anymore. Revenge and justice are not the same thing.
"The truth is that insanity is rampont on Death Row, as is retardation. The law says that the insane and the mentally retarted (the law's terminology, not mine") cannot be executed, yet it happens on a regular basis". (Highlight loc. 3497-9)
"Sometimes I think the biggest challenge in life is overcoming the urge to recoil in horror when you see the blackness that lies slightly beneath the skin of the world". (Highligt Loc. 4352-53)
Quite frankly I cannot imagine living or in anyway dealing with a country or state who executes a man who does not even understand that there will be no eating the other half of the pie served as the last meal "later". I need to involve myself more in Amnesty International - as things stand, I just pay a monthly fee - and any other organization who can help fight these atrocities. Even in "civilized" countries.
Damien was only eighteen when he was sent to Death Row without a shred of physical evidence for a crime he did not commit. Much of this was because a police officer in his hometown had taken a rabid dislike of him, claiming he was a satanist. Damien wasn't anything of the sort, but he did like to dress in black and listen to heavy metal. He was "white trash" and an easy target. Someone needed to be convicted for the murders of three 8-year old boys and whether it was the real culprit or not was irrelevant.
While on Death Row Damien met his wife-to-be Lorri. Without her he would probably never have gotten released. It's rather amazing that she would keep at it, year after year, trying to save him. It gives you faith in love, if nothing else. The description of prison life and particularly the guards just makes you want to bury your head and cry.
I don't know how this guy made it through eighteen years - half of his life - with his sould intact, but he did. Damien is a pretty well-rounded guy and there isn't much rage, hate or bitterness in this book as one would expect. Rarely has there been a book that cries out to be read as much as this one. This story deserves to be read. It will be worth your time.
July 27, 2024
This book was written by Damien Echols who was wrongly accused and convicted along with Jessie Misskelley Jr and Jason Baldwin in the brutal killing of three eight year old boys in Arkansas. Damien was 18 at the time and these three came to be known as the West Memphis Three after HBO did a documentary on them. After much publicity and support from people like Johnny Deep and hundreds of people like me they were finally released in August of 2011 on an Alfreds (?) plea which means that they retain their "guilty" status and can not sue the state for anything but are free. Like hundreds of others this case had a huge impact on my view of the police and our justice system. I spent hours looking over the evidence and watching the two documentaries over and over again. Eventually life caught up with me and I was too busy to do much but look in on the website once in a while but I never stopped thinking about those who were accused wrongfully and those three little boys and their families who would never be set free from their loss. i hoped and hoped that something would come out or someone come forward. It seemed so devastating wrong to me that not only were 3 precious little boys stolen from this world- but also three teenagers who had done nothing wrong except be 'different'. The day I came home and my husband told me the wm3 were getting released, I won't lie, I cried. I keep up with each of them through updates on facebook and I feel a sense of wonder and joy (i think damien would call it magick) every time i see a picture of them doing something that the rest of us take for granted. as soon as i heard damien was writing a book i bought it on pre sale and was ecstatic the day it arrived. I'll give my full review when I have finished it but so far it is exactly how I imagined Damien to be. He's a lot like me but BETTER. I don't think I could have survived the childhood he did or what came later. We were born in the same month and year and even though I had a less than stellar childhood his was horrific by most peoples standards. And yet he looks back at it with honesty and candor and even though he admits lingering hatred for some of his family he still attempts to see the positive traits in them.
I gave the book 5 stars not because he is a brilliant writer or anything like that but because he had the strength to survive all that he did and the courage to open himself up to the world by putting his thoughts down on paper.
I gave the book 5 stars not because he is a brilliant writer or anything like that but because he had the strength to survive all that he did and the courage to open himself up to the world by putting his thoughts down on paper.
December 26, 2012
Before I begin, let me say that I am reviewing the format, content and delivery of this book - NOT the ordeal that Mr. Echols has gone through. Personally, I find what happened to these three young men to be a travesty and am appalled that once a conviction is passed down, even when there is legitimate evidence, the prosecuting side and even many judges refuse to consider it, simply because it could lead to the realization that they may have put an innocent person in prison. I could never live with myself if I had that knowledge. It is hard for me to fathom that others can.
That being said, the book itself left much to be desired. I would agree with other reviewers that it felt rushed and recycled. The title is definitely misleading to the content as well. Something that greatly shocked me was how my view of Mr. Echols has changed since reading this. I began the book feeling empathy for him, hoping that his new life is treating him well. I finished the book (with difficulty), feeling like he is a narcissistic pig and I really couldn't care less how his life is going. Probably not the reaction he was going for - but who knows.
The information in the book was very repetitive and confusing. The timing was all over the place without any segue to let you know when and where you were in the story. Being a writer myself, I am all for moving around in the timeline to add drama but there is a small thing that you must do so that your reader can take the journey. It's called transition. This book has almost none. Especially the diary chapters. There were more than several entries that jumped around within different years, but the dates are listed in order (no years listed).
I have also seen other's complaining of the words magick and magickal because of the spelling. I agree there is a definite overuse of these words throughout the entire book. We all have words and sayings that we use all the time, however, when you overuse them in your writing, it becomes very tiresome for the reader. In this case, it became downright annoying not only because it was spelled incorrectly for most of its uses, but because of the sheer repetitiveness.
Throughout the book, Mr. Echols comes across as bitter (understandably) yet, this is in direct conflict with what he continuously says about himself thanks to his enlightenment through his religious choices and his practices of meditation etc... He also seems to have an issue with anyone who is overweight, often talking about how disgustingly and morbidly obese every police officer that he came in contact with was and at one point describing overweight women as "sexless lumps". I won't get into the other descriptions of people in general, they really are not worth mentioning. Mr. Echols would like the world to believe that he has transcended above all of this type of behavior and is the bigger, more complete person for everything that he has gone through. However, he clearly seems to hold most of the human race in a contempt that is weakly masked by the kind words he has for his few famous friends who paid to help get him out of prison. I would have rather read excerpts of whining and self-pity than the consistent contradictions about his personality.
In my opinion, this book would have been much better had he taken some time with it. Perhaps written it and then waited a bit before reading it again himself to see how things came across. There were some very enlightening parts throughout the book regarding the condition and practices of the prison system. Perhaps this book could help with that. I truly hope so. Overall, I found this book difficult to finish due to the aforementioned issues. On a personal note, I hope that Mr. Echols can let go of the bad feelings and grudges that he has seemingly held on to for his entire life that are so evident in these pages. I also hope that he just learns to BE and finds peace in that. There is no need to try to sound as if you are more knowledgeable and/or more spiritual than you actually are. When you try to force it, it comes across sounding fake and silly - not profound, the way you hoped it would.
That being said, the book itself left much to be desired. I would agree with other reviewers that it felt rushed and recycled. The title is definitely misleading to the content as well. Something that greatly shocked me was how my view of Mr. Echols has changed since reading this. I began the book feeling empathy for him, hoping that his new life is treating him well. I finished the book (with difficulty), feeling like he is a narcissistic pig and I really couldn't care less how his life is going. Probably not the reaction he was going for - but who knows.
The information in the book was very repetitive and confusing. The timing was all over the place without any segue to let you know when and where you were in the story. Being a writer myself, I am all for moving around in the timeline to add drama but there is a small thing that you must do so that your reader can take the journey. It's called transition. This book has almost none. Especially the diary chapters. There were more than several entries that jumped around within different years, but the dates are listed in order (no years listed).
I have also seen other's complaining of the words magick and magickal because of the spelling. I agree there is a definite overuse of these words throughout the entire book. We all have words and sayings that we use all the time, however, when you overuse them in your writing, it becomes very tiresome for the reader. In this case, it became downright annoying not only because it was spelled incorrectly for most of its uses, but because of the sheer repetitiveness.
Throughout the book, Mr. Echols comes across as bitter (understandably) yet, this is in direct conflict with what he continuously says about himself thanks to his enlightenment through his religious choices and his practices of meditation etc... He also seems to have an issue with anyone who is overweight, often talking about how disgustingly and morbidly obese every police officer that he came in contact with was and at one point describing overweight women as "sexless lumps". I won't get into the other descriptions of people in general, they really are not worth mentioning. Mr. Echols would like the world to believe that he has transcended above all of this type of behavior and is the bigger, more complete person for everything that he has gone through. However, he clearly seems to hold most of the human race in a contempt that is weakly masked by the kind words he has for his few famous friends who paid to help get him out of prison. I would have rather read excerpts of whining and self-pity than the consistent contradictions about his personality.
In my opinion, this book would have been much better had he taken some time with it. Perhaps written it and then waited a bit before reading it again himself to see how things came across. There were some very enlightening parts throughout the book regarding the condition and practices of the prison system. Perhaps this book could help with that. I truly hope so. Overall, I found this book difficult to finish due to the aforementioned issues. On a personal note, I hope that Mr. Echols can let go of the bad feelings and grudges that he has seemingly held on to for his entire life that are so evident in these pages. I also hope that he just learns to BE and finds peace in that. There is no need to try to sound as if you are more knowledgeable and/or more spiritual than you actually are. When you try to force it, it comes across sounding fake and silly - not profound, the way you hoped it would.
May 28, 2023
Very cleverly written as part autobiography and part journals based on 18 years in prison and death row for an innocent person, very emotional and poignant read but very well documented
July 6, 2015
Given how horrific the ordeal Damien Echols went through was (years spent on Death Row for a crime he didn't commit), it feels a bit churlish to give his memoir a low rating--but this book was a disappointment to me.
The title "Life After Death" made me expect a focus on the process through which he and the other members of the "West Memphis Three" were finally freed from prison and perhaps some thoughts about what it's been like to readjust to life outside. Instead, more than half the book is given over to rambling recollections of his childhood which don't have much of a connection to the case and in which Echols comes across as arrogant and decidedly lacking in sympathy for other people. While this might be forgivable if Echols were a better writer, much of the prose in these sections is clunky and tedious to get through.
Echols does do a superb job of evoking the horrors of Death Row later in the book and there *are* some worthwhile passages there, but it takes a very, very long time to get to them.
I do have a lot of admiration for Echols' strength in surviving his hellish experiences and am impressed that he has done so without being overcome by anger and hatred. I just wish the book had explored his case and departure from Death Row in greater detail and that the passages dealing with his childhood had been edited down a bit!
The title "Life After Death" made me expect a focus on the process through which he and the other members of the "West Memphis Three" were finally freed from prison and perhaps some thoughts about what it's been like to readjust to life outside. Instead, more than half the book is given over to rambling recollections of his childhood which don't have much of a connection to the case and in which Echols comes across as arrogant and decidedly lacking in sympathy for other people. While this might be forgivable if Echols were a better writer, much of the prose in these sections is clunky and tedious to get through.
Echols does do a superb job of evoking the horrors of Death Row later in the book and there *are* some worthwhile passages there, but it takes a very, very long time to get to them.
I do have a lot of admiration for Echols' strength in surviving his hellish experiences and am impressed that he has done so without being overcome by anger and hatred. I just wish the book had explored his case and departure from Death Row in greater detail and that the passages dealing with his childhood had been edited down a bit!
July 20, 2013
I’d like to see the 2 documentaries and given how overbooked I am, perhaps I should have just seen them and not read this book, but I’m glad I read it. I plan to see the films too, and take a look at the several websites listed in the book.
I knew life was unfair by the time I was 7, and never screamed out the commonly used line by children that (something) isn’t fair, but some things are utterly ridiculous. What happened to the author is one of those things.
This account was more horrifying that most fictional horror tales. The more prison memoirs I read, the more I’m appalled. I’ve been against the death penalty since I was a kid, and the more I know, the more I’m convinced that even incarceration should be just for those truly dangerous to society (many penitentiary workers would qualify!) and then they’d better make sure those imprisoned really are guilty of the crimes of which they’re convicted.
I’m wondering if the real killer(s) have been brought to justice, or if they’re known. One man was briefly mentioned in this account but I don’t know if there has been any follow up with that.
Our “justice” system needs an overhaul, at least in many places. Our punishment system is abysmal and there really is no excuse.
I appreciate that this book is an autobiography and covers his early life and not just the period starting with his arrest and incarceration.
I don't relate to the spiritual practices so important to the author and I'm uncomfortable with some of his judgmental attitudes, and derogatory things he writes about some people, some who I can see deserve it but many who I don’t think do, but his perspective is very interesting, though I don’t think he’s always rigorously honest with himself, including re his “suicide attempt” though I’m glad he survived.
It was an eye opener to read about all described here.
While this book is thought provoking and infuriating, I mostly hope it's a catalyst for change in the "justice" system.
I think this book should be required reading for all who work in the prison system and the court system, all law enforcement officers, all college students who plan to work (even tangentially) in the field, and this would also be a great “scared straight” kind of book for high risk youth and young adults.
Maximum security prison areas in American prisons would be considered by us to be cruel and unusual (and inhumane) punishment if we were to evaluate them in any other country. It’s bad enough that people guilty of their crimes are there. The fact that there are innocent people there, including some on death rows, including some of those executed, should have every reader wanting to lobby for change.
And shame on so many people who are written about in this book.
I wish nothing but the best for Echols and others in similar situations.
I knew life was unfair by the time I was 7, and never screamed out the commonly used line by children that (something) isn’t fair, but some things are utterly ridiculous. What happened to the author is one of those things.
This account was more horrifying that most fictional horror tales. The more prison memoirs I read, the more I’m appalled. I’ve been against the death penalty since I was a kid, and the more I know, the more I’m convinced that even incarceration should be just for those truly dangerous to society (many penitentiary workers would qualify!) and then they’d better make sure those imprisoned really are guilty of the crimes of which they’re convicted.
I’m wondering if the real killer(s) have been brought to justice, or if they’re known. One man was briefly mentioned in this account but I don’t know if there has been any follow up with that.
Our “justice” system needs an overhaul, at least in many places. Our punishment system is abysmal and there really is no excuse.
I appreciate that this book is an autobiography and covers his early life and not just the period starting with his arrest and incarceration.
I don't relate to the spiritual practices so important to the author and I'm uncomfortable with some of his judgmental attitudes, and derogatory things he writes about some people, some who I can see deserve it but many who I don’t think do, but his perspective is very interesting, though I don’t think he’s always rigorously honest with himself, including re his “suicide attempt” though I’m glad he survived.
It was an eye opener to read about all described here.
While this book is thought provoking and infuriating, I mostly hope it's a catalyst for change in the "justice" system.
I think this book should be required reading for all who work in the prison system and the court system, all law enforcement officers, all college students who plan to work (even tangentially) in the field, and this would also be a great “scared straight” kind of book for high risk youth and young adults.
Maximum security prison areas in American prisons would be considered by us to be cruel and unusual (and inhumane) punishment if we were to evaluate them in any other country. It’s bad enough that people guilty of their crimes are there. The fact that there are innocent people there, including some on death rows, including some of those executed, should have every reader wanting to lobby for change.
And shame on so many people who are written about in this book.
I wish nothing but the best for Echols and others in similar situations.
August 23, 2012
Damien Echols was one of the West Memphis Three, though he asks to not be classified under that title anymore. He'd rather be known for any number of other things, and once his book, Life After Death, hits shelves on September 18th, I have no doubt he'll become known as an eloquent author.
The book is about his life, starting from childhood, spanning his eighteen years in prison, and touching on the freedom he's had since being released last August. It is deeply personal, with emotions riding right under the words you read and excerpts from his extensive journals peppering the book. The narrative flows beautifully, weaving his childhood and teenage years into descriptions of life in prison. For example, a mention of a rosary hanging in his cell segues into a memory of the first rosary his grandmother gave him, and moves on from there.
It's incredible to me that such a book, where the outcome is public knowledge, can still have suspense. But as I got closer and closer to the end, my heart was pounding. I knew Damien got out of jail, but he didn't know; by reading his words you're so inside his world that you forget everything else. It was an amazing, all-consuming reading experience. I still find myself thinking about it, days after devouring the last page.
A more in-depth review can be found here: Life After Death @ AllisonWrites.com
The book is about his life, starting from childhood, spanning his eighteen years in prison, and touching on the freedom he's had since being released last August. It is deeply personal, with emotions riding right under the words you read and excerpts from his extensive journals peppering the book. The narrative flows beautifully, weaving his childhood and teenage years into descriptions of life in prison. For example, a mention of a rosary hanging in his cell segues into a memory of the first rosary his grandmother gave him, and moves on from there.
It's incredible to me that such a book, where the outcome is public knowledge, can still have suspense. But as I got closer and closer to the end, my heart was pounding. I knew Damien got out of jail, but he didn't know; by reading his words you're so inside his world that you forget everything else. It was an amazing, all-consuming reading experience. I still find myself thinking about it, days after devouring the last page.
A more in-depth review can be found here: Life After Death @ AllisonWrites.com
June 19, 2013
I was really looking forward to reading this, it had great a premise and I hadn't heard any details of the WM3 beforehand, so I had nothing to judge it by. Honestly though I was disappointed.
The book needs a good editor to go through it to strip out all the unnecessary, irrelevant and repetitive parts, and highlight the hard hitting, important parts that make this story so shocking.
Although it's great to have a back story and overview of his whole life, I was not expecting to have half the book relating to his childhood. I assumed the whole point of this book was to show the trauma of the miscarriage of justice, and his time on, and after death row. I felt that the ramblings and memories of his childhood brought the book to a grinding halt, and I did toy with giving up after around 65% of it, but with effort pushed on.
I also wasn't keen on his spiritual journeys. He puts so much stock into religion, but I felt that he really couldn't commit to any of the many different religions he pursued. To me he did seem a little flaky in this regard, and I also didn't like the derogatory way he sometimes referred to Jason either.
Hidden in amongst all this, there were some very insightful snippets about the justice system and death row itself, that do make you wonder about the death penalty how much stock the USA put into it, but it was a really long slog to get to any of these parts.
I did feel for Damien and what he went through was obviously terrible, but I can't help thinking that his story would mean more to me as a reader, and reach more people if if was written differently and more coherently. There would have been no shame in letting a professional write the book for him, his experiences and strength of character would have still come across just as strongly with his input, but it would have had a better structure and flow.
The book needs a good editor to go through it to strip out all the unnecessary, irrelevant and repetitive parts, and highlight the hard hitting, important parts that make this story so shocking.
Although it's great to have a back story and overview of his whole life, I was not expecting to have half the book relating to his childhood. I assumed the whole point of this book was to show the trauma of the miscarriage of justice, and his time on, and after death row. I felt that the ramblings and memories of his childhood brought the book to a grinding halt, and I did toy with giving up after around 65% of it, but with effort pushed on.
I also wasn't keen on his spiritual journeys. He puts so much stock into religion, but I felt that he really couldn't commit to any of the many different religions he pursued. To me he did seem a little flaky in this regard, and I also didn't like the derogatory way he sometimes referred to Jason either.
Hidden in amongst all this, there were some very insightful snippets about the justice system and death row itself, that do make you wonder about the death penalty how much stock the USA put into it, but it was a really long slog to get to any of these parts.
I did feel for Damien and what he went through was obviously terrible, but I can't help thinking that his story would mean more to me as a reader, and reach more people if if was written differently and more coherently. There would have been no shame in letting a professional write the book for him, his experiences and strength of character would have still come across just as strongly with his input, but it would have had a better structure and flow.
March 21, 2021
Was I entertained with Damien’s constant whining for winter / December / Christmas? Did I look fondly upon his many, MANY references to “magick?” No and no.
But I did find what I was looking for between the covers of this book - evidence of Damien’s character. It’s in his disgust at the filth and violence of prison. It’s in his poorly concealed horror as his mother describes saving her cat’s life with an at-home amputation. It’s in his choice to rename himself after Saint Damien, the patron saint of outcasts. It’s in his admission that he “tends to be a bit of a zealot.” (And we all nod our heads, because yes, he's a zealot.) It’s in his rage at a system that treats the mentally ill and challenged as less than human.
The evidence doesn’t support his guilt. Neither does his squeamishness or desire for divine transcendence. If he’s guilty, he’s a master manipulator. More likely he’s just plain innocent.
Yes, I sensed Damien’s bitterness and narcissism. I imagine a poverty-stricken childhood and a couple of decades in prison for a wrongful conviction would leave the best of us jaded and turned inward. Shit, y’all. Give the guy a break.
Is Damien downplaying the extent of his mental struggles as a teenager? Maybe. Probably. I try to downplay my teenage melodrama too. Who wants to be judged by those years?
And still, the murderer of three innocent children is unnamed and unpunished, possibly (probably) dead by now. And that’s just as terrible as a justice system that convicted the wrong men. Shame, shame.
But I did find what I was looking for between the covers of this book - evidence of Damien’s character. It’s in his disgust at the filth and violence of prison. It’s in his poorly concealed horror as his mother describes saving her cat’s life with an at-home amputation. It’s in his choice to rename himself after Saint Damien, the patron saint of outcasts. It’s in his admission that he “tends to be a bit of a zealot.” (And we all nod our heads, because yes, he's a zealot.) It’s in his rage at a system that treats the mentally ill and challenged as less than human.
The evidence doesn’t support his guilt. Neither does his squeamishness or desire for divine transcendence. If he’s guilty, he’s a master manipulator. More likely he’s just plain innocent.
Yes, I sensed Damien’s bitterness and narcissism. I imagine a poverty-stricken childhood and a couple of decades in prison for a wrongful conviction would leave the best of us jaded and turned inward. Shit, y’all. Give the guy a break.
Is Damien downplaying the extent of his mental struggles as a teenager? Maybe. Probably. I try to downplay my teenage melodrama too. Who wants to be judged by those years?
And still, the murderer of three innocent children is unnamed and unpunished, possibly (probably) dead by now. And that’s just as terrible as a justice system that convicted the wrong men. Shame, shame.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 1, 2013
I am sort of embarrassed to admit that I was interested in reading this book in the first place. But, prisons have always fascinated me, and this story had the potential to make a thrilling read, so I took a chance. Unfortunately, Echols' story gets lost in his discussion of seasons, magick (that he spells with a k at the end), spirituality, energy, memories and so on. For 99% of the book he waxes on about finding himself, training his mind, connecting with ghosts and archangels, etc. that the actual details of the murder trial are left out until the end, when they are included in an appendix by another author. The best part of the book was the first third, before he is in jail, when he details his childhood, which lends some insight into how his tale came to be. But even then, he can spend fourteen pages talking about a night spent walking around a trailer park in the cold with his friend. There were lots of loose ends that were never tied up, and many dead end stories that left you wondering why he had included them. Also, more than once Echols simply goes on a rampage about his personal feelings toward someone. Granted, he has every right in the world to harbor intense feelings I can't even begin to understand, but it clouded the story.
Okay, I'm sure you get the point, but I actually detested his writing style so much I made note of my least favorite sentences. Here are just a few:
On breaking up with a high school girlfriend:
"I have been split like an atom, and the effect on my psyche was just as powerful."
On starving himself in his cell and then running non-stop:
"I had run for over two hours without stopping for so much as a drink of water, and I had discovered a new world."
After pages of how much he hated school as a child:
"I always thought school was more fun than a carnival."
On missing the sound of cicadas:
"Hearing the cicadas is like being stabbed through the heart with blades of ice."
On life:
"I want a life of strife, lust, striving, seeking, struggling and debauchery."
So yes, in the end, if I were someone who was able to put a book down without finishing it, I would have stopped reading Life After Death. I wanted a clear, touching memoir about life on Death Row while being innocent. Instead, I read a mess of meaningless anecdotes about growing up in the South, religion, strange spirituality and other nonsense from a man who overwrites every sentence. Boo.
Okay, I'm sure you get the point, but I actually detested his writing style so much I made note of my least favorite sentences. Here are just a few:
On breaking up with a high school girlfriend:
"I have been split like an atom, and the effect on my psyche was just as powerful."
On starving himself in his cell and then running non-stop:
"I had run for over two hours without stopping for so much as a drink of water, and I had discovered a new world."
After pages of how much he hated school as a child:
"I always thought school was more fun than a carnival."
On missing the sound of cicadas:
"Hearing the cicadas is like being stabbed through the heart with blades of ice."
On life:
"I want a life of strife, lust, striving, seeking, struggling and debauchery."
So yes, in the end, if I were someone who was able to put a book down without finishing it, I would have stopped reading Life After Death. I wanted a clear, touching memoir about life on Death Row while being innocent. Instead, I read a mess of meaningless anecdotes about growing up in the South, religion, strange spirituality and other nonsense from a man who overwrites every sentence. Boo.
August 19, 2013
He has nothing to say except what he always regurgitates... It's a good thing he has a script to go by, I mean you don't want to get confused and admit anything right?!
Think he's guilty and he's capitalizing on it. I've read his books just to scrutinize it and compare to the rest of the case information. It's interesting everything you learn that the HBO specials left out and that he conveniently leaves out of his books as well.
What's sad is when people say "The Memphis 3" they think of those three and not the three young boys who lost their lives!! I'm glad I read this book from the library because I would never support Damien Echols.
Think he's guilty and he's capitalizing on it. I've read his books just to scrutinize it and compare to the rest of the case information. It's interesting everything you learn that the HBO specials left out and that he conveniently leaves out of his books as well.
What's sad is when people say "The Memphis 3" they think of those three and not the three young boys who lost their lives!! I'm glad I read this book from the library because I would never support Damien Echols.
May 17, 2013
Echols doesn't always come across as the most reliable narrator, and while he openly admits to making a string of really terrible decisions growing up, it is this honesty that gives rise to the thought that there is another side of the story that isn't being told. Not to say he had any involvement in the West Memphis killings, on the contrary, there is no doubt that Damien Echols was an innocent man, a fact has been accepted by all but the legal system.
Even before the victims were murdered his life was horrendous, but while he often paints himself as a victim, there is enough irritating teenage angst and narcissism showing to wonder how much of it he brought on himself. Now, I'm not saying he deserved to grow up in poverty with neglectful and abusive parents and an absence of role models, but he comes across as so intelligent and insightful that you almost expect him to have known better. There were several times I wanted to grab him and shake some sense into him... it was like reading about my 17 year old self in some regards (and I was a total ratbag, so I get it!).
The descriptive language used was really quite lovely, he's no William Faulkner, no Mark Twin, no Tennessee Williams, but he brings the South to life and really includes it as a character in its own right. That itself makes the story a compelling read, and if you dont mind the metaphysical and spiritual tones that colour the whole way through, this is actually a really beautiful book.
More than once I wondered what his life would have become if he had not been imprisoned at such a young age, and as an innocent. As an unemployed teenage father, intelligent but uneducated and without the means to improve his life, his exposure to the spiritual path he eventually took and the dedication to his learning would most certainly have been in doubt, and there is little to suggest he wouldn't have ended up in prison on account of his obvious temper and the constant emotional turmoil life presented him.
Touching and raw, brutal and unflinching, it is more than the story of an innocent man on death row. It is a coming of age story, a love story, an ensemble comedy about eccentric family members and crazy cell mates. It is deep and thoughtful and at times really very funny. The man Damien Echols has become is definitely a person of great passion and great worth, and I wish him nothing but the best for his future.
Even before the victims were murdered his life was horrendous, but while he often paints himself as a victim, there is enough irritating teenage angst and narcissism showing to wonder how much of it he brought on himself. Now, I'm not saying he deserved to grow up in poverty with neglectful and abusive parents and an absence of role models, but he comes across as so intelligent and insightful that you almost expect him to have known better. There were several times I wanted to grab him and shake some sense into him... it was like reading about my 17 year old self in some regards (and I was a total ratbag, so I get it!).
The descriptive language used was really quite lovely, he's no William Faulkner, no Mark Twin, no Tennessee Williams, but he brings the South to life and really includes it as a character in its own right. That itself makes the story a compelling read, and if you dont mind the metaphysical and spiritual tones that colour the whole way through, this is actually a really beautiful book.
More than once I wondered what his life would have become if he had not been imprisoned at such a young age, and as an innocent. As an unemployed teenage father, intelligent but uneducated and without the means to improve his life, his exposure to the spiritual path he eventually took and the dedication to his learning would most certainly have been in doubt, and there is little to suggest he wouldn't have ended up in prison on account of his obvious temper and the constant emotional turmoil life presented him.
Touching and raw, brutal and unflinching, it is more than the story of an innocent man on death row. It is a coming of age story, a love story, an ensemble comedy about eccentric family members and crazy cell mates. It is deep and thoughtful and at times really very funny. The man Damien Echols has become is definitely a person of great passion and great worth, and I wish him nothing but the best for his future.
September 24, 2012
I followed the WM3 case for a good ten years before the three wrongly accused men were released. This is the memoirs of Damien Echols, the supposed "ringleader" who spent half of his life on death row for a crime he didn't commit.
Absolutely heartbreaking and fascinating, this book is a mix of past recollections and writings made from prison, with some personal photos. For someone with a limited education this book is remarkably well written and shows the authors' obvious natural high intelligence. It is not an easy read. I had to put it down a couple of times, tears in my eyes, absorbing the horrors of prison life. Some of it is repetitive, and I found myself so sick of the word "magick"... I had to keep reminding myself that it was amazing that someone that survived this could find any sort of positivity at all, and reserved judgment as best I could.
This book is an important testament about how this unthinkable situation happened. And is likely still happening in prisons all over the world. It just might change how you feel about the death penalty.
Absolutely heartbreaking and fascinating, this book is a mix of past recollections and writings made from prison, with some personal photos. For someone with a limited education this book is remarkably well written and shows the authors' obvious natural high intelligence. It is not an easy read. I had to put it down a couple of times, tears in my eyes, absorbing the horrors of prison life. Some of it is repetitive, and I found myself so sick of the word "magick"... I had to keep reminding myself that it was amazing that someone that survived this could find any sort of positivity at all, and reserved judgment as best I could.
This book is an important testament about how this unthinkable situation happened. And is likely still happening in prisons all over the world. It just might change how you feel about the death penalty.
October 15, 2012
I read this book and it scared me to death. Those poor kids getting railroaded into prison for over 18 years shows that there are crooked people in all professions. I hope Jerry Driver is rotting in hell right now along with everyone else connected with the sham trials. Why would anyone willingly live in the south? It's like the Hills Have Eyes with banjo music. I hope Damien, Jason and Jessie have beautiful uneventful lives from here on out. They deserve nothing less than the best.
September 2, 2019
Me ha parecido muy interesante, es su biografía antes y durante la condena haciendo diversos saltos temporales. De este hablaremos en un futuro podcast.
December 15, 2020
This is compelling reading. It is hard to put into words how enjoyable Life After Death is to read. Damien Echols writes in stream of consciousness style with the benefits and negatives associated with the style. He is not a professional writer and it shows, yet it does not hurt the book and does provide an honesty through the lack of polish.
There are a few problems including that if you do not know his case, this can be a confusing mess. It is by far better knowing his case to provide proper background. Echols does provide enough to give a general outline, but oddly this general outline could be used in any case of a miscarriage of justice. Maybe that is the point, he is not the only one. It could also be used to illustrate both the chaos of what happened to him and the larger system in general.
As noted, this is stream of consciousness writing; this meanders and jumps around, which can be frustrating. However, when taken as the whole, it works and the story comes out beautifully of both his developing ways of coping within and his frustration with the justice system. Even with the stream of consciousness, Life After Death is highly readable and flows well. What comes out is a young man from the wrong side of the tracks trying to find his place and gets caught up in hysteria and a justice system looking for an easy answer.
Part of the truly best part of this work is the his search for meaning and for understanding of a higher power. Trying different churches until he finds a place he understands and accepts.
Life After Death has plenty of criticisms , both of the way he was raised and how inhumanly prisoners are treated. This is not about the big things you tend to hear about, but the little needling that can drive a person up the wall.
Ultimately Life After Death is a book of hope, but until the end it is a trip through bad lands. An enjoyable read.
There are a few problems including that if you do not know his case, this can be a confusing mess. It is by far better knowing his case to provide proper background. Echols does provide enough to give a general outline, but oddly this general outline could be used in any case of a miscarriage of justice. Maybe that is the point, he is not the only one. It could also be used to illustrate both the chaos of what happened to him and the larger system in general.
As noted, this is stream of consciousness writing; this meanders and jumps around, which can be frustrating. However, when taken as the whole, it works and the story comes out beautifully of both his developing ways of coping within and his frustration with the justice system. Even with the stream of consciousness, Life After Death is highly readable and flows well. What comes out is a young man from the wrong side of the tracks trying to find his place and gets caught up in hysteria and a justice system looking for an easy answer.
Part of the truly best part of this work is the his search for meaning and for understanding of a higher power. Trying different churches until he finds a place he understands and accepts.
Life After Death has plenty of criticisms , both of the way he was raised and how inhumanly prisoners are treated. This is not about the big things you tend to hear about, but the little needling that can drive a person up the wall.
Ultimately Life After Death is a book of hope, but until the end it is a trip through bad lands. An enjoyable read.
February 8, 2013
Occasionally beautiful and frequently harrowing, Life After Death is a thoughtful (if raw) account of not just Damien’s Echols’ life behind bars for a crime he didn’t commit, but also the circumstances (poverty, prejudice) that led him there.
What’s incredible about Echols’ story is how well he’s able to tell it. This is no ghost-written, cash-in-quick memoir. It’s clear that Echols is a writer who has worked hard on his craft, and his descriptions of life before and after his conviction are visceral and moving.
Based on a vague knowledge of the West Memphis Three case, it’s easy to assume that Echols’ arrest was a case of simple bad luck. However, Echols painstakingly retraces the months and years of his life beforehand to show how small and not-so-small moments snowballed together to lead him down the path of wrongful conviction.
As an account of what life is like on Death Row, the book is interesting and sometimes darkly funny. As an account of growing up poor, it’s uncomfortable and extremely sad. As an indictment of the US justice system, it’s damning.
Life After Death is not without its flaws. There’s a fragmentary, often jarring, quality to the writing, reflecting the fact that this is an edited-down version of the many millions of words that Echols wrote during his time in prison. And occasionally Echols’ anger at the system tips over into paranoia. (It’s hard to believe that every prison guard is a sadistic son of a bitch and that every prison rule is a conspiracy to rob the inmates of their dignity.)
However, if you have the slightest interest in the West Memphis Three case (and even if you don’t), this is a worthwhile book and one that will stay with you for a long time.
What’s incredible about Echols’ story is how well he’s able to tell it. This is no ghost-written, cash-in-quick memoir. It’s clear that Echols is a writer who has worked hard on his craft, and his descriptions of life before and after his conviction are visceral and moving.
Based on a vague knowledge of the West Memphis Three case, it’s easy to assume that Echols’ arrest was a case of simple bad luck. However, Echols painstakingly retraces the months and years of his life beforehand to show how small and not-so-small moments snowballed together to lead him down the path of wrongful conviction.
As an account of what life is like on Death Row, the book is interesting and sometimes darkly funny. As an account of growing up poor, it’s uncomfortable and extremely sad. As an indictment of the US justice system, it’s damning.
Life After Death is not without its flaws. There’s a fragmentary, often jarring, quality to the writing, reflecting the fact that this is an edited-down version of the many millions of words that Echols wrote during his time in prison. And occasionally Echols’ anger at the system tips over into paranoia. (It’s hard to believe that every prison guard is a sadistic son of a bitch and that every prison rule is a conspiracy to rob the inmates of their dignity.)
However, if you have the slightest interest in the West Memphis Three case (and even if you don’t), this is a worthwhile book and one that will stay with you for a long time.
August 27, 2019
Después de la estupenda sinopsis que acompaña al libro solo se me ocurre añadir que es asombroso como una persona injustamente acusada y en el corredor de la muerte ha conservado la cabeza en su sitio y ha podido plasmar toda su odisea penal, judicial y personal de una manera tan brillante y en unas condiciones tan hostiles. Atrapa desde la primera página, te parece estar viviendo personalmente esa pesadilla y te ves metido entre rejas sin posibilidad de escapar a la silla eléctrica.
El complemento perfecto e indispensable si quieres conocer la historia completa al documental en tres partes de la HBO “Paraiso perdido” (Lost Paradise: Los crímenes de los niños en Robin Hood Hills, PL 2: Revelaciones, PL3 Purgatorio) y a “West Memphis” producido por Peter Jackson que no he podido ver aún.
Qué paradoja tan absurda que para poder salir libres han de reconocer que han sido ellos los asesinos. ¿Alguien lo entiende? Bienvenido al desquiciado mundo judicial de los USA.
El complemento perfecto e indispensable si quieres conocer la historia completa al documental en tres partes de la HBO “Paraiso perdido” (Lost Paradise: Los crímenes de los niños en Robin Hood Hills, PL 2: Revelaciones, PL3 Purgatorio) y a “West Memphis” producido por Peter Jackson que no he podido ver aún.
Qué paradoja tan absurda que para poder salir libres han de reconocer que han sido ellos los asesinos. ¿Alguien lo entiende? Bienvenido al desquiciado mundo judicial de los USA.
June 27, 2013
This is an incredible true story of a survivor who endured over 18 years on death row for a crime he did not commit. I will write more about this book soon. I highly recommend it.
If you have conflicting feelings about the death penalty, you should definitely read this book. I had to return it to the library today, but I will not forget it.
If you have conflicting feelings about the death penalty, you should definitely read this book. I had to return it to the library today, but I will not forget it.
February 6, 2013
Holy shit. I haven't had a book depress me, disgust me, inspire me, and compel me this much in a long time. It's a book filled with injustice and I applaud Damien Echols for making it through this insane and maddening ordeal.
I had followed the West Memphis Three case extensively when I was in high school. For those of you who aren't familiar with the case, in 1993 three teenage boys in Arkansas were wrongly convicted of satanically murdering three little boys. It was a very modern day Salem witch trial and Jason and Jessie were given life imprisonment and Damien was given the death sentence simply for being the town "outcasts." I watched the 3 HBO "Paradise Lost" documentaries and read "The Devil's Knot," but nothing touched me more than Echols memoir of the incident and his experiences in prison.
After Damien was found guilty he spent EIGHTEEN years on death row and his life was utter hell. In this book he describes the fellow prisoners, daily rituals, and how hard it is to keep sane when you're in solitary confinement. It is a true triumph of the human spirit.
This memoir is written quite eloquently and goes back and forth between memories of his childhood, coping with the WM3 case, his life in prison, and his life as a free man (he was released mid 2011). The prose sticks with you and you find yourself going on an emotional rollercoaster ride with Damien as he recounts some of the worst points of his life.
This is seriously a must read. Despite all the odds, Damien came through a horrific ordeal that kept him imprisoned for half of his life. Injustice like this cannot be forgotten. Read his story and be inspired (also be sure to check out the Sundance documentary "West of Memphis" produced by Peter Jackson, it's coming out on DVD soon). Corruption exists everywhere, what are you doing to stop it?
I had followed the West Memphis Three case extensively when I was in high school. For those of you who aren't familiar with the case, in 1993 three teenage boys in Arkansas were wrongly convicted of satanically murdering three little boys. It was a very modern day Salem witch trial and Jason and Jessie were given life imprisonment and Damien was given the death sentence simply for being the town "outcasts." I watched the 3 HBO "Paradise Lost" documentaries and read "The Devil's Knot," but nothing touched me more than Echols memoir of the incident and his experiences in prison.
After Damien was found guilty he spent EIGHTEEN years on death row and his life was utter hell. In this book he describes the fellow prisoners, daily rituals, and how hard it is to keep sane when you're in solitary confinement. It is a true triumph of the human spirit.
This memoir is written quite eloquently and goes back and forth between memories of his childhood, coping with the WM3 case, his life in prison, and his life as a free man (he was released mid 2011). The prose sticks with you and you find yourself going on an emotional rollercoaster ride with Damien as he recounts some of the worst points of his life.
This is seriously a must read. Despite all the odds, Damien came through a horrific ordeal that kept him imprisoned for half of his life. Injustice like this cannot be forgotten. Read his story and be inspired (also be sure to check out the Sundance documentary "West of Memphis" produced by Peter Jackson, it's coming out on DVD soon). Corruption exists everywhere, what are you doing to stop it?
January 8, 2013
Damien Echols was sent to death row for a crime he did not commit. I have followed the case for about ten years. He and two co-defendants were released from prison using an Alford plea, a legal maneuver in which a defendant pleads guilty while maintaining innocence. The option was offered to them by the state of Arkansas after DNA evidence piled on to other overwhelming evidence that the three convicted in the murders of three 8-year-olds did not, indeed, commit the crime. The move allows Arkansas to continue saying that no innocent man has ever been on death row.
Echols and I are about the same age. We were weird in about the same ways, but he was absolutely in the wrong ignorant place a the wrong ignorant time, which created a perfect storm to frame the weird kids for unthinkable evil at a time when "Satanic panic" was at its height along the Bible Belt.
I have seen all of the documentaries on the case and read all the books. This is the book he wrote after his release. I am sucked in. It is about his time in prison, living in unimaginable poverty, and finding himself at the center of a brutal murder case essentially cast as the Devil.
I am sucked in.
Echols and I are about the same age. We were weird in about the same ways, but he was absolutely in the wrong ignorant place a the wrong ignorant time, which created a perfect storm to frame the weird kids for unthinkable evil at a time when "Satanic panic" was at its height along the Bible Belt.
I have seen all of the documentaries on the case and read all the books. This is the book he wrote after his release. I am sucked in. It is about his time in prison, living in unimaginable poverty, and finding himself at the center of a brutal murder case essentially cast as the Devil.
I am sucked in.
October 9, 2014
I've read a number of books about the West Memphis Three (in addition to all the movies, of course) and this was an interesting addition - Echols reflects on prison life, the trial, meeting his wife and even a bit about life after his release. There was a bit too much reflection on "magick" (why do people insist on spelling it this way? Is it significant in some way?) but overall a worthwhile read for those interested in Echols and the subject.
April 14, 2013
The story of what happened to him is compelling. His personal ramblings and thoughts are not.
January 5, 2013
No matter what your views on crime and punishment in the United States in general, or on the death penalty in particular, Damien Echols' memoir is certain to move you, challenge you, and devastate you. I only became aware of the "West Memphis Three" story a few years ago. I've since watched the HBO "Paradise Lost" documentaries with alternating degrees of sympathy and horror. I've always wanted to believe that our justice system functions (mostly) fairly and objectively, despite the occasional awful revelations of prisoners wrongfully imprisoned for years or even executed. Surely these were anomalies. Tales of brutality by prison guards? Well, those guys had it coming as an additional dose of punishment for their crimes. Echols' beautiful and heart-breaking memoir has forced me to examine my beliefs.
If you have not watched the three "Paradise Lost" documentaries, please do so, as they extensively cover the mind-bogglingly corrupt investigation into the murders of three young boys and the ensuing trial that landed Echols on Death Row and his two co-defendants with life sentences. In particular, the final documentary, Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory, summarizes the first two films, and includes the events leading up to the trio's long-awaited freedom. Echols devotes very little time to these events because so much information is already available, but readers of his memoir should view them in order to gain a more complete picture of this travesty. Instead, Echols focuses on his impoverished upbringing and his eighteen years on Death Row, as he and others fought for his exoneration. When he writes of the stifling heat in the tiny, tin-roofed shack he inhabited in his childhood, you can almost feel it yourself. When he writes of mosquitoes feasting on his flesh in his prison cell, I could feel my own skin crawl.
The prison life he depicts is much like what we all imagine from movies and TV shows: abusive guards, horrible food, lack of sleep, etc. But Echols informs us that sadistic guards are the norm, rather than the exception. We also learn about the overwhelming filth, both of the prison itself and of some of the inmates due to their less than stellar hygiene practices. His misery in his cell due to cold winters was dwarfed only by the stifling summers. Time ceases to have any meaning other than bringing him closer to execution. Echols also writes in depth of his spiritual journey that led him from being raised Protestant to exploring Catholicism on his own as a teen. His general thirst for knowledge and his keen interest in spirituality led to an ongoing study of Buddhism while he was imprisoned.
It's hard to believe that if not for a couple of filmmakers who decided to make a documentary of the trial of the so-called "satanic" murders of three children, Echols may be dead today. These filmmakers quickly realized that the real story was not about Satanism, but rather it was about the entire Arkansas justice system that was willing to throw away the lives of Echols, Jason Baldwin, and Jessie Misskelley. They were garbage - poor white trash, so what did it matter? Who cares if a sick child-killer is still on the loose as long as the public's bloodlust was sated? Evidence clearing the involvement of the three was not enough for the courts; it was only years of effort on the parts of Echols' supporters - celebrities and otherwise, and most significantly, his tireless wife, Lorri - that finally forced Arkansas to act. In other words, Echols was freed not by the normal means of little things like evidence, DNA, and alibi, but rather by public shame, scorn, and embarrassment from which Arkansas could no longer hide.
I've finished this book, but I still can't stop thinking about it. It depicts a life that I can barely imagine, but Echols depicts it all unflinchingly and without an ounce of self-pity, to which he is certainly more than entitled. There will never be another memoir like this, not only because Echols' beautiful writing skill is unlikely to be possessed by any other death row inmate, but also because any who have been wrongfully convicted are unlikely to be spared like Echols.
If you have not watched the three "Paradise Lost" documentaries, please do so, as they extensively cover the mind-bogglingly corrupt investigation into the murders of three young boys and the ensuing trial that landed Echols on Death Row and his two co-defendants with life sentences. In particular, the final documentary, Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory, summarizes the first two films, and includes the events leading up to the trio's long-awaited freedom. Echols devotes very little time to these events because so much information is already available, but readers of his memoir should view them in order to gain a more complete picture of this travesty. Instead, Echols focuses on his impoverished upbringing and his eighteen years on Death Row, as he and others fought for his exoneration. When he writes of the stifling heat in the tiny, tin-roofed shack he inhabited in his childhood, you can almost feel it yourself. When he writes of mosquitoes feasting on his flesh in his prison cell, I could feel my own skin crawl.
The prison life he depicts is much like what we all imagine from movies and TV shows: abusive guards, horrible food, lack of sleep, etc. But Echols informs us that sadistic guards are the norm, rather than the exception. We also learn about the overwhelming filth, both of the prison itself and of some of the inmates due to their less than stellar hygiene practices. His misery in his cell due to cold winters was dwarfed only by the stifling summers. Time ceases to have any meaning other than bringing him closer to execution. Echols also writes in depth of his spiritual journey that led him from being raised Protestant to exploring Catholicism on his own as a teen. His general thirst for knowledge and his keen interest in spirituality led to an ongoing study of Buddhism while he was imprisoned.
It's hard to believe that if not for a couple of filmmakers who decided to make a documentary of the trial of the so-called "satanic" murders of three children, Echols may be dead today. These filmmakers quickly realized that the real story was not about Satanism, but rather it was about the entire Arkansas justice system that was willing to throw away the lives of Echols, Jason Baldwin, and Jessie Misskelley. They were garbage - poor white trash, so what did it matter? Who cares if a sick child-killer is still on the loose as long as the public's bloodlust was sated? Evidence clearing the involvement of the three was not enough for the courts; it was only years of effort on the parts of Echols' supporters - celebrities and otherwise, and most significantly, his tireless wife, Lorri - that finally forced Arkansas to act. In other words, Echols was freed not by the normal means of little things like evidence, DNA, and alibi, but rather by public shame, scorn, and embarrassment from which Arkansas could no longer hide.
I've finished this book, but I still can't stop thinking about it. It depicts a life that I can barely imagine, but Echols depicts it all unflinchingly and without an ounce of self-pity, to which he is certainly more than entitled. There will never be another memoir like this, not only because Echols' beautiful writing skill is unlikely to be possessed by any other death row inmate, but also because any who have been wrongfully convicted are unlikely to be spared like Echols.
October 1, 2016
The moment I started reading this book, I was captivated by Damien Echols words. He gives us an inside look on what it's like to be incarcerated, and living among those on death row. He describes what other inmates are like, but it seems as if it's the security guards that are truly menacing. He is kept to himself like a wild animal on the verge of striking, confined all hours of the day, with absolutely no privacy. His personal belongings are sometimes destroyed by angered security, or for simply because they can. This would seem like justice for some for a man who has been convicted of murdering three young boys, but the painful truth is - he's innocent.
It would seem as if Damien has spent his whole like being trapped, even before being sentenced to death. He describes what it was like living with his mother, who seemed to have no emotional attachment to her son. When she remarries, Damien becomes physically and emotional abused by his new step father. He's lived in conditions that no child should ever have to endure, or witness things that would keep us up at night. Not once though do I get the feeling that Damien is complaining, or seeking sympathy while telling his story; he even passes it off at times as if its nothing at all. No matter how bad things got, he just wanted to skateboard, watch movies, and listen to some good old rock n roll.
If you've seen the lost paradise documentaries, or any movie affiliated with the WM3, you know that Damien describes how the police harassed him and came up with insane stories to ruin his image. Anything that was said about him was turned into something negative. He believed in magik, therefore he must be a devil worshiper. He told the police that the killer must have felt good killing those three young boys, and the police took it as an admission of guilt! He was clearly stating what any serial killer or psychopath would feel, which I'm starting to think that most justice systems are full of psychopaths - because who else would come up with ways to put an innocent person behind bars?
Damien, Jason and Jessie are not the first or the last ones either! The fact that people believed the things that were said and the "evidence" that was presented against him is just unfathomable to me. I couldn't imagine how painful it was for such an intelligent man to sit around and watch stupidity at it's best day after day. The truth is he was always stalked by law enforcement even before the murders of those three young boys. He goes on to tell of one man in particular who became obsessed with finding ways to lock him up in hospitals or juvenile detention centers. Damien was simply different, something that should be treasured and not condemned for. How do you give someone 18 years back of their life? What are those years worth to you? To Damien they were worth his freedom. His true freedom, to be left alone by cops and the public eye, to live with his darling wife who fought tooth and nail for her man, and by working to find the true murderer of those three young boys - who still walks free to this very day.
Damien lives peacefully and doing with he loves most in life, ART! I'm honestly proud of him, he could have gone completely insane and killed all those who wronged him and I don't think anybody would have blamed him! Instead he took the higher road that he's always said he was on, and has always staid positive no matter how little that light was shining, he never said yes to the darkness; could you have done the same?
A personal note to Damien, who I hope will come across this one day. Your words and views on life are truly inspiring and beautiful; Thank you for sharing that with millions of people. In your book you talk about going to Japan one day, please go!!! You owe it to that man who was stuck in a cell for so long he barely knew how to walk when he got out. You also talk about winter, and how much you love it. Come spend a winter in Canada my friend, it will be your version of heaven on earth; I promise you.
It would seem as if Damien has spent his whole like being trapped, even before being sentenced to death. He describes what it was like living with his mother, who seemed to have no emotional attachment to her son. When she remarries, Damien becomes physically and emotional abused by his new step father. He's lived in conditions that no child should ever have to endure, or witness things that would keep us up at night. Not once though do I get the feeling that Damien is complaining, or seeking sympathy while telling his story; he even passes it off at times as if its nothing at all. No matter how bad things got, he just wanted to skateboard, watch movies, and listen to some good old rock n roll.
If you've seen the lost paradise documentaries, or any movie affiliated with the WM3, you know that Damien describes how the police harassed him and came up with insane stories to ruin his image. Anything that was said about him was turned into something negative. He believed in magik, therefore he must be a devil worshiper. He told the police that the killer must have felt good killing those three young boys, and the police took it as an admission of guilt! He was clearly stating what any serial killer or psychopath would feel, which I'm starting to think that most justice systems are full of psychopaths - because who else would come up with ways to put an innocent person behind bars?
Damien, Jason and Jessie are not the first or the last ones either! The fact that people believed the things that were said and the "evidence" that was presented against him is just unfathomable to me. I couldn't imagine how painful it was for such an intelligent man to sit around and watch stupidity at it's best day after day. The truth is he was always stalked by law enforcement even before the murders of those three young boys. He goes on to tell of one man in particular who became obsessed with finding ways to lock him up in hospitals or juvenile detention centers. Damien was simply different, something that should be treasured and not condemned for. How do you give someone 18 years back of their life? What are those years worth to you? To Damien they were worth his freedom. His true freedom, to be left alone by cops and the public eye, to live with his darling wife who fought tooth and nail for her man, and by working to find the true murderer of those three young boys - who still walks free to this very day.
Damien lives peacefully and doing with he loves most in life, ART! I'm honestly proud of him, he could have gone completely insane and killed all those who wronged him and I don't think anybody would have blamed him! Instead he took the higher road that he's always said he was on, and has always staid positive no matter how little that light was shining, he never said yes to the darkness; could you have done the same?
A personal note to Damien, who I hope will come across this one day. Your words and views on life are truly inspiring and beautiful; Thank you for sharing that with millions of people. In your book you talk about going to Japan one day, please go!!! You owe it to that man who was stuck in a cell for so long he barely knew how to walk when he got out. You also talk about winter, and how much you love it. Come spend a winter in Canada my friend, it will be your version of heaven on earth; I promise you.
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