Life after
Death (2012)
Damien Echols
Review by Jude
Felton
The case of
the West Memphis 3 is probably one of the most heartbreaking and shocking
stories of recent times. Not only did three young men spend 18 years behind
bars for a crime that they did not commit, which to me is unfathomable to
comprehend, but also the horrifying fact that the murderer, or murderers, of
the three young boys are still out there. The case was covered in incredible
detail in the three Paradise Lost documentaries, and also the recent West of
Memphis but, with Life After Death, Damien Echols tells us a far more intimate
picture of his life, and almost death.
Sentenced to
death in 1994, one can only try and imagine what it must have been like for an
18 year old boy to face this penalty knowing that he was innocent of the crime
he was convicted. Of the three convicted, both Jason Baldwin and Jessie
Misskelley received life sentences, it was Echols that received the most
attention, due in part to his sentence. However, in 2011 they were all released
from prison, although maybe not in the manner which they should have been.
Life After
Death is Damien Echols autobiography, if you will, in which he writes about not
only the injustice of which he is most famous, but his childhood, his family
life and more. It really is an inspiring and emotionally devastating read,
which I read in two sittings, although written in a very matter of fact manner.
It is not a book that intends to invoke sympathy in the reader, which would
have been incredibly easy to do. Instead, Echols is far too intelligent to play
that card; he tells his tale, which also includes writing from his time behind
bars, in a style that should inspire the reader.
Of course,
much of the book does focus on his time behind bars as he did spend half of his
life in prison, a good portion of which was in solitary confinement, and some
of the stories are quite horrific. He paints a brutal picture of being behind
bars, most of which is utterly impossible for most of us to get our heads
around; the violence, depravity, filth, depression and seasonal extremes are
all covered. But also, Echols tells us of his incessant need to learn, to
improve himself and to grow as a human being. It could have been all too easy
for him to get sucked into the harsh existence of prison, instead he devoured
books and strove to stay mentally strong; a fact that in itself is quite
amazing.
The case
itself is unsurprisingly not given too much coverage here, as we all know the
basic details, and the book takes a very personal approach. Even if you don’t
know too much about the Robin Hood Murders I would still recommend reading Life
After Death as a purely inspiring piece of writing; it is a quite incredible
book.
On the same
hand, even if you have seen all the films, read books on the case and know all
there is to know about the case, you should still read this book. Not many of
us, if any, have lived the life that Damien Echols has lived, and here he tells
us as best he can how it has been up until now. Things that we wouldn’t even
think of, such as the deterioration of vision (due to being in a tiny cell for
years on end), not being able to walk properly because of the constant
restraints and again, tiny cell. Things we all take for granted are things that
were stripped away from Echols for almost 20 years.
The writing
is incredibly fluid and makes this an easy read, even if sometimes the subject
matter is incredibly gruesome, and ultimately an incredibly good read. It’s a
book that is not intended to invoke pity or sympathy, instead a book of
strength, determination and the will to live from a quite remarkable man.
Life After Death is available now from Blue Rider Press.
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