Informative but poorly written at times. The author focuses largely on the history of hanging and the atmosphere and social nature of the event, less so on the more recent history of electrocutions and lethal injections. He does touch on the legal battles surrounding capital punishment, which is interesting, but mostly avoids any case studies which might have added interest. ( )

3663. The Death Penalty: An American History, by Stuart Banner (read 11 Dec 2002) This is a 2002 book which evenhandedly surveys the death penalty in the U.S. through the years. It is a doleful story and the author holds out little hope the U.S. will soon join the rest of the civilized world and end the deliberately and with premeditation imitating of first degree murderers. Rather, we are with China, Iraq, and the Congo as the leading capital killers. No western European country kills people and now that Communism has left eastern Europe capital punishment is ending there. But there are 12 states, including, thankfully, Iowa, where civilization prevails as it does in other civilized countries. ( )