The Autobiography of an Execution actually deals in detail with three executions. One of the defendants is obviously guilty and is pretty much a despicable human being. A second defendant is put to death despite having an IQ of 53, well below the limit defining people as mentally fit. However, what makes this book such a powerful work is the third defendant who despite obviously being innocent, is trapped in judicial process that almost systematically executes anyone entering it. The author tells us of his many attempts to get these men off death row, but what becomes very clear despite what you might think or see in the movies, there are very few cases where the defendants get that last minute reprieve. Whether the criminal is a deplorable monster, mentally unfit, or even innocent, once a defendant enters that death row system. there's little chance of escaping it. ( )

Dow’s new book is made up of part philosophy, part law school 101, part case history, part memoir and part detective story. The most compelling part of these is the detective story, (where he tries to figure out if one of his clients is actually innocent) the worst part was his telling us too much about his precocious 6 –year old son (and while I understand that he wants to show us his personal life to give the rest of the story context, this was too much).

Dow tells us that he used to believe in capital punishment, but now no longer does. He now works exclusively with death row prisoners to get them stays of execution. His reasons for having a change of heart aren’t detailed in this book (although I think they may have been in his previous book “Executed on a Technicality”, that I have not yet read). It seems he is now against the death penalty because it isn’t fairly applied and the criminal justice system is skewed toward executing mainly poor minorities. He hints that he doesn’t think it is morally right either--murder is murder, but later says he is not sure what he would do if someone killed his family.

When I was younger I was adamantly against the death penalty. Now that I am older and have a young son, I am still theoretically against capital punishment; however I know that if someone sexually abused, tortured and killed my son, I could personally administer the lethal injection with no qualms. So I wonder if Dow would still be against the death penalty if the same thing happened to his son, of whom he absolutely adores and fawns over in this book.

Dow shows the absurdity of how the court system works and how it is not driven by justice, but by procedures, protocols, and politics. He also shows how it is easy for everyone within this system (from jury members, to judges, and most especially the Governor, to not take responsibility for executing someone no matter if they are guilty, mentally incompetent or innocent, with the statement of “There wasn’t anything I could do.”

In addition to the too much narrative about his son in this book, his writing was a little too disjointed for me. He was all over the map--back and forth between a past client, to meeting his wife, to the main current case, to his current personal life, back to another current client, a dream, philosophical thoughts etc. He needed a better editor. These issues aside, I did think the book was informative and thought provoking and I would recommend it.
( )

David Dow is a death penalty lawyer in Texas – this must be one of the hardest jobs to do, *especially* in Texas. He believes that the death penalty is always wrong and fights to save his clients’ lives, while acknowledging that the vast majority of them are guilty of their crimes. He freely admits that he doesn’t like a lot of his clients but he is compelled to do what he believes is right.

This book however, while discussing other death penalty cases, focuses mainly on the case of Henry Quaker, a man who is convicted of murdering his wife and children – and who was almost certainly innocent of the crime. In discussing the various measures that David and his team take to try and save Quaker’s life, some deeply uncomfortable truth about the justice system are revealed. Quaker was a poor black man with a deeply incompetent trial lawyer. Despite there being another very viable suspect, and several reasons why Quaker almost certainly did not commit the crime, the lawyer failed to disclose any of this at the trial. Indeed, the book talks about public defender lawyers who literally go to sleep in the middle of trial.

I am completely against the death penalty in any and all circumstances, so I was also predisposed to be drawn into this book (I can’t say I enjoyed it, and it’s not a book that is really meant to be enjoyed, but it needs to be read). However, whatever anyone’s views, the truths about the ‘justice’ system revealed here should make anyone feel uncomfortable about the death penalty. I felt angry and frustrated learning about how bureaucracy and red tape, the laziness of judges, the incompetence of lawyers all have more to do with someone’s fate than the evidence for or against them.

The author also talks about his home life with his wife and young son. He has a lovely family and he acknowledges this. But there is no doubt that the job he does would have an effect on anybody, and he includes snapshots of their lives to illustrate this.

I recommend this book very highly. It is not always an easy read, but it is as compelling as any novel and the lessons contained within need to be heard. ( )

Best book I've read so far this year. Granted, it's only February, but still. It is a memoir written by a lawyer who defends death penalty cases in Texas. I can't imagine a more frustrating job. He must feel like Sisyphus.

I'm opposed to the death penalty and fascinated by death penalty law, so this book was right in my wheelhouse. But I found myself caring as much about his relationship with his wife and son as I did about his cases. It is the best kind of memoir: one written by someone with a unique life and unique perspective, who has something to say and says it well.

I almost went to law school after college, and I've always wondered what kind of lawyer I would have been. I now know I couldn't be David Dow. I don't think I'd want to be married to him. But I am glad he exists. ( )

Best book I've read so far this year. Granted, it's only February, but still. It is a memoir written by a lawyer who defends death penalty cases in Texas. I can't imagine a more frustrating job. He must feel like Sisyphus.

I'm opposed to the death penalty and fascinated by death penalty law, so this book was right in my wheelhouse. But I found myself caring as much about his relationship with his wife and son as I did about his cases. It is the best kind of memoir: one written by someone with a unique life and unique perspective, who has something to say and says it well.

I almost went to law school after college, and I've always wondered what kind of lawyer I would have been. I now know I couldn't be David Dow. I don't think I'd want to be married to him. But I am glad he exists. ( )