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Title: Proximity to Death by William S. McFeely ISBN: 0-393-04819-5 Publisher: W.W. Norton & Company Pub. Date: 01 November, 1999 Format: Hardcover Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $23.95

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Average Customer Rating: 2.75 (4 reviews)

Rating: 4
Summary: fighting for a cause
Comment: I would agree with the reviews which claim that this book tells one side of a major debate, but I do not consider this a fault. The author never claims to be presenting a fair and balanced account of the death penalty, nor does he claim the status of an expert on capital punishment. Contrary to what one might be lead to believe from other reviews, I certainly do not understand the book, to assert that capital punishment is Unconstitutional, but simply gives an overview of an organization that fights to make sure that if the death penalty must be administered, it be administered in a constitutional and fair manner, in one of the most sad death penalty systems in the country. In sum, if you are looking for an in depth debate on the constitutional and policy aspects of capital punishment, read Furman v. Georgia, not this book. If you want to read about a group of warriors wit top notch legal abilities who sacrifice all the riches and political clout such ability could bring them, in exchange for 30k per year and fighting for a cause they believe in, this is the book to read.

Rating: 2
Summary: More a hagiography than an insightful account
Comment: The chief virtue of this book is its brevity; its chief vice is that it is not clear what purpose it is intended to serve.

Although most readers of these reviews have not found 's review below to be helpful, I find myself largely in agreement with his conclusion. Unlike him, though, I am not bothered that the author has no legal credentials - journalists are perfectly capable of writing perceptive accounts of capital cases.

The problem with this book is that there is no clear need for it to be written. Like my fellow reviewer I agree that this account meanders along following no obvious line of argument. The best I can say in its defense is that it gives the reader some insight into the dedication of capital defense lawyers who worked in the former federally funded Death Penalty Resource Centers but did not throw in the towel when the funding dried up. Stephen Bright is perhaps the best known of these lawyers but others stayed the course too like Nick Trenticosta in Louisiana, Jim Marcus in Texas, and Bryan Stevenson in Alabama.

There is no doubt but that McFeely was dazzled by Steve Bright - but then who would not be? I have sent three students to Steve Bright's office but have never met the man other than on the phone. McFeely's book gave me a fuller picture of him and his colleagues and for that I am grateful. I would certainly recommend this book to any law student considering an internship at the Southern Center for Human Rights.

When I put down this book my first thought was that my review would have to say something about McFeely's highly judgmental comments on the "cast". I can see why wrote, with only a little exaggeration, that "The author spends pages describing how good looking the lawyers on his side of the issue are! " Scarcely anyone mentioned escapes comment about their appearance. The reader might be forgiven for thinking that McFeely had walked among gods...

The press reviewers have treated McFeely kindly on this one. I wouldn't go so far as describe the book as "trivial" but anecdotal is about the mark. The reader looking for a deeper insight into capital penalty litigation should look elsewhere, e.g. Pete Earley's Circumstantial Evidence or John Tucker's May God Have Mercy.

Rating: 4
Summary: Excelllent primer on death "penalty" in USA
Comment: The format of the book is less than ideal. I think the author adopted a format that centered on character sketches of a group of death-penalty lawyers because he wanted to emphasize that the whole business is about people, not about abstract ideas.

The whole issue of the humanity of the death-row inmate is dealt with 100 times more effectively in George Orwell's essay "A Hanging", but that is another story altogether.

The book gives the reader a lot of useful history and information about the death "penalty" in Georgia, both then and now, and shows how the modern death penalty has, in a sense, taken over where lynching left off.

There are well researched notes and references for each chapter for those who want to go deeper. The USA stands proudly alongside jurisdictions like Yemen and Saudi Arabia in retaining the death penalty and this book provides a good discussion of why. The author includes a great deal of information in support of his opinion that the primary purpose of the continuation of the death "penalty" is to feed the desire for revenge. One may disagree with this thesis, but it is there. He also presents ample data suggesting that the death penalty lacks value as a deterrent. If you are looking for a book that provides support and justification for retention of the death "penalty", this is not it.

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