Lucasville: The Untold Story Of A Prison Uprising
"[T]his is a very worthy study because it raises significant questions, not just about SOCF [Southern Ohio Correctional Facility] but also about the American prison system as a whole." The Historian Lynd has researched his case quite thoroughly, and readers will be convinced that the Ohio prison system stinks to high heaven." Ohioana Quarterly "[O]f interest to anyone who follows prison politics or the often enigmatic workings of the justice system." --Library Journal  "Lynd presents a startling, bold case... Lucasville is a compelling account of an historic prison rebellion and an appalling miscarriage of justice. It deserves the widest possible readership." --Against the Current  "Mr. Lynd relates in a detailed event chronology how the uprising started and spread. He also examines in great detail the farce of the post-riot trials. Given the bias and flaws in the trials, Mr. Lynd speaks strongly in favor of an amnesty, citing the amnesty following the infamous riot at Attica." Prison Legal News "Mr. Lynd is a masterful storyteller and he has a hell of a story to tell. [He] has written a definitive history of one of the longest prison riots in U.S. history and its aftermath. That alone is worth the price of admission...What makes the book unique in the historical sense is the remarkable range of primary and secondary sources; Lynd writes with a lawyer's pen but a poet's ear...This book is a reminder that prisoners--even death row prisoners--are human beings, too. Lucasville is a resounding affirmation of our common humanity." --Michael Mello, author of The Wrong Man: A True Story of Innocence on Death Row "They rose above their status as prisoners, and became, for a few days in April 1993, what rebels in Attica had demanded a generation before them: men. As such, they did not betray each other; they did not dishonor each other; they reached beyond their prison 'tribes' to reach commonality." --Mumia Abu-Jamal  "There is a temperature at which the welder's torch becomes so hot and burns with such purity that its flame is no longer yellow, orange, or red, but burns blue. Then it is capable of cutting through steel. Staughton Lynd wields the blue flame of truth, cutting through the lies, threats, evasions, and misrepresentations of the authorities of the state of Ohio." --Professor Peter Linebaugh, Department of History, University of Toledo; author of The London Hanged and co-author of The Many-Headed Hydra  "Lucasville is one of the most powerful indictments of our 'justice system' I have ever read. What comes across is a litany of flaws deep in the system, and recognizably not unique to Lucasville. The detailed transcripts (yes, oral history!) give great power to the whole story." --Howard Zinn, author of A People's History of the United States