Conversations with the Capeman: The Untold Story of Salvador Agron
In 1959, Salvador Agron, then 16, was part of a Puerto Rican gang that killed two teen-aged boys who'd been mistaken for rival gang members. The case fired the media. Known as Capeman, for the red cape he wore during gang fights, Agron was saved from his death-row conviction by Eleanor Roosevelt's intervention. Jacoby was working on a doctorate in criminal justice when he began corresponding with Agron in 1973. This book, which alternates between the perspectives of Agron and Jacoby, is based on 12 years of correspondence. Letters, poetry, and recollections over that period show Agron's transformation and redemption. While imprisoned, Agron learned to read and write and developed acute insights about U.S. socio-politics, particularly the prison and justice systems. Agron provides raw and powerful recollections of poverty, violence, and sexuality in his youth in Puerto Rico and on the streets of New York, and later in prison. Released after 20 years in prison, he was unable to escape the social realities he had railed against and eventually became a crack addict and died of AIDS.Vanessa BushCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.