Jolene Babyak's excellent account of the famed 1962 Great Escape from the Rock.

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #211013 in Books
• Published on: 2001-06
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 276 pages

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Customer Reviews

An amazing inside view of those that lived on the "rock."
This is a truly fasinating account of what really took place on Alcatraz. It not only told about the inmates but about the families of the guards that actually lived on the island. Having grown up in San Francisco during the time that the author writes about, I remember the "rock" as always being this quasi mysterious island that seemed to be so close to the mainland and yet held some of the worst criminals. I thouroughly enjoyed getting an inside look at Alcatraz from the eyes of someone who actually lived there.

Barbara Birchim, author of Is Anybody Listening? A True Story About POW/MIAs In The Vietnam War

Was "The Great Escape from Alcatraz" really "Great"?
I got this book from Mrs. Babyak herself while visiting Alcatraz. I always believed or had hoped (based on "Escape from Alcatraz") that Frank Morris and company made it. The facts show they did not.

One thing is for sure is that they got off the island. After that it is pretty certain that they drowned. Mrs. Babyak pointed out to me that some folks still commit suicide of the Golden Gate Bridge quite frequently yet their bodies are never discovered. This is the result of certain factors, such as the cold water will make a lifeless body not so buoyant.

Also, because of the confining of the prisoners to small cells in which they only had one hour a day to get out of them, you can imagine how sore they must have been doing all they did just to get out. Mrs. Babyak makes a strong case of this and other reasons convincingly that in all probability they drowned in the Bay that night.

The attempt reminds me of what people are willing to do when any chance of hope dissipates in one's life. Men will pay any price. I still kinda wished that they made it but the odds are against it.

Good book with an exception
While I do think this is a good read with plenty of information, I can name two faults. First, the author uses italics to guess what the people are saying. They are not quotes, but her thoughts of what could have been said. This is a flaw in accuracy because you have to remind yourself that, while it could have been said, it also could not have been said. Secondly, the book was sloppily written. I found numerous spelling mistakes and typos. Overlooking those, it was a good read.