The Animal Factory goes deep into San Quentin, a world of violence and paranoia, where territory and status are ever-changing and possibly...
read full description
reviews
Dec 12, 2010
Mariel
rated it: 
I read Edward Bunker's Animal Factory when I was about ninteen or twenty. I remember it better than almost anything else I read back then. If I can remember something that says to me that it must have been good.
It was horribly romantic to me in the sense of realizing what you'd do for what matters to you because you need it to matter that much.
When survival becomes the state of absolutely nothing else. It's a luxury to have the time to sit around and ponder shit like th More...
It was horribly romantic to me in the sense of realizing what you'd do for what matters to you because you need it to matter that much.
When survival becomes the state of absolutely nothing else. It's a luxury to have the time to sit around and ponder shit like th More...
28 comments
like
(11 people liked it)
Jan 26, 2009
J.
rated it:
This was the first book of his that I've read, and Bunker's style put me off slightly, in the beginning -- he seemed to be reaching in a pedantic way that called attention to the language, and thus got in the way of the plot. Good thing the plot steamrolls like a fucking 18-wheeler barreling down a mountain without jack brakes. The brutal imagery and complex tension between the main characters more than makes up for the occasional awkward construction here and there. Highly recommended for fans
More...
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Jan 29, 2012
ABC Group
rated it:
My first crack at Edward Bunker was a very rewarding one. I know some folks consider him a seminal crime writer but I had no real expectations walking into this. Bunker's a great story teller. His language is mostly simple but he certainly fancies himself a wordsmith at times.
Ron Decker is a white collar drug dealer who winds up being convicted and sent to San Quentin, where he meets a variety of characters, but the story revolves around his relationship with Earl Copen, a seasoned More...
Ron Decker is a white collar drug dealer who winds up being convicted and sent to San Quentin, where he meets a variety of characters, but the story revolves around his relationship with Earl Copen, a seasoned More...
Apr 05, 2010
carl
rated it:
Note to self, I won't be taken alive, stay out of prison.
Written in '77 it was re-released in the last few years. A compelling and terrifying read.
Middle-class drug dealer gets sent to San Quentin where he befriends hard con Earl.
Essentially a story of how prison makes criminals hardened just so that they can
survive.
The story seems a bit dated and familiar, but that's probably because there have
been many books, movies etc that have followed its f
Written in '77 it was re-released in the last few years. A compelling and terrifying read.
Middle-class drug dealer gets sent to San Quentin where he befriends hard con Earl.
Essentially a story of how prison makes criminals hardened just so that they can
survive.
The story seems a bit dated and familiar, but that's probably because there have
been many books, movies etc that have followed its f
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Jul 13, 2007
Chilly
rated it: 
This is a prison story, and sort of a love story, without too many of the details a straight male reader might hope to skip in a prison love story. A young, ‘pretty’ drug dealer is busted and is befriended by a wise old con who does his best to look out for him during their mutual stint in San Quentin. There is great insight into the paranoia, tension, and inside dealings that go on in the various levels of prison life - from the sweetest livin’ cell blocks to the hole.
And of course, after More...
And of course, after More...
Jun 02, 2011
Camilla ~ ♥ Team Qhuay!♥ ~
rated it: 
Ok, so.. Wow.. Very, very disappointed by this book.. But maybe thats my own fault, dont know..
I thought, both after reading the blurb, and some of the reviews, that this would be some kind of prison love story between a hardcore inmate and a young newcomer..
Yeah.. Definitely not..
This is just a "normal" prison story about a guy in prison.
Seriously.. thats all it is.. Lots of curse words and lots of fighting.. No angst, no real dra More...
Jan 02, 2011
monica
rated it:
26.03.2010
Questo libro mi sta uccidendo..
02.04.2010
Dopo aver saputo che l'autore ha vissuto davvero tra le mura di celle e in mezzo a centinaia di menti pericolose come quelle che si formano e prendono vita tra quelle pareti, mi sono interessata di più alla storia, che non è altro che uno squarcio di vita all'interno di un carcere americano.
A pensare che tutta quella cattiveria esiste davvero ed è compressa in cosi poco spazio, c'è da avere paura. Questa mi fa sorgere una domanda: ma è da More...
Questo libro mi sta uccidendo..
02.04.2010
Dopo aver saputo che l'autore ha vissuto davvero tra le mura di celle e in mezzo a centinaia di menti pericolose come quelle che si formano e prendono vita tra quelle pareti, mi sono interessata di più alla storia, che non è altro che uno squarcio di vita all'interno di un carcere americano.
A pensare che tutta quella cattiveria esiste davvero ed è compressa in cosi poco spazio, c'è da avere paura. Questa mi fa sorgere una domanda: ma è da More...
Sep 22, 2009
Rebecca
rated it:
Loved this book. It swallows you up into one of the hardest US prisons and oh wow, what a world it is. Homosexual humour is a must to stay sane, murders inside are hardly ever convicted and if you're a pretty boy look out!!! I'm definitely going to read more prison literature after this. Edward Bunker is an ex con too so it makes for some educating fiction.
Jul 22, 2011
Nate
rated it:
A good read. Once again it is obvious that the author has done time. He is able to describe prison life vividly.
Jan 05, 2009
Sean
rated it:
I wish they wouldn't make these Movie based book covers, it cheapens the whole affair. A great book.
Oct 10, 2008
Alarra
rated it:
The book is much better than the movie; you get a much better idea of why Ron and Earl strike up a friendship, and much greater awareness of why they Earl would risk it all to try a break out after so many years of comfortable existence in jail. Their dynamic is still really good – that awkward tension between Earl’s paternal and yet sexual desire for Ron, and Ron’s platonic love for Earl.
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Apr 04, 2008
Frank
rated it:
Very good book about prison life written by someone who was there. Bunker does a good job describing prison society and relationships without sensationalizing/glorifying it. The creators of the HBO series "OZ" could have taken a lesson from him.
Sep 24, 2007
i really need to pick up a copy of this book and read it, considering how much the film adaptation opened my eyes to the presence of prison society and culture in america, and the number of times i've recommended the movie on that basis.
Oct 13, 2011
Elizabeth
rated it: 
I was so excited to read this book, but found the writing completely hard to decipher. It was almost like the author wrote with a dictionary on his lap and just inserted big words randomly.
Jan 04, 2008
Godzilla
rated it: 
His first published novel. A bleak tale of life inside a maximum security prison. It's not the Shawshank Redemption, it's the real deal.
Dec 17, 2009
Peggy
rated it:
bought is for a friend who wanted it, so I read just coz.. not really my type of book, but intertaining in a silly way
Jun 01, 2008
Siany
rated it:
Seem to have forgotten to add all the books with 'Factory' in the title. Mmm?
Feb 11, 2012
Feb 07, 2012
Feb 06, 2012
Feb 02, 2012
