The Last Face You'll Ever See: The Private Life of the American Death Penalty

by Ivan Solotaroff

In fascinating detail, Ivan Solotaroff introduces us to men who carry out executions. Although the emphasis is on the personal lives of these men and of those they have to put to death, The Last Face You'll Ever See also addresses some of the deeper issues of the death penalty and connects the veiled, elusive figure of the executioner to the vast majority of Americans who have claimed to support executions since 1977. Why do we do it? Or, more exactly, why do we want to?

The Last Face You'll Ever See is not about the polarizing issues of the death penalty -- it is a firsthand report about the culture of executions: the executioners, the death-row inmates, and everyone involved in the act. An engrossing, unsettling, and provocative book, this work will forever affect anyone who reads it.

Genres: Nonfiction, True Crime, Crime, Memoir

256 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2001

Reviews

[Petra X · Rating 2 out of 5]

One extended article in a glossy magazine would have covered this book, and so it is no surprise to find out that the handsome author is a journalist specialising in long articles.

This book has all the hallmarks of the Playboy in-depth article: fictionalised descriptions, a provincial view and as deep as any one wants to read while they're sitting waiting for their appointment at the dentist's. The title is a misnomer. Its actually only about two executioners on one death row in one prison and in the one state the book discusses, a discussion with a very narrow beam. This was a very disappointing book, it never lived up to the intrigue-value of its title.

[Deb Kornmann · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a very interesting book.

[Kassi · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a poignant look behind the veil into the psychological make up and character of the executioner succeeds as a pioneer into the reality of the Death Penalty in America. I found this book well researched, objective, and not afraid to mark any question as taboo. To say I was affected by this book is an understatement. However, in writing this book there were some stylistic issues that I had with it. I think that the lack of focus and tangents made this book a bit more tedious than it meant to be and I think that, while the tangents were extremely interesting, it left much to be desired. So, the problematic over-all flow and organization of the book did not seem a natural choice for this reader.

But I do not fault Solotaroff on this literary "failing" (if you even want to call it that). The years and time he put into researching and interviewing the people who were willing to talk told a vivid true-story that should affect a person immediately, with no question, no matter which side of the issue or in-between they have chosen. I think this book is much more palatable to anti-death penalty, but I do believe that the book is accessible to people who are very much for the death penalty as well.

Solotaroff has written a book that I wanted to read. That in and of itself makes me biased; it makes me want to give it a 4 or a 5. But as a reviewer I can't say that it would clearly make that mark on every reader. I can say, though, that if the book is read with the understanding that this particular research and these particular interviews are extremely difficult to arrange as well as an understanding that this is a first of its kind book, I think that the reader will be rewarded as I was. The book never asks you to pick a side; it never slips into strong opinions on the author's part and provides insight from many angles. It promises a glimpse and it gives the reader one.

This is more than just an objective commentary on the death penalty. It is, instead, a study of humanity. It's a glimpse into the enormous amount of pressure that can break one person and solidify another. And yet in this whole subject it also shows an uncanny bond in humanity. And I'll leave that up to you to find out.

[George Ronczy · Rating 4 out of 5]

An u usual look at the death penalty in that it focuses on the executioners and not those executed. Recommend.

[Cheryl Jensen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not many books leave me with a heavy stomach, but this one bothered me immensely. Author Ivan Solotaroff describes his book as the culture of Death Row, which is an excellent summation. The inmates have committed egregious, sickening murders, and been sentenced to death. From their cells they throw feces, urine, and lighted toilet paper rolls at the guards. The guards are brutal and beat the prisoners with batons and often seemingly enjoy the violence and showing the upper hand. The position of superintendent, the highest official in the prison, changes regularly as men burn out. Then there is the gas chamber itself, the execution team, and the convicted men who have become distinct individuals during their confinement, and fear their turn in the chamber. The paradoxes are painful.

The Last Face You'll Ever See follows the experiences of two men, Superintendent Donald Cabana, and guard and executioner Donald Hocutt, while also exploring why our society wants executions, and whether it really provides justice for society, closure for the families, or a deterrent for criminals. Can those who work in this environment maintain their sense on humanity and sanity while dealing with some of the worst-behaved beings in society, and then in turn murdering them in the gas chamber? That is what the residing doctor will put on the death certificate as the manner of death: legal homicide. Some insights from the book:

Regarding the guards: "You needed a pit bull to run interference, someone with a bottomless capacity for brutality, but in using that force you almost invariably become what you were trying to control."

Cabana's belief "killing inmates was a violation of their jobs as correctional officers."

Edward Earl Johnson refusing a dose of Valium before his execution because he wanted a clear head, and tells Cabana, who gives the signal to flip the switch, he want him to have a clear mind too. "I want you to know exactly what you're doing when you execute me. I want you to remember every last detail, because I'm innocent Mr. Cabana. I'm innocent."

Cabana leaning over a strapped in prisoner with whom he'd become friends to tell him, "From one Christian to another, I love you." Outside the chamber, just before Cabana gives the signal to release the gas, the prisoner mouths, "I love you, too." It's the last execution Cabana will take part in; he afterwards resigns from Corrections.

Hocutt, who has his own deep-seated issues, is not bothered by his job to mix the chemicals which will cause the cyanide crystals to release their poison. The men who receive it have earned it. He thinks Cabana made a mistake in getting personally involved with the prisoners, and sees his responsibilities as just a job, working with the faceless scum of society. Then he starts seeing an executed man's face in his kitchen cupboards, and his body begins to break down. His doctor will sign the paperwork for a full medical release from his work, but Hocutt with have to fight with the DOC for two years to get his discharge.

What do we do with dangerous, unrepentant, threatening men who commit murder without regret?
And who do we expect to deal with them, to keep them from our view? Is there ever any justice for the living, for the families? I just don't know.

[Jerry Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting look at the death penalty in Mississippi with particular emphasis on the executioners themselves, but also covering some specific (and notorious) executions in Parchman's gas chamber. There are always going to be different opinions on capital punishment but the chamber must surely be the worst method ever employed, worse even that the chair.

This book provides an interesting insight into some of the men who have help the position of executioner and it doesn't paint a pretty picture of what they went through, or the delivery of the sentence itself. It's a sordid business indeed.

Not sure what this tells us overall about where we go from here with the death penalty in this country but it is to his credit that Solotaroff presents his narrative in a straightforward manner with no particular agenda, leaving us to decide for ourselves whether we are pro or against the penalty. Either way, it is a gruesome and demeaning process.

The book is somewhat disjointed, covering executions in the Chamber interspersed with stories of the two main executioners and the wardens of the MS State penitentiary. I think it works but it somehow feels vaguely unstructured and seems to miss the wider point about how the penalty has evolved, why the move to lethal injection and so on. It's touched upon, but I was left wanting to hear more about that since, ultimately, I don't have a much clearer view of "what makes an executioner" than I did before and that seems to be the point of the book. Not bad - disturbing and quite graphic at times and worth reading since these issues need to be debated.

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A firsthand glimpse into the lives of corrections workers who also happen to be executioners. Interesting read with many anecdotes about executions, inmates, and life behind bars. The author does tend to delve into the politics of the death penalty a bit too much, however. Worth a read!

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating and disturbing, this study of the men who carry out executions and the culture of death row in the Death Belt is worth reading for anyone interested in the topic.

[Elizabeth Nesbit-comer]

could not finish