What do you think?
The Violence of Our Lives: Interviews with American Murderers
Interviews with American men and women convicted of a range of crimes, from manslaughter to contract killings, reveal the violence in their lives and its roots
256 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1995
About the author
Tony Parker
193 books32 followersTony Parker (25 June 1923 – 3 October 1996) was an oral historian whose work was dedicated to giving a voice to British and American society's most marginalised figures, from single mothers to lighthouse keepers to criminals, including murderers.
Born in Stockport, Cheshire, Parker was a conscientious objector during World War II, and directed to work in a coal mine. He moved to London and worked as a publisher's representative at Odhams Press. He campaigned against capital punishment and became very interested in prisons and their occupants, eventually focussing on the experiences of prisoners after release.
Tony Parker died in Westleton, Suffolk, having just completed his study of his American counterpart Studs Terkel.
Born in Stockport, Cheshire, Parker was a conscientious objector during World War II, and directed to work in a coal mine. He moved to London and worked as a publisher's representative at Odhams Press. He campaigned against capital punishment and became very interested in prisons and their occupants, eventually focussing on the experiences of prisoners after release.
Tony Parker died in Westleton, Suffolk, having just completed his study of his American counterpart Studs Terkel.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
June 1, 2014
This book is the counterpart of Life After Life which I recently reviewed. That one was twelve interviews with British murderers and this one is 18 interviews with 18 life-sentence prisoners in the USA. (A couple of them didn’t murder anyone.)
Chaos and panic caused a number of these murders. One of the most wretched stories is that of Gus Webster. When Tony Parker interviewed him he’d been inside for 24 years and was 69 years old. The way he tells it, him and his buddy were out to rob this guy’s house, but they got the wrong house number. So when Gus pounded on the door and it opened (it wasn’t going to be a break-in, it was a home invasion thing) he found himself inside the hall with a couple of old women. Then one of the women switched off the hall lights, and at the same time the son of one of the women, who Gus had not noticed, appeared from behind and jumped on his back. Chaotic fight in the darkness, gun goes off, dead son. Cause of death : ineptitude.
I’d like to summarise all 18 stories here, every one is remarkable in one way or another, but I’ll limit myself to just two.
VINCE VICARIO
This book is pretty much wall to wall tragedy but Vince gives us a shot of prison humour :
I’m 36 years of age and I’ll be incarcerated for the rest of my life or maybe longer if they can find some method of preserving a corpse. I’m not too downhearted about it – some folk might see it I have a certain lack of prospects, but in fact there’s times I get a little light-headed pleasure at the thought that I’ll never no more have to file a tax return or worry about where I’ll spend my vacation. I can lead my life exactly like I want to so long as what I want to’s what they want me to lead it like.
Alas, when you read the rest of Vince's story, your smile will fade away. When he was 15 he liked to break into homes when no one was there and vandalise them. One day he was interrupted by an old woman who had been sleeping. He raped and strangled her.
You know what they’re saying, all of these clever people, is the same -they’re all saying that they can’t find anything wrong with me. And you know I sure can’t either, can you?
LESLEY ATWOOD
This is a simple story of gradually tightening coercive control. She loves her husband and doesn’t mind or doesn’t notice when he takes over or shuts down all the parts of her life not dedicated to him.
He ground me down into a very unlovely thing – I was a nobody, a no-personality, someone who had no control over her life, who couldn’t walk away or find even the faintest bit of dignity to protect herself with. I stayed home all day sleeping in a chair.
He’d unfasten the leather belt and tell me he’d beat me up with it unless I did certain things. Whether I did them or I didn’t didn’t make any difference, he always whipped me with it afterwards.
I had so many welts and bruises on my body I couldn’t hardly move… I’ve a recollection of him coming in sometime and getting in the bed with me and saying he was sorry and us having sex.
He woke up in the middle of the night and beat her with his belt again, then passed out drunk. She crawled out of bed, found his gun and shot him dead.
And here’s the bit to really make the reader angry :
After my attorney’d had several discussions with the prosecutor and talked with me about them, I agreed to take a plea of guilty to second-degree murder with no defence of insanity. In return I’d be sentenced to between seven years minimum and a maximum of ten and a half. I’ve behaved myself all the time I’ve been in incarceration and not had a single infraction charge, so they’re paroling me exactly when I’ve put in seven years, which is in June.
Chaos and panic caused a number of these murders. One of the most wretched stories is that of Gus Webster. When Tony Parker interviewed him he’d been inside for 24 years and was 69 years old. The way he tells it, him and his buddy were out to rob this guy’s house, but they got the wrong house number. So when Gus pounded on the door and it opened (it wasn’t going to be a break-in, it was a home invasion thing) he found himself inside the hall with a couple of old women. Then one of the women switched off the hall lights, and at the same time the son of one of the women, who Gus had not noticed, appeared from behind and jumped on his back. Chaotic fight in the darkness, gun goes off, dead son. Cause of death : ineptitude.
I’d like to summarise all 18 stories here, every one is remarkable in one way or another, but I’ll limit myself to just two.
VINCE VICARIO
This book is pretty much wall to wall tragedy but Vince gives us a shot of prison humour :
I’m 36 years of age and I’ll be incarcerated for the rest of my life or maybe longer if they can find some method of preserving a corpse. I’m not too downhearted about it – some folk might see it I have a certain lack of prospects, but in fact there’s times I get a little light-headed pleasure at the thought that I’ll never no more have to file a tax return or worry about where I’ll spend my vacation. I can lead my life exactly like I want to so long as what I want to’s what they want me to lead it like.
Alas, when you read the rest of Vince's story, your smile will fade away. When he was 15 he liked to break into homes when no one was there and vandalise them. One day he was interrupted by an old woman who had been sleeping. He raped and strangled her.
You know what they’re saying, all of these clever people, is the same -they’re all saying that they can’t find anything wrong with me. And you know I sure can’t either, can you?
LESLEY ATWOOD
This is a simple story of gradually tightening coercive control. She loves her husband and doesn’t mind or doesn’t notice when he takes over or shuts down all the parts of her life not dedicated to him.
He ground me down into a very unlovely thing – I was a nobody, a no-personality, someone who had no control over her life, who couldn’t walk away or find even the faintest bit of dignity to protect herself with. I stayed home all day sleeping in a chair.
He’d unfasten the leather belt and tell me he’d beat me up with it unless I did certain things. Whether I did them or I didn’t didn’t make any difference, he always whipped me with it afterwards.
I had so many welts and bruises on my body I couldn’t hardly move… I’ve a recollection of him coming in sometime and getting in the bed with me and saying he was sorry and us having sex.
He woke up in the middle of the night and beat her with his belt again, then passed out drunk. She crawled out of bed, found his gun and shot him dead.
And here’s the bit to really make the reader angry :
After my attorney’d had several discussions with the prosecutor and talked with me about them, I agreed to take a plea of guilty to second-degree murder with no defence of insanity. In return I’d be sentenced to between seven years minimum and a maximum of ten and a half. I’ve behaved myself all the time I’ve been in incarceration and not had a single infraction charge, so they’re paroling me exactly when I’ve put in seven years, which is in June.
June 2, 2014
Incredible book for anyone interested in understanding what motivates people to commit horrendous crimes.
Told in a monologue format, Parker lets us hear from violent offenders in their own words.
Chilling, sobering, enthralling, and very, very sad. Not to diminish the pain these individuals caused, but can't help but feel it's worthwhile to see the world through their eyes. This is a follow-up to his first book (also a five star) in which he interviewed lifers from the U.K.
Told in a monologue format, Parker lets us hear from violent offenders in their own words.
Chilling, sobering, enthralling, and very, very sad. Not to diminish the pain these individuals caused, but can't help but feel it's worthwhile to see the world through their eyes. This is a follow-up to his first book (also a five star) in which he interviewed lifers from the U.K.
April 24, 2010
This was a library book that was borrowed to read from someone else. I didn't have time to do all the right things regarding this book, like write a real comment.
The book is a collection of interviews with former and current prisoners. It is suprisingly interesting and sometimes moving.
The book is a collection of interviews with former and current prisoners. It is suprisingly interesting and sometimes moving.
July 19, 2021
I was on the edge of my seat the time... I was SCARED of when Ted Bundy started talking about KILLING PEOPLE... Yikes... Now thats what i call a SCARY BOOK... 1/5 burn this piece of shit
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews