Book Review: Education of a Felon
September 17th 2010 12:41
Education of a Felon by Edward Bunker is a book I picked up randomly at the library. I was looking for an autobiography and this one was the first to catch my eye. I started reading it right after I finished Woman on the Edge of Time. You can buy it here.
On to the important part of this post:
The Review
From the Back Cover:
"Edward Bunker's experiences in California's toughest prisons, on the mean streets of Los Angeles, and in Hollywood's seamy underworld have enabled him to write some of the grittiest and affecting prision novels of our time.
Quentin Tarantino called Bunker's Little Boy Blue "the best first person crime novel I've ever read" while The New York Times said of his novel Dog Eat Dog "Mr. Bunker has written a raw, unromantic, naturalistic crime drama more lurid than anything the noiresque Chandlers or Hammetts ever dreamed up."
Now, for the first time, Bunker, who was sent to San Quentin (for the first time) at the age of seventeen, tells the real stories of his life-there's no fiction here. Whether smoking a joint in a gas chamber chair, leaving fingerprints on a knife connected with a serial killer, or swimming in the Neptune Pool at San Simeon, Bunker delivers the goods. He spent half his life living the harsh life, and the other half writing about it. Finally his readers have been let into the raw and unexpurgated world of Edward Bunker. It doesn't get any realer than this."
On to Business: As a Reader
As a reader I greatly enjoyed this book. The idea of a convict becoming a writer fascinated me, and I was not disappointed. Bunker has a very frank style which I quite enjoyed, as well as brutal honesty with himself and his readers.
I was drawn very quickly into his world. I understood most of his actions-running away from military and reform schools at a young age, giving authority lip-and I found a lot of similarities between my personality and his. (Only I'm a fair bit more moderate; I haven't gotten myself in jail.)
Most interesting was his connection to the high life of Hollywood. He is taken in by Louise Wallis, and through her he sees a completely different side of life. He gains dreams he never could have had in his other life. Not only that, but I learned a whole lot about famous people in his day that I'd never know otherwise-both famous criminals and famous actors and actresses.
Watching the transformation of Bunker is fascinating and watching the transformation of the prisons-he is in prison during the first race wars in San Quentin-is even more so.
I feel that I've learned a lot about this book-about prisons, about the underworld in America, about the more dignified underworld of the past, and about many other things. I've learned with Edward Bunker. Most of all I've learned a lot about human psychology. Bunker has a love of the subject and some of what he knows is passed on to his reader.
Excellent book, all in all.
As a Writer
My calling as a writer is what originally drew me to this book-I wanted to see how somebody else changed their life with writing. I quite enjoyed Bunker's frank writing voice and his many stories. Though every once in a while I bumped into a typo or a sentence I would've changed, overall I loved Bunker's style and agreed with his stylistic choices.
History is important for every writer. Knowing what has really happened in our society allows us to more easily write believable stories. By reading about some of the most insane people on earth, and/or the most cruel, we learn about the extent of human insanity and human cruelty. Reading about conditions in America's underworld and especially its prisons has taught me a few things about human psychology that I think will be very useful to me as a writer. My favourite type of history is the autobiography-it's a story told by the person at its center, what could be better?
I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in human psychology, especially the psychology of criminals.
You can buy the book here.
On to the important part of this post:
The Review
From the Back Cover:
"Edward Bunker's experiences in California's toughest prisons, on the mean streets of Los Angeles, and in Hollywood's seamy underworld have enabled him to write some of the grittiest and affecting prision novels of our time.
Quentin Tarantino called Bunker's Little Boy Blue "the best first person crime novel I've ever read" while The New York Times said of his novel Dog Eat Dog "Mr. Bunker has written a raw, unromantic, naturalistic crime drama more lurid than anything the noiresque Chandlers or Hammetts ever dreamed up."
Now, for the first time, Bunker, who was sent to San Quentin (for the first time) at the age of seventeen, tells the real stories of his life-there's no fiction here. Whether smoking a joint in a gas chamber chair, leaving fingerprints on a knife connected with a serial killer, or swimming in the Neptune Pool at San Simeon, Bunker delivers the goods. He spent half his life living the harsh life, and the other half writing about it. Finally his readers have been let into the raw and unexpurgated world of Edward Bunker. It doesn't get any realer than this."
On to Business: As a Reader
As a reader I greatly enjoyed this book. The idea of a convict becoming a writer fascinated me, and I was not disappointed. Bunker has a very frank style which I quite enjoyed, as well as brutal honesty with himself and his readers.
I was drawn very quickly into his world. I understood most of his actions-running away from military and reform schools at a young age, giving authority lip-and I found a lot of similarities between my personality and his. (Only I'm a fair bit more moderate; I haven't gotten myself in jail.)
Most interesting was his connection to the high life of Hollywood. He is taken in by Louise Wallis, and through her he sees a completely different side of life. He gains dreams he never could have had in his other life. Not only that, but I learned a whole lot about famous people in his day that I'd never know otherwise-both famous criminals and famous actors and actresses.
Watching the transformation of Bunker is fascinating and watching the transformation of the prisons-he is in prison during the first race wars in San Quentin-is even more so.
I feel that I've learned a lot about this book-about prisons, about the underworld in America, about the more dignified underworld of the past, and about many other things. I've learned with Edward Bunker. Most of all I've learned a lot about human psychology. Bunker has a love of the subject and some of what he knows is passed on to his reader.
Excellent book, all in all.
As a Writer
My calling as a writer is what originally drew me to this book-I wanted to see how somebody else changed their life with writing. I quite enjoyed Bunker's frank writing voice and his many stories. Though every once in a while I bumped into a typo or a sentence I would've changed, overall I loved Bunker's style and agreed with his stylistic choices.
History is important for every writer. Knowing what has really happened in our society allows us to more easily write believable stories. By reading about some of the most insane people on earth, and/or the most cruel, we learn about the extent of human insanity and human cruelty. Reading about conditions in America's underworld and especially its prisons has taught me a few things about human psychology that I think will be very useful to me as a writer. My favourite type of history is the autobiography-it's a story told by the person at its center, what could be better?
I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in human psychology, especially the psychology of criminals.
You can buy the book here.
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Comment by Anonymous
I quite enjoy biographies as well. They are so instructive on so many levels ... for some, it's all the fun of being there without the effort of being there. : )
Some of my favourites involve "double bills" ... that is different bios/autobios whose paths materiall crossed either in events themselves or times in history or had many mutual friends. Favourite pairing to date is Gen Schwartzkopf and Gen Colin Powell. Brilliant stuff - both are powerful men, leaders and military strategists. Triple threats ...
Cheers!
RP
Comment by Anonymous
I like your comment about history. In grad school, I had a rather ugly argument with a classmate of the relative merit of studying history. While I may not have convinced him, I remain quite certain that the quote "those who ignore history are destined to repeat it" is true.
RP
Comment by Dianna G
I Wish This Was 42
Fictional Worlds
I think autobiographies are my favourite non-fiction books because they're stories told by the people involved. It's like a real life first person novel, ya know? Keeps it interesting.
I've never read a 'double bill' but I'd love to. Any titles you'd recommend?
'Those who ignore history are destined to repeat it' is most certainly true. History teaches us a lot about our world, and it also teaches us a lot about human nature. History is as crucial to understanding humanity as psychology.
~Dianna
Comment by Anonymous
Double Bills ... Hmm...
Apart from the Schwartzkopf/Powell duo (both are Gulf War #1 major players), I have a couple off the top ...
Julie&Julie and My Life in Paris. 1st is an out-of-work writer who decides to cook her way through J Child's J of Cooking. Second is J Child's life in Paris that has a theme the actual writing of her J of Cooking book. First book is also part of a growing segment of published book that starts off life as a Blog (a la 1,000 Amazing Things, Amateur Gourmet etc)
There's a couple of Everest Books that are quite good. Hillary's is a must-read b/c he was first. I think Tensig has one as well (he was the accompanying Sherpa that helped Hillary to the top).
Chas Darwin #1 and The Wedgewood Family #2 (Darwin married into Wedgewoods).
Couples are good, I think. I've read Bogart/Bacall. But I would imagine Kennedy/Onassis and Clinton/Clinton would also be quite good.
I'm trying to think of the Best Auto/Bio I ever read ... sadly one doesn't immediately pop into mind and I think that's because I've read many and many are quite good.
Travels by Michael Crichton (who as a result of this post, I discover is now dead. SOB!) is also good. One chapter in particular has long since stayed with me ... a tale about living in the moment that connects back to the Everest referece earlier.
I will keep thinking about the favourite and get back to you.
Cheers!
RP
Comment by Dianna G
I Wish This Was 42
Fictional Worlds
Lovely suggestions. I will definitely have to check those books out.
The most powerful autobiography I've ever read-though I haven't read too many yet-is Malcolm X. I don't see that changing for a long time; Malcolm became like a friend of mine when I read his book. His fight for his race and his words touched my soul in a deep place. And his passion meant something to me too. I understood him better than most people I know in real life. The book came at the right time for me; it changed me for the better as a person.
~Dianna