On the Rock: Twenty-Five Years in Alcatraz by Alvin Karpis as Told to Robert Livesey

On the Rock:  Twenty-Five Years in Alcatraz by Alvin Karpis as Told to Robert Liveseyis a 306-page hardcover published by Beaufort Books, Inc.  Stated first printing of 1980.  The dust jacket shows some surface rubbing and shelf wear but is fully intact.  Inside, the pages are clean and unmarked and the binding is tight. Book Summary Canadian-born Alvin Karpis was the only survivor from the 1930 era of infamous criminals in the USA.  Only four men ever held the title of Public Enemy Number One.  The others--Baby Face Nelson, Pretty Boy Floyd, and John Dillinger--all died violently.  J. Edgar Hoover personally assumed credit for the apprehension of "Old Creepy" in New Orleans.  Karpis, the prize catch of the newly-formed FBI, was not granted parole during his twenty-five years behind bars in Alcatraz. On the Rock is his personal story about life at Alcatraz, a hell-hole where all regard for humanity was lost.  Physical and mental abuse, sexual depravity, mindless routine, cruelty of guards, sadism of wardens, racial tension, poor medical treatment and inadequate diet were the norm for Karpis and his infamous cohorts.  Doc Barker, Machine Gun Kelly, and Al Capone were among the most dangerous on the early roster of incarcerated criminals. All lived in terror, for an unprovoked outbreak of bloody violence could occur at any time.  Among the inmates, Karpis wielded power and influence--for this he accumulated years in the black hole that was solitary confinement.  Only his hatred of Hoover gave him the impetus to survive. Brutal, violent, frightening, On the Rock provides fantastic insights into the criminal mind, prison bureaucracy, the machinations of the FBI and life in the most inhumane of the maximum security penitentiaries--Alcatraz. ISBN:  0-8253-0019-3