A true account of chain-gang life in the 1920s South

First published in the 1920s, this is a gripping firsthand account of the southern prison system, told by a man who survived it from the inside. In an era when even a short sentence could become a death sentence, prisoners endured endless hard labor under the constant threat of violence, from the guards and "bosses" as well as from other convicts.

It is the brutal, rural prison world of Cool Hand Luke, except here every word is true. With a remarkable eye for detail, Beecher Deason moves briskly through a vivid landscape of ruthless bosses, daring escapes, and hard-won attempts at redemption. "By giving a true description of prison life and the after effects of prison," Deason writes, "I hope to show many young men the utter folly of crime."

A rare, unforgettable primary source on chain gangs, convict labor, and survival in the Jim Crow South, for readers of true crime, prison memoirs, and American history.