This book was an illuminating look at the death penalty with a particular focus on Texas. I loved how by focusing on Texas, Chammah could really tackle the meat of what the death penalty truly looks like in practice compared to the myths of what it is in theory. Chammah wrote with clarity and feeling while maintaining a very academic tone. Excellent book.

An astonishing and exhaustively researched social history that, by looking at the death penalty in the state with which it's most commonly associated, manages to speak volumes about the issue in total. Chammah writes about all parties involved in the various corners of crime and punishment that form this book's chapters in an insightful manner that respects their dignity no matter their role in various criminal or legal proceedings.

📚 LET THE LORD SORT THEM is essentially a legal history of the death penalty, particularly in Texas. I kind of assumed we'd always had such a high execution rate, and I did not know we'd almost eradicated it until a 1972 Supreme Court ruling kicked off a backlash that brought it back.
📚 This book is very explicit in drawing a straight line from slavery through lynchings and Jim Crow to our current incarceration system - right down to how many prisons are built on former plantations and use inmate labor for farming.
📚 There are a lot of people and cases in this book, and it was sometimes hard to keep them all straight. I'd recommend reading a hard copy to make it easier to flip back and forth.
📚 I wish this book had taken a stronger stance on the idea that people shouldn't be executed, full stop, rather than leaning on mitigating circumstances like brain injuries, bad childhoods, learning disabilities, etc., but I understand that mainstream rhetoric on this topic isn't entirely there yet and that's what this book focuses on.

Overall I thought this was a great read. It gives a good overview of the death penalty, particularly in the state of Texas, but it does branch out a bit beyond that. It really only covers the last 50 years or so, and again mainly focuses on Texas, but it paints a good picture of the system as a whole.

hmmm...I'm hovering between a 2.5 and 3 star rating for this one.

I'll start with what I appreciate about the book. It's extensively researched and I can definitely appreciate the work that goes into interviewing people, sifting through archives, and parsing the language of court cases. It's also a really accessible account of the legal and political landscape surrounding the death penalty in Texas (and nationally to a certain extent). The author doesn't get too bogged down in the legal details so I think this book ultimately is a good overview for someone who has a mild interest in understanding the legal mechanics of the judicial system.

My number one complaint is that the book feels extremely disjointed and hard to follow most of the time. The chapters seem like they would be better off as standalone articles; there's not really any connection between the various sections. When there were connections between multiple chapters, I found it hard to follow. The author jumped between timeframes in weird and unpredictable ways. I found myself going back a few pages many times in order to understand what was going on when the author rapidly flipped from one anecdote to the next.

I also feel like the title is an inaccurate description of the book. This wasn't so much charting the "rise and fall" of the death penalty, but was more of a biographical account of the lawyers, judges, and death row inmates in Texas. I missed the theme of "rise and fall." I struggled to find the overarching theme or argument from the author. Again, this book was more autobiographical/ethnographical.

Finally, at times I felt like it was overwritten. Particularly when talking about the lawyers involved in the cases. It's interesting to read about both prosecutor and defense attorney's responses to the cases, but there was too much anecdotal information that wasn't necessary to further the alleged theme of the book.

This isn't a bad book, but it's not the best either.

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!

Maurice Chammah explains the history of the death penalty and all the emotions that go with it on both sides of the debate. Reading this book will give the reader new insight of all the point of views involved, including the condemned, the families of both the condemned and victims, along with the prosecutors.

Is the death penalty a deterrent? Who "qualifies"? Who are the decision makers at all levels? This compelling book's focus is the death penalty in Texas from differing perspectives including those who made practice procedural runs for the first lethal injection, the families on both sides who watch (or don't), the crowds outside the prison, prison workers and the legal team. Of course the case for or against the death penalty, the question of morals and humane treatment and legislation are discussed as well as the actual procedure and injection effects on the prisoner and those around him or her. Judge Elsa Alcala and lawyer Danalynn Recer figure prominently throughout as we are given glimpses into their emotions and push for what they believed in. Racial discrimination is another important discussion point in the book and as is shown has a lot of bearing on the outcomes of trials and imprisonment and sentences.

Mentions of last words and last meals add poignancy to the very sobering topic...they make it even more real. It is fascinating to read about those who are physically involved in the deaths and how they do what they do and the toll it takes on them. Another aspect I found intriguing was how several infamous prisoners faced their deaths. A lot of history is included here, too.

Be sure to read the thorough chapter notes at the back. The depth of research involved in this book is staggering.

My sincere thank you to Crown Publishing and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this riveting and moving read in exchange for an honest review. Much appreciated.

Maurice Chammah's "Let the Lord Sort Them" is a non-fiction work about the death penalty in the United States with a particular focus on Texas. I recently finished Robert Perkinson's Texas Tough, which is about how Texas laid the groundwork for our current system of mass incarceration, and "Let the Lord Sort Them" was a really great extension to what I learned about in that book. Chammah highlights some of the people in Texas prosecuting and defending alleged felons, the lives of the alleged felons themselves and their families, and the continuing struggle to outlaw legal executions. Overall, this was a really interesting and well-researched book.

An important revealing examination of the death penalty.Told in a clear matter layered with important facts.Revealing conversations with those involved in the legal system..An important subject a subject of fairness equality under the law,#netgalley#crown

Anyone concerned with justice in this country should read this important and deeply informed book, which is as essential as such classics on the death penalty as Raymond Bonner’s Anatomy of Injustice. While the book is written in a journalistic, almost novelistic, style that will be accessible to the general public, its extensive section of notes and sources at the end provides ample support for all of the book’s facts and claims. Chammah makes his narrative concrete by focusing on a small selection of specific cases and individuals, but they are expertly chosen to represent the various issues which need discussion.

He closes the book with a prominent attorney’s observation that trial lawyers are storytellers, but that, unlike a literary storyteller, “a lawyer cannot conclude the story. She uses the story to leave the jury or the judge to favor the conclusion she wants, but then she must step back and wait for the conclusion: a decision in her favor or not.” Ultimately, Chammah writes, “it is up to all of us to decide the ending.” Like it or not, we all have the responsibility to decide whether capital punishment is the right thing for our society. This is literally a life-or-death decision. Chammah’s excellent book gives us the tools “to decide the ending” for ourselves.

Paul Cohen
Texas State University