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Biographical information about the author
The American author Thomas E. Gaddis was born on September 14, 1908 in Denver and died of cancer on October 10, 1984 in Portland.
He was educated at the University of Minnesota in 1932. In his later life he worked as an educator in the field of correction, as a psychologist and author. He was co-director of the department of education, member of faculty and professor in Oregon State System of Higher Education and at the University of Portland. Gaddis is best known as the author of \"Birdman of Alcatraz\", a book that tells the story of a prisoner named Robert F. Stroud. In 1962 it was turned into a film hit. He is also the co-author of \"Killer\", which is a Journal of Murder. Gaddis taught criminology and psychology in Oregon and was founding director of the National Newgate Prison Projects (Prison in England).
"Thomas E. Gaddis did not meet Robert F. Stroud, did not have access to him, until they finally met briefly in a courtroom in Kansas City in 1962, with only time to shake hands."
The Plot
Robert F. Stroud was born as the son of Ben and Elizabeth Stroud in 1890, Alaska. When he was a child his father abused him. As a result he was never like other children. While Robert was known as a secluded, lonely child, his brother, Marcus, grew up as a happy outgoing boy. One day Ben left his wife on account of an affair with a woman and since then Robert took care of the family.
On January 18, 1909, Stroud was sentenced to twelve years for the murder of Charlie Dahmer who had abused his girlfriend. While serving his prison sentence at the U.S. Penitentiary McNeil Island, Washington, he viciously attacked another inmate. This caused the transfer to the U.S. Penitentiary Leavenworth, Kansas, the most overcrowded prison in the country, housing 3000 convicts in a plant whose capacity was 1640. In 1916, he murdered a guard, was convicted of first-degree murder and received a death sentence. The date of the execution was to be in April 1920.
His mother Elizabeth pleaded for his life by telling President Woodrow Wilson that Robert's father was responsible for his tragic life and that Robert was now going to pay the penalty for his father's conduct. In 1920, President Woodrow Wilson changed the verdict from death penalty to life imprisonment.
At the U.S. Penitentiary at Leavenworth, Robert Stroud developed his interest in birds. He made studies of canaries, observed their habits and was able to heal their illness. Eventually he wrote two books about canaries and their diseases. He got known by his correspondence with bird lovers from all over the world and even newspapers and television were aware of a strange "bird doctor" in the Leavenworth penitentiary.
Although there existed no rules pro or con his birds activities, prison officials disliked Stroud's behaviour. As a result Stroud was forced to be transferred to Alcatraz in 1942, where he spent the next 17 years. After having lost access to the birds, Stroud studied some law books and found out some interesting facts about the prison reforms.
In 1959, he was transferred to the Medical Centre for Federal prisoners in Springfield, Missouri, where he died in 1963.
They have made a film of the book and Burt Lancaster is the central figure.
My own Viewpoint
The book offers a look at Robert Stroud's life before, during and after his time at Alcatraz.
In general I like to read books that have a lot of psychological material in it. Things like how people feel, why they react in a special way or what they were going through in their lifetime play an important factor for me. On the one hand the book gives you much information about birds and on the other hand it shows you how a convict changes his view of life in isolation. To the world outside the prison Robert F. Stroud is not more than a first-degree murderer but if you look into this person like I did you will also recognize his good sides. For my part I really learned a lot by reading this fascinating book.
Human beings are said to be evil by nature up to some point. Education however, is responsible for the way we deal with people or handle a situation.
Is Robert F. Stroud insane? Or is he violent?
In my point of view his parents failed in every respect. Robert's father beat him up whenever he was drunk and his mother kept the young boy away from other children. He was known as a loner and strange child and he was unable to show his feelings. After the separation of Ben and Elizabeth, Robert had to bear the responsibility for his mother and his brother Marcus. I think it was a difficult task for Robert although he never complained about it. But one day his bitterness broke out when he committed a murder.
Stroud entered prison for murder at the age of 19 and died 54 years later, still in prison. He wasn't just isolated from the rest of the prison building but separated from the whole world. He had the reputation of being legally dead, hated, feared, isolated and without any privileges. What fascinated me most was that he had the strength to keep himself alive by creating a world of his own in a tiny, dim Leavenworth cell.
His "bird career" started one day as he found some birds that landed outside his cell window. Day by day he developed a love of canaries. He built cages, observed their habits and finally wrote two books on bird diseases. He treated his birds as if they were his little sons. He found something that was worth living for. With the bird's help he was able to overcome the hardships and limitations of years in prison.
Quote P.111:
"He made a schedule and within the bounds of his tiny empire, he rose, washed, ate, worked, exercised, rested, studied, read and slept like a citizen of the world outside. Since he was excluded from people, his people were his birds. Birds were his family, wife, children and afternoon matinee."
Not only bird lovers but also newspapers, several canary journals, television and organisations became aware of Stroud's bird activities. His popularity spread over the world and his canaries helped him to live a life as normal as possible. So the fascination of this book is not the justice or injustice of the fact that Robert spent his life in prison but the story of how he kept alive.
The next point that interested me was the relationship between Robert and his mother Elizabeth. She was the one who saved him from his execution after having committed a murder of a Leavenworth guard.
Quote P.65:
"I am his mother and am responsible for his being and am to blame for his father he had."
She brought him the birds and medicine he needed for his studies and was always there for her little darling. Maybe she felt guilty due to his tragic childhood.
But I think that Robert would have rather avoided her because he wanted to decide on his own about his life. She protected him all his lifetime but she made mistakes that had a negative influence on Robert. He never could adapt to society because he was kept away and he never learned to show any feelings. Being isolated from the rest of the world was maybe his chance to get his life under control and to free himself from his mother, the past and all that. He was not only a murderer that served time but he truly believed that the prison was serving him time.
The prisoner's time at Alcatraz
In 1942, Robert Stroud was transferred to the island of Alcatraz and had to leave his birds. Stroud was probably the island's most famous prisoner, the so-called "Birdman of Alcatraz". In reality, he never had any birds at Alcatraz. He then developed his interest in law and prison reforms. He studied all available books on sociology and penology from the library of Alcatraz.
He became the witness of the so-called "Battle of Alcatraz" that took place on May 2-4, 1946.
Six prisoners were able to overpower cell house officers and gain access to weapons and cell house keys - in order to take control of the cell house. Their plan began to fall apart when the inmates found they did not have the key to unlock the recreation yard door. After some time, prison officials discovered the escape attempt. Instead of giving up, Bernard Coy, Joe Cretzer, Marvin Hubbard, Sam Shockley, Miran Thompson, and Clarence Carnes decided to fight it out. Eventually Shockley, Thompson, and Carnes returned to their cells, but not before the officers taken hostage were shot by Cretzer. One officer, William Miller, died from his injuries. A second officer, Harold Stites was shot and killed attempting to take control of the cell house. About 18 officers were injured during the escape attempt. The U.S. Marines were eventually called out to help, and on May 4, the escape attempt ended with the discovery of the bodies of Coy, Cretzer, and Hubbard. Shockley, Thompson, and Carnes stood trial for the death of the officers; Shockley and Thompson received the death penalty and were executed in the gas chamber at San Quentin in December 1948. Carnes, age 19, received a second life sentence.
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