| Book Review | The Western Historical Quarterly, 34.1

You have not been recognized as a subscriber to the WHQ online. About 226 words from this article are provided below; about 415 words remain.

If you are a individual subscriber to the Western Historical Quarterly, you may:: • login here if you have already registered for online access.; • Or if you're already logged in register your subscription.
• Set up your online account for the first time.
If you are not a subscriber to the Western Historical Quarterly, you can:: • subscribe here.
• Purchase a research pass to gain two hour access to the entire History Cooperative web site. You will have full access to current issues of the Western Historical Quarterly (104.3-present). Note: the Research Pass does not provide access to JSTOR's holdings of the Western Historical Quarterly.
Instititutions can:: • Subscribe to this journal and receive print and electronic issues.
• Activate your existing subscription so that we recognize your IP number ranges.

| Book Review | The Western Historical Quarterly, 34.1 | The History Cooperative

Book Review

Rebel and a Cause: Caryl Chessman and the Politics of the Death Penalty in Postwar California, 19481974. By Theodore Hamm. (Berkeley: University of California Press, 2001. xi + 209 pp. Illustration, notes, index. $16.95.)

     Living in California during the 1950s, it was easy to be caught up in vociferous exchanges of opinion about the Caryl Chessman execution case. At the heart of the controversy lay the notion of reforming the prisoner through punishment for crimes committed. This "rehabilitative ideal" reached its zenith during and following the Progressive Era. In the pages of Rebel and a Cause, the analysis focuses upon the complex trends that influenced the political and legal process and that ultimately saw a powerful return to support for the death penalty in the late 1960s. 1

    Author Theodore Hamm reexamines the background of the case and delves into the divided opinions about capital punishment in California and throughout America. Rarely had death sentence antagonists encountered such a clever person as Chessman. His boyish looks and savvy media manipulation captured the attention of thousands of Californians. 2

     Hamm affords insights into the Chessman era context and the analysis of when states from Oregon to New York eliminated the death penalty, how the rate of executions slowed, and why public opinion against capital punishment reached an all time high. . . .

There are about 415 more words in this article. Please log in (or, if you are not yet an authorized user, please go to the User Setup page) to gain full access rights. Or if you're already logged in register your subscription.