LET THE LORD SORT THEM The Rise and Fall of the Death Penalty

Kevin Free's approachable narration of Chammah's multifaceted historical investigation of the death penalty makes the topic easier to bear while simultaneously delivering a gut punch as one realizes the horror of it all. In 1972, SCOTUS found the nation's death penalty laws to be unconstitutional, prompting states to rewrite them. Chammah explores the sentence's racist origins, the waxing and waning of public opinion, and the increasing difficulty of acquiring the drugs used. With excellent timing and a varied cadence, Free is compelling as he smoothly navigates the complex discussion. Chammah delves into the human impacts--on prosecutors, judges, defense attorneys, prison guards, chaplains, death row inmates, and even the journalists covering the executions--and Free expresses the myriad complicated emotions with empathy and nuance. A.B. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine [Published: APRIL 2021]