- Taschenbuch: 224 Seiten
- Verlag: Pier 9 (1. Mai 2011)
- Sprache: Englisch
- ISBN-10: 1742663737
- ISBN-13: 978-1742663739
- Größe und/oder Gewicht: 23,2 x 15,4 x 2 cm
-
Amazon Bestseller-Rang:
Nr. 163.423 in Englische Bücher (Siehe Top 100 in Englische Bücher)
- Nr. 72 in Englische Bücher > Sachbücher > Verbrechen & Kriminalität > Pönologie
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||
Once a Jolly Hangman
und über 1 Million weitere Bücher verfügbar für Amazon Kindle .
Erfahren Sie mehr
| |||||||||||||||
Produktinformation |
Mehr über den Autor
Entdecken Sie Bücher, lesen Sie über Autoren und mehr
› Besuchen Sie die Seite von Alan Shadrake auf Amazon
› Besuchen Sie die Seite von Alan Shadrake auf Amazon
Produktbeschreibungen
Kurzbeschreibung
"Singapore has one of the highest execution rates per capita in the world. Its government claims that only the death penalty can deter drug dealers from using their country as a transport hub-but this hard-hitting investigation reveals disturbing truths about how and when the death penalty is applied. Including in-depth interviews with Darshan Singh-Singapore's chief executioner for nearly fifty years-and chilling accounts of high-profile cases, including the execution of Australian Nguyen Van Tuong, this is an horrific expose of the gross abuse of human rights. When this book was first published in Asia in July 2010, UK journalist Alan Shadrake was arrested and tried, then sentenced to jail-for daring to put the Singapore justice system in the dock. This revised and updated edition covers Shadrake's arrest, and his ongoing campaign against the death penalty as he prepares for his appeal."
Über den Autor
Alan Shadrake is a renowned veteran investigative journalist and author whose 50-year career has taken him around the world. His book, Once a Jolly Hangman: Singapore Justice in the Dock, was published in Singapore in July 2010. It was banned immediately and Alan was arrested, tried and found guilty on several charges and sentenced to a short stint in jail. He is currently appealing his sentence.
Tags(Was ist das?)Bei einem Tag handelt es sich um ein Schlagwort, das zum Produkt passt.
Tags erleichtern allen Kunden die Suche und die Sortierung ihrer Lieblingsprodukte. |
Kundenrezensionen
Es gibt noch keine Kundenrezensionen auf Amazon.de
5 Sterne
4 Sterne
3 Sterne
2 Sterne
1 Sterne
Die hilfreichsten Kundenrezensionen auf Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
3 Rezensionen
5 von 5 Kunden fanden die folgende Rezension hilfreich
Interenting account of a disturbing side of Singapore
23. September 2011
Format:Taschenbuch
This author is a brave man and endured prison in Singapore for writing this book. We learn the story of a Singaporean Sikh who was the country's chief hangman for decades. It is an insighful account of this gruesome career! It also highlights some reasonable questions about the fairness of the system, much like similar debates do in other countries where the death penalty is applied. Shadrake writes well and keeps the reader's attention.
However I feel the value of the book is diminished by the value judgement of the author, who is viscerally against the death penalty. I am too by the way so I agree with him. But it seems to me that in writing this book he should better have stayed with the facts of his inquiry. As it is, his arguement is weakened by his passion. The book could be improved with some substantial editing and cuts of all that is not related to his main point about the fairness of the legal system in Singapore.
However I feel the value of the book is diminished by the value judgement of the author, who is viscerally against the death penalty. I am too by the way so I agree with him. But it seems to me that in writing this book he should better have stayed with the facts of his inquiry. As it is, his arguement is weakened by his passion. The book could be improved with some substantial editing and cuts of all that is not related to his main point about the fairness of the legal system in Singapore.
5 von 7 Kunden fanden die folgende Rezension hilfreich
Informative but not balanced and not very fair either!!
9. November 2011
Format:Kindle Edition|Von Amazon bestätigter Kauf
A reader uninitiated with Singaporean life may get the impression that the Singaporean system is totalitarian or at the least corrupt. There is nothing factually wrong in this book of course but facts can be interpreted differently or spun differently. How it is spun tells a lot about the person doing the spinning than the facts themselves.
And to me it is a relief to see that there is only 224 pages worth of criticism in this book and given each page is not fact filled, this book in a weird way might as well be a testament to the fact that the Justice System in Singapore mostly works and works well at that. It is not flawless of course.
This book is written by someone who is anti-death penalty (which I am not), consequently he sees apriori sinister intentions acting behind any legal system of which death penalty maybe a part off. That drives the narrative and I am afraid that by having the author arrested and then deported, the Singapore government only helps feed such narratives leaving Alan Shadrake a willing pawn in the hands of PAP opponents.
The books is basically chapter by chapter filled with anecdotal evidence. It is not clear whether the anecdotes are exceptional events or representative of the general state of justice in Singapore. That concerns me. Most people do not realize the weakness in anecdotal evidence and can be easily misled by it.
Also what concerned me was the heavy-handed reaction by the government to the publication of the book. That to me seems unnecessary. I think the best way to deal with wrongness from what is said, is by saying what is right. If someone says something about you that you believe is untrue, say what is true and elucidate your reasons. Let free people come to their own conclusion based on their understanding. They may not come to the conclusion that you believe is right, but that goes into how they decide what is right and wrong, which is a social issue.
Which is probably what lies at the core of the issue here. It is not a legal issue, but a social issue. Alan Shadrake rightly points out in the book that Singapore is a copy-cat society, which is to say people primarily rely on social referencing to develop their world views and consequently inform themselves what is right or wrong. That must be fundamentally the difference between Eastern and Western societies. In the West people rely primarily one's own thought process to develop their world view with social referencing playing a more secondary role.
Imagine the anarchy that will get unleashed if through social referencing books like this begin to top the charts in Singapore and people develop a prejudice against their Judiciary.
And to me it is a relief to see that there is only 224 pages worth of criticism in this book and given each page is not fact filled, this book in a weird way might as well be a testament to the fact that the Justice System in Singapore mostly works and works well at that. It is not flawless of course.
This book is written by someone who is anti-death penalty (which I am not), consequently he sees apriori sinister intentions acting behind any legal system of which death penalty maybe a part off. That drives the narrative and I am afraid that by having the author arrested and then deported, the Singapore government only helps feed such narratives leaving Alan Shadrake a willing pawn in the hands of PAP opponents.
The books is basically chapter by chapter filled with anecdotal evidence. It is not clear whether the anecdotes are exceptional events or representative of the general state of justice in Singapore. That concerns me. Most people do not realize the weakness in anecdotal evidence and can be easily misled by it.
Also what concerned me was the heavy-handed reaction by the government to the publication of the book. That to me seems unnecessary. I think the best way to deal with wrongness from what is said, is by saying what is right. If someone says something about you that you believe is untrue, say what is true and elucidate your reasons. Let free people come to their own conclusion based on their understanding. They may not come to the conclusion that you believe is right, but that goes into how they decide what is right and wrong, which is a social issue.
Which is probably what lies at the core of the issue here. It is not a legal issue, but a social issue. Alan Shadrake rightly points out in the book that Singapore is a copy-cat society, which is to say people primarily rely on social referencing to develop their world views and consequently inform themselves what is right or wrong. That must be fundamentally the difference between Eastern and Western societies. In the West people rely primarily one's own thought process to develop their world view with social referencing playing a more secondary role.
Imagine the anarchy that will get unleashed if through social referencing books like this begin to top the charts in Singapore and people develop a prejudice against their Judiciary.
Excellent! Informative, comprehensive, surprisingly fun to read.
5. Mai 2012
Format:Kindle Edition|Von Amazon bestätigter Kauf
As a Westerner who has lived in Singapore--and once found himself under the suspicions of the police--this book had a particular relevance for me. Living in Singapore, you agree to the social pact--and you know deviating from this pact can have dire consequences, literally.
And for most people living in Singapore this works out swimmingly--you sacrifice some personal liberties (recreational drug use, political dissent, chewing gum) for a living standard that is among the best in the world; a clean, safe, well-managed, stylish metropolis.
0f course, if you disrupt this harmonious city, you will be punished. While I was living there, a Swiss national Fricker was caned for graffiting a train car. Singapore's incarceration rate is second highest in the world, trailing only the US. And capital and corporal punishment, if not common, is certainly not uncommon.
0nce a Jolly Hangman details the cases of a dozen people who have committed crimes that were eligible for the death penalty. Each chapter presents a different case, making the book feel more like a collection of essays than a cohesive book (although it makes for easy start-and-stop reading). The cases cover a range of people, from Filipino maids to rich Western expats.
No one should be surprised that wealthy, connected people receive the death penalty less than their poor counterparts (then again, maybe only no Americans should be surprised--it the US, capital punishment is reserved primarily for poor, dumb blacks).
Shadrake is a journalist by trade, and the book reads more like a long magazine article than a scholarly work. The interviews with the executioner himself (in his HDB in Woodlands?!?) was my favorite bit--it added a human element to the executions. And I found the history of the Singapore prison system compelling as well.
The book falls short in explaining why Singapore has such draconian punishments (like why chewing gum is banned or graffiti is so harshly treated), anecdotes that would lend balance. The author is unabashedly against the death penalty, but doesn't place this view in the context of how Singapore developed its positions. I don't agree with many policies in Singapore, but I at least attempt to understand their reasoning.
That said, highly recommended if you're living in Singapore or have an interest in capital punishment.
And for most people living in Singapore this works out swimmingly--you sacrifice some personal liberties (recreational drug use, political dissent, chewing gum) for a living standard that is among the best in the world; a clean, safe, well-managed, stylish metropolis.
0f course, if you disrupt this harmonious city, you will be punished. While I was living there, a Swiss national Fricker was caned for graffiting a train car. Singapore's incarceration rate is second highest in the world, trailing only the US. And capital and corporal punishment, if not common, is certainly not uncommon.
0nce a Jolly Hangman details the cases of a dozen people who have committed crimes that were eligible for the death penalty. Each chapter presents a different case, making the book feel more like a collection of essays than a cohesive book (although it makes for easy start-and-stop reading). The cases cover a range of people, from Filipino maids to rich Western expats.
No one should be surprised that wealthy, connected people receive the death penalty less than their poor counterparts (then again, maybe only no Americans should be surprised--it the US, capital punishment is reserved primarily for poor, dumb blacks).
Shadrake is a journalist by trade, and the book reads more like a long magazine article than a scholarly work. The interviews with the executioner himself (in his HDB in Woodlands?!?) was my favorite bit--it added a human element to the executions. And I found the history of the Singapore prison system compelling as well.
The book falls short in explaining why Singapore has such draconian punishments (like why chewing gum is banned or graffiti is so harshly treated), anecdotes that would lend balance. The author is unabashedly against the death penalty, but doesn't place this view in the context of how Singapore developed its positions. I don't agree with many policies in Singapore, but I at least attempt to understand their reasoning.
That said, highly recommended if you're living in Singapore or have an interest in capital punishment.
Waren diese Rezensionen hilfreich?
Wir wollen von Ihnen hören.
Kunden diskutieren
|
Das Forum zu diesem Produkt
Fragen stellen, Meinungen austauschen, Einblicke gewinnen Aktive Diskussionen in ähnlichen Foren
Kundendiskussionen durchsuchen
|
Ähnliche Foren
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Lieblingslisten
Ähnliche Artikel finden
Anhand des Sachgebietes nach ähnlichen Produkten suchen:
Ihr Kommentar
Möchten Sie die Produktinformationen aktualisieren oder Feedback zu den Produktabbildungen geben?
|
