God of the Rodeo The Quest for Redemption in Louisiana's Angola Prison

Rodeos are not usually associated with maximum-security prisons, yet every October for 35 years, Angola Prison in Louisiana has staged a full-scale rodeo viewed by thousands of spectators. Journalist Bergner wrote an article about the rodeo for Harper's magazine, then expanded the material into this volume, which traces a year in the lives of six convict rodeo riders. The text suffers at times from disorganization and from padding, but nevertheless it gives a vivid picture of this bizarre event. Bergner describes how the inmates willingly participate in the rodeo because they have been convinced by prison authorities that it amounts to absolution of their sins. The Louisiana public, many still heavily racist, come to watch the convicts "thrown every which way." It has all the earmarks of a Roman circus. The most fascinating of all is the modern-day Caesar, Warden Burl Cain, who is noted for both his evangelism and his skulduggery. Since this is not a typical prison story, it may appeal to the general reader.Bergner, Daniel is the author of 'God of the Rodeo The Quest for Redemption in Louisiana's Angola Prison', published 1999 under ISBN 9780345435538 and ISBN 0345435532.