Try free for 30 days

  • Alcatraz Screw: My Years as a Guard in America's Most Notorious Prison

  • By: George H. Gregory
  • Narrated by: Chaz Allen
  • Length: 9 hrs and 22 mins
  • 2.0 out of 5 stars (1 rating)

1 credit a month to use on any title, yours to keep (you’ll use your first credit on this title).
Stream or download thousands of included titles.
Access to exclusive deals and discounts.
$16.45 a month after 30 day trial. Cancel anytime.
Alcatraz Screw: My Years as a Guard in America's Most Notorious Prison cover art

Alcatraz Screw: My Years as a Guard in America's Most Notorious Prison

By: George H. Gregory
Narrated by: Chaz Allen
Try for $0.00

$16.45 per month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $26.99

Buy Now for $26.99

Pay using voucher balance (if applicable) then card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions Of Use and Privacy Notice and authorise Audible to charge your designated credit card or another available credit card on file.

Publisher's Summary

Alcatraz Screw is a firsthand account from a prison guard’s perspective of some of the most storied years at the infamous U.S. Penitentiary at Alcatraz. George Gregory began his career as a guard for the Federal Bureau of Prisons in 1940. He takes the listener along on a correctional officer’s tour of duty, showing what it was like to pull a lonely, tedious night of sentry duty in the Road Tower, or witness illicit transactions in the clothing room, or forcibly quell a riot in the cell blocks. Gregory provides an insider’s account of the tenures of all four of Alcatraz’s wardens and their sometimes contradictory approaches to administering the institution. He knew and regularly interacted with such legendary inmates as Robert Stroud (the Birdman of Alcatraz) and George “Machine Gun” Kelly.

Without glamorizing or demonizing either the staff or the convicts, Alcatraz Screw provides a candid portrayal of corruption, drug abuse, and sexual practices, as well as efforts at reform and unrecorded acts of kindness. Various incidents in the memoir convey the fear, hatred, frustration, boredom, and unavoidable tension of being incarcerated.

The book is published by University of Missouri Press. The audiobook is published by University Press Audiobooks.

"George Gregory arrived at Alcatraz during a critical juncture in the institution's history...In short, he saw it all - and he remembered it all." (John W. Roberts, from the Introduction)

©2013 The Curators of the University of Missouri (P)2020 Redwood Audiobooks

Critic Reviews

"Factual and disciplined, this is a valuable bit of history." (Publishers Weekly

"Will certainly appeal to readers interested in prison life and those who have a special interest in Alcatraz. (Library Journal)

What listeners say about Alcatraz Screw: My Years as a Guard in America's Most Notorious Prison

Average Customer Ratings
Overall
  • 2 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    0
  • 4 Stars
    0
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    0
Performance
  • 1 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    0
  • 4 Stars
    0
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    1
Story
  • 3 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    0
  • 4 Stars
    0
  • 3 Stars
    1
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Great Expectations Let Down

I love this genre and have just about every book on Alcatraz but this one missed the mark for me. I'm sure George Gregory is a most interesting man with lots of stories to tell but his writing lacks a structure and never captured the intrigue about his job.. The narrator tried hard but there were a lot of times he stammered with the lines. Somewhat disappointed with this one.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.