The Forbidden Zone

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

Here analyzing Americans' denial of, and fascination with, death, Lesy visits convicts on death row, homicide detectives, caretakers of AIDS patients and a mercenary killer. ``But this freewheeling report,'' complained PW , ``fails to penetrate the meaning of the deaths, pain and suffering it cooly examines.'' (Feb.)

Library Journal

This first-hand account of Lesy's ``journeys'' to Americans who deal professionally with death (the ``forbidden zone'' on the map of contemporary American culture) is, of course, once removed for the reader. But the depth of the author's experiences with the soldier, the undertaker, the slaughterhouse ``knocker,'' the pathologist, the counselor of AIDS victims, the warden of Death Row inmates, is vitally evident in this starkly descriptive text. The soul of his Jewish and family heritage pervades Lesy's writing and search to understand the ways in which these particular mortals deal with mortality. A powerful, thoughtful book. For academics, for discussion and reflection by a wide general audience.Suzanne W. Wood, SUNY Agricultural & Technical Coll. Lib., Alfred