Hard Time

The Life of an Incorrigible on Alcatraz

By: Charles Hopkins, Don DeNevi

Narrated by: Christopher Lane

Length: 8 hrs and 41 mins

Publisher's summary

The true story of Charlie Hopkins #1186, one of the last surviving inmates of Alcatraz Penitentiary

"My friend and fellow alumni Charlie Hopkins and I both graduated from America’s Top Crime School.... Charlie was a better student than I.... He’s still free!" (James “Whitey” Bulger, #1428 AZ)

What if one could travel back in time and interview one of the hardened criminals that had served time at Alcatraz Penitentiary before it was permanently closed in 1963? What exactly would one ask a man who had rubbed shoulders with some of the most notorious gangsters, murderers, and thieves of the 1930s, '40s, and '50s? How would the conversation go when speaking to a close friend of "Creepy" Al Karpis, the "Birdman of Alcatraz" Robert Stroud, and Whitey Bulger? Now, thanks to author Don DeNevi, for the first time one does not need a time machine to recapture the first-hand eyewitness accounts of one man's life on Alcatraz.

Alcatraz inmate #1186 was Charles Edward Hopkins, and Mr. Hopkins was no ordinary inmate. Not only did he serve time with the Anglin brothers who made the only successful escape from Alcatraz, but he was well-acquainted with notorious crime boss "Bumpy" Johnson, the legendary Italian mafia boss Vito Genevese, and many other infamous Alcatraz inmates.

Early in his prison career, Charlie was clinically pronounced "psychotic" and "incorrigible" and was sent to Alcatraz. After serving his time, Hopkins disappeared into history before re-emerging in recent years as the pen pal of notorious Boston gangster James "Whitey" Bulger.

Never before has Charlie's full story been captured and shared with the public. Now at 87 years old, Mr. Hopkins is estimated to be one of the last five or six remaining inmates that served hard time in Alcatraz before its closing in 1963. No matter what you have heard or think you know about Alcatraz, you may be certain of one thing, you have never heard a story like this.

©1999, 2019 Don DeNevi (P)2019 Creative Texts Publishers, LLC

Ugh

If listening to this moron drone on and on about the drudgery and idiocy of prison life doesn’t dissuade you from a life a crime, nothing will.
He should have gotten life so it wouldn’t have been written.

One of my favorite books!

This is my favorite Alcatraz book from the prisoner’s of point of view. At first I thought the narrator’s voice would get on my nerves, but actually it’s perfect. It fits the book very well. It’s an interesting read and feels authentic.

Life on The Rock

Charlie Hopkins, an inmate at Alcatraz in the 1950's, details his troubled youth, and the path to The Rock, and later changing his ways and becoming a law abiding citizen. Interestingly, Hopkins met the Anglin brothers during his stint at a reform school - John and Clarence Anglin, along with Frank Morris, escaped from Alcatraz in June 1962, leading to wide speculation regarding their fates. In "Hard Time," Hopkins gives his theories on who located the ventilation shaft used in the famous escape, and the man responsible for the fake heads that fooled the guards.

The book notes the author's attempt at accuracy, and it is amazing the amount of details he recalled when the manuscript was written in the 1990's. Hopkins describes his conversations with some of Alcatraz's most notable inmates - such as Bumpy Johnson, "The Birdman" Robert Stroud, and Alvin "Creepy" Karpis. After Alcatraz, Hopkins was in the same prison as Chuck Berry in Missouri, who was serving time for violating the Mann Act.

Hopkins was born shortly after the great depression, and came into a life of extreme poverty, thus turned to robbery at an early age. After a crime spree which included armed robbery and kidnapping, Hopkins received a seventeen year prison sentence. In the book, Hopkins recalls the brutality of the chain gang. and witnessing prisoners being hung by their thumbs. Ultimately, Hopkins would be transferred to Alcatraz.

In "Hard Time," relives his days on the "Rock of despair," but first shares his first impressions of Alcatraz. Hopkins recalls the daily routine, and describes the inmate he hated the most. Hopkins didn't have any visitors, nor received any letters from his family. However, he made friends during his incarceration at Alcatraz, and honestly felt torn when he was transferred off The Rock, leaving behind friends he didn't have outside the bars. Hopkins discusses a personality change while in prison, and outlines how he was able to be reformed.

I truly appreciated the memories Hopkins shared, and I find it refreshing that an inmate serving hard time was able be rehabilitated. I also enjoyed Christopher Lane's outstanding narration. "Hard Time" is highly recommended.