Overview

""A compelling narrative of survival and redemption."" --Robert Lindsey, author of The Falcon and the Snowman Forty years before the names Snowden and Manning entered the world's cultural lexicon, Christopher Boyce and Andrew Daulton Lee became America's youngest convicted spies--condemned to federal prison in 1977 for their roles in one of the most highly publicized espionage cases in Cold War history. Yet the story of their crime, as told in the book and movie The Falcon and the Snowman, was only the beginning. Locked away in some of the country's most violent and inhospitable prisons, Boyce and Lee survived repeated attempts on their lives and years of solitary confinement before a young and idealistic paralegal, Cait Mills, attempted to put them on the path to freedom. Diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer, Mills' determination to continue her work while battling the illness ultimately changed all three of their lives. American Sons: The Untold Story of the Falcon and the Snowman is an incredible true story told by the people who lived it--a narrative of survival against impossible odds, a case study on the indomitability of the human spirit, and a testament to the transformative power of forgiveness. The 40th anniversary edition of American Sons includes new and expanded content, including numerous articles written by Christopher Boyce for the Minneapolis Star Tribune during the late '80s and early '90s that shed stark light on life behind prison walls.

Full Product Details

9780999707036

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Reviews

"""A beautifully written thriller, an endearing love story, a compelling narrative of survival and redemption, and a horrific indictment of a prison system that dispatched a model prisoner at the prime of his life to a decade of haunting solitary confinement, mostly because he had embarrassed the system, first by escaping from a maximum security federal penitentiary, then, as an eloquent writer, publishing articles exposing to the outside world the often brutal and dehumanizing conditions of prison life. His descriptions of the brutality, knifings, murders, and beatings in prison will make you cry out for reform."" -Robert Lindsey, author of THE FALCON AND THE SNOWMAN and THE FLIGHT OF THE FALCON ""Espionage, drug deals, the KGB, the CIA, a prison break, an international manhunt, survival in the wilderness, a string of bank robberies, and a gut-wrenching love story--AMERICAN SONS has everything. An incredible true story, grippingly told."" -Pablo F. Fenjves, best-selling author and screenwriter ""An engrossing true account that challenges the reader to reflect on multiple themes: from the questions, echoing in current events with the Edward Snowden and Bradley Manning cases, about what is patriotism in a time when the government and our institutions threaten our civil liberties; to what constitutes justice within our badly flawed penal system; to the personal and civic values such as loyalty and perseverance that are revealed in this tale of long struggle. It's a good read with a multi-threaded story that provides food for thought and discussion."" -Chris Bessler, Sandpoint Magazine ""I couldn't put this book down. What is it really like? AMERICAN SONS answers that question in this detailed and often jaw-dropping tale of survival. I've always been curious about what happened to Christopher Boyce and Andrew Daulton Lee, the two subjects of THE FALCON AND THE SNOWMAN. AMERICAN SONS chronicles the gripping, real-life story of true infamy and true love."" -Kathy Griffin ""Christopher Boyce paid an extremely high price for revealing the extent of U.S. intelligence operations against Australia. This book reveals some of the most dramatic events of his extraordinary life, but in essence it is a story of redemption. A story not of a life ruined, but of a life saved."" -Mark Davis, SBS Dateline ""A compelling, immersive memoir of crime, punishment, and the redemptive qualities of love and atonement."" -Kirkus Reviews"

A beautifully written thriller, an endearing love story, a compelling narrative of survival and redemption, and a horrific indictment of a prison system that dispatched a model prisoner at the prime of his life to a decade of haunting solitary confinement, mostly because he had embarrassed the system, first by escaping from a maximum security federal penitentiary, then, as an eloquent writer, publishing articles exposing to the outside world the often brutal and dehumanizing conditions of prison life. His descriptions of the brutality, knifings, murders, and beatings in prison will make you cry out for reform. -Robert Lindsey, author of THE FALCON AND THE SNOWMAN and THE FLIGHT OF THE FALCON Espionage, drug deals, the KGB, the CIA, a prison break, an international manhunt, survival in the wilderness, a string of bank robberies, and a gut-wrenching love story--AMERICAN SONS has everything. An incredible true story, grippingly told. -Pablo F. Fenjves, best-selling author and screenwriter An engrossing true account that challenges the reader to reflect on multiple themes: from the questions, echoing in current events with the Edward Snowden and Bradley Manning cases, about what is patriotism in a time when the government and our institutions threaten our civil liberties; to what constitutes justice within our badly flawed penal system; to the personal and civic values such as loyalty and perseverance that are revealed in this tale of long struggle. It's a good read with a multi-threaded story that provides food for thought and discussion. -Chris Bessler, Sandpoint Magazine I couldn't put this book down. What is it really like? AMERICAN SONS answers that question in this detailed and often jaw-dropping tale of survival. I've always been curious about what happened to Christopher Boyce and Andrew Daulton Lee, the two subjects of THE FALCON AND THE SNOWMAN. AMERICAN SONS chronicles the gripping, real-life story of true infamy and true love. -Kathy Griffin Christopher Boyce paid an extremely high price for revealing the extent of U.S. intelligence operations against Australia. This book reveals some of the most dramatic events of his extraordinary life, but in essence it is a story of redemption. A story not of a life ruined, but of a life saved. -Mark Davis, SBS Dateline A compelling, immersive memoir of crime, punishment, and the redemptive qualities of love and atonement. -Kirkus Reviews

Author Information

Cait Boyce (formerly Cait Mills) is a legal professional who works as an advocate for nonviolent prisoner rights and operates a non-profit for the advancement of the LGBTQQ community. Vince Font is a freelance writer and the founder of Glass Spider Publishing. His other published works include the short stories Night Visit, The Beast of Baylock, and the horror novella Gnome Way Out. He is currently at work on his second book. Christopher Boyce spent 25 years in prison for selling top-secret U.S. intelligence to the Soviet Union with his childhood friend, Andrew Daulton Lee. Released from prison in 2002, Chris continues to fly his falcons and prefers the peace that comes with a life far from the glare of public scrutiny.

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