One of the deadliest prison riots in U.S. history--and the deeply disordered New Mexico carceral system that enabled it--is examined in all its wide-eyed horror in High Desert Blood by Andrew Brininstool. In the early hours of February 2, 1980, inmates at the Penitentiary of New Mexico (also known by its nickname, Old Main), overpowered guards and took over the command center, initiating 36 hours of "death squads" who went after informants in the protective custody cell block. Brininstool's local roots in Santa Fe infuse the narrative as he introduces the story of Gary and Jeff Williams (Brininstool's father grew up around Jeff), two brothers whose low-level criminality landed them in a "position of butchery" at Old Main.
The details of the riot's unfolding--and the sad fates of the Williams brothers--are not for the delicate; the cruelty and brutality Brininstool chronicles can dim one's faith in humanity. However, his 12 years' worth of research and interviews with former inmates and prison officers, as well as their families, shine a necessary light on the abusive and degrading treatment of prisoners that enabled the rage-fueled frenzy. In raising the specter of the 1980 riot for a new generation, Brininstool honors the victims who could never tell their stories while also calling for meaningful prison reform in the U.S. High Desert Blood is a beautifully written yet chilling work of true crime that lingers beyond the last page. -- Peggy Kurkowski, book reviewer in Denver