---
title: 'BOOKS: Stories about Executions'
description: '“A Meal to Die For” is a short story by Professor Robert Johnson examining capital punishment through the eyes of a man approaching his execution. The…'
canonical: 'https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/books-stories-about-executions'
section: news
date: '2006-04-28T21:27:01-04:00'
updated: '2025-03-14T14:24:17-04:00'
source: 'Death Penalty Information Center'
---

"A Meal to Die For" is a short story by Professor Robert Johnson examining capital punishment through the eyes of a man approaching his execution. The story is part of **The Crying Wall and Other Prison Stories**, a larger collection of short stories by a variety of authors. In "A Meal to Die For," Johnson weaves the death row prisoner's last meal with the gradual process of lethal injection, resulting in a painful death.

Robert Johnson is a Professor of Justice, Law and Society at American University in Washington, D.C. He has published several social science books, including *Death Work: A Study of the Modern Execution Process*, which received the Outstanding Book Award of the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences. He has also produced a growing body of creative writing. (The Crying Wall and Other Prison Stories, Infinity Publishing Company in association with WilloTrees Press, 2005). See [Books](/books-death-penalty?did=130&scid=20) and [Executions](/executions-united-states?did=414&scid=8).