Reading The Volunteer by Gianna Toboni felt like being dropped into the middle of something raw, urgent, and deeply human. From the very first chapter, I could tell this wasn’t going to be a typical war story or a surface-level profile of a complicated figure. Instead, it reads like a deep dive into the heart of someone who chose to step into the chaos—knowing the risks, but driven by something bigger than himself.

What struck me most was the nuance Toboni brings to this story. The subject—an American who willingly joins the fight against ISIS—is fascinating enough on its own. But it’s the emotional layers and moral gray areas that really kept me engaged. This isn’t a hero narrative in the traditional sense. It’s a story about conviction, identity, trauma, and what it means to live with your choices when the adrenaline fades and reality sets in.

Toboni’s background in journalism shines through, but in the best way. The storytelling feels immersive and respectful. She’s clearly done her homework, but more than that, she listens. You can feel the weight of every conversation, every scene, every moment where words fail and silence says more. There’s a brutal honesty here—not just in what’s described, but in what’s left unsaid.

I found myself questioning what I would do in similar circumstances, which to me is the mark of powerful nonfiction. This book doesn’t offer easy answers, and it doesn’t pretend to. Instead, it challenges you to sit with discomfort, to wrestle with motivations that aren’t always pure, and to consider the cost of doing what you believe is right—even when the world doesn’t understand it.

Excellent look at what goes on behind bars in Death Row, as well as what is happening behind the scenes to make the prisons run and who is really running the show.

Whenever I pick up a nonfiction book, I want to be able to say that I learned something important along the way. After finishing The Volunteer, I came away with more respect for a human life. This book does not set out to change your opinions on Death Row, rather Toboni is wanting you to start asking questions and start getting frustrated at what is happening with this system.

Seeing an inmate actively wanting to die on Death Row and continue to be overlooked was strangely heartbreaking. Having empathy for a person who was sentenced to death for horrific crimes was a feeling I never thought I would have. I appreciate that Gianna Toboni was able to evoke those emotions from me with her words. She is an excellent story-teller and an even better writer. This book was a labor of love where she put time, energy, and her own mental health on the line to get the story into our hands.

I highly recommend the book to those wanting an inside look at an inmate in Death Row, as well as his life leading up to the events that put him behind bars. There are interviews with family members and even other prisoners. If you are also curious what is happening with your tax dollars if you live in a state with the death penalty, Toboni will break it down for you as well, which was incredibly eye opening.

Thank you to Atria Books for a finished copy of this book! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The Volunteer; the death penalty in America and one inmates quest to die with dignity by Gianna Toboni, Scott Dozier Was on death row and had been there since the early oughts for dismembering and murdering Jeremiah Miller a fellow drug addict. He’s also accused of a second murder one in which he claims to be innocent and says the only reason he buried the body is because it had been sitting out in the truck and he didn’t want police to find it if they came looking for drugs at his home. this is a guy the author talks about as if she is his biggest fan but she digress to say she’s trying to stay in partial something she clearly failed at. It is if anyone in the book who speaks about Scott can’t talk enough about what a nice guy he is he’s so charismatic blah blah blah but throughout the book we learned he cheated on his wife and left her for the woman he cheated with then when their house blew up and that woman lost her arm and a leg he left her and moved in with a young girl named Barbie and oh yes he should get to die with dignity because he wants to. More than once Scott is made a victim or a hero but no matter what the story is always told in his favor. I did find this book interesting but more than 10 times I bet I screamed at the book but he’s a murderer! The author even felt bad when she answered the phone at a wedding and he could hear everyone in the background having a great time, while he was sitting in isolation on a psychiatric hold. Throughout him being an isolation she kept making it as if he was again the victim only to learn later he had cuts on his neck and wrist from razor blades he hid in his rectum. I am not saying I am four or against the death penalty but what I am saying is we all know the rules and their consequences. I’m so tired of people making excuses for bad behavior I can even feel sorry for some of the subjects in her book but that doesn’t mean I want them free nor that they shouldn’t suffer the consequences. African-American people make up 40% of men in prison and the best you can do is a narcissistic white guy who everyone loves because he’s “nice.“ also I am so tired of people saying that the military teaches you to kill and that could be a factor as otherwise Scott did what he did but they also taught him how to jump out of airplanes why didn’t he do that? You learned so much more in the military than just killing and it’s not even killing it’s taken care of your equipment and how not to die I know plenty of people that’s been in the military and aren’t violent at all. I could go on and on but I’m going to stop here I do want to say Ms. Taboni is a really good writer and an accomplished reporter and this was definitely an interesting book. There were just a few things I didn’t agree with. #NetGalley, #TheBlindReviewer, #MyHonestReview, #GiannaToboni, #TheVolunteer,

The Volunteer is an extremely powerful work that explores the use of the death penalty in the United States and examines the experiences of an inmate on death row, Scott Dozier. The author is an investigative journalist who took on the controversial topic of the death penalty and why Scott Dozier would volunteer to be executed rather than spend his days in prison.

While some parts of the story may be less than fully objective, I feel that it’s sometimes difficult to remain so when you are so immersed in a topic.

Most people have strong feelings on whether they support the death penalty as a form of punishment for crimes. However, this book not only gives you facts and examples of the protocols of carrying out the penalty, but also specifics of drugs used and their associated difficulties. It also gives us a glimpse of what the inmate experiences as well as their families. Not many think about what the families of inmates experience whether you are for or against this type of penalty.

From the information presented in this work, it’s quite obvious why Scott Dozier would volunteer for his sentence to be followed through with. His experience, whether you care or not, was not pleasant.

As a side note, even with a criminal justice degree, this topic was very heavy. I found myself putting this book aside several times just to be able to get through it. It had nothing to do with the writing or the author, just the subject matter. A very good work overall and very informative!

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for the eARC.

This book is harrowing. The topic is of course not lighthearted, but once I started reading I just found myself so weighed down by the system and this persons experiences. Devastating but worth the read.

Absolutely incredible book that shows the more and logistical (and political) complexities of the death penalty, shown through the story of a death row inmate who has asked the State to follow through with its sentence.

As a criminal defense attorney, I am well aware of the dehumanizing of inmates needed for our carceral system to work the way it does. Toboni writes in the beginning that she is doing her job as a journalist to be objective, and that this book was not pro- or anti- death penalty. I saw one review complain that this book loses its objectivity, and I have to say <i> that is what happens when you have human empathy.</i> You can read this book, fully believe that Scott Dozier is guilty and deserves to be punished, and still feel empathy for what he went through. I was raised to believe two wrongs don't make a right, and I believe you can believe that and still hold people accountable for the crimes they commit.

This book does not go into the legal complexities of the death penalty -- probably because Dozier literally waives them in his request to be executed -- but it does go into how broken our system is. It mainly follows Dozier's story, but it also goes into some anti-death penalty advocacy because that is what leads the NDOC to be required to stay Dozier's requested execution. I had a lot of background knowledge going into this, but I believe that someone with no knowledge of the carceral system will be able to understand it based on Toboni's framing.

While Toboni recognizes that she became emotionally attached to this story, she also consistently reminds the reader that Dozier is in prison for (allegedly) committing heinous crimes. She is able to frame this as a situation of both, because contradicting things can be true -- Dozier can be a good guy and could have made some horrendous decisions in his past. This book does not ask you to denounce the death penalty or the carceral state, but it does ask you to question how we go about punishing people and if that is the kind of nation we want to be.

Every day that I was reading this book, this book sat with me, and I think it will continue to sit with me for many months to come. Highly recommend.

Thank you to Atria Books at NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Volunteer: The failure of the death penalty in America and one inmate's quest to Die with Dignity, by Gianna Toboni is a fascinating book.

Gianna Toboni is an Emmy Award winning Investigative reporter who interviews Scott Dozier an convicted murderer. But Scott is unique, he asked the state to be put to death.

Scott tells Gianna about his early life, all the way up to, and including, his stay on death row, his continues of execution and how hard it actually is to die on death row.

The two talk about how they could not get the proper drugs to complete the executions. How many executions are botched, causing unnecessary inhumane suffering. This book does not debate if the death penalty is correct or not but rather how flawed the current system is.

Thank you Gianna Toboni and Atria books for partnering with NetGalley. I received this book in exchange for my honest opinion and review.

This book will be published April 1 2025.

Wow. This was a beautiful nook on a heavy, heavy subject.
Gianna clearly did her research into the subject of the death penalty and it showed in work.
This book is meant to be unsettling.
I did not realize that capital punishment was indeed more expensive than life without parole.
I am guessing that lack of understanding comes from living in a non-death penalty state.
This was absolutely gripping.


Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my review.

This book took me longer to read than usual, and I can’t help but wonder why. Maybe it’s because of a quote that has stayed with me:

"When a thought is too hard to bear, we shut it out; it's a human instinct, self-preservation. But is it this very human instinct that makes us complicit?"

That question lingered in my mind as I read, making it impossible to turn away from the reality presented in The Volunteer. I’ve known about the issues within the prison system, but this book forced me to confront them on a deeply personal level. It made it impossible to pretend they weren’t real.

Learning more about Scott Dozier—who he was, how he was treated in his final days, and his one request to die humanely—left me questioning how many others like him are subjected to similar cruelty. And beyond that, it made me reflect on my own judgments. How often do I look at someone who made one mistake in life and see only that mistake?

Gianna's writing is beautiful, raw, and filled with humanity. The depth of research into the death penalty, and how different parts of the world have addressed it, is evident throughout. This book doesn’t just inform—it unsettles. It makes you think, makes you uncomfortable, and forces you to examine the systems we often choose to ignore.

By the end, I found myself craving something lighter, a fantasy escape to balance the weight of this story. But The Volunteer is the kind of book that lingers long after you’ve closed it. And maybe that’s exactly the point.

The book makes the obvious point, which is, regardless of your opinion of capitol punishment, it is simply too expensive. Life without parole costs society far less. But people don't want to robbed of vengeance, especially now that their hero is president.

Gianna Toboni is a front-line journalist, who has covered news stories in some of the most dangerous areas in the world. However, her debut book, “The Volunteer: The Failure of the Death Penalty in America and One Inmate’s Quest to Die with Dignity” delves into a gruesome reality far closer to home.
Scott Dozier was sent to Death Row in Ely, Nevada in 2007, after a long career of drug use led to two grisly murders. Dozier never claimed he was innocent and he accepted the court’s sentence. In fact, for an extrovert like Scott, being in solitary confinement was a far worse punishment than death. So much so, in fact, that Dozier petitioned to have his execution date pushed up. But after years of advocating and letter writing, Dozier was still in jail and, with a new warden in place, his incarceration was taking a physical and mental toll on his health. Gianna reached out to him and after years of conversations with Scott and his family and friends she realized that the United States justice system is failing Death Row inmates in every way- and she chose to write about it.
Toboni admits from the get-go that she is anti-death penalty. However, if she did not say this in her own words, you would not be able to identify her stance based on the writing. “The Volunteer” is not designed to sway people one way or the other, or to alter their opinions. Whether you believe in the death penalty or you don’t, “The Volunteer” provides a hard look into the treatment of death row inmates (at least in Ely, Nevada) and the failure of the government on every level to follow through with their promises.
“The Volunteer” features alternating chapters- ones that talk about Dozier’s history, his crimes and how Toboni’s professional relationship with him developed, while other chapters discuss the history of the death penalty, how it came about, what barriers current lawmakers face, and all of the controversy before and since. It is a fascinating examination of the political system and its influence on the justice system and the very real people the decisions are affecting.
It was fascinating reading about Dozier and his personal history that led to the crimes he committed. Toboni manages to portray Dozier as the son, brother, father and ultimately, the human, that he is, through his own words and those of others who love him. Although I wasn’t exactly sympathetic for an alleged two-time murderer, Dozier was the perfect candidate for this book as he was charming, empathic and, most of all, willing to die.
There are some intriguing components of the death penalty law that I had no idea about. Issues involving obtaining the drugs for the “killer cocktail” and all of the challenges the government faced was truly jaw-dropping. Whatever your opinion on the death penalty is, Toboni’s well-researched book will provide in-depth information that is as educational as it is engaging.
“The Volunteer” is a recommended read for fans of true crime and political history. It is obvious that Toboni is a skilled writer, as she balances the tricky tightrope of a very divisive and controversial topic, and her unique thesis combined with human characters make “The Volunteer” a thrilling read.

the volunteer: the failure of the death penalty in america and one inmate’s quest to die with dignity by gianna toboni

the discourse surrounding capital punishment has interested me for years. as an attorney who has always identified as staunchly opposed to the death penalty, toboni’s upcoming release, which focuses on scott dozier’s request for an expedited execution in nevada, really sunk its teeth into me in unexpected ways. i tear up thinking of the trauma and pain dozier endured at the hands of the state just by writing this review, and i struggle with what the “right answer” is when capital punishment is involved. and while i still think that government-sanctioned murder is heinous and should be abolished, i can’t help but think of dozier’s wishes and wonder how much harm comes from that stance, especially as someone that has no touch points with death row inmates.

in the prologue, toboni describes scott dozier by writing how “his vocabulary was as advanced as his use of profanities. his jokes often revolved around his imminent state-sanctioned murder. his personal relationships with family and friends were genuine, strong, and loving. he wasn’t quick to claim his innocence.” interwoven between the history of capital punishment and past botched executions, toboni exposes scott dozier’s humanness. she writes of his rambunctious spirit, his sense of humor, his loyal nature, and his crimes. she engages him about his impending death at the hand of the state, probes him to examine his decision to die and whether that is a better alternative to living out his days on death row. dozier’s conversations (at least seem to) change toboni’s perspective on the death penalty, and they certainly altered my own.

the US government fails at a lot of things. to believe that it is well-equipped to determine whether a convicted individual is deserving of the death penalty and will carry it out humanely defies logic—at least to me. the state’s repeated failures to carry out dozier’s wishes to be executed is indicative of the greater failure of our penal system, of the hypocrisy of state-sanctioned killings, of the lack of rehabilitation in prisons around the country. as toboni wrote, dozier may have deserved to be locked up, but he also deserved to be treated humanely by his own government. he was right to ask why the death penalty exists is states can’t—or won’t—carry it out.

my heart aches for scott dozier, for his family, for the families affected by his crimes. i’m in awe of toboni’s work and her ability to connect with dozier and share his story with the world. this book is wildly impactful and i hope others give this a shot when it’s released in 2025.

*The Volunteer* by Gianna Toboni is a gripping and thought-provoking exploration of Scott Dozier's decision to expedite his own execution after being convicted of two brutal murders. Toboni masterfully tells the story of Dozier, whose choice to end his life swiftly contrasts sharply with the chaotic and often botched process of capital punishment in the United States. Through Dozier’s case, the book delves into the many flaws of the death penalty system, exposing its inefficiency, rising costs, and human toll.

Toboni takes readers on a sobering journey through the complexities of lethal injection, black market drug dealing, and the shifting methods of execution that some states are considering in response to failures. The investigation is not just a deep dive into Dozier’s life and his case, but also a larger critique of a system that has failed to meet its intended goals.

This book is a powerful examination of the death penalty’s many shortcomings, offering a sobering look at the moral and practical consequences of state-sanctioned killings. Whether you agree with capital punishment or not, *The Volunteer* raises important questions about the effectiveness and humanity of this practice, making it an essential read for those interested in justice and the future of the death penalty in America.

The Volunteer is a critique of the death penalty within the criminal justice system in the United States. The author, Gianna Toboni, describe facets involving the death pin the United States that cause controversy, including suffering of those on death row.

In describing the road blocks that have been put into place to prevent the carrying out of a death sentence and that there are people who actually want their death sentence carried out believing their wait is cruel and unusual punishment, Toboni describes in detail her interactions with Scot Dozier and his quest to die. While doing so, Toboni goes deep into Dozier's history which landed him in death row and describes everything involved into how the death penalty is carried out and all the work being done to prolong life on death row and the work being done to abolish the death penalty itself.

The Volunteer is a compelling book about the death penalty in the United States that would be a great read for people interested in the history of the death penalty, the U.S. criminal justice system and examples of what is currently the status of the death penalty and how people see it and why as well as what actions people are talking.

This was a fascinating look at the Death Penalty and how it is from the inmate’s point of view. Gianna Toboni was able to share the story of this person perfectly and thought it was respectful and well written.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for this complementary ARC in exchange for my honest review!

The Volunteer, by Gianna Toboni, is an in-depth look into the death penalty in the United States. The book intertwines a moral and (more uniquely) practical view on capital punishment with the story of Scott Dozier, an inmate on death row who is volunteering, practically begging, to be put to death.

This is an incredible book that will put you through all the emotions - you can feel the author's struggle to come to terms with her own feelings on not only the death penalty but with the treatment of a convicted murderer. By the end - I still didn't know how to feel about the topic. Should capital punishment exist? If it does exist, why is it so difficult and costly to go through with it? There are details in the book about the prison system and the treatment of inmates that is almost unbelievable.

My favourite book I've read in 2024!

This is such a good book, I think everyone should read a bit into prisons and how they are for-profit, and they goal of prisons is to make money. It is a whole mess. Instead of helping people get better and become a better person for society, it does not matter. I think they book was really good and informative!!


Thank you to NetGalley, to the author, and to the publisher for this complementary ARC in exchange for my honest review!!!