Further reading
Welcome
to Hell
Helen Prejean (Foreword), Jan Arriens (Editor, Introduction), Clive Stafford Smith (Preface)
This book gives condemned people in the United States the chance to speak for themselves - to talk about their existence in the hidden world of death row. Consisting of letters and other writings from inmates to members of LifeLines, an organization of pen friends based in the United Kingdom, "Welcome to Hell" conveys daily life on death row.
"This book made me laugh out loud, it also had me in tears more than once. Without moralising about the rights and wrongs of the US justice system, it reminds us that these 'monsters' who have been sentenced to death are, in the main, human beings with feelings and emotions..."
Within these walls: Memoirs of a Death House Chaplain
Carroll Pickett and Carlton Stowers
The Reverend Carroll Pickett spent 15 years as the death house chaplain at "The Walls", the Huntsville unit of the Texas prison system. During this time he accompanied 95 men to their death by lethal injection.
"A very strong and moving narrative about the final moments of the condemned men and women, and the people who in one way or another are taking part in the execution process at Huntsville, Tx. Highly recommendable."
Dead
Man Walking
Helen Prejean
When Helen Prejean is invited to write to a prisoner on Death Row who brutally killed two teenagers, she has little idea how much it will change her life. Although she abhors his crime, she befriends one man as he faces the electric chair. Dead Man Walking is Helen Prejean's gripping true story, which formed the basis for a major motion picture event. As powerful an indictment of the death penalty as has ever been written, her book was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize.
"This book is absolutely amazing...Helen Prejean's strength, compassion and belief that all humans deserve love no matter what is so overwhelming I could not put the book down."
Chasing
Justice
Kerry Max Cook
In 1977, when Kerry Max Cook was just 21 years old, he was tried, convicted and sentenced to death for the rape and murder of a young woman he had met casually at a pool a few days before her death. He spent 22 years in prison, most of that time on death row. "Chasing Justice" is nothing less than a raw condemnation of the American criminal justice system and capital punishment by a person who has experienced the worst effects of its corruption. It is sure to spark debate on this controversial topic and garner enormous media attention. This is also a story of triumph over adversity and a survival tale: almost 1,000 people were executed in the time Cook spent on death row.
An
Ordinary Murder
Lesley Moreland
Lesley Moreland tells her painful story of what happened to her and her family in the weeks and months that followed the murder of her daughter Ruth. She reveals her struggle to find ways of continuing to live positively while accepting Ruth's death. This is a corageous and compassionate book of an unforgettable story.
"I read this book at break-neck speed. Couldn't put it down. Lesley Moreland writes of her experiences with honesty and clarity and by the time I had finished the book I was full of admiration for her."
To Live and Die on Death Row
C. Michael Lambrix
The autobiography of C.Michael Lambrix, who has always protested his innocence and has spent 27 years under sentence of death on Florida's infamous death row.
Patron:
Clive Stafford-Smith O.B.E.
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Copyright Lifelines
2010