BOOKS: Messages of Life from Death Row

Messages of Life from Death Row fea­tures cor­re­spon­dence from Texas death row inmate Roger McGowen to soci­ol­o­gist and writer Pierre Pradervand. McGowen’s let­ters describe his life on death row and point to flaws in the American crim­i­nal jus­tice sys­tem, espe­cial­ly the arbi­trary nature of the death penal­ty. The pub­lish­er, BookSurge, said the book offers a ​“unique jux­ta­po­si­tion of care­ful­ly select­ed texts next to the heart­felt and mem­o­rable let­ters writ­ten by McGowen … giv[ing] read­ers a his­tor­i­cal, eth­i­cal and prag­mat­ic overview of American crim­i­nal jus­tice as well as an inside view of death row in Texas.” Sister Helen Prejean, author of Dead Man Walking, said, ​“This book of let­ters by a Texas death row inmate, who for over twen­ty years has been claim­ing his inno­cence, has a pow­er­ful mes­sage of uncon­di­tion­al love, dig­ni­ty and for­give­ness. It has already touched and trans­formed thou­sands via its French and Dutch ver­sions. I can­not too warm­ly recommend it.”

(Pierre Pradervand, ​“Messages of Life from Death Row,” BookSurge, January 2010). See also Books and Death Row.