Overview

Through thirty compelling essays written in the prisoners' own words, Crimson Letters: Voices from Death Row offers stories of brutal beatings inside juvenile hall, botched suicide attempts, the terror of the first night on Death Row, the pain of goodbye as a friend is led to execution, and the small acts of humanity that keep hope alive for men living in the shadow of death. Each carefully crafted personal essay illuminates the complex stew of choice and circumstance that brought four men to Death Row and the cycle of dehumanization and brutality that continues inside prison. At times the men write with humor, at times with despair, at times with deep sensitivity, but always with keen insight and understanding of the common human experience that binds us.

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9781684334445

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An eye-opener, troubling but insightful, depressing at times, but also inspiring. -Pammi Sachdeva, author of Appreciating All Religions and former advisor to the United Nations All of us, Tessie Castillo writes in this provocative and insightful book, are 'more than our worst crime, but also less than our highest ideal.' Anyone willing to grapple with the realities, the flaws, and the complexities of the American death penalty system should read this book. -Frank R. Baumgartner, Professor of Political Science, UNC-Chapel Hill, and co-author of Deadly Justice: A Statistical Portrait of the Death Penalty I'm grateful to know the men who wrote these Crimson Letters, and I believe the death penalty will become history when others hear and know their stories. -Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove, author of Revolution of Values

Author Information

In 2014, Tessie Castillo became one of the first members of the public ever invited inside North Carolina's Death Row. For several months she taught a writing class to two dozen men convicted of murder. This extraordinary opportunity launched a passion to augment the voices of prisoners condemned to die. Currently a freelance writer based in Raleigh, North Carolina, Castillo still corresponds regularly with men on Death Row.

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