Dead Man Walking: Amazon.ca: Helen Prejean: Books

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Product Description

From Publishers Weekly

A Catholic nun's compelling polemic against capital punishment.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Prejean, a Catholic nun, has written a moral indictment of capital punishment. This book is the result of her visits to two death-row inmates at the Louisiana State Penitentiary where she serves as a spiritual advisor. Although she documents the inequalities of the judicial system that has condemned these men, her main point is that if society is to inflict this extreme punishment, it should, itself, be perfect. Needless to say, it is not. Opponents of the death penalty will find reinforcement for their cause here. The general reader, however, will probably find the book too narrow in focus, too self-righteous. Prejean writes well, but her material will not attract the wide audience she wants. An optional purchase.
- Frances Sandiford, Green Haven Correctional Facility Lib., Stormville, N.Y.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Inside This Book (Learn More)

First Sentence
When Chava Colon from the Prison Coalition asks me one January day in 1982 to become a pen pal to a death-row inmate, I say, Sure. Read the first page

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Concordance

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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index

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46 Reviews

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4.1 out of 5 stars (46 customer reviews)

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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Gripping, Mar 30 2007

By

Steven R. McEvoy "MCWPP" (Canada) - See all my reviews
(TOP 50 REVIEWER) (HALL OF FAME) (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Dead Man Walking (Paperback)

This is both a book and a movie that you need to interact with. Particularly in a day and age when there is a movement here in Canada to try to bring the death penalty back. The book is much more in depth than the movie. The book profiles the first three men that Sr. Prejean goes to the death chamber with as Spiritual Director. It profiles her mistakes as she journeys down this path for the first few times. She witnessed her first execution on April 5th, 1984 and she has been advocating against the death penalty since then.

The book does a great job of showing the disparity in how the death penalty is applied. It goes through the studies on its lack of effectiveness, and how for the most part, it is the poor and the African-American who are on death row. Even if you only read the appendices, the book will challenge you to view the death penalty in a different way.

The movie was the inspiration and starred Susan Sarandon. Sarandon was given the book while on a personal retreat at a monastery; she came home and gave the book to her partner, Tim Robbins, who directed the film. Together they approached Sr. Prejean, who went out and rented Bull Durham. She was a little leery of having them do the film, but after meeting with them went ahead with the project.

The film co-stars Sean Penn as Matthew Poncelet, a compilation of the 3 men in the book. The movie, while slow moving, is incredibly intense and draws you into the drama of waiting for a death when you know the date and time of that approaching death.

As an interesting aside, another good book is Forgiving the Dead Man Walking by Debbie Morris, who was one of the victims of Robert Lee Willie from the book. Debbie always said if they ever made a movie, Penn would have to play Willie because they looked so much alike.

So read the book and watch the movie, and if you want yet another challenging book, give Forgiving the Dead Man Walking a read also.

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2.0 out of 5 stars Keep on killing them!, Jun 16 2000

By

Becky - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dead Man Walking (Paperback)

I have been reading true crime stories for over a decade, and after reading over one hundred of these books I became a staunch death penalty supporter. This book was presented to me by someone who disagreed with me, who thought that reading it might change my mind. It hasn't. Sister Helen is obviously a very dedicated individual and I commend her for her passion and respect her views, like I do anyone else's, but I feel that she is simply wasting her precious time with these inmates, time that could better be spent with children to ensure that they themselves don't wind up on death row one day. These vile, inhumane creatures chose to do what they did, so let them suffer the consequences. If one of the consequences is death, so be it. If they are prepared to take someone else's life, then they should pay with their own, and it is about time that the rights of the innocent victims of crime and potential victims are placed ahead of the predators.

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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Capital Punishment, Dec 27 2003

By

JMack (Chicago) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dead Man Walking (Paperback)

Up until recently, I had taken an indifferent view on capital punishment. I never believed the government should have the power to execute people when the government is far from perfect. Additionally, I never believed I should waste my time saving monsters from death when it is an unpopular view. As a result, I never held a strong opinion on the death penalty.

Sister Helen Prejean is a Catholic nun. Stereotypically speaking, I assumed this book would be very one sided based on her religious association. I took an interest in the book only after I saw the movie. The movie combines the two executions discussed in the book into one death row inmate story. Despite the fact that the book can seem redundant at times, Sister Helen Prejean does an effective job of exploring the topic of capital punishment through the role of a spiritual advisor.

The research that went into this book is startling. I was not expecting research on this level because the book was written by a nun. It may be hard to feel sympathy for the two death row inmates in the book. However, it is hard to ignore the inequalities in the capital punishment system. After reading the book, one comes to the conclusion that poor African-Americans in the "Death Belt" are most likely to be executed. Crimes against whites are far more likely to draw capital punishment as well. Defense for death row inmates is inadequate because of the socioeconomic status. These flaws are just the tip of the iceberg.

When we consider the recent flaws found in capital punishment system, it is difficult to support it. For example, Illinois changed the sentences of all death row inmates upon realizing the flaws in the system. Our government is far from perfect. Based on the flaws and corruptions in the system, it is difficult to support a system in which the government orders a sanctioned killing of a human being. There is also another view that goes unnoticed. Often it is the executioners who are most traumatized by the execution, not the government.

This book has changed my view on capital punishment. This change is not because I feel sympathy for murderers, but becuase the system is very flawed. Sister Helen Prejean makes this very obvious in her book.

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Most recent customer reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars An eye opener!!
If you are thinking of buying this book....go for it. You won't regret it. This book opened my eyes to a completly different side to capital punishement I was never aware of,... Read more

Published on Feb 4 2005 by Natasha Sniatowsky

4.0 out of 5 stars A movie which shows all views, not typical for Hollywood
The movie tries to be neutral so that everyone is able to interpret it his/her own way. You can learn a lot while you see it cause no one can imagine all the (cruel) details of... Read more

Published on May 7 2004 by imki