In the Sanctuary of Outcasts - by Neil White (Paperback)

About the Book

Following conviction for bank fraud, White spent a year in a minimum-security prison in Carville, Louisiana, housed in the last leper colony in mainland America. His fascinating memoir reflects on the sizable group of lepers living alongside the prisoners.--"Publishers Weekly."

Book Synopsis

"A remarkable story of a young man's loss of everything he deemed important, and his ultimate discovery that redemption can be taught by society's most dreaded outcasts." --John Grisham

"Hilarious, astonishing, and deeply moving." --John Berendt, author of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil

The emotional, incredible true story of Neil White, a man who discovers the secret to happiness, leading a fulfilling life, and the importance of fatherhood in the most unlikely of places--the last leper colony in the continental United States. In the words of Pulitzer Prize winner Robert Olen Butler (A Good Scent from a Strange Mountain), White is "a splendid writer," and In the Sanctuary of Outcasts "a book that will endure."

From the Back Cover

Daddy is going to camp. That's what I told my children. But it wasn't camp. . . .

Neil White wanted only the best for those he loved and was willing to go to any lengths to provide it--which is how he ended up in a federal prison in rural Louisiana, serving eighteen months for bank fraud. But it was no ordinary prison. The beautiful, isolated colony in Carville, Louisiana, was also home to the last people in the continental United States disfigured by leprosy--a small circle of outcasts who had forged a tenacious, clandestine community, a fortress to repel the cruelty of the outside world. In this place rich with history, amid an unlikely mix of leprosy patients, nuns, and criminals, White's strange and compelling new life journey began.

An extraordinary memoir at once funny, poignant, and uplifting, In the Sanctuary of Outcasts reminds us all what matters most.

Review Quotes

"White wastes no time getting to the hurt, and once he takes you there, you'll be riveted. A searing tale of trouble, it's also about finding a time and a place in which to lay the groundwork for a new life. A fine memoir and one I highly recommend." - Steve Yarbrough, James and Coke Hallowell Professor of Creative Writing Coordinator of the MFA Program English Department California State University
"A wonderfully bizarre and entertaining memoir of jailhouse redemption--by turns hilarious, astonishing, and, when all is said and done, deeply moving." - John Berendt, author of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil
"Leprosy and white collar crime in one dynamic book? Neil White, a writer with a multiple mission, knits two fascinating and unfortunate stories into one powerful narrative that is informative, heart-breaking and highly compelling. White writes with clarity, sensitivity and unforgettable passion." - Lee Gutkind, Editor, Creative Nonfiction magazine and author, Almost Human: Making Robots Think
"If Federico Fellini had been a film director of the American South, he would have leapt at the chance to make a major movie of Neil White's memoir, IN THE SANCTUARY OF OUTCASTS. At once surreal and grittily naturalistic, funny and poignant, White's tale is fascinating and full of universal resonance. And, not incidentally, White is a splendid writer, adept at both creating a scene and illuminating the human heart. This is a book that will endure." - Pulitzer Prize-winner Robert Olen Butler
IN THE SANCTUARY OF OUTCASTS was a rare treat for me as I not only learned about this extraordinary place, only whispered about when I was a child, but, even better, was reminded again of what really matters in this life." - Robert Hicks, author of The Widow of the South
"At once surreal and grittily naturalistic, funny and poignant, White's tale is fascinating and full of universal resonance. And, not incidentally, White is a splendid writer, adept at both creating a scene and illuminating the human heart. This is a book that will endure." - Pulitzer Prize-winner Robert Olen Butler
"Narrated in an engaging, affable voice with self-deprecating humor, IN THE SANCTUARY OF OUTCASTS is a great American story of personal transformation that leaves White -- and ourselves -- forever changed." - Tom Franklin, author of Smonk
"A moving story of growth and transformation. Among the lost, [White] found humility, beauty, courage--and himself. " - Dallas Morning News
"Vibrant and readable." - Harper's Magazine
"A surprisingly gentle, sometimes hilarious memoir." - USA Today
"Under normal circumstances, White would not have told the world about his downfall by writing a memoir. He wrote the book for an unexpected reason: The Carville prison shared buildings with a medical center serving as the home for those who had contracted the disease of leprosy. Becoming acquainted with the lepers affected White so profoundly that he felt compelled to tell their story along with his. Fifteen years after his release from Carville, White has delivered the message he knew he had to compose." - Atlanta Journal-Constitution
"A meaningful look at the trajectory of one man's life and his chance to change its direction. Worth reading and discussing...a particularly intriguing choice for reading groups." - The Mississippi Episcopalian
"An impressively detailed and unsentimental memoir by a journalist whose privileged existence was brought up short by a check-kiting scheme. In a funny and straightforward narrative, White tells of being humbled and inspired by the isolated souls whose illness has biblical resonance, as well as by some of his fellow prisoners." - Memphis Commercial Appeal
"An impressively detailed and unsentimental memoir...funny and straightforward." - Memphis Commercial Appeal
"Brisk, ironic and perceptive, White's introspective memoir puts a magnifying glass to a flawed life, revealing that all of life is to be savored and respected." - Publishers Weekly
"An earnest chronicle written with equal parts enlightenment and atonement." - Kirkus Reviews
"White's memoir continues to surprise as it presents a witty, well-rendered narrative of redemption and enlightenment. Readers who enjoy clever, off-beat memoirs will devour this in one sitting." - Library Journal
"IN THE SANCTUARY OF OUTCASTS is more than a memoir. It's most importantly a testament to the patients at Carville and the life lessons they gave and White took." - Memphis Flyer
"This memoir represents an atonement persuasively made in an unlikely setting by an accomplished and engaging writer. " - Richmond Times-Dispatch
"Neil White in his luminous memoir IN THE SANCTUARY OF OUTCASTS explicates his own path to redemption. White brings to life a wacky bunch of characters who help him remember what is best about himself. His story is unique and deeply felt: I enjoyed this book immensely!" - Darcey Steinke author of Easter Everywhere and Milk
""IN THE SANCTUARY OF OUTCASTS tells the fascinating story of Neil White's years of high living and bank fraud that landed him in prison -- but not an ordinary prison -- one that doubled as the last leper colony in America. White enters his incarceration determined to keep away from the "lepers" and nourish his own skills to emerge a stronger businessman, but soon he is drawn into their world. The friends he makes and experiences he has help him emerge stronger, not as a better businessman but a better man. Narrated in an engaging, affable voice with self-deprecating humor, IN THE SANCTUARY OF OUTCASTS is a great American story of personal transformation that leaves White -- and ourselves -- forever changed." - Tom Franklin, author of Smonk
"[Neil White] offers a memoir of personal transformation and a thoroughly engaging look at the social, economic, racial, and other barriers that separate individuals that harden, dissolve, and reconfigure themselves when people are involuntarily thrust together over long periods." - Booklist (starred review)
"A remarkable story of a young man's loss of everything he deemed important, his imprisonment in a place that would terrify anyone, and his ultimate discovery that redemption can be taught by society's most dreaded outcasts." - John Grisham
"IN THE SANCTUARY OF OUTCASTS is heartfully candid, humble, persuasive. Greatly urged on all good readers." - Barry Hannah, PEN/Faulkner Award Winner