Redemption - Large Print by Lawrence Wright (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

A powerful and startling account of the unsparing connection between a convent of cloistered nuns and the condemned women on Texas's death row, exploring questions around crime and punishment, faith, and retribution in America as only Lawrence Wright can.

"Redemption gripped me like the best crime novel and left me fundamentally changed. The relationship between two groups of isolated women teaches us the most elusive of values: true empathy." --Belle Burden, author of Strangers

In the fall of 2014, Deacon Ronnie Lastovica visited a women's prison in Gatesville, Texas and gave communion to the women on death row. Moved by the meeting, the Deacon vowed to return weekly, but he knew he couldn't help these women alone. He called upon the Sisters of Mary Morning Star, a group of contemplative nuns in Waco, Texas, to visit the seven condemned women with him. What follows is an incredible story of a spiritual alliance between two groups of women who, though they couldn't seem more different, are living uniquely similar lives.

Lawrence Wright takes us into the death row unit, laying bare their stories. Some of the women in prison wrestle with guilt over the suffering they've caused; others fiercely maintain their innocence. As Wright learns more about their cases, unethical police practices and improper forensic methods cast doubt on whether some of these women actually committed the crimes for which they'll pay the ultimate price.

Clear-eyed and rousing, layered and morally complex, Redemption explores ideas of retribution, spirituality, and the question of absolution.

Review Quotes

"Redemption gripped me like the best crime novel and left me fundamentally changed. Regardless of how you feel about capital punishment, you won't forget these women's stories: the horror of their crimes, the events that led them there, and what it means to live in the shadow of an impending execution. But it's the relationship between two groups of isolated women -- the condemned and the cloistered nuns who visit them -- that teaches us the most elusive of values: true empathy."--Belle Burden, author of Strangers

"Lawrence Wright never surprises. Every book or New Yorker profile he writes contains an extraordinary narrative (story) containing characters and ideas that linger. Inside this latest masterclass in reporting and writing, you will discover women on death row in Texas who forge a community with Catholic nuns and priests, each opening themselves to the other. But with Wright things are never simple, for he also explores the limits and benefits of faith, the often bestial nature of many of the murders these women committed, and the failures of a criminal justice system that falsely condemns some of these women to death. There are no cardboard cut-out figures in this book, no needless tears. Readers are in the hands of a master." --Ken Auletta, New Yorker writer and bestselling author

"Redemption is a story deep and powerful, told with Larry Wright's usual excellence. This book reminds us anew that Wright is one of America's most important writers." --Dan Rather

"One of the best narrative journalists in the business takes on the death penalty in his home state. . . . A deftly told story of crime, punishment, and hope." --Kirkus Reviews

"This unlikely story of a group of nuns in rural Texas ministering to seven women on death row is both captivating and inspiring. Two disparate groups--contemplative nuns and condemned inmates--set aside their pasts, slowly learn to trust one another, and ultimately bond as friends." --John Grisham

About the Author

LAWRENCE WRIGHT is a staff writer for The New Yorker, a playwright, a screenwriter, and the author of eleven books of nonfiction, including The Looming Tower, Going Clear, and God Save Texas, and four novels, The Human Scale, Mr. Texas, The End of October, and God's Favorite. He has received many honors, including a Pulitzer Prize for The Looming Tower. He and his wife are longtime residents of Austin, Texas.