Dead Man Walking: An Eyewitness Account Of The Death Penalty In The United States Reviews

• A view from my small corner of the justice system

  
  By on 2003-01-10
  I'm a legal secretary in a public defender's office in a large Western city (pop. 1,000,000+). As such, I'm situated interestingly halfway between the fierce anti-death penalty advocacy of the lawyers I work for (and crusading nuns)and the actual felons who call me from jail all day long. [Perhaps half are merely "accused felons", having only misdemeanor convictions in their past (though usually a bunch of those). The rest though are real straight-up convicted felons, not infrequently with more than one felony charge pending against them simultaneously. I call them our "frequent flyers".]

  Most of these criminals [the wrongly accused client is a rare enough occurence to be office-wide gossip when one comes along] are drug addicts busted for some meth in their car (found after a cop pulls them over for running a red light - duh!) or forging a prescription for painkillers. The whiners and manipulators among them can be fiercely irritating to deal with, but even the most recidivistic of them are more pathetic than scary. The lucky ones get public funding for treatment; the rest get to live out the addiction lifestyle [poverty, jail, etc.] that they chose for themselves. [Yes, I still believe in free will - supported by the evidence of those people born into equally disadvantaged circumstances who choose *not* to use meth, heroin, etc.] May God have mercy on them all.

  Then there are the scary ones - the sociopaths who molest children, rape women, and shoot people with guns. Go ahead and feel sorry for the innocent children they were - if you have time. Having listened to their self-pity, remorselessness, and cynical attempts to manipulate the advocacy system our society generously provides them, I'm more concerned that they be locked away for as long as possible - since, in all but the rarest cases, they are already long past the point where they can be redeemed as human beings.

  I don't know the exact statistics, but my informed guess is that maybe 1 out of 100 people who kill are successfully convicted of capital muder in a death penalty state. Of those, maybe 1 out of 100 is actually receives a death sentence. And of those, maybe 1 out of 100 is actually executed. So before you get all worked up with visions of every mentally retarded black teenager who nervously shoots a cashier in a liquor store hold-up being forcibly strapped into Old Sparky by a bunch of beefy jeering rednecks, take a reality check.

  You say that executing people is more expensive than locking them away for life? Well, if money is your main concern, it would be even cheaper not to fund jails at all or hire police to catch them in the first place. You say the death penalty isn't a deterrent? Look at the crime figures in Texas - the only state that actually enforces the death penalty on any kind of consistent basis - and get back to me. You say that most of the people executed are blacks who kill whites? Well, if denying justice to white victims because they were killed in a pro-white racist society is your idea of fairness, go send O.J. Simpson a check to cover his legal bills.
  
  

• Review by Detective who worked the case...

  
  By A2K5VO0WXXVVTO on 2002-11-19
  I would have appreciated Helen Prejean's point of view--and her work--had she researched the book and told the truth about the crimes and the victims.
  
  

• Grace, elegance, courage

  
  By A2EMEQCVOTJQN1 on 2002-08-22
  While the manner in which the story is presented is quite readable and engaging, the strength of this work is in the important and poignant experiences and issues the author presents. Reading this book one is struck by the incredible depth and character of the author. She is clearly a person of profound integrity and compassion, yet does not convey the impression of being judgemental nor saccarine.

  Prejean confronted the issue of capital punishment by embracing the situations of two of the least sympathetic situations perhaps possible: the men executed had committed heinous, unforgiveable crimes, ones that are alone horrifying to read about. However, in an incredibly objective fashion the author presents their atrocities in the context of the circumstances of these mens' lives which, while it does not in any way mitigate their crimes, does make their predilection for commiting them perhaps more comprehensible.

  Besides the fortitude Prejean demonstrated while supporting these men through their executions, including witnessing them, one is moved by her character in embracing the need to engage in dialog with the relatives of the victims of these mens' crimes. She shows incredible compassion in presenting their circumstances and suffering as well. While opposed to capital punishment Prejean fairly represents the perspective of those demanding vengance. The author also, in a very subtle fashion presents how the criminal justice system is cynically manipulated for political purposes, and the immense economic cost involved in executing prisoners.

  This is powerful, moving, and thought provoking. "Dean Man Walking" is a very important work.
  
  

• Well written, yet Prejean's sympathies are misplaced

  
  By AGCOCRW8A56U8 on 2000-01-19
  I enjoyed this book very much in terms of its thought-provocation, although I disagreed with 99% of what Sister Helen Prejean said. I felt her logic was flawed, and it upset me greatly that her sympathies were with these reprehensible characters who had worked very hard to earn their spot on death row. Prejean waited four years after having lobbied for the rights of death row prisoners before first starting a victims' rights group, which to me suggests a confusion of priorities: how is it that an individual feels sympathy with a convicted killer before she does with the victims of such tragedy (i.e., the families)?

  Throughout the story I felt that Sister Prejean was wasting her time, and her abundant energies and generous spirit could have been so much better spent on deserving, innocent people in real need: for example, sick children, destitute people who have not committed a murder, and refugees. I realize that she has helped many of those people throughout her life, but for every moment spent with a convicted murderer, time was wasted that could have been spent with those more deserving of this woman's care and concern.

  I also felt that Prejean was fooled by these prisoners, who showed apparent regret and sympathy before her. It didn't seem to me that they were sympathetic at all for what they'd done, in particular Robert Willie. Instead, the prisoners felt more that they'd been dealt a raw deal, and only apologized to the families at Prejean's continued prodding. Anyone can muster the façade of sympathy in front of a nun during their final days on this earth, especially when they have no one else to talk to.

  There is a lot of philosophy proffered by Prejean in this book that left me with a bad taste in my mouth, such as that the life of a condemned murderer is equal to that of a murder victim, and that the former is of equal dignity and worthy of equal protection. What? There are heaps more of that kind of liberal nonsense. Also, I found the statistics unconvincing, and leave with this: though it may be unfair that the death penalty statistically ends up harming the poor and minorities more often than other groups, if the individuals really did commit the alleged murderous acts, their oppressed social status or race doesn't make them any less guilty. Despite what is intimated by the recitation of such statistics, no one is pulling minorities and the poor from their homes and executing them- murderers earn the right to be put to death by their actions, and we shouldn't bemoan the fact that an expensive lawyer and a prolonged series of trials, through which an exonerating loophole can be found, is unavailable to them
  
  

• Preaching to the Choir

  
  By AAP7PPBU72QFM on 2000-01-24
  This entire book can be summed up by a look at the index. There is an entry under "death penalty -- arguments against" but no entry under "death penalty -- arguments for". And there are arguments for it, no matter what Sister Prejean and other reviewers seem to believe...the issue isn't nearly as simple or one-sided as she would have you believe.
  
  
• Keep on killing them!
  By A2IAR5XDY0KT2F on 2000-06-17
  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.
  
  
• Capital Punishment
  By A2O9HU1K7TCF7B on 2003-12-28
  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.
  
  

• A book about humanity touching the death penalty process.
  By A5SE162GKJGX5 on 2001-04-23
  The book is a factual, non-judgmental recitation of the author's observations of Louisiana death penalty executions. She has done a great deal of research and gives a great perspective of everyone involved: inmates, inmates' family members, prison officials, defense attorneys, and victims' families. She is a self-made expert on the death penalty and many people have relied on her support and friendship- despite their death penalty convictions. She's a great writer and this read is a real treat.
  
  
• Powerful and thought provoking
  By A15ZHQ44ANWKWZ on 1998-10-19
  Certainly a great book - wonderfully written and very moving. I came away feeling guilty that I had ever favoured capital punishment. I read more on the subject and came across a sentence written by John Douglas, the FBI 'profiler'. He said, "I am much more interested in giving an innocent victim a first chance than I am in giving a convicted criminal a second chance." And that, to me, is the real point. If there was REAL life imprisonment then we could feel safe knowing that some convicted killers could not be set free to kill again. It is all too easy to feel sympathy for someone waiting years to die on 'death row'. But it makes me very uneasy to think that just one could be released to harm my family. No, I am sorry Helen, but until you can lock them up for good, I'm going to support John Douglas. I am going to give my family a first chance rather than these convicted murderers a second chance. Nevertheless you are a dedicated and passionate person and a credit to the human race. God bless you.
  
  
• Hypnotic
  By A2MD5BT7B1EL0I on 2002-12-17
  A lot of reviewers have commented on the content of this book. I guess at this point I don't want to re-enter that debate, although I will tell all of you that I personally strongly oppose the death penalty.

  The thing that will stay with me about this book is the spare, unflinching, hypnotic tone of the writing. Helen Prejean has a writing style that will not let the reader look away. This is just as true when she is writing lists of facts as it is when she is recounting her personal oddyssey. No matter which side of this debate one personally comes down on, her strength as a person is impossible to negate. She is painfully honest, reavealing her own human fears and concerns, and recounting her growth as she acknowleges and faces them.

  This is a book that is hard to leave and will be difficult to forget.
  
  

• Prejean is good, but how's her book?
  By A7OBFVHNJGI2A on 2002-03-14
  This polemic against capital punishment is a real page-turner, but it's distinguished more by its passion than by literary merit. As a topical book on the death penalty, it demands notice -- and has probably received a good deal more notice than it really deserves. (On some level the film was understandable, but did we need Jake Heggie's schmaltzy opera?)

  One of Prejean's most effective arguments against the death penalty is that it gives a great deal of attention to murderers, while victims' families remain ignored. Although this book inevitably follows a similar course, Prejean is usually careful to give at least a token presence to victims and their families.

  I doubt this polemic will sway very many people on the justice or injustice of the death penalty. It's no secret that most Americans are glad the death penalty is around; it's also no secret that Prejean finds it deeply repugnant. The only unexpected development here is Prejean's growing advocacy of victims' rights, which represents an all-too-rare combination of "social justice" and social responsibility.

  As someone who often wishes that death penalty opponents would pay attention to the victims of violent crime (as well as their friends and families), I have to note that Prejean's activism is a step in the right direction -- even if her book is a bit more uneven on that score.
  
  

• Fascinating!
  By A1VM6A7HC6CEIH on 2000-06-30
  What makes this book so intense is that you know it's real. It is well written, descriptive without being overbearing and detatched enough to give you a fair perspective. The movie runs along similar lines as the book, except the method of execution, and the book delves into far more detail, as you would expect. Although an anti-death penalty activist, Helen Prejean has not written a anti-death penalty book. It's a straightforward narrative that draws the reader in and doesn't let go. She is a very talented lady and you feel a huge respect for what she does. Very compelling reading.
  
  
• It changed my mind!
  By on 1999-11-23
  I had the pleasure of meeting sister Helen quite a few times, and she was an inspiring woman. I have to admit, that before meeting her I had no interest in reviewing my opinion on the death penelty, but after sitting through a few seminars of hers, i decided to read the book. What I found was an inspiring account of friendship between Helen and the inmates, and Helen and the families of the victims. This book rang with truth. It was very informative as well. After reading the book and meeting the amazing woman behind it, I began going to candlelight vigils at Angola(the prison in the book), the night of execution. I now believe completely in her cause, and reccomend this book to anyone who is at all interested in capital punishment, or even human nature.
  
  
• CONSEQUENCES VS REVENGE
  By A110D7P9M34W0O on 2000-01-10
  While the book was well written and well informed on the problems and incosistencies of the judicial system, there is still something missing- the feeling of remorse from Willie and Pat and the desire for full responsibility. I know that God does not agree with hatred or vindictiveness. But I fully believe that God is an advocate for freedom of choice and accepting responsiblity for those choices, as well as forgiveness and love. What Sister Helen did as far as standing by their side so that they would not die alone was admirable, but here is my thought...God invites us to believe in him and his son. He does not force us but gives us free will to choose while giving us all the tools and guidance to make the right decision. If we choose not have Him in our hearts and lives, He still loves us, but with that choice we have to accept the consequences, eternal life without God. Well, that is what Willie and Pat did, they were given tools,their heart, soul, family, and God's love and they chose to ignore it and go their own way. So there is a price to pay for that. And while that judicial system is unfair, so is killing teenagers who have a whole life that they missed. Yes, Willie and Pat were poor and they were not given a chance to prove what? That they were represented unfairly by lawyers who could not get them off? Well, who represented those kids while Willie murdered, raped, hurt, and disgraced them. God states that he is a loving, but JUST God. I know God loves Pat and Willie, but He will also judge them for their sin. I am sure that Capital Punishment is not always dealt out fairly, but I can honestly say that it did in this case.I feel for the families of Pat and Willie. Pat and Willie are not dead because our legal system could not figure out a way to fight for two people who murdered, they are dead because Pat and Willie made the choice to kill. We need to stop blaming others and start looking in the mirror at some point. My heart, prayers, and love to Debbie, Mark, Faith, and their families, as well as for Pat and Willie's families.
  
  
• An Awakening of the Conscience
  By A2IJQIADVXZJ4D on 1999-09-29
  When I started reading this book some years ago, I was staunchly for the death penalty. On the other side, I was staunchly opposed. Such is the power and vibrancy of Helen Prejean's writing. She takes you inside the prison walls, inside the mind of the men who commit these desperate acts, the lives they've destroyed by these acts, and the long trek out of the dark night of evil. For some, the journey ends in forgiveness, for others in a hatred and an emptiness. This book will make this sort of crime and punishment real to anyone that reads it, and whatever opinion formed afterwards will be a better-informed one.
  
  
• Memorable and a to-be-read book
  By A20HMA36ESANHC on 2001-04-24
  This is a searing and vivid book, and its author is a truly remarkable woman. She not only befriends the murderers, but also the families of their victims--some of whom pant and hunger for revenge. I found this a memorable and thought-provoking book, though I need no book like this to convince me that the deliberate, pre-meditated killing of a human being is wrong, no matter who does it. The state should not emulate the people who do deliberate, pre-meditated killing. Look at the definition of murder in your state's laws, and note that capital punishment fits the elements thereof to a t, except for the word "unlawful" inserted therein. In Iowa the elements of murder are completely fulfilled by a killing if it is premeditated, deliberate, and with malice aforethought. What element of murder is missing in capital punishment? None of the named, one must conclude.
  
  
• Thomas Merton, move over!
  By A33H5GOBWHQAEZ on 2000-01-17
  This is the most powerful book I have encountered since Merton's Seven Story Mountain. I will never forget it. I needed to absorb the ideas in this book slowly and I will never be the same again, because of them. Sister Helen travels with me in spirit. Yes, prisoners, and murderers are human beings. People have helped me out with my own life. Without their help and without God's grace, I could be on death row, too.
  
  
• One of the most inspiring books I have ever read!
  By on 1999-01-10
  I am currently attending theological seminary, and the film "Dead Man Walking" inspired me to look into prison ministry. Helen Prejean's personal account of her work at Angola State Prison was even more inspiring than the film. I agree wholeheartedly with her theology that we must love even those who have done evil things, for every human being is a CHILD OF GOD. Jesus Christ called us to love one another, and Prejean firmly practices Christian love in what I believe to be its true sense: loving ALL human beings, regardless of their deeds. Prejean brought to light the corruption of our criminal justice system, and I was shocked but trustworthy of her data. As a first-year seminary student, I identified with her initial fear and uneasiness at entering a project about which she knew little, and I applaud her ability to befriend convicted rapists and murderers honestly, yet without condoning their crimes. I am a Protestant woman studying to become a minister, so in some ways my life will differ from Sister Helen's, but I can only pray for the strength to emulate her, and I thank her for her great inspiration.
  
  
• I really really dispize this nun!!!
  By AZS28E0FIMIJ4 on 2001-08-08
  I am against capital punishment. But this NUN could give a damn about the victims. So whatever she has to say in this book just resulted in me hurling this waste of paper at the fireplace. Yes, I know everyone has a right to thier opinion. So Sister Helen has a right to hers even though she a holier-than-thou (fill-in-the-blank). So, I'll step down from the pulpit now....
  
  
• Sister Helen Prejean is an inspiration!
  By A14Q14AJC3NUEW on 2001-08-14
  Certain books stay with you forever. You just get them out of your head or shake off their influence. For me, this is one of those books.

  IÕve always had mixed feelings about capital punishment. I suspect most Americans do Ð thatÕs why polls on the subject have swung back and forth so wildly over the past thirty-odd years. Sister Helen PrejeanÕs arguments against the death penalty are interesting, and often persuasive, but I canÕt say they settle the issue once and for all for me.

  But really, her argument against the death penalty is not what makes this book unforgettable. It is the example of Sister Helen herself that stays with me. She has taken to heart JesusÕ admonition to love everyone, and has done so in the most extreme manner possible Ð by offering love to brutal murderers, monsters, the people who least "deserve" that love. She does so in the belief that God has endowed every human being with a soul, and it is her job as a Christian to find and nurture that soul, even if it has shriveled to something as small and hard as a dry seed. She doesnÕt reveal great miracles of redemption, but she finds the humanity in people who have never shown much sign of it. I find that extremely inspiring.

  Even more moving than Sister HelenÕs work with condemned men is her attempt to reach out to the families of the people these men murdered. It took her several years to do so, not because she did not care about them, but because she cared so much, and was afraid she might say something that would increase their pain, or that her mere existence, as someone who worked with the murderers of their loved ones, would remind them of things better forgotten. But eventually she did reach out, showing enormous moral courage, I think, in opening herself up to receive the victims inevitable anger. Getting to know these people over the years, she realized that many victims held on to their anger, while others somehow let it go. She also realized that the revenge of watching their loved onesÕ murderers finally be executed did very little to help them heal. People healed by forgiving.

  I think many readers approach this as a political book, looking for arguments against capital punishment. But it is more of a spiritual book, challenging readers to take the Christian messages of love and forgiveness as seriously as Sister Helen does. I canÕt imagine how anyone could read this book and not admire Helen Prejean, and want to be more like her. SheÕs an inspiration, a living saint.
  
  

• Absolutely worth considering
  By A14I096HQM4L7F on 2005-09-23
  Sister Helen's case is a highly serious and convincing one, and she has bolstered it by the results of detailed and careful investigations which she has incorporated on top of her experience as a spiritual adviser to delinquents, whose executions she watched in person.
  
  To the initial barbarity and the violence of the delinquent, capital punishment does nothing but add a further barbarity, this time on the part of the prosecutors viz the state; the death penalty literally improves nothing.
  
  The new insights I gained, apart from the wellknown facts (capital punishment does not deter heinous criminality more than other kinds of punishment do, states which maintain the death penalty tend to inflict it more on poor rather than on rich delinquents, and to aggravate punishment according to the "importance" of the crimes' victims):
  
  The death penalty, if administered in civilized States, requires more expenditure of time and funds than life imprisonment would. To implement it, even in the U.S., harsh infringements of human dignity, sometimes also torture, can barely be avoided, even though great efforts may be made by the personnel to conform with the laws.
  
  Courts can never be absolutely sure that the deliquent is guilty: evidence is practically never 100% safe.
  
  And, as Sister Helen has stated: Capital punishment wouldn't even be ok if such uncontrovertible evidence were forthcoming every time.
  
  "It isn't and never will be because of what it does to us. There's a death of innnocence in all of us. Look what happens to Supreme Court Justices who do these nuanced constitutional arguments and send people to their deaths and never touch the human cheek, the suffering. So I say, even for our own sake as a society, let's take death off the table. We can't handle it." (Interview with TIME Magazine, February 2, 2005.)
  
  There may be those who wish to maintain capital punishment for reasons of atonement: Anything less would be unjust towards the victims and the bereaved families, they say. Society should express its abhorrence of these extremely heinous crimes by this ultimate punishment. On the basis of this book, even persons of such firm, and respectable, convictions should reconsider the price for such a collective expression. This price does appear too high.
  
  Human justice, in dealing with some crimes, simply reaches its limits. This seems to me the main moral lesson from this book.
  
  As a citizen of Western Europe, one is grateful that capital punishment has been abolished hereabouts. What grips the average European is the image of Sister Helen as it emerges from the margins of the account.
  
  Sister Helen shows no squeamishness. Still, she makes her clearly justified point with discretion, exhibiting great commitment to her aim, again keeping clear of bitterness and exaggeration. She never speaks in a loud voice, but in whatever she says hits the essential point. Suddenly one tells oneself: Here is one exemplary woman.
  
  
• Much more powerful than the movie
  By on 1999-12-30
  I started reading this book one night, and couldn't put it down for hours. It's full of information, and really makes you think, no matter what your point of view. It's also very moving; some parts brought me to tears. Although I saw the movie a couple of years ago, it had much less effect on me than the book did. Highly recommended!
  
  
• Decide after you know the facts
  By A1LQZZDPV96TQI on 2004-08-25
  This book opened my eyes. I used to think it was acceptable for the government to kill Really Bad People, but now I understand the complications with our system and why it fails. Even if this book doesn't change your mind on this hot-button issue, it will explain how the system really works, and your opinion will be an informed one.
  
  I've also heard Sister Helen speak in person -- she's amazing. If you ever hear that she's in the area, go listen to her! Who would guess that a nun would be so darn funny?
  
  
• Inspiring book & Film
  By A2KBF2OYR359AJ on 2007-03-31
  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.
  
  
  
• Humanity on Death Row
  By A2JIN5GYT0AEPS on 2000-06-22
  Nonfiction book by a Catholic nun about her work as spiritual advisor to two death row inmates in Louisiana. It's a gripping and moving personal tale about her calling to connect with the humanity and pain of people who have caused great pain to others. Motivated me to want to get involved in anti-death penalty activities.
  
  
• Prejean is a Pleasure
  By on 1998-07-09
  In this book Helen Prejean does a wonderful job of both enlightening and informing her reader, without boring him or her. I have always known that I was against the death penalty, and this book, along with Sr Helen's experiences, completely affirms my belief, Not only are the book & movie well-done, but Prejean is wonderful to listen to. If you ever have the chance to hear her speak live, DO IT! I had the chance to hear her this past year in college, and then was able to participate in a question/answer session with her in a small group. She was most impressive in both venues, and had excellent answers for the audience's sometimes-antagonistic questions. In fact, the night spent listening to her speak was the most spiritually moving time of my short life.
  
  
• Dead Man Walking Review
  By A3HSXT09MDE2JN on 2003-12-18
  A Catholic nun by the name of Prejean, a member of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Medaille, who is friends with two death-row inmates, coupled with a plea for the abolition of capital punishment. In 1982, Prejean agrees to correspond with convicted rapist and murderer Patrick Sonnier, awaiting execution in Louisiana's electric chair. Letters lead to visits, and Prejean becomes spiritual advisor to the condemned man. Her counsel takes over, and Sonnier dies. Both killers come off as repellently fascinating, but the real interest here is in Prejean. Even of those who have taken the lives of others. Her arguments against capital punishment are well known but preached with passion: The death penalty is racist, barbaric, and doesn't deter crime; innocent people get killed, etc. But her real brief lies in the grim details of execution, both in the degradation of the long weeks of waiting and in the torture of the execution itself. To Prejean, the whole story is a web of crimes, the original murder; the execution. The suffering inflicted upon the families of both killer and victim, to which the only moral response is love inspired by Christ, who "refused to meet hate with hate and violence with violence."
  
  
• Must read for all Americans
  By on 1999-05-23
  An excellent overview of Capitol Punishment in the United States. Helen PreJean details her dealings with death row inmates, offers vital statistics and accounts of the cases. If you believe in the death penalty, read this book... you may very well change your mind.
  
  
• Reflection worth reading
  By AOK9CWCN8NZ3Y on 2001-06-21
  Sister Helen Prejean's reflection on her involvement with the death penalty is a deep and provocative work that will fascinate and stimulate any person with an interest in morality, religion, ethics, public policy, or emotional growth. Whether you support or oppose the death penalty, there is plenty to find engaging in this book. Prejean writes beautifully and her reflections are full of imagery and detail. Tears come easily. Yet, if you are looking for a balanced, scholarly, or objective analysis of capital punishment, this is not the primary book to read. "Dead Man Walking" offers steadfast opposition to the death penalty in an emotional and true story.
  
  
• A Well Written Account of the Tragedy of the Death Penalty
  By A2CQPUPGOEJ38T on 2002-11-18
  Sister Helen Prejean's work with death row inmates, both as their spiritual advisor and otherwise is deeply inspiring. Her book is a well documented if somewhat cursory look as to why the death penalty does not serve justice and how the legal system often fails to defend people merely on the basis of their not having enough money to pay for the neccesary services.

  This is a great book for anyone who wants a brief well written account of how teh death penalty is more a death trap for the poor rather than a mechanism of justice, and also for anyone who wants to read a deeply personal account of just how deeply and terribly the death penalty affects people's lives.
  
  

• The Death of Innocents: An Eyewitness Account of Wrongful Executions
• Dead Man Walking
• Seabiscuit: An American Legend
• Death of a Salesman (Penguin Plays)
• The Long Loneliness