An 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.
In the hands of Lawrence Wright, this tale is oddly compelling, even, dare I say, uplifting ... What elevates Redemption, a quiet tale of the bad and good things you didn’t think people were capable of, is the nuance behind the notoriety of those waiting to be executed by the State of Texas ... While the tale of unlikely new friends is fascinating, this is also a personal book, very much about Wright’s evolving views on faith ... The book runs out of momentum in two diversions that read like filler.
t may be Wright’s most personal work of journalism, a truly moving and thoughtful book that will challenge readers’ assumptions about guilt, justice, and transformation ... Ideal for dipping in and out of. Profiles of individual prisoners and nuns are richly observed and beautifully rendered.
Wright capably intertwines their stories—rich, in-depth profiles of the inner and outer lives of prisoners, nuns, and prison personnel—with accounts of heinous crimes, moments of divine revelation, and details about the death penalty, court proceedings and mistrials, histories of religious orders, and additional unique insights. Altogether, these compelling stories reflect episodes of grief, joy, remorse, revenge, redemption, and sisterhood, aptly animating these remarkable women and their warm, human relationships.
