In the Place of Justice
A Story of Punishment and Deliverance
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5.0 • 8 Ratings
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- $11.99
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
Wilbert Rideau, an award-winning journalist who spent forty-four years in prison, delivers a remarkable memoir of crime, punishment, and ultimate triumph.
After killing a bank teller in a moment of panic during a botched robbery, Wilbert Rideau was sentenced to death at the age of nineteen. He spent several years on death row at Angola before his sentence was commuted to life, where, as editor of the prison newsmagazine The Angolite, he undertook a mission to expose and reform Louisiana's iniquitous justice system from the inside. Vivid, incisive, and compassionate, this is a detailed account of prison life and a man who accepted responsibility for his actions and worked to redeem himself. It is a story about not giving up; finding love in unexpected places; the power of kindness; and the ability to do good, no matter where you are.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
A death row inmate finds redemption as a prison journalist in this uplifting memoir. In 1961, after a bungled bank robbery, Rideau was convicted of murder at the age of 19 and received a death sentence that was later commuted to life in prison at Louisiana's Angola penitentiary, then the most violent in the nation. Against all expectations, his own included, he turned his up-to-then cursed life around, becoming editor of the prison newsmagazine, the Angolite, and an NPR correspondent who published nationally acclaimed articles on prison violence, rape and sexual slavery, and the cruelty of the electric chair. Rideau frames his 44-year fight to get his conviction reduced to manslaughter and win parole (he succeeded in 2005) as a black man's struggle against a racist criminal justice establishment. More inspiring is his self-reclamation through tough, committed journalism in an unpropitious setting where survival required canny alliance building against predatory inmates and callous authorities alike. To a society that treats convicts as a worthless underclass, Rideau's story is a compelling reminder that rehabilitation should be the focus of a penal system. 16 pages of photos; 2 maps.
Customer Reviews
Place of justice
This was an excellent book. A must read. This book opened my eyes in ways unimaginable.I think everyone who had to fight adversity one way or another should give this book a read.
Definitely one of my favorites!!!!!
Must read
This is a must-read book for anyone interested in self-help or self improvement topics. The inner-strength of the author over the course of his entire life is extraordinary, and the importance of his achievements will grow exponentially over time.
Furthermore, we are entering a period of concern and interest over the prison population in the USA. How we deal with crime and punishment. This book will give the reader a preface on that debate and, if this book is read and understood, we may progress to a period of enlightenment on this topic. In this case, the book is an important and lasting work on a crucial topic.
But, most importantly, you will be engaged as you are educated. Its a very compelling and easy read. Nobody says that education should be dull, boring and painful! You will thoroughly enjoy this book while you are educated. In this way it is a near-perfect document that took 40+ years to create.