Overview
"OPRAH'S BOOK CLUB PICK 2022 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER ""When I think about the fact that society, a nation, has sentenced me to death, all I can do is turn inside myself, to the place in my heart that wants so desperately to feel human, still connected to this world, as if I have a purpose."" The moving memoir of a Death Row inmate who discovers Buddhism and becomes an inspirational role model for fellow inmates, guards, and a growing public. In 1990, while serving a sentence in San Quentin for armed robbery, Jarvis Jay Masters was implicated as an accessory in the murder of a prison guard. A 23-year-old Black man, Jarvis was sentenced to death in the gas chamber. While in the maximum security section of Death Row, using the only instrument available to him--a ball-point pen filler--Masters's astounding memoir is a testament to the tenacity of the human spirit and the talent of a fine writer. Offering us scenes from his life that are at times poignant, revelatory, frightening, soul-stirring, painful, funny and uplifting, That Bird Has My Wings tells the story of the author's childhood with parents addicted to heroin, an abusive foster family, a life of crime and imprisonment, and the eventual embracing of Buddhism. Masters's story drew the attention of luminaries in the world of American Buddhism, including Pema Chodron, who wrote a story about him for O Magazine and offers a foreword to the book. Thirty-two years after his conviction, Masters is still on Death Row. A growing movement of people believe Masters is innocent, and are actively working within the legal system to free him."
Full Product Details
Author: Jarvis Jay Masters ,
Korey Jackson
Publisher: HarperCollins
Imprint: HarperCollins
Edition: Library Edition
ISBN: 9798212660822
Publication Date: 27 September 2022
Audience:
General/trade
,
General
Format: Audio
Publisher's Status: Active
Availability: In Print
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Reviews
"""As Masters moves from foster homes to juvie to prison, you start to understand how badly the system fails kids like him...A page-turner."" -- ""San Francisco Magazine"" ""His compelling memoir is a plea for reform, for a common humanity, and I share his hope that this moving story will redouble our efforts to make sure that every child matters."" -- ""Desmond Tutu, South African Anglican bishop and activist"" ""Masters...recalls the neglect, abuse and cycle of crime and hopelessness that relegated him to prison by age nineteen."" -- ""Publishers Weekly"" ""This amazing, wise man deserves our ear and our support."" -- ""Sister Helen Prejean, author of Dead Man Walking"""
Author Information
"Jarvis Jay Masters entered San Quentin when he was the age of nineteen. He is the author of Finding Freedom as well as many articles. In 1992, Masters won a PEN Award for his poem ""Recipe for Prison Pruno."" In 1990, Masters was moved to death row after being convicted of conspiracy in the murder of a prison guard. In April 2008, the California Supreme Court ordered an evidentiary hearing based on the lack of substantial evidence for Masters' conviction. Many people believe in Masters' innocence and are actively working within the legal system to free him. Korey Jackson, an Earphones Award-winning narrator, is an actor, known for his roles in the films 37, Life Itself, and Anesthesia. He earned his MFA in acting from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts."
