Wilbert Rideau - IN THE PLACE OF JUSTICE: A Story of Punishment and Deliverance
Please join us for a booksigning and reading with Wilbert Rideau, the award-winning journalist who spent forty-four
years in Louisiana prisons working against unimaginable odds to redeem
himself, as he now tells the story of a remarkable life: a crime, its punishment, and
ultimate triumph.
After killing a woman in a moment of panic
following a botched bank robbery, Rideau, denied a fair trial, was
improperly sentenced to death at the age of nineteen. After more than a
decade on death row, his sentence was amended to life imprisonment, and
he joined the inmate population of the infamous Angola penitentiary.
Soon Rideau became editor of the prison newsmagazine The Angolite,
which under his leadership became an uncensored, daring, and crusading
journal instrumental in reforming the violent prison and the corrupt
Louisiana justice system.
With the same incisive feel for detail
that brought Rideau great critical acclaim, here he brings to vivid life
the world of the prison through the power of his pen. We see Angola’s
unique culture, encompassing not only rivalries, sexual slavery,
ingrained racism, and daily, soul-killing injustices but also acts of
courage and decency by keeper and kept alike. As we relive Rideau’s
remarkable rehabilitation—he lived a more productive life in prison than
do most outside—we also witness his long struggle for justice.
In
the Place of Justice goes far beyond the confines of a prison
memoir, giving us a searing exposé of the failures of our legal system
framed within the dramatic tale of a man who found meaning, purpose, and
hope in prison. This is a deeply moving, eloquent, and inspirational
story about perseverance, unexpected friendships and love, and the
possibility that good can be forged under any circumstances.
Wilbert Rideau was editor of The Angolite, which was
nominated for seven national magazine awards. While in prison, he was a
correspondent for NPR’s Fresh Air; co-produced and narrated a
documentary, “Tossing Away the Keys,” for NPR’s All Things Considered;
collaborated on “In for Life” for ABC-TV’s Day One; and
codirected the Academy Award–nominated film The Farm: Angola, USA.
He is the recipient of a George Polk Award and a Robert F. Kennedy
Journalism Award, among others. He was awarded a Soros Justice
Fellowship in 2007 and has worked as a consultant with the Federal Death
Penalty Resource Counsel Project. He lives in Louisiana.
Listen to the interview with Wilbert Rideau by Terry Gross as broadcast on Fresh Air: Doing Time, And Doing Good, In La.'s Angola Prison.
Availability: Usually Ships in 1-5 days
Published: Knopf, 6/2010
- Street:
- Octavia Books
- Additional:
- 513 Octavia St
- City:
- New Orleans ,
- Province:
- Louisiana
- Postal Code:
- 70115-2055
- Country:
- United States
