In this graphic adaptation of Sister Helen Prejeanâs bestselling memoir, acclaimed artist Catherine Anyango GrÞnewald and writer Rose Vines bring to striking visual life the story of a nun who becomes a fierce advocate against the death penalty.
âThe now legendary story of Dead Man Walking has been heard and seen by millions. This updated, graphic presentation is yet another way for others, hopefully a new generation, to witness the inhumane treatment of those in our prisons.ââJohn Grisham
Growing up in a middle-class Roman Catholic family in the Jim Crow South, Sister Helen Prejean had resisted the idea that religious faith could be harnessed into social justice until dramatic changes sweeping the Catholic Church in the 1960s and â70s landed her in the heart of the New Orleans housing projects.
There, she was asked to write a letter to Patrick Sonnierâa man sentenced to die in Louisianaâs electric chair for the murder of two teenagers. When Sonnier wrote back, Prejeanâs life irrevocably altered course. She came to know a man who was as terrified as he had once been terrifying, as well as the victimsâ families and the men who were charged with putting Sonnier to death.
For more than four decades, Prejean has worked alongside the convicted, as well as the families of victims, to abolish the death penalty, a sentence often determined by race, economic status, and geography.
This graphic adaptation of Prejeanâs memoir offers an accessible way to engage with one of the most complex moral and emotional issues facing our country. Rose Vines skillfully interlaces recent developments with the original account, amplifying its relevance for todayâs readers. Catherine Anyango GrÞnewaldâs illustrations urge us to grapple with the humanity of this story, drawing an evocative, unforgettable portrait of mercy and justice.