Eschewing sensationalism, O'Shea has provided a state-by-state review of women and the death penalty in the last century. While it may not be as easy to read as books such as WOMEN WHO KILL because it does not have an overarching narrative, it does provide the stories and information. I am assigining it in a law school course I teach WOMEN & CRIME. I'd recommend it for all those who are serious about this issue.

A great book. I was moved and humbled by reading this transparently honest personal account. But for economic and educational circumstance, and luck, so many of us might be in a situation similar to that of those behind bars. At a time when we are becoming more aware of the fallibility of the criminal justice system, Ms. O'Shay has enabled us to educate ourselves about the circumstances of those less fortunate than ourselves, and to put their situation in a personal perspective. Yes, most of them committed a horrible crime, but none of us is to be equated with the worst thing we do in our lives. Do these women, even if guilty, deserve to be killed?

This radiant memoir is a blend of O'Shea's own story with excerpts from life stories of women on death row. O'Shea is a lesbian and former nun who has been researching and talking to women in prisons across the United States, especially with those on death row. This is her third book on the subject, but the first that is told from her own point of view. With remarkable technique, O'Shea shows us the universality of human experience and closes the gap between us and those whose freedom has been taken away. I found the book utterly radiant, so far it's my favorite memoir of the year.

Once I started to read this book I couldn't put it down. I was moved, shaken and awed. Ms. O'Shea had the courage to confront the pain of women convicted of murder who are waiting to be put to death, and to establish personal relationships with them. In weaving her own personal story into their stories, she also confronts the pain of her own life and evokes a compelling sense of how circumstantial our differences can be.

It is at once a horror story and a love story. A horror story because it lets us hear the voices of women whose last chance to redeem their lives is being taken from them. And a love story because it shows us how the author found redemption in her own life through the love she gave and received from others. The book led me to reflect on my own life, on what it means to be human, and on what we do to ourselves individually and as a society when we deny the possibility of forgiveness. Kathleen O'Shea has written a book that is profoundly important and healing.