Right here, right now : life stories from America's death row / edited by Lynden Harris ; with a foreword by Henderson Hill and an afterword by Timothy B. Tyson.
Foreword / Henderson Hill -- I. The part that was innocent (early childhood, birth to five years old). Playing solitary -- Grandma shot Bob -- Ajar -- No questions asked -- Downpour -- Nigger lover -- Shelf life -- Not the worst fate -- Car ride -- Momma's boy -- Good habits -- II. Boot camp (elementary school, six to ten years old). It was reefer -- Blistered -- Ode to a pretty girl -- U-turn -- The monster -- Don't bring a gun to a knife fight -- Red, half-white, and blue -- Badge of honor -- Boot camp -- Lesson learned -- Better off dead -- Shake it off -- III. The drama was live (middle school, eleven to thirteen years old). You can be anything -- Bootleg -- Luxury -- Cop -- Man of the house -- Trance -- Tar pit -- Point blank -- Role model -- Elliot MF Jones -- Suspension of disbelief -- IV. From bad to worse (fourteen years old to arrest). A wrap -- JD -- When we were young -- Stinging bee -- Hands on -- On my own -- Ain't got no name -- Slap in the face -- Doing my job -- White devil -- Voices in the dark -- Finally -- Crossing over -- V. Given the circumstances (jail to trial and sentencing). A kind of peace -- Seeing the light -- Boy -- The quiet room -- Helpless -- Just like a frog -- The source -- I heard you -- Mercy on my soul -- Butterflies -- After the storm -- VI. Worst of the worst (entering death row and solitary). What you got? -- Worst of the worst -- Nursing home -- Combat readiness -- The hole -- Peanut -- Motel -- All these guys -- Word is bond -- VII. You are not here to be rehabilitated (life on death row). The raw -- Firstborn -- Valentine's Day -- Time lost -- Hugs -- I knew what was coming -- The real question -- For my heart only -- Guilt by association -- Pumping iron -- I became him -- Definitely Christmas -- Sidekick for life -- The huggy boys -- Cellar dwellers -- Your neighbor -- Beyond the wall -- Ten cents a minute -- You can do it -- The kind that never go away -- Making it home -- Someone was gonna die -- Sugar rush -- VIII. Every day's worth celebrating (facing execution). Deal the cards -- Weighing the cost -- The envelope -- Final hours -- Cruel and unusual -- Black and mild -- Something wasn't right -- Holy Week -- Dawn -- Afterword / Timothy B. Tyson.
Summary:
Upon receiving his execution date, one of the thousands of men living on death row in the United States had an epiphany: All there ever is, is this moment. You, me, all of us, right here, right now, this minute, that's love.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.