Letters and other writings from death row prisoners to their UK penpals.

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Product Description

This book gives condemned people in the United States the chance to speak for themselves - to talk about their existence in the hidden world of death row. Consisting of letters and other writings from inmates to members of LifeLines, an organization of pen friends based in the United Kingdom, "Welcome to Hell" conveys daily life on death row.

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #332302 in Books
• Published on: 2004-11-30
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 304 pages

From the Author
The prisoners' own voice
After the first English edition of this book was published in 1991, I received dozens of letters from people saying that it was one of the most powerful and moving books they had ever read. I can boast about the book as I am just the editor: it is really the voice of the men and women on Death Row. The book consists almost entirely of excerpts from letters written by the prisoners to people in Britain and Ireland. The letters were of course not written for publication and so often come from the heart and have great immediacy. People seem either to read the book from cover to cover, or find it such strong meat that they can take it only in small bits at a time. I'd greatly welcome readers' reactions to it.

About the Author
Jan Arriens is an activist against the death penalty and founder of LifeLines. Sister Helen Prejean is the author of Dead Man Walking: An Eyewitness Account of the Death Penalty in the United States. Clive Stafford Smith is Director of the Louisiana Crisis Assistance Center in New Orleans.

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Customer Reviews

Everyone should read this.
This book made me laugh out loud, it also had me in tears more than once. Without moralising about the rights and wrongs of the US justice system, it reminds us that these "monsters" who have been sentenced to death are, in the main, human beings with feelings and emotions, people who just made a serious mistake at some point in their lives.
It is also probably a good book to read if you are contemplating writing to a prisoner. You will soon understand the highs and lows of such a relationship - the chapter of letters written by a man in the days leading up to his execution was perhaps the most moving thing I've ever read, and made me sad for him, and also for my own penpal who may one day face the same fate.
Read it if you have, or are hoping to get, a penpal on death row. More importantly, if you think you are "pro" death penalty, read this and see if your views are changed.

I learned a lot from this book
I am 16 years old and I think this book was one of the best books I have ever read.I don't read very much but I read this book in about 3 hours. It tells you the truth about being on death row. And has changed my mind about the death penalty. I am going to recommend this book to everyone I know.

Most thought provoking book ever written
This book will bring many emotions to the reader. It clearly shows the emotions and unjustice that the Death Penalty creates. It also shows that a high percentage of people on death row have made one serious error that causes them to be 'murdered' by their own government.
This book will make you cry, laugh, if there is one book you ever read this must be it!