A Dream of a Tattered Man : Stories from Georgia's Death Row [first edition]

Foreword by Will D. Campbell This gripping volume records Randy Loney’s weekly visits with prisoners on Georgia’s death row, movingly portraying the personal relationships he developed with them. These powerful meditations explain how Loney came to visit death row and speak candidly of the intellectual and theological resources that shape his understanding of his visits. Whatever one feels or thinks about the issues related to death row, Loney brings readers closer to the men who live their lives on the brink of death. Though the book contains an implicit critique of the American justice system and capital punishment, Loney’s primary intent is to show, in very intimate terms, the genuine humanity of those deemed unworthy of life. Reflecting on his friendships with the men introduced in these pages, Loney unfolds his increasing understanding of his own witness in the face of the horror of the death penalty and of his own moral frailty. Giving voice to the nature of the human spirit on both sides of the bars, he affirms the integrity of life and creation, despite society's maltreatment of marginalized human beings—especially the poor and persons of color—and the need to express faith in the reality of God’s love, despite the bewildering experience of divine absence. A Dream of the Tattered Man is a deeply affective work offering profound insight into the meaning and value of the human journey through life.