A Saint on Death Row

While attending the Austin Book Festival last year, we were handed a tote bag donated by Vintage Books which held a few books that I wouldn't normally have chosen to read.  One of these was A Saint on Death Row. Thomas Cahill follows the story of Dominique Green's arrest and incarcaration.  In the words of Thomas Cahill "Dominique is where he is for two reasons only: because he is poor and because he is black." After a less than loving childhood, Dominique made many poor decisions. After his mother tossed him (at age 15) and his brother from their abusive home, he sold drugs to support the two of them. On October 14, 1992 a man was killed outside a Houston convenience store and not long thereafter Domique, along with two others, was arrested. This is the start of an unbelievable story of a justice system with no justice. According to the author, there was no evidence linking Dominique to the murder and yet with lackadaisical counsel he was convicted and sent to death row. (Neither of the other two boys received the death penalty). The story doesn't end here. There are years of denied appeals. 
While the death penalty may be considered a deterrent, there is no guarantee that the person incarcerated (unless the murder is seen by a reliable witness) is guilty. You've only got to look at the number of criminal cases that have been overturned since DNA testing has become available to know that the justice system is flawed.
This book is thought provoking and would make a good book club read.
Book club questions/reading guide here 

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