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154 reviews for:
That Bird Has My Wings: The Autobiography of an Innocent Man on Death Row
Jarvis Jay Masters
4.17 AVERAGE
154 reviews for:
That Bird Has My Wings: The Autobiography of an Innocent Man on Death Row
Jarvis Jay Masters
4.17 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
A hard hitting memoir about the evolution from a child an abusive situation to foster care to youth homes and ends, almost inevitably, on death row in San Quentin.
Masters is a gifted writer and storyteller. He paints a world where he managed to discover a few days of hope and joy in an otherwise bleak existence. Most surprisingly is the love he maintains till this day for his family, and his mother in particular.
Masters spends a large part of this book painting the world of his childhood through words. The only letdown was how sparse his description of the events leading up to and beyond his being sentenced to death by lethal injection for his part in conspiracy to kill a prison guard. Masters maintains his innocence, but does little to convince the reader, spending little time on those details of his life. The juxtaposition of detail in his story from childhood to adulthood feels disjointed. I can only imagine that he left out many of those details so as not to colour his ongoing appeals.
I listened to the audiobook and the narrator does a fantastic job. Great book, but easily outdone by The Sun Does Shine, The New Jim Crow, or Just Mercy.
Masters is a gifted writer and storyteller. He paints a world where he managed to discover a few days of hope and joy in an otherwise bleak existence. Most surprisingly is the love he maintains till this day for his family, and his mother in particular.
Masters spends a large part of this book painting the world of his childhood through words. The only letdown was how sparse his description of the events leading up to and beyond his being sentenced to death by lethal injection for his part in conspiracy to kill a prison guard. Masters maintains his innocence, but does little to convince the reader, spending little time on those details of his life. The juxtaposition of detail in his story from childhood to adulthood feels disjointed. I can only imagine that he left out many of those details so as not to colour his ongoing appeals.
I listened to the audiobook and the narrator does a fantastic job. Great book, but easily outdone by The Sun Does Shine, The New Jim Crow, or Just Mercy.
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-paced
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use, Vomit
emotional
inspiring
sad
fast-paced
emotional
sad
medium-paced
This was a DNF for me. It was hard to read his struggles but it kept getting worse and I was not interested enough to finish.
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
A truly heartbreaking book from start to finish. I didn’t expect for so much of it to be about Masters’ life before prison. It seems so empty to just say that everything that takes place in his life is disturbing and really hard to read. I kept thinking how blessed and privileged I am to read this book and live such a life of peace and freedom. There’s incredibly upsetting moments of abuse and neglect, and all the while I kept reminding myself that the majority of it happens to him as a CHILD. It’s a painful reflection of how nearly everyone in his life failed him. The kindnesses he experienced are few and far between. I definitely want to know more about him and who he is now.
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Alcohol
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse
Everyone should have this book on their book shelf! It was right up there with The Sun Does Shine for me!
It was an honor to read about the life of Jarvis Masters in his own words. At no point does he make himself out to be the victim of his childhood experiences. He acknowledges the hurt he has caused for so many. BUT to be clear… it is impossible to read his words and not draw a direct connection between his childhood and ending up in San Quentin. There is not a doubt in my mind that his experiences growing up funneled him directly into the prison system.
This book challenges the idea that our prison system is made up of the worst of the worst. The adults in his life and the foster care system continuously failed Jay Masters. I’m by no means excusing his actions but I’m confident that if he had even an ounce of the support I had growing up he wouldn’t be sitting on death row. It’s heartbreaking to know his story isn’t the outlier.
THE FOSTER CARE SYSTEM IS FAILING THE VERY INDIVIDUALS IT IS MEANT TO SERVE . But that’s a soapbox for a different day.
The book itself is incredible. Even more incredible when you think about the fact Jarvis Masters wrote the entire thing from his tiny cell at San Quentin. I can’t recommend it highly enough!!!
It was an honor to read about the life of Jarvis Masters in his own words. At no point does he make himself out to be the victim of his childhood experiences. He acknowledges the hurt he has caused for so many. BUT to be clear… it is impossible to read his words and not draw a direct connection between his childhood and ending up in San Quentin. There is not a doubt in my mind that his experiences growing up funneled him directly into the prison system.
This book challenges the idea that our prison system is made up of the worst of the worst. The adults in his life and the foster care system continuously failed Jay Masters. I’m by no means excusing his actions but I’m confident that if he had even an ounce of the support I had growing up he wouldn’t be sitting on death row. It’s heartbreaking to know his story isn’t the outlier.
THE FOSTER CARE SYSTEM IS FAILING THE VERY INDIVIDUALS IT IS MEANT TO SERVE . But that’s a soapbox for a different day.
The book itself is incredible. Even more incredible when you think about the fact Jarvis Masters wrote the entire thing from his tiny cell at San Quentin. I can’t recommend it highly enough!!!