Redemption

Judith D Collins

Oct 21

6 min read

Faith, Justice, and Sisterhood on Death Row

By: Lawrence Wright

Narrator: Lawrence Wright

Random House Audio

ISBN: 9780593805084

Publisher: Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor | Knopf

Publication Date: 10/20/2026

Format: Other

My Rating: 5 Stars (ARC)

OCT 2026 MUST-READ BOOKS

TOP BOOKS OF 2016

A powerful and startling account of the unsparing connection between a convent of cloistered nuns and the condemned women on Texas’s death row, exploring questions around crime and punishment, faith, and retribution in America as only Lawrence Wright can

"This unlikely story of a group of nuns in rural Texas ministering to seven women on death row is both captivating and inspiring. Two disparate groups—contemplative nuns and condemned inmates—set aside their pasts, slowly learn to trust one another, and ultimately bond as friends." —John Grisham

In the fall of 2014, Deacon Ronnie Lastovica visited a women’s prison in Gatesville, Texas and gave communion to the women on death row. Moved by the meeting, the Deacon vowed to return weekly, but he knew he couldn’t help these women alone. He called upon the Sisters of Mary Morning Star, a group of contemplative nuns in Waco, Texas, to visit the seven condemned women with him. What follows is an incredible story of a spiritual alliance between two groups of women who, though they couldn't seem more different, are living uniquely similar lives.

Lawrence Wright takes us into the death row unit, laying bare their stories. Some of the women in prison wrestle with guilt over the suffering they’ve caused; others fiercely maintain their innocence. As Wright learns more about their cases, unethical police practices and improper forensic methods cast doubt on whether some of these women actually committed the crimes for which they’ll pay the ultimate price.

Clear-eyed and rousing, layered and morally complex, Redemption explores ideas of retribution, spirituality, and the question of absolution.

Buy the Book

Praise

"One of the best narrative journalists in the business takes on the death penalty in his home state. . . . A deftly told story of crime, punishment, and hope." — Kirkus Reviews

". . . Compelling, even, dare I say, uplifting. . . . What elevates “Redemption,” a quiet tale of the bad and good things you didn’t think people were capable of, is the nuance behind the notoriety of those waiting to be executed by the State of Texas. To accomplish this, Wright tracks the efforts of a handful of contemplative nuns, the Sisters of Mary Morning Star, to bring life to death row. . . . The nuns are intelligent and creative. And yet they lead lives that are spartan in the extreme. But they are not without power, and, as Wright shows in “Redemption,” it’s a power that may elude people with far more money and influence." —Timothy Egan, The New York Times Book Review

"A veteran journalist who has covered everything from terrorism to Scientology, Wright here dives into a story of quiet revolution: the mission, by an order of solitary nuns, to save the souls of women facing execution by the state of Texas. . . . Wright finds drama of the deepest kind, and examines his own thorny relationship with Christianity along the way. It may be Wright’s most personal work of journalism, a truly moving and thoughtful book that will challenge readers’ assumptions about guilt, justice, and transformation." —Kate Tuttle, Boston Globe

"Lawrence Wright is one of the most celebrated nonfiction writers working today. . . . Redemption faces the same thorny questions that other books about death row navigate. . . . Thanks to his crackling style and reporting chops, Wright faces those challenges head-on." —Stephen Elliott, BookPage

"Redemption gripped me like the best crime novel and left me fundamentally changed. Regardless of how you feel about capital punishment, you won't forget these women's stories: the horror of their crimes, the events that led them there, and what it means to live in the shadow of an impending execution. But it's the relationship between two groups of isolated women -- the condemned and the cloistered nuns who visit them -- that teaches us the most elusive of values: true empathy." —Belle Burden, author of Strangers

"Lawrence Wright never surprises. Every book or New Yorker profile he writes contains an extraordinary narrative (story) containing characters and ideas that linger. Inside this latest masterclass in reporting and writing, you will discover women on death row in Texas who forge a community with Catholic nuns and priests, each opening themselves to the other. But with Wright things are never simple, for he also explores the limits and benefits of faith, the often bestial nature of many of the murders these women committed, and the failures of a criminal justice system that falsely condemns some of these women to death. There are no cardboard cut-out figures in this book, no needless tears. Readers are in the hands of a master." —Ken Auletta, New Yorker writer and bestselling author

"Redemption is a story deep and powerful, told with Larry Wright’s usual excellence. This book reminds us anew that Wright is one of America’s most important writers." —Dan Rather

About the Author

LAWRENCE WRIGHT is a staff writer for The New Yorker, a playwright, a screenwriter, and the author of eleven books of nonfiction, including The Looming Tower, Going Clear, and God Save Texas, and four novels, The Human Scale, Mr. Texas, The End of October, and God's Favorite. He has received many honors, including a Pulitzer Prize for The Looming Tower. He and his wife are longtime residents of Austin, Texas." WEBSITE

#Redemption

My Review

Can grace survive on death row?

In his most personal book yet, Lawrence Wright takes us inside a Texas women's prison where cloistered nuns have formed an unlikely bond with seven women facing execution. REDEMPTION Faith, Justice, and Sisterhood on Death Row.

Top Books of 2026!

The Hook

What happens when an order of cloistered, solitary Roman Catholic nuns decides to build a spiritual alliance with seven women waiting to be executed by the state of Texas?

Elevator Pitch

Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Lawrence Wright delivers an intimate, firsthand account of an unlikely intersection between crime and extreme devotion. By following the Sisters of Mary Morning Star as they minister to seven condemned women at a death row unit in Gatesville, Texas, the book explores how radical compassion transforms the final days of those society has discarded.

Setting

A maximum-security women's prison in Gatesville, Texas, juxtaposed against a quiet convent in Waco, Texas.

Vibe

Solemn, deeply moving, provocative, and intensely intimate.

Genre

Narrative Nonfiction / True Crime & Social Justice / Religious Journalism.

Themes

~Forgiveness and Retribution

~The paradox of state-sponsored punishment

~Sisterhood and unlikely human connections

~Religious faith as both a refuge and a transformative tool

Standout Characters

~The Seven Condemned Women Inmates grappling with guilt, processing trauma, or asserting their innocence as they approach execution.

~The Sisters of Mary Morning Star Cloistered Roman Catholic nuns who step out of isolation to extend unconditional grace.

~Sister Mary Guadalupe A central figure among the religious sisters who challenges and dialogues with Wright on the nature of prison faith.

~Deacon Ronnie Lastovica The catalyst who first brought communion to the unit in 2014 and realized the immense spiritual void that needed filling.

Author Writing Standout

Wright's signature investigative precision is beautifully balanced by raw, empathetic storytelling.

Takeaway

True justice and rehabilitation cannot exist without space for human transformation—even when the system has already decided a life is over.

Title Significance

"Redemption" operates on two levels. It refers to the spiritual salvation sought by the prisoners, but also questions whether a broken justice system can ever find redemption for its own cycle of state-sponsored violence.

Metaphor

Death row faith functions like a "reform school in which all the graduates are killed." It gives individuals the tools to radically change who they are, only for the state to execute the newly transformed person.

Why You Should Read

It offers an incredibly rare, nuanced look behind prison walls, avoiding easy answers while forcing you to reconsider your assumptions about guilt, punishment, and the human capacity for change.

My Thoughts

This is arguably Lawrence Wright's most personal and emotionally heavy book to date. The prose is stark but deeply respectful of its subjects. Watching two entirely disparate groups—cloistered nuns and condemned inmates—dismantle their walls to build genuine friendships is both devastating and profoundly inspiring.

Verdict 5/5 Stars

An absolutely devastating exposé that exposes the structural cruelty of our carceral system while delivering a profound, tear-jerking testament to human connection. Wright balances razor-sharp social justice advocacy with an overwhelming emotional vulnerability, completely rewriting everything we think we know about institutional punishment and soul-deep transformation.

"Redemption is a haunting, beautiful look at what it means to forgive the unforgettable. This is a brilliant 5/5 star masterpiece that will break your heart and force you to look at justice through a lens of radical empathy. "