Synopses & Reviews
"Those of us who know Troy Davis, who sat with him, who talked to him, know that he was somebody who was full of love, full of love for his family, full of love for humanity, full of love for a movement he was born into, a movement for civil and human rights in this country."Ben Jealous, president of the NAACP
"Martina Correia's heroic fight to save her brother's life while battling for her own serves as a powerful testament for activists."Liliana Segura, The Nation
In 1991 Troy Davis was sentenced to death in Savannah, Georgia. Troy's sister Martina staunchly defended Troy's innocence. In 2001 Martina was diagnosed with terminal breast cancer. Martina fought fiercely for her life and Troy's. Troy was executed in September, 2011, and Martina succumbed in December. I Am Troy Davis is an intimate portrayal of Martina, Troy, and the courageous Davis family.
Jen Marlowe, a human rights activist, writer, and filmmaker, is the author of The Hour of Sunlight: One Palestinian's Journey from Prisoner to Peacemaker and Darfur Diaries: Stories of Survival.
Martina Davis-Correia was Amnesty USA's co-Death Penalty Abolition Coordinator for Georgia. Martina was also a leading advocate for women with breast cancer. She was twice named Savannah's "Unstoppable Woman."
Sister Helen Prejean wrote the internationally acclaimed book Dead Man Walking. She educates about the death penalty by lecturing, organizing, and writing.
Review
Martina and Troy are heroes from a family of heroes. This story of their lives is also a call to action. It asks each of us to pick up where they left off by ending the death penalty once and for all so the risk of executing an innocent person is finally eliminated in America.”
Benjamin Todd Jealous, President and CEO, NAACP
"In this moving and intimate portrait of Troy Davis and his courageous family, Jen Marlowe restores to Troy his humanity, and reminds us why every life matters, and why capital punishment makes this country a pariah among the world's democracies." Gloria Steinem
"I Am Troy Davis is a painful yet very important book, one that will bring you face to face with the human impact of the death penalty system, prompt you to think deeply about the flaws in our criminal justice system, and inspire you to stand with all those who have been wrongfully placed on death row." Susan Sarandon
Martina Correias heroic fight to save her brothers life while battling for her own serves as a powerful testament for activists.”
Liliana Segura, the Nation
"I Am Troy Davis is heart stopping proof that the death penalty didn't just kill an innocent Troy Davis and break and bury his gorgeous family, but it charred the soul of America. This book will devastate you, piss you off and then inspire you to work with your life to the end the death penalty forever." Eve Ensler, Author and Playwright
"I am Troy Davis, takes readers on the journey of a remarkable family whose faith, love, integrity and convictions propelled their fight for their loved one and a larger cause. Jen Marlowes careful and sensitive collaboration with the Davises has yielded a narrative that will surely inspire readers to pick up the torch that Martina Davis Correia so bravely carried for social justice and human dignity with every ounce of her being and every day of her life."Laura Moye, Amnesty International USA Death Penalty Abolition Campaign Director Emeritus
"A Must Read Book the searing, heartbreaking story of a strong and loving family caught in the vortex of a dysfunctional criminal justice system." Anne Emanuel, Georgia State University Law Professor and ABA Georgia Death Penalty Assessment Chair
Praise for the documentary Rebuilding Hope
"Rebuilding Hope is a deeply moving study in loss and suffering, in courage, wisdom about the meaning of Life as Humans that seems as old as the continent of Africa." --Alice Walker, author The Color Purple
"Rebuilding Hope is a wonderful tribute to (The Lost Boys's) spirit and perseverance."--Dave Eggers, Author What Is The What and Zeitoun
Praise for Darfur Diaries: Message from Home
The Darfuri men and women you meet in this film bear testimony to grave abuses of human rights, yet they maintain hope, strength, resilience.Darfur Diaries: Message from Home is a powerful reminder of the high price people pay when their own government sanctions mass killing, displacement and destruction, and the world waits years to intervene. Watch this film and wait no longer.” -- Larry Cox, Executive Director, Amnesty International, USA
Praise for The Hour of Sunlight
"The authors successfully convey al Jundi's joys and sorrows, the triumph of his endurance, the complexity of the conflict, and the necessity of dialogue." -- Publishers Weekly
"Stark and immediate, with no glib messages, Al Jundis memoir, written with journalist Marlowe, brings todays headlines very close; he is hopeful about friends, candid about enemies, betrayal, and corruption on all sides. Rooted in the experience of one fighter-peacemaker, this is sure to spark intense debate."Booklist
Review
"Essential for those interested in the U.S. justice system in general and the death penalty in particular."
Library JournalHere is a shout for human rights and for the abolition of the death penalty. This book, I Am Troy Davis, should be read and cherished. It will inspire courage in the heart of those who are willing to use their efforts to save lives and increase the quality of life for all people.”
Maya Angelou
Martina and Troy are heroes from a family of heroes. This story of their lives is also a call to action. It asks each of us to pick up where they left off by ending the death penalty once and for all so the risk of executing an innocent person is finally eliminated in America.”
Benjamin Todd Jealous, President and CEO, NAACP
"Read this book, about Martina Davis-Correia and Troy Anthony Davis. The lives of this sister and brother were tragically cut short, one by cancer, the other through a cruel injection of a lethal, chemical cocktail in the final act of a profoundly unjust criminal justice system. This book captures their unflagging courage in confronting the challenges thrust upon them. More than history, more than eulogy, I Am Troy Davis is an urgent call to action."
Amy Goodman
"Like Trayvon Martin's monumental murder, the execution of Troy Davis was a historic awakening for this country -- an awakening of the deadly consequences of white supremacy. Don't miss this book!"
Cornel West, Professor of Philosophy and Christian Practice, Union Theological Seminary
"In this moving and intimate portrait of Troy Davis and his courageous family, Jen Marlowe restores to Troy his humanity, and reminds us why every life matters, and why capital punishment makes this country a pariah among the world's democracies."
Gloria Steinem
"I Am Troy Davis is a painful yet very important book, one that will bring you face to face with the human impact of the death penalty system, prompt you to think deeply about the flaws in our criminal justice system, and inspire you to stand with all those who have been wrongfully placed on death row."
Susan Sarandon
Martina Correias heroic fight to save her brothers life while battling for her own serves as a powerful testament for activists.”
Liliana Segura, the Nation
"I Am Troy Davis is heart stopping proof that the death penalty didn't just kill an innocent Troy Davis and break and bury his gorgeous family, but it charred the soul of America. This book will devastate you, piss you off and then inspire you to work with your life to the end the death penalty forever."
Eve Ensler, Author and Playwright
"I Am Troy Davis, takes readers on the journey of a remarkable family whose faith, love, integrity and convictions propelled their fight for their loved one and a larger cause. Jen Marlowes careful and sensitive collaboration with the Davises has yielded a narrative that will surely inspire readers to pick up the torch that Martina Davis Correia so bravely carried for social justice and human dignity with every ounce of her being and every day of her life."
Laura Moye, Amnesty International USA Death Penalty Abolition Campaign Director Emeritus
"A Must Read Book the searing, heartbreaking story of a strong and loving family caught in the vortex of a dysfunctional criminal justice system."
Anne Emanuel, Georgia State University Law Professor and ABA Georgia Death Penalty Assessment Chair
Synopsis
A riveting eyewitness account of the Davis family's courageous struggle against America's flawed criminal justice system.
Synopsis
ON SEPTEMBER 21, 2011, Troy Anthony Davis was put to death by the State of Georgia. Daviss execution was protested by hundreds of thousands across the globe. How did one man capture the worlds imagination and become the iconic face for the campaign to end the death penalty?
I Am Troy Davis, coauthored by Jen Marlowe and Daviss sister Martina Davis-Correia, tells the intimate story of an ordinary man caught up in an inexorable tragedy. From his childhood in racially charged Savannah; to the confused events that led to the 1989 murder of a police officer; to Daviss sudden arrest, conviction, and two-decade fight to prove his innocence; I Am Troy Davis takes us inside a broken legal system where life and death hang in the balance. It is also an inspiring testament to the unbreakable bond of family, to the resilience of love, and to how even when you reach the end of justice, voices from across the world will rise together in chorus and proclaim, I am Troy Davis,” I stand with you.
About the Author
Martina Davis-Correia, the sister of innocent death-row prisoner Troy Davis, was Amnesty USAs co-Death Penalty Abolition Coordinator for Georgia. She served on the boards of Georgias NAACP branch, The Campaign to End the Death Penalty, and Georgians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty. Martina was also a leading advocate for women with breast cancer. She was twice named Savannahs Unstoppable Woman.”
Troy Anthony Davis was executed on September 21, 2011 for the murder of a Savannah policeman, despite an international outcry due to his strong case of innocence. Troy worked tirelessly while on death row to prove his innocence and to abolish the death penalty. TIME magazine named Troy one of 2011s most influential people.
Jen Marlowe, a human rights activist, writer, and filmmaker, is the author of The Hour of Sunlight: One Palestinians Journey from Prisoner to Peacemaker and Darfur Diaries: Stories of Survival. Jens award-winning documentary films include One Family in Gaza, Rebuilding Hope: Sudans Lost Boys Return Home and Darfur Diaries.
Sister Helen Prejean wrote the internationally acclaimed book Dead Man Walking, describing her experiences as spiritual advisor to Louisiana death row inmates, now a major motion picture starring Susan Sarandon and Sean Penn. Sister Helens second book is The Death of Innocents. She educates about the death penalty by lecturing, organizing and writing.