I Am Troy Davis

October 1, 2013
A compelling account of the life of Troy Davis (1968-2011), the Georgia-born black man condemned to death for the killing of a white policeman. When Officer Mark MacPhail was brutally gunned down in August 1989, the city of Savannah "was out for blood." The man apprehended for that shooting, Davis, proclaimed his innocence until the day of his death in September 2011. Documentarian Marlowe (co-author: The Hour of Sunlight: One Palestinian's Journey from Prisoner to Peacemaker, 2011) tells the moving story of Davis and his activist sister, Martina Davis-Correia. Born just 17 months apart, they were as close as "two peas in a pod." After neighborhood associates--some of whom spoke under duress from the Savannah police--pinned the crime on Davis, Davis-Correia vowed to fight on behalf of her brother. Through multiple appeals and stays of execution that took place over 22 grueling years, never once did her faith in her brother's innocence waver. It only grew stronger, especially after the associates who blamed her brother for MacPhail's death eventually retracted their statements regarding Davis' involvement in the murder and admitted that they had lied under oath. Correia did not fare as well, developing breast cancer. Nevertheless, the two siblings remained committed to each other. Davis became a beloved surrogate father to his sister's son and inspired him to work "against inequality and injustice," while Correia worked tirelessly for her brother's freedom. The state of Georgia finally executed Davis by lethal injection. Two months later, Correia passed away. Marlowe became involved with the case in 2008 and recounts events with compassion for both the Davises and the MacPhails, who declined to participate in the writing of her book. The result is a powerful narrative that challenges the notion that "the taking of one life can be answered by the taking of another." Poignant and humane.

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Starred review from September 1, 2013

After three stays of execution and a final appeal to the Supreme Court, Troy Anthony Davis, who was found guilty of the 1989 murder of a police officer in Savannah, was executed by the state of Georgia in 2011. This riveting account, written by his sister, Davis-Correia, and human rights activist Marlowe (coauthor, The Hour of Sunlight: One Palestinian's Journey from Prisoner to Peacemaker), with a foreword by Sister Helen Prejean (Dead Man Walking: An Eyewitness Account of the Death Penalty in the United States), takes readers on an unforgettable journey through Davis's life--one that raises troubling questions about his ordeal at the hands of the legal system. The events surrounding the murder, which occurred late one summer evening, were unclear from the beginning. Eyewitnesses who accused Davis later recanted but were deemed unreliable by some involved in the appeals process. Davis's family, meanwhile, worked tirelessly to support him and make his story known. Many prominent human rights advocates and groups, including Amnesty International, rallied to his cause as his story, and that of his family's struggle, was heard around the world. Davis's last days, during which his nephew presented an appeal on his behalf, are presented here in intimate detail. VERDICT Essential for those interested in the U.S. justice system in general and the death penalty in particular.--Claire Franek, Greenville, KY

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