When Truth Is All You Have

April 15, 2020
A heartfelt and heart-rending story of fighting wrongful convictions, which "are on no one's list of our most important problems." McCloskey is the founder of Centurion Ministries, an organization that, since 1983, has managed to free 63 people convicted of crimes they did not commit. Before starting this noble work, the author was an often aimless Vietnam veteran searching for a purpose in life. In this worthwhile reflection, co-written by former USA Today national editor Lerman, McCloskey not only recounts the successes and failures of Centurion; he also looks back candidly on his own journey. The author begins with his days at Princeton Theological Seminary, where he took an assignment as a student chaplain in a local prison. There, he had a life-changing encounter with a prisoner named Jorge "Chiefie" de los Santos. The author believed that Chiefie was innocent of the crime of murder for which he had been convicted, and Chiefie's case led him to his life's calling: to fight for the wrongfully convicted. Examining his work and life, he shares a dual narrative: "the story of how I learned what a cruel, mindless, mean machine the justice system can be," and "how I learned to look that evil in the eye and still understand there is good in the world." All of this makes for eye-opening, sometimes inspiring reading, and McCloskey also weaves in his own personal tale of redemption--of toxic love affairs, trysts with prostitutes, and other hedonistic endeavors that eventually led him to seek out a better path. The author's writing is conversational, forthright, and brusque, and his subject matter is humane, uncomfortable, and often raw. The narrative charts triumphant stories of innocent persons freed, heartbreaking tales of defeat, and disappointing insights into a broken justice system. John Grisham provides the forward. Compassionate tales from a dedicated warrior for justice.

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May 4, 2020
McCloskey’s engaging memoir depicts his transformation from a spiritually unfulfilled business consultant to a minister working to free wrongfully accused prisoners. Thirty-seven-year-old McCloskey quits his job and enrolls at the Princeton Theological Seminary, where he discovers his mission while working as a prison chaplain at New Jersey’s Trenton Psychiatric Hospital in 1980 as part of his training. There, he meets Jorge de los Santos, a convicted murderer who denies committing the crime. McCloskey leaves the seminary temporarily to pore over 2,000 pages of court records and makes the case for de los Santos’s innocence. McCloskey enlists the help of a sympathetic lawyer to file an appeal based on a faulty eyewitness account, and, three years later, they win (“I was Humphrey Bogart, tracking down the Maltese Falcon; I was Philip Marlow and Sam Spade, all wrapped up into one” ). Soon after, McCloskey establishes Centurion Ministries, an inmate advocacy organization. McCloskey is an engaging narrator, and his ensuing stories of 12 cases detail both successes and heartbreaking losses, including two cases in which prisoners were executed. Among his team’s successes—they’ve won the release of 63 wrongfully convicted inmates across the country—is Joyce Ann Brown, a mother wrongfully accused of robbing and killing a Dallas furrier in 1980, and who, after her release, formed her own advocacy group for women behind bars. McCloskey’s inspiring stories form a moving collective profile.

Starred review from June 1, 2020

Assigned to work as a chaplain in a state prison while enrolled at Princeton Theological Seminary, former management consultant McCloskey met a man convicted of murder, whom he came to believe was innocent. This encounter led him to form Centurion Ministries, the first organization in the United States working to overturn wrongful convictions. With cowriter Lerman (Dadditude), the author shares the stories of some of the 63 men and women from across the United States whom his organization, along with a team of forensic experts, lawyers, and volunteers, helped exonerate and free from prison. McCloskey's main objective is not only to bring these stories to light but also to discuss the failures of the criminal justice system that he has personally witnessed. He also shares his struggles and meaningfully expresses how his faith has been tested and strengthened through his work. Though generally broaching serious subjects, the writers are able to bring levity at appropriate moments, reflecting McCloskey's overall philosophy of hope. VERDICT McCloskey and Lerman's natural storytelling style make this an enjoyable read even when addressing tough subjects. This will be essential for collections focused on social justice, the wrongly convicted, and spiritual transformation.--Anitra Gates, Erie Cty. P.L., PA

Copyright 2020 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

June 1, 2020
After a stint in the Navy, McCloskey embarked on a successful business career, but something tugged at him to live a life of purpose. He enrolled in seminary, and was assigned to visit prisoners. He befriended Jorge De Los Santos, who asked McCloskey to investigate the facts of his case. Mounting evidence convinced McCloskey that the prisoner was, in fact, innocent, and thus McCloskey turned his attention from pulpit to prison. Three years later, De Los Santos was a free man, and McCloskey would go on to found Centurion Ministries, devoted to exonerating the wrongfully convicted. Throughout the book, the author makes clear that the criminal justice system is not just flawed, but wrecked. Too often, any number of things conspire to send the innocent to jail: police tactics force false confessions, prosecutors hide evidence, witnesses/criminals perjure themselves for better deals, and juries are misled. Even when presented with DNA evidence, judges can refuse to overturn convictions. At times, McCloskey's faith is severely tested, and he doesn't always triumph, but his successes are laudable.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)