On the 50th anniversary of Americas deadliest prison riot comes a prison-guard daughters quest to uncover the truth about her fathers murder during the uprising a story of crossing racial divides, befriending inmates and correctional officers alike, and challenging the state to reveal and pay for its malfeasance.
Deanne Quinn Miller was five years old when her fatherWilliam Billy Quinnwas murdered in the first minutes of the Attica Prison Riot, the only corrections officer to die at the hands of inmates. But how did he die? Who were the killers? Those questions haunted Dee and wreaked havoc on her psyche for thirty years. Finally, when she joined the Forgotten Victims of Attica, she began to find answers. This began the process of bringing closure not only for herself but for the other victims families, the former prisoners she met, and all of those who perished on September 13, 1971the day of the retaking, when New York State troopers and corrections officers at the Attica Correctional facility slaughtered twenty-nine rioting prisoners and ten hostages in a hail of gunfire.
In The Prison Guards Daughter, Dee brings readers in on her lifelong mission for the truth and justice for the Attica survivors and the families of the men who lost their lives. But the real win was the journey that crossed racial and criminal-justice divides: befriending infamous Attica prisoner Frank Big Black Smith, meeting Richard Clark and other inmates who tried to carry her father to safety after his beating, and learning what life was like for all of the people prisoners and prison employees alike inside Attica. As Miller lays bare the truth about her fathers death, the world inside Attica, and the states reckless raid and coverup, she conveys a narrative of compassionate humanity and a call for prison reform.
Recenzijos
Deanne Quinn Millers life journey is a remarkable tale of healing and reconciliation, born from the tragedy of the nations deadliest prison uprisingthe Attica riot that claimed the life of her father. The Prison Guards Daughter reminds us that we can reach across dividesracial, social, economicand learn lessons about others that inevitably teach us about ourselves. In a world in which the chasms among people seem to swell wider every day, this book tells us that our true angels can prevail, as long as we are ready to engage them.
Sister Helen Prejean, author of Dead Man Walking: The Eyewitness Account of the Death Penalty That Sparked a National Debate
In the wake of the unimaginable trauma caused by the State of New York, there were the courageous few who had to endure even more pain to make sure that there was some reckoning with this horrific event, and some measure of justice for its victims. This is the extraordinarily beautiful story of one of the most courageous of those few, Dee Quinn Miller, who, quite literally, changed history.? Heather Ann Thompson, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Blood in the Water: The Attica Prison Uprising of 1971 and its Legacy
This book tells the life story of a little girl struck by tragedy who finds strength and courage from seeking and finding other, and occasionally opposite, perspectives. Poignant and salient for anyone who cares about someone else who wears a badge. Mike Jimenez, former President of the California Correctional Peace Officers Association?
[ The Prison Guards Daughter] is a personal, affecting, and eye-opening account of a pivotal tragedy on the seemingly endless road to prison reform. Booklist
Daugiau informacijos
Print and e-ARC distribution to trade and consumer media, both traditional and online.
Targeted outreach to history and criminal justice organizations, websites, and publications.
Social media marketing on Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads giveaways.
PR campaign with print, radio, and digital interview targets.
| Foreword |
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ix | |
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| Prologue |
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xiii | |
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Chapter One The Prison Whistle |
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1 | (12) |
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Chapter Two Struggles at Home |
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13 | (12) |
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Chapter Three Life beyond Attica |
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25 | (9) |
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Chapter Four The Radio Show |
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34 | (16) |
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Chapter Five My Father's Killers |
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50 | (7) |
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Chapter Six Attica Families Reunite |
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57 | (8) |
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Chapter Seven Demands of the Forgotten Victims |
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65 | (9) |
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Chapter Eight Our Lobbying Begins |
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74 | (8) |
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Chapter Nine He Was Like a Guardian Angel |
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82 | (7) |
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Chapter Ten The Guard Who Survived |
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89 | (14) |
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Chapter Eleven Big Black and I |
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103 | (8) |
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Chapter Twelve Increasing the Pressure |
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111 | (6) |
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Chapter Thirteen Meeting the Attica Prosecutor |
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117 | (10) |
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Chapter Fourteen Taking Our Case Public |
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127 | (6) |
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Chapter Fifteen Meeting Richard |
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133 | (7) |
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Chapter Sixteen The Workmen's Compensation Ruse |
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140 | (5) |
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Chapter Seventeen Task Force Heats Up |
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145 | (6) |
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Chapter Eighteen The Pains of 9/11 |
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151 | (9) |
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Chapter Nineteen Shattered Dreams |
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160 | (6) |
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Chapter Twenty I Thought My Dad Was Superman |
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166 | (6) |
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Chapter Twenty-One All of These People on That List Are Dead? |
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172 | (13) |
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Chapter Twenty-Two I Couldn't Stand on That Ground Again |
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185 | (14) |
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Chapter Twenty-Three The Negotiations Stall |
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199 | (8) |
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Chapter Twenty-Four Saying No to $10 Million |
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207 | (8) |
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Chapter Twenty-Five Restitution for Survivors |
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215 | (8) |
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Chapter Twenty-Six The Riot Artifacts |
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223 | (10) |
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Chapter Twenty-Seven Opening the Records |
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233 | (8) |
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Chapter Twenty-Eight Seeking an Apology |
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241 | (4) |
| Epilogue |
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245 | (8) |
| Acknowledgment |
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253 | (4) |
| Sources |
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257 | (6) |
| Index |
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263 | (8) |
| About the Authors |
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271 | |
Deanne Quinn Miller is co-founder of the Forgotten Victims of Attica and the daughter of correctional officer William Quinn, the first casualty of the Attica Prison Riot. With Millers leadership, the Forgotten Victims secured $12 million in reparations for its members, counseling for all who sought it, and an annual memorial at the prison. The organization continues to push for other goalsthe unsealing of the remaining thousands of pages of non-public riot records and an apology from the New York State.
Miller has previously worked as the executive director of the Genesee Veterans Support Network and received the state Women Veterans in the Justice System award in 2016 and the Women of Distinction Award in 2017 for her work with veterans. She graduated cum laude from the University of New York at Buffalo with a BS in Consumer and Family Studies. Since 2014, she has been the Program Coordinator for the Veterans Defense Program of the New York State Defenders Association, a program that provides support and legal aid to struggling veterans who become involved in the criminal justice system. Miller lives in Batavia, New York, and is married with two daughters.
"Gary Craig is an investigative reporter with the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle. He has won national awards for his reporting and writingincluding multiple awards for reporting on prison conditionsand more than two dozen state, regional, and national honors. He is the author of Seven Million: A Cop, a Priest, a Soldier for the IRA, and the Still-Unsolved Rochester Brinks Heist.
Craig covered the resolution of the decades-long lawsuit filed by Attica inmates against the state. Since 2000, he has written extensively about Attica, reporting on the birth and work of the Forgotten Victims of Attica, and the efforts to open Attica records. Craig lives in Rochester, New York, and is married with two daughters."
