Willow in a Storm A Memoir

by Taylor, James Peter; Taylor, Kathy Murphy

• ISBN13: 9780976520153
• ISBN10: 097652015X
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2007-09-28
• Publisher: Mighty Media Press

Summary

In this moving memoir, James Peter Taylor invites us to share in the painful and realistic struggles of prison survival, where he lived from age 25 in the 1950s until his release in the mid-1990s. Now an old man, he reflects on how he made it for so many years when many other lifers die in prison. He survives, he believes, not by being a stable, sturdy oak, but by bending like a willow to new and horrible situations.

Taylor colors his surprising story with vivid anecdotes, never shying away from the sexual and physical violence endemic to prison. As he matures, his faith in God helps him assist others stuck in the system.

Author Biography

Co-authors James Peter Taylor and Kathleen Murphy-Taylor have been married since 1996. Jim managed to survive over 40 years in prison and was released at age 70, partially blind. Today, over a decade later, he faces further health battles, including dementia.

Kathy received her MSW from the University of Michigan. She practiced social work for 32 years for private and public agencies. In her retirement, she devotes herself to caring for Jim. They live in Minneapolis.