Description
Book SynopsisJames Tillman was stretched out on his basement couch, relaxing after a long day of work at the car wash, the smell of sweet onions and simmering steak filling the air of his modest apartment in the projects of Hartford, Conn. His mother, a bible perched nearby, was softly singing a hymn when she was shaken by the thundering sound of pounding on the front door. It wasn’t a knock; it was an act of sheer force. In an instant, the police burst in, lifted James out of his home and shoved him into prison, arresting him for the brutal rape of a young corporate executive. For over 18 years, James professed his innocence, through the investigation, trial, appeals, and to anyone who would listen. Finally, after a series of extraordinary events, the Connecticut Innocence Project took up James’ case, eventually winning his freedom—the first person to be exonerated in the state through the use of DNA.
This is an inspirational story about the power of conviction: the wrongful conviction that sent James Tillman to prison for over 18 years, and the power of his own conviction that helped him persevere, offer a transformational forgiveness and earn a redemption that is so valued he remarkably calls his experience in prison, “a gift.”
"The Power of Conviction" is for people who are facing tough times. You will understand that you’re not alone, that things can be brutally bad and we can react poorly at times, but where there is love, there is always hope.
How did James Tillman endure 18 years of hell in prison? What specific lessons can you learn about the transformational power of forgiveness, love and conviction? When faced with your own challenges in life, what will you choose?
Table of ContentsChapter One: The Roots of Conviction
Chapter Two: An Unimaginable Crime
Chapter Three: A Simple Oversight
Chapter Four: Taken from Home
Chapter Five: Presumed Guilty
Chapter Six: Morgan Street Madness
Chapter Seven: Convicted
Chapter Eight: Testing my Code
Chapter Nine: The First Day
Chapter Ten: Life in Prison
Chapter Eleven: Passing Time: Public TV, Mufango & Rec
Chapter Twelve: My Prison of Hate
Chapter Thirteen: Fight or be Killed
Chapter Fourteen: Solitary and SuperMax
Chapter Fifteen: A Gift of Love
Chapter Sixteen: Hell
Chapter Seventeen: Unlikely Acts of Grace
Chapter Eighteen: The Darkness Becomes Me
Chapter Nineteen: The Appeals: More Disappointment
Chapter Twenty: The Lost Hope for Freedom
Chapter Twenty-One Rage Against the World
Chapter Twenty-Two: Broken
Chapter Twenty-Three: Freedom Through Forgiveness
Chapter Twenty-Four: Conviction
Chapter Twenty-Five: A Glimmer of Hope
Chapter Twenty-Six: Earning Redemption
Chapter Twenty-Seven: Freedom
Chapter Twenty-Eight: A Strange New World
Chapter Twenty-Nine: Struggling to Cope
Chapter Thirty: The Community Rallies
Chapter Thirty-One: The Hardest to Forgive
Chapter Thirty-Two: 10 Lessons Learned
Chapter Thirty-Three: The Faith to Move Forward
