books
in the sanctuary of outcasts a memoir
p daddy is going to camp . thats what i told my children . a child psychologist suggested it . words like prison and jail conjure up dangerous images for children she explained . but it wasnt camp ... p neil white a journalist and magazine publisher wanted the best for those he loved nice cars beautiful homes luxurious clothes . he loaned money to family and friends gave generously to his church and invested in his community but his bank account couldnt keep up . soon white began moving money from one account to another to avoid bouncing checks . his world fell apart when the fbi discovered his scheme and a judge sentenced him to serve eighteen months in a federal prison . p but it was no ordinary prison . the beautiful isolated colony in carville louisiana was also home to the last people in the continental united states disfigured by leprosy . hidden away for decades this small circle of outcasts had forged a tenacious clandestine community a fortress to repel the cruelty of the outside world . it is here in a place rich with history where the mississippi river briefly runs north amid an unlikely mix of leprosy patients nuns and criminals that whites strange and compelling journey begins . he finds a new best friend in ella bounds an eighty year old african american double amputee who had contracted leprosy as a child . she and the other secret people along with a wacky troop of inmates help white rediscover the value of simplicity friendship and gratitude . p funny and poignant in the sanctuary of outcasts is an uplifting memoir that reminds us all what matters most .
hardcover william morrow & company 2009 isbn13 9780061351600 isbn10 0061351601
abridged n isbn 13 9780061351600 number in series 1 number of pages 316 publisher harpercollins release date 62135769600000