That Bird Has My Wings: The Autobiography of an Innocent Man on Death Row

In this unblinking memoir of his growing up, Jarvis Jay Masters narrates love and terror just as they emerge, without ever presuming that one undoes the other. At times it's painful reading indeed, the kind where you peek at some pages through splayed fingers, but Jarvis's voice is never bitter, and brave enought to be equally open to all the elements of his own history. This book offers about the most probing and comprehensive condemnation of a foster care and juvenile detention system gone mad that I've encountered, rendered only the stronger because he writes with such receptivity. And so many memoirs that include parental neglect seem to force the reader into "siding with the state," by leveling a total judgment against the "bad" families of origin. In That Bird Has My Wings, we never lose sight of familial love or the resources that came with that love. Even as we see the devastations caused by violence, addiction and poverty, we recognize for what they are the deeper cuts of rupture, loss and institutionalization. I was rooting so hard for young Jarvis, even though the reader's told from the first page that the tale is leading to San Quentin. Teenaged Jarvis's ultimate move toward crime has its own tragic logic, and we mourn as we sense the paradox: his criminalization feels inevitable, and yet we know that it didn't have to be that way. I think that, just like Jarvis's SUPERB first book, Finding Freedom, this book belongs on high school and college syllabi and really ought to get a wide readership. Buddhism is central to each text, both explicitly and implicitly, in ways that prompt amazing classroom discussions, but that, to me anyhow, never feel like I am being proselytized as a reader. Instead, Jarvis introduces us to the feel, sometimes fumbling and sometimes exquisite, of his path, and what it's like to be a Buddhist in San Quentin.

That Bird Has My Wings by Jarvis Jay Masters fills in the gaps for this first book, Freedom, which relates different experiences Masters has had on death row in San Quentin prison. This recent book focuses mostly on his childhood and teenage years growing up and trying to survive in very dire circumstances in southern California. His mother and step father were drug addicts and alcoholics who severely neglected Jarvis and his siblings. Eventually they were separated and put in foster care, only to meet years later. Eventually Jarvis made his way to San Quentin prison for armed robbery where, after being accused of helping to plan the murder of a guard was sentenced to death and has spent the last many years on death row. Early on he was introduced to Buddhism which, over the years has transformed Jarvis' anger and aggression into insight and compassion for himself and his fellow prisoners. His inspiring story shows an understanding and mindfulness that is even unusual for practioners of Buddhism who live in the larger society. The painful honesty of this autobiography bears out the absolute inhumanity of the American prison system and the courage and perseverance that Jarvis has shown in bringing a measure of kindness to his small, but significant part of the world.

In 1981 when 19 year old Jarvis entered San Quentin State Prison in California some of my views were naive and myopic. I erroneously believed that the foster care systems in California and our country were effectively operational and beneficial to all. Not too many years later, I learned the sad truth. There are many ways to think about THAT BIRD HAS MY WINGS, Jarvis Masters' second book. First, don't expect to read about an angry, bitter and resentful man. Instead, the author talks to us without self-pity and blame - he takes responsibility for his actions. Jarvis takes his readers with him on a courageous journey of self-discovery. I must agree that this book is a "testament to the human spirit". It is most definitely an inspirational account of one person's resiliency and determination. The author was not afforded the luxury of a computer or even a pen or pencil. He was required to use only the fillers from ballpoint pens. Can you imagine how many pen fillers he used and how physically uncomfortable this must have been for him? Because of Jarvis' perserverance, we are confronted with the disturbing realization of what happens to many children who are removed from their homes. How can your heart not hurt when you hear the innocent words of young Jarvis morph into that of a troubled adolescent and young adult - a person who craved only love and acceptance, first from his family and then from his peers? I cried when Jarvis was removed from his first foster home, the first place where he received unconditional love, respect and positive regard. Throughout the book I wondered what his path might have looked like if he stayed with this family. For me, Jarvis' honest account of his experiences was often difficult and frustrating to read. The foster care system that was designed to protect him did just the opposite. It failed him and continues to fail others like him in so many obvious ways. The exposes and documentaries continue to tell us what's wrong with the foster care system. When will there be the right mix of money and people to effect positive change for our youth? Who is the audience for this well-written book? I believe THAT BIRD HAS MY WINGS should be required reading for those who are in positions to orchestrate positive change. This includes politicians, policy makers and administrators. I strongly encourage high school teachers to include this book in their curriculum. I also recommend this book for anyone who has an opportunity to influence a child's life and future. All of us can better the life of at least one child. Sometimes this responsibility cannot be left solely to parents or other relatives, teachers, health care professionals, coaches, etc. What could happen if many more of us volunteered a small amount of our time to tutor or mentor a child, or to be a Big Brother or Big Sister? Thanks to his spiritual practice, and supportive and loving people, Jarvis Jay Masters successfully turned his life around. He seems at peace.

Jarvis Jay Masters' second book, That Bird Has My Wings: The Autobiography of an Innocent Man on Death Row, just published by HarperOne, is a moving account of Jarvis's life from boy to man. It demonstrates how a sensitive child can be shattered and framed by the system, and yet grow into an awakened spiritual peacemaker in the midst of a potentially violent prison. Jarvis's poignant story is moving and inspiring. And so is Jarvis. I have visited him in San Quentin Prison many times. When I leave, I feel I have wings, riding the currents of Jarvis's deep kindness and positivity. I KNOW he is an innocent man and I look forward to seeing our justice system set him free to fly to the heights to which he aspires.

This book covers the author's life, from his earliest memories, to the time he walked through the doors of San Quentin as a 19-year old, and beyond that to the circumstances of his ending up on death row, with a few chapters covering his recent and current circumstances. It is the story of a bright child that survived unbelievable neglect, briefly thrived under the care of loving foster parents, and then was pushed back once more into a system that spares few and pushes many inner city youth ever closer towards the gates of prison. It is a story of missed opportunities, misguided decisions, and wrong turns taken: by the authorities, by well-meaning family members; and by the author, who blames no one but himself. Yet it is also a tale of survival of the spirit, of new-found freedom within the walls of San Quentin, of the possibility of redemption, and of love. Some of it is heartbreaking, especially the stories about the author's mother, a fierce and charismatic woman, who loved her children yet couldn't stop hurting herself and them. Some of the book's scenery is hard take in -- this is not the Southern California celebrated at the time in pop songs, but a parallel world of unforgiving starkness and brutality, where the wrong word or gesture could cost someone his life. But through it all shines the author's voice, as a mature man, looking back on himself and on the stations of his journey, not with bitterness, but with compassion and, occasionally, even with a sense of humor. It's a journey worth reading about for all who are grappling with the meaning of "justice" -- no matter which side of the death penalty fence they are on.