OPRAH S BOOK CLUB PICK 2022 When I think about the fact that society a nation has sentenced me to death all I can do is turn inside myself to the place in my heart that wants so desperately to feel human still connected to this world as if I have a purpose. The moving memoir of a Death Row inmate who discovers Buddhism and becomes an inspirational role model for fellow inmates guards and a growing public In 1990 while serving a sentence in San Quentin for armed robbery Jarvis Jay Masters was implicated as an accessory in the murder of a prison guard. A 23-year-old Black man Jarvis was sentenced to death in the gas chamber. While in the maximum security section of Death Row using the only instrument available to him--a ball-point pen filler--Masters s astounding memoir is a testament to the tenacity of the human spirit and the talent of a fine writer. Offering us scenes from his life that are at times poignant revelatory frightening soul-stirring painful funny and uplifting That Bird Has My Wings tells the story of the author s childhood with parents addicted to heroin an abusive foster family a life of crime and imprisonment and the eventual embracing of Buddhism. Masters s story drew the attention of luminaries in the world of American Buddhism including Pema Chodron who wrote a story about him for O Magazine and offers a foreword to the book. Thirty-two years after his conviction Masters is still on Death Row. A growing movement of people believe Masters is innocent and are actively working within the legal system to free him.