In The Sanctuary of Outcasts, A Memoir

Daddy is going to camp.

That's what I told my children.

But it wasn't camp...

Neil White wanted only the best for those he loved and was willing to go to any lengths to provide it - which is how he ended up in a federal prison in rural Louisiana, serving eighteen months for bank fraud.

But it's no ordinary prison.

The beautiful, isolated colony in Carville, Louisiana, was also home to the last people in the continental Unitead States disfigured by leprosy - a small circle of outcasts who had forged a tenacious, clandestine community, a fortress to repel the cruelty of the outside world. In this place rich with history, amid an unlikely mix of leprosy patients, nuns and criminals, White's strange and compelling new life journey began.

An extraordinary memoir at once funny, poignant, and uplifting, In the Sanctuary of Outcasts reminds us all what matters most. (excerpt back cover).

My Review ~ This is such a heart rendering book about unconditional love on both sides. First Neil White is repulsed as are most of the inmates about the disfigurement of the many residents of the "leper" colony living among them. There are those that look seemingly "normal" and then there are the extreme cases with loss of limbs and complete facial deformity.

Yet once Neil is willing to look past his own fears, he finds such warm stories of those that are the outcasts of society today. He learns what it is to really love behind the exterior of someone and really see the person God sees in us all.

Neil White is serving time in this prison for bank fraud known as kiting. It's taking funds from one account to pay another while in the hopes it buys you enough time to actually put the money in the accounts. Neil gets caught and thus find his wife dropping him off to serve his time.

I loved this book for the message found in the pages of the stories of the real life people whose names have been changed to protect their identities. In the book, I found myself not only getting to know Neil but also the residents of the colony as well. I have to give this book a 10 out of 10 and even though the language is harsh, it falls in line with a memoir dealing with some of societies harshest prisoners.

For more information on this book, the author or where to pick up a copy, please click on the link below:

http://tlcbooktours.com/2010/03/neil-white-author-of-in-the-sanctuary-of-outcasts-on-tour-june-2010/

I received this book compliments of TLC Book Tours and I am delighted to be able to offer you a copy as a follower of my blog who leaves a comment. This giveaway is open to residents of the US and Canada only. Please NO P.O. Boxes. I also need to be able to reach you so if your email isn't linked to your blog, please leave it in the comments. Please tell me why you want to win this giveaway. The giveaway ends on Sunday, June 20th.