Jarvis Jay Masters Books In Order

Publication Order of Non-Fiction Books

Jarvis Jay Masters is a published author.

He was an inmate who was locked up at San Quentin ever since the age of nineteen years old. He ended up being moved to death row in 1990, for an alleged action of participating in the killing of a prison guard. Masters converted to Buddhism a few years later, which ended up inspiring the interest of leaders in the American Buddhist community.

While Jarvis was in prison, he wrote one book that ended up being published that was titled Finding Freedom. He would also write some articles which have been featured largely in newspapers and Buddhist magazines. He won a PEN Award in 1992 for the poem that he wrote, titled ‘Recipe for Prison Pruno’.

The California Supreme Court decided to order an evidentiary hearing in April of 2008 that was based on a lack of substantial evidence for his participation in the murder. His attorneys have reason to think that his conviction will end up getting overturned within the course of the year.

Finding Freedom: Writings from Death Row is a 1997 book by Jarvis Jay Masters. If you have been interested in reading something new and a book that is fascinating and in the nonfiction genre, this might be the right book for you.

Jarvis Masters was incarcerated when he was in his late teenage years for armed robbery. Four years later, he was accused of being part of a conspiracy that ended up resulting in the death of a prison guard. This is a collection of prison stories that are frequently shocking, sometimes sad, frequently funny, and immediate that are told against a background of violence and aggression.

Despite his past, Masters is now committed to nonviolence. This takes him increasingly into a role as peacemaker, as he does his best to try and put compassion into action. Even when surrounded by chaos and squalor, you can see Masters meditating, and doing his best to touch the minds and the hearts of everyone who is around him. Read this book to hear his own voice and point of view and become familiar with the fascinating case of this man.

That Bird Has My Wings is a 2010 book by Jarvis Jay Masters. This book was an Oprah’s Book Club Pick 2022. If you have been searching for something to read that is going to stir your heart, then be sure to look into this book and maybe get a few tissues ready just in case as it is a moving story– made all the more important and touching because it is true.

Inside, the inmate confesses that sometimes when he thinks about the fact that society and a nation sentenced him to death, the only thing that he can do is to ‘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’.

This is a memoir about an inmate on Death Row who ends up discovering Buddhism. Through his own personal journey, he ends up inspiring many people and even becoming a role model for not only the inmates with him in prison but the guards and a growing public.

Jarvis Jay Masters was serving his armed robbery sentence back in the day when he ended up getting implicated as an accessory in the death of a prison guard. Jarvis was a 23 year old black man at the time and the consequences of being found guilty meant that he was sentenced to death in the gas chamber.

While in Death Row’s maximum security section, Masters uses the only instrument that is available to him, a ball point pen filler. This is his weapon, his way to show who he is. This is a testament to how strong and tenacious the human spirit can be and the writing inside this book really shows how talented Masters is as a writer and how skilled he is at articulating himself.

This book gives scenes from the author’s life that evoke a variety of different emotions. These include being frightening, painful, soul-stirring, poignant, revelatory, uplifting, and funny. This is the story of an author who had a childhood full of the memories provided by parents who were addicted to heroin, as well as an abusive foster family, a life of crime and imprisonment, and eventually embracing Buddhism.

His story was so interesting that it ended up pulling the attention of different luminaries when it comes to the world of American Buddhism. This extends to Pema Chodron, who ended up penning a story about him for O Magazine, offering a foreword to the book. It’s been 32 years after he was convicted, but Masters remains on Death Row. The good news is that there is a growing movement of people out there who think that he is innocent and are doing what they can, actively working inside of the legal system to free him.

Get a copy of That Bird Has My Wings to find out what he has to say and fully absorb and appreciate the musings and the life of Jarvis Jay Masters. This is a wonderful book whether you are reading it on its own or with a book club, so be sure to get your own copy and show your support of this incredible person who insists that he was wrongfully accused. The words in this book are heart rending and make it an absolute must-read. Check it out today.