Book Review: A Courageous Fool: Marie Deans and Her Struggle Against the Death Penalty

Unless people have worked within the small death penalty circle in the United States, they most likely have never heard of Marie Deans. Even then, people may not know about Marie’s work on behalf of condemned men unless they were involved in capital cases in the South — particularly Virginia — during the 1970s, ’80s or ’90s. If, however, someone wants to see how one person can understand the basic human need for forgiveness and healing, then learning about Marie Deans — a woman who selflessly used her own suffering to expose the humanity in others — is imperative. By gaining an understanding of both Marie and the people she came to know through her work fighting against capital punishment, one can truly recognize the social cost incurred with the use of the death penalty.