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This book is not only about the death penalty. It is a chronicle that teaches us about integrity, leadership, growth, and the struggle to do the right thing. Those who care to listen will be touched by the lessons from Governor Ryan's journey for decades to come. He leads us on.

-- Michael L. Radelet, University of Colorado
Governor Ryan's actions are a pure beacon of light in a dark era in our nation. His is a resounding voice of conscience in a time of corrosive political maneuvering. As for Gov. Ryan's commutation of the sentences of those on death row - I see this as his most inspiring act of moral courage. He could easily have left the condemned languishing in legal limbo, but he followed his moral stance for a moratorium through to a righteous conclusion for those remaining on death row, freeing them from the anguish and terror of death at the hands of the state. Gov. Ryan's act of moral integrity triumphed over political expediency and has illumined a path for our nation. May we all walk in his light. -- Sister Helen Prejean, Author of "Dead Man Walking"
George Ryan's courageous act made our dreams reality. It was, in my view, one of the single most impactful events in propelling the abolition movement forward, making possible the successes we've seen ever since. -- Mike Farrell, best known as 'BJ Hunnicutt' of television's legendary "M*A*S*H", President of Dealth Penalty Focus, Author of "Just Call Me Mike: A Journey to Actor and Activist" and "Of Mule and Man"
Illinois put innocence on the map and that is still the most influential issue for many people when it comes to the death penalty. -- Richard Dieter, former Executive Director, Death Penalty Information Center
Under Governor George Ryan's leadership, Illinois consolidated the forces that diminished the death penalty's use, emboldening the abolition of the death penalty in other states, other governors' moratoria on executions, and prosecutors' decisions across the country to stop using the punishment. -- James Liebman, Professor, Columbia Law School, Author of "The Wrong Carlos: Anatomy of a Wrongful Execution"

George H. Ryan Sr., George H. Ryan Sr. was the 39th Governor of the State of Illinois. Born in 1934, the son of a pharmacist in Kankakee, Illinois, Ryan was first elected to state office in 1972 as an Illinois State Representative. He served two terms as Minority Leader of the House of Representatives and one term as Speaker of the House. He served as Illinois Lieutenant Governor from 1983 to 1991, as Illinois Secretary of State from 1991 to 1999, and then was Governor from 1999 to 2003.Ryan was the first Governor in U.S. history to suspend the death penalty, declaring a moratorium in 2000. In 2003, as he left office, Ryan emptied death row in Illinois by issuing a blanket commutation order. He was indicted in 2003 and convicted of federal corruption charges relating to conduct while he was Illinois Secretary of State. He served nearly six years in prison and was released in 2013. Age 84, Ryan lives in Kankakee, Illinois, and still travels extensively to speak about the death penalty and the criminal justice system, as well as to support humanitarian efforts in Cuba. See the section below on Marketing and Promotion for details.

Maurice Possley, a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist and author of three non-fiction books. Ryan cited the reportage of Possley and his colleagues at the Chicago Tribune when he declared the moratorium and emptied death row. Possley is now the senior researcher for the National Registry of Exonerations, a national database of nearly 2,300 wrongful convictions maintained by the University of Michigan Law School, Michigan State University College of Law and University of California Irvine Newkirk Center for Science & Society.