Book description
“Life with no parole for fifty years. That’s what my paperwork reads. I saw it in print the day I arrived.” So begins Patty Prewitt’s epistolary memoir, describing the first eighteen years of her incarceration in various Missouri women’s prisons. Her letters tell the nightmarish story of incarceration while also…
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Why read it?
1 author picked Trying to Catch Lightning in a Jar as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?
Patty Prewitt spent 38 years behind bars for a crime she did not commit before her sentence was commuted in May 2025. And yet, within those walls, she found ways to live bigger, love deeper, and shine brighter than many of us ever manage in freedom. Her letters are inspiring, humbling — and ultimately unforgettable. This book will break your heart then uplift and inspire you. The writing, like the author, is genuine and powerful. I will never forget Patty and her ability to make the best of horrific situations while helping others.
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