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White tells his emotional, incredible true story of crime and redemption, vanity and spirituality, as he discovers happiness and fulfillment in an unlikely place--imprisonment in The Long Center, the last leper colony in the U.S.
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In the Sanctuary of Outcasts: A Memoir by Neil White (Author)

  1. 10
    Moloka'i by Alan Brennert (JGoto)
    JGoto: This is a carefully researched and beautifully written fictional account set in the leper colony on the Hawaiian island of Molokai.
  2. 00
    The Island by Victoria Hislop (jewelryladypam)
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» See also 21 mentions

Showing 1-5 of 40 (next | show all)
A pretty good memoir. Goodreads: Following conviction for bank fraud, White spent a year in a minimum-security prison in Carville, Louisiana, housed in the last leper colony in mainland America. His fascinating memoir reflects on the sizable group of lepers living alongside the prisoners
  bentstoker | Jan 26, 2024 |
In the early 20th century, the federal government established a leper colony at Carville, Louisiana to house patients suffering from Hansen's Disease (which term they prefer to the more stigmatizing term "leperosy"). By the early 1990's, only about 130 patients remained at the facility, and the government started using part of the facility as a federal prison, particularly for prisoners with health issues, since there was an on-site hospital.

The author was convicted of a federal white collar crime relating to check kiting/bank fraud and was sentenced to one year which he spent at Carville. When he arrived he knew little about leperosy other than references to it in the Bible, and that those suffering from the disease were frequently ostracized. At the facility, the powers that be generally tried to keep the patients and the prisoners separate, but because of his job in the cafeteria, the author was able to interact with many of the patients, and came to know the stories of many of them. Some of these stories are sad indeed. Most of the patients were fairly old, and many were taken from their homes when they were only children. Sometimes they were taken forcibly, sometimes their families turned them in. Some never saw their families again, while others had frequent visits.

We also learn a lot about some of the federal prisoners who were incarcerated there, and their stories, including for example that of Jimmy Hoffa's attorney, are very interesting. When they author first arrived, the reader is given the impression that he didn't really think he had done anything too bad to receive his punishment. As time progresses, however, he does come to recognize his crimes, and ponder on ways to turn his life around when he is released. He makes some interesting comparisons between the patients, many of whom are innocent souls but who nevertheless have received a life imprisonment of sorts at Carville, with the actual prisoners, many of who are there for fairly short terms, but who are by no means "innocent."

This was a quick read, and it is not particularly an in depth history of Carville or of Hansen's Disease. I would like to read more on the subject, but this was a good introduction.

3 stars ( )
  arubabookwoman | Dec 28, 2023 |
This was a well written non fiction book about a unique situation. The author Neil White, was convicted of bank fraud-kiting checks- and sentence to 18 months in prison. He serves a year-with good behavior- at a unique prison in Louisiana, that houses non violent offenders, as well as Leprosy patients. The history of the institution named Carville ( as in James Carville's family) and the patients that occupy it was fascinating. The prisoners who are also housed there, were an interesting mix as well, from Jimmy Hoffa's lawyer to a body building medical expert. The author is rather pretentious when he arrives there and unfortunately remains that way for much of his sentence, but through the help of one of the leprosy patients named Ella, begins to see what is really important for him to focus on when he is released from prison. The story is a little sappy, and I am not sure I believe the author really changed his way but the book was still very good. ( )
  zmagic69 | Mar 31, 2023 |
I have an interest in diseases, life in institutional settings (e.g. orphanages, TB sanatoria, boarding schools), and I am also interested in the workings of our correctional systems, so this was a great combination for me. Federal prisoners, including the author, are confined at Carville, where there are still a few Hansen's disease (leprosy) patients residing. ( )
  Martha_Thayer | Apr 17, 2022 |
This was probably a very cathartic experience for the author. Not the most well-written book, but still a fascinating look into a unique environment. Prisoners and lepers could be the next reality tv show... ( )
  Zaiga | Sep 23, 2019 |
Showing 1-5 of 40 (next | show all)
His tale of self-discovery is neither engrossing nor revelatory, but he offers a rare glimpse into this world of “secret people,” men and women with hands “shaped like mittens” and “discolored faces” who have lived for decades in exile... Upon sentencing White, the judge said, “Neil, I hope you can make something good come out of this.” His book, however flawed, accomplishes that.
 
The writing becomes somewhat cursory as the narrative progresses. And though this is a story of redemption, you can't tell quite how deep White's personal changes go. Still, this book offers an important glimpse into a dark and receding corner of our medical and penal history, as well as a fascinating personal story
 
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He dwelt in an isolated house, because he was a leper. -- 2 Chronicles
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To little Neil and Maggie.
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Daddy is going to camp.
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White tells his emotional, incredible true story of crime and redemption, vanity and spirituality, as he discovers happiness and fulfillment in an unlikely place--imprisonment in The Long Center, the last leper colony in the U.S.

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The author reflects on the years he spent incarcerated for bank fraud in a Louisiana prison that also doubled as a colony for leprosy patients and discusses events in his personal and professional life before and after his sentence.
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