The winter 2017 Iola Reads selection is “Getting Life” by Michael Morton.
On Aug. 13, 1986, just one day after his 32nd, Michael Morton went to work at his usual time. By the end of the day, his wife Christine had been savagely bludgeoned to death in the couple’s bed. Despite the lack of physical evidence. Michael was swiftly sentenced to life in prison for a crime he had not committed. He mourned his wife from a prison cell. He lost all contact with their son.
Drawing on his recollections, court transcripts, and more than 1,000 pages of personal journals he wrote in prison, Morton recounts the reports about an unidentified van parked near his house that were never pursued; the bandana with the killer’s DNA on it, that was never introduced in court; the call reporting the attempted use of his wife’s credit card, which was never followed up on; and ultimately, how he battled his way to become a free man once again, exonerated through the efforts of the Innocence Project, pro bono lawyer John Raley, and advances in DNA technology.
Books are available at Iola Public Library, in USD 257 schools, and in various community locations. Readers are asked to pass on the book to someone else or return it to the location they got it from. hose who wish to keep their book are asked to make a donation of $2 or more to Iola Reads, c/o Iola Public Library.
On Feb. 27, the Iola Reads Committee will host “Getting Life in Kansas,” featuring Jean Phillips and Floyd Bledsoe. Bledsoe, much like the writer of the book, was convicted of a murder he did not commit. He served 15 years before being freed through efforts of the Innocence Project. Phillips is director of the Project for Innocence at the University of Kansas School of Law. The program is free to the public and will be presented at 7 p.m. in the Iola High School Lecture Hall.
Phillips and Bledsoe also will speak at Allen Community College at 11 a.m. and to IHS students at 2:30 p.m. that day.
The library’s monthly book discussion group will discuss “Getting Life” at 2 p.m. March 2 in the library meeting room.
Iola Reads is a joint project of USD 257, Iola Public Library and the Bowlus Fine Arts Center. Other community members also serve on the Iola Reads Committee. Funding for the winter 2017 project is provided largely by the Sleeper Family Trust through the Bowlus.
Iola Reads looks at ‘Getting Life’
