“Dewey Williams, pastor and chaplain to those incarcerated, has taken us with him on an amazing journey through doors that swing open to the domain of true joy. Carrying us with him as he ministers to men and women on Death Row—and even to painful places in his own sojourn—he offers testimony to contradict the misconception that joy is found only when life is on terms we set. With skillful pen, he shows that the Lord Jesus can give joy under dire circumstances. Take the journey with him and you will not regret it, to say the least.” 

—William Turner Jr., PhD, James T. and Alice Mead Cleland professor emeritus of the Practice of Preaching at Duke Divinity School

“This book is a beautiful integration of stories demonstrating what is possible in impossible circumstances. Where there is great sorrow, there can also be great joy. Where there is suffering, there can also be love. Where there is death, there can also be life.”

—Angela Williams Gorrell, author of The Gravity of Joy: A Story of Being Lost and Found

“In Finding Joy on Death Row, Pastor Dewey Williams has accomplished a rare feat: He has simultaneously inspired joy through his compassionate sermons for and meaningful presence with the persons living on Death Row, elevated joy in his readers who may more easily than expected see themselves in these narratives, and rediscovered joy many times over in his own vocational and personal paths. With great humility and transparency, this author conveys the depth of his own triumphs and tragedies, even as their occurrences run parallel to those of the Death Row population he serves. In the face of systemic inequalities in the criminal justice system and painful circumstances for all involved, he nonetheless elevates the reader’s attention to the experience of joy on Death Row, and even more importantly, the Source of their joy. Author, women and men on Death Row, and reader alike are united in their recognition that not only incarceration imprisons: Loss, addictions, mental health issues, and alienation can contribute to rage, stagnancy, unforgiveness, and other forms of despair in the midnight hour. Still, we learn with increasing certainty that joy is God’s work and God’s business, and we are privileged as we learn to enjoy God’s fruit. Indeed, this compelling and hopeful work confirms that in God’s presence is fullness of joy.”  

—Dr. Tonya D. Armstrong, licensed psychologist, CEO of the Armstrong Center for Hope, associate minister, and author/producer of Blossoming Hope: The Black Christian Woman's Guide to Mental Health and Wellness and Blossoming Hope Companion: Soothing Songs and Spoken Word Recordings

“Dewey Williams describes how for decades he lived a defeated life, devoid of joy. He lost his joy as a young man in a traumatic and tragic event that took the life of his father and the soul of his sister. He found joy on Death Row among people who had taken the lives of others. As the psalmist reminds us, ‘Weeping may linger for the night, but joy comes with the morning’ (Psalm 30:5). Read this book and find your joy.”

—Curtis W. Freeman, research professor of theology and director of the Baptist House of Studies at Duke Divinity School

“Finding Joy on Death Row is filled with intimate narrative from Dewey Williams and illuminating testimonies of women and men on North Carolina’s Death Row that offer a tender and transparent text that will transform you.” 

—David Emmanuel Goatley, PhD, associate dean for Academic and Vocational Formation, Ruth W. and A. Morris Williams Jr. research professor of theology and Christian ministry, director of the Office of Black Church Studies, and research professor of Christian theology at Duke Divinity School

“Dewey Williams and I share a pair of academic institutions: Yale Divinity School and Duke Divinity School. But Dewey has introduced me to a locale where I have never been and can’t see myself ever going. I’m talking about Death Row in a North Carolina prison. His description is so real, I can hear the bars clink as the gates close behind me. And his depiction of the inmates involved is so vivid that I can feel them come alive as he tells their stories and allows me to read their writings. But it is his story that is so raw and real, so personal and powerful, that kept me turning pages as I read his autobiographical remembrances. His book is a wonderful marriage of memoir and ministry. I wish that I could have him in class one more time.”

—William Ritter, retired United Methodist minister and former visiting professor of homiletics at Duke Divinity School

• Social media campaign @JoyOnDeathRow
• Outreach, support, and endorsements from leading voices on prison reform organizations
• Partnerships with prison ministries in the US 
• National media campaign with outreach to both general trade and Christian markets, especially targeting Christian prison ministries
• Pitching Christian news and media outlets - 
• National Trade and Consumer advertising campaign - Publisher’s Weekly, Ingram, etc.
• Early reader copies mailed to select media and influencers
• Digital ARC distribution via NetGalley and Edelweiss