“An astonishing true story and also a meaningful one…What emerges is a complex temperament, at once writerly and beastly.”
- San Francisco Chronicle, (selected as Best Book of 2004)
A new edition of Joe Loya’s memoir about hazard, crime, sin, and secular redemption, featuring an introduction by Piper Kerman, author of Orange is the New Black.
Joe Loya's idyllic childhood came to an abrupt end at age 7 when his mother was diagnosed with a terminal illness. In the two years before her death, Joe's extremely religious father became increasingly violent toward his two young sons -- a contradiction that haunted Joe for years. Then, at age sixteen, Joe retaliated during a particularly severe beating and stabbed his father in the neck.
Joe's father survived, but for Joe that bloody yet fulfilling attack was the starting point of a life of crime. After holding up his thirtieth bank, he was arrested and served seven years in prison. He continued his criminal behavior behind bars and was eventually placed in solitary confinement -- a hard way to do time, even for seasoned convicts. Alone in his cell for almost two years, Joe was finally able to develop compassion for his father, finding clarity and redemption through writing the origin stories of his griefs.
Kirkus Review
July 15, 2004
THE MAN WHO OUTGREW HIS PRISON CELL
Confessions of a Bank Robber
A cradle-to-jail, coming-of-age and going-bad autobiography from a bank robber out of the East LA barrio.
Debut author Loya was schooled in violence by a Bible-thumping, kid-thrashing, wife-beating, feckless father. Dad's first wife, the author's mother, "was twenty-six years old when she died," he writes. "I was nine." The paternal whippings finally ended when Joe attained manhood with one rash act: he stabbed his father. It wasn't fatal, but Dad got the point. Joe shed a flimsy religious guise to become one hardcore hustler, challenging earthly and heavenly fathers. He favored hot cars, cool preppie vestments, and confrontations with all comers. An apostate, he trusted no one, betrayed no emotion, and lied easily. The route from The Church of the Open Door to the prison of barred gates began with bounced checks and progressed to grand theft auto, larceny, fraud, and bank heists. It was fun—until Joe got arrested and spent seven years in the slammer. Suspected of a jailhouse killing (the true murderer is not identified), he landed in solitary. His portrait of jailhouse life shows prisoners pitted against guards, against other inmates, and, ultimately, against themselves. A chance viewing of an Oprah segment prompts Loya to straighten himself out. It's all a one-man show. This introspective Mexican Raskolnikov has become, as his sponsor, Richard Rodriguez, says in a foreword, "a theatrical." He is wont to quote Nietzsche, Rilke, Marcus Aurelius, and other worthies—and, inevitably, the writing smacks somewhat of affectation. But against the odds, this felon's drama is eventually compelling. The solipsistic title refers to an enormous fellow inmate as well as the author. Strong writing from a talent that jelled in prison.
Publishers Weekly Book Review
July 12, 2004
THE MAN WHO OUTGREW HIS PRISON CELL:
Confessions of a Bank Robber
In this well-written, insightful memoir, reformed bank robber Loya provides a searing account of the physical and emotional scars he received growing up in East Los Angeles. After his mother's death, both Loya and his younger brother suffered horrible beatings from their father, a Protestant minister. While Loya avoids blaming his eventual career as a criminal on his father's brutality, the resulting feelings of helplessness clearly played a major role in transforming a bookish nerd into a violent thug. Pushed beyond his limits, Loya finally takes drastic steps to protect himself. His rapid descent into a life of crime leads to a demeaning and grueling prison stretch. Loya does a masterful job of conveying the survivalist ethos he's forced to adopt while incarcerated. His gradual rejection of that code, nurtured and sustained by a pen-pal relationship with poet Richard Rodriguez, is a little less well-developed, and his ending the narrative shortly after his release leaves unanswered some of the thoughtful questions he raises about rehabilitation and reintegration into society. Nonetheless, many readers will find Loya's honesty and self-awareness gripping and will root for him to transcend his inner demons.