Living Redemption

“Powerfully written and creatively theorized, Living Redemption is a compelling ethnographic account of the role of religion in the Latinx community’s struggle to survive the crisis of mass incarceration. It offers new insight into how carceral power can become integral to spiritual practice and the search for redemption. A unique and original account of the fusing of religion, politics, and the carceral state.” - Lynne Haney, author of Prisons of Debt: The Afterlives of Incarcerated Fathers

“Melissa Guzman-Garcia keenly maneuvers the worlds of Latine Pentecostals as they perform a paradox: They testify to experiencing forms of agency and freedom within church institutions that sustain logics of the carceral state. As Guzman-Garcia is increasingly welcomed into vulnerable sites of prayer, praise, and outreach – sacred circles of support cultivated by Pentecostal women – so too are readers drawn in. The carefully curated narratives of Guzman-Garcia’s collaborators offer deep insights into how lived religion shapes the political imaginations of people bearing precarious identities, often in surprising ways.” - Jonathan Calvillo, author of When the Spirit Is Your Inheritance: Reflections on Borderlands Pentecostalism

“Guzman’s startling study based on years of intensive interviews in Latiné born-again churches revises conventional narratives of Christianity’s transformational power in minoritized communities. Living Redemption is a disquieting reinterpretation of that old hymn “Ya tengo la Victory” / “Victory in Jesus” for contemporary evangelical and Pentecostal hermanas.” - Rudy V. Busto, author of King Tiger: The Religious Vision of Reies Lípez Tijerina

Melissa Guzman-Garcia is Associate Professor in the Department of Latina/o Studies at San Francisco State University.

This item is eligible for free returns within 30 days of delivery. See our returns policy for further details.