Customer Reviews

In the Sanctuary of Outcasts: A Memoir

5 star:		(52)
4 star:		(35)
3 star:		(15)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Wonderful, interesting, lively and surprisingly moving account of Mr. White's time as a prisoner served at the leprosarium in Carrville, LA. Haven't met a cast of characters this colorful since Midnight In The Garden of Good and Evil. Lively, extremely interesting not only for the info about leprosy and the weird circumstances that brought a federal prison and a leprosarium together, but also a sweet accounting of Mr. White's personal trials, discoveries and eventual redemption. It's a first-class page turner.

An educated white collar family man ends up a convicted criminal because of criminal behavior...Sadly, this is hardly remarkable. When said man ends up in a federal prison inside the United States first and last national leprosarium, The Carville Federal Medical Facility, well, it is not only remarkable, but quite unbelievable. The life of Neil White took just such a turn and "In the Sanctuary of Outcasts" chronicles that journey. Sometimes, truth is stranger than fiction.

Neil White was guilty before he ever had a criminal lapse. Guilty of idealism, arrogance, and materialism all of which, unbridled, fatally clouded his judgment. In the end those traits, and a few others, contributed to not one, but two collapsed businesses-each involving criminal activity - the last being of such a magnitude prosecution was guaranteed.

So the real journey begins when Neil's father drops him off at what he assumes is a minimum security federal penitentiary. When Neil realizes he is among the last segregated group of Americans with leprosy he feels as if he has stepped into a nightmare. Locked down among criminals in a leper colony and made to do menial labor for outcasts so isolated they literally no longer exist in the world Neil knew. Plus, he is surrounded by an odd assortment of criminals, which he is now one, who have been deemed of less value than lepers. Could it get worse? It did as Neil soon learned his wife was dissolving their marriage. Somehow through all of this Neil must seek to mend his own broken self and find redemption of his past and a meaningful path for his future.

In all of the darkness outlined above there lies a truly remarkable story. As things formerly held so dear are removed, Neil begins to see that which really does hold meaning. Thankfully there is a full cast of colorful characters, both afflicted with leprosy as well as those who appear courtesy of their criminal tendencies. These become some of the most important relationships as Neil navigates his own self discovery. He learns no man is an island; no man's value is measured in dollars, in titles, or even business accomplishments. Real value in life comes only through serving your fellowman and vice-versa.

I realize the story I've outlined is in many ways a cliché' in that man loses way, man goes to prison, man finds way...But, trust me this isn't that at all. It's so much more as it will likely touch and affect you in a much more personal way. I really loved this book. I simply couldn't put it down and since reading it I have been constantly revisiting how I might summon some of Ella's strength and grace. Read it and you'll know what I'm getting at. Highly recommended.

"In the Sanctuary of Outcasts" is Neil White's bittersweet memoir about serving time in Carville Prison in the late 1990s. Carville prison was no ordinary, white-collar penitentiary; it was also the last leprosarium ("leper colony") in the United States. Sentenced for kiting checks, White has to overcome the humiliation of his conviction, guilt for betraying friends and family, his crumbling marriage, and his initial revulsion of the patients suffering from leprosy.

Quite surprisingly, White finds a certain solace in this place. Although he initially believes that he is a cut above the other inmates, he realizes that he has far more in common with his fellow convicts than he previously believed. He also develops close relationships with the leprosy patients who help him through the hard times and whose inner strength give White the courage to look inside himself and the courage to ask for forgiveness.

White is able to convey his story effectively. He evocatively describes his life at Carville and the reader has no difficulty imagining what it was like to be there. He describes his fellow inmates and the patients with leprosy with compassion, humor, and dignity. He convincingly tells us how his time in prison transformed him, how he becomes a better person because of this experience.

White is a storyteller. He doesn't dwell on the philosophical. His revelations come through stories and we are able to see White through his own eyes and through his interactions with his fellow inmates, the patients, and his family. This makes the book as easy to read as it is meaningful.

One caveat, of course, is that the book is written solely from White's point of view. Although he seems truly repentant throughout the narrative and in his acknowledgments, his crime involved prolonged amounts of deception. I would certainly hope that the book is less about spin and more about catharsis for White, but this would be impossible to discern. Either way, the book is both moving and meaningful for the reader.

White is not beyond brazenly throwing in a literary reference. It is hard to overlook the fact that the title that shares both syllables and a certain assonance with "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole. White mentions this book by name, as a book that was confiscated from him on entry to Carville. I am no literary critic, but Toole's book deals with some hard-hitting themes such powerlessness in the face of fate, legalized slavery, the crumbling of the Protestant work ethic, and the elusiveness of the American Dream. All of these are relevant to White's situation, of course, but the reference does little more than add a bit of ironic poetry to the title.

All in all, this is a well written, meaningful, and rewarding book to read. I highly recommend it.

Aside from the fact that I had never heard of Carville, nor that I didn't even know that the country had a leper colony, this book isn't really chock full of any new revelations.

White did a good job of describing his surroundings and his feelings about his incarceration. What I haven't been able to figure out is how the idea of mixing inmates in with civilians ever got started. Nor do I understand how the "patients" would have agreed, in speaking with quite a few of them, their feelings were made known plainly about how they didn't like the living situation and how they wished the author and the other prisoners were elsewhere. It motivates me to do some research on my own.

While not really a journal of his time there, this book serves more as an insightful journey in just what it means to be comfortable in your own skin, what is important, and why we care so much about what others think about us in return. White met some interesting characters and even more interesting prisoners in his stay at Carville some 10+ years ago.

If you are looking for an expose of the penal system and judicial misdoings, move along. This book isn't written that way. If you happen to be looking for a moral tale, a book about friendship, redemption, and forgiveness, then this one will work for you. I have half a mind to head out to Carville for a vacation to see this historic property (it is now a museum) and a great sadness at not having had the pleasure of ever getting to meet Ella, a wonderful character and if half as interesting in real life as she was on paper, a remarkable human being as well.

Not a stellar entry into literature, but not a waste of time either, this book is charming, easy to read, and intriguing. I would have liked to see more from the aspect of the patients that live there, but since White was an inmate, I can understand the heavy emphasis placed upon that aspect of the novel. As an added thought, if you liked this novel or think you might, also check out one called "The Pearl Diver" as it deals with a subject quite similar and just as fascinating as this one.

When I read the summary of what this book was about I knew I had to read it. Being born and raised in the New Orleans metro area I've heard about Carville and the leprosy colony but nothing more than that.

The start of the book tells you about Neil White who ended up in federal prison by kiting checks. You get to hear about all the things Neil White had and how he let it all slip between his fingers because he was always looking for more material things. How he looked and was perceived by others meant more to him than anything and he undertook any means possible to look successful. When he was found out he was sentenced to 18 months in the federal prison but not just any prison but to Carville where he would share residence with the leprosy patients still housed there. He introduces you to some of the more memorable inmates and patients he comes into contact there. He also tells you about the disease and about the physical building at Carville. Some of the inmates aren't real likable at first but grow on you as you read the memoir.

I read this book in about 3 days (it would have been faster if I didn't have any kids!) and found it quite enjoyable. He has very short chapters in the book which, to me, made it easier to read. I could read a few pages and be at the end of a chapter.

Self-pity is something Neil White talks about in the book when he finds out, while in prison, that his wife wants a divorce and of course takes custody of their two children. He sees that he has nothing....and he starts to fall apart. No money and no job with a ton of debt Neil is an ex-con who feels like the world is on his shoulders until he steps into the patient side of Carville. He sees people who were taken from their homes and forced to live there. Many of them are missing legs, fingers or are blind. Needless to say, the self-pity doesn't stay with Neil.

Its a very good book.

I finished the book this morning. It was definitely a compelling read since I wasn't able to put the book down, but I was also disappointed with the author. More on that later. I thought the premise of the book was wonderful ... a convict sent to prison only to wind up at Carville, which also housed patients who has Henson's disease or more commonly known, "Leprosy." I had read a novel about a leprosy colony set in Hawaii, and thought perhaps this would be another interesting read on the same subject, only in a nonfiction setting.

If you're expecting to learn more about the patients in the center, you might be disappointed as this is more of a memoir of a man who had the entire world in his hands and blew it when he kited checks and finally got caught. Personally, I wish it was more about the patients because I really enjoyed the fleeting moments he did share about Ella and Jimmy, the two patients that White had contact with. I would have also loved an indepth history about Carville (and how is Clinton's adviser related to the Carvilles who used to own the sugar plantation?), about the lives and thoughts of the patients there and perhaps, be a bit more educated about leprosy. Instead, I got a book filled with self-pity on the author's behalf about the wrong-doings he did. I am not even sure if he learned his lessons ... stealing from his mother and allowing his father to enable him? I have to think a bit more on that one.

Like another reviewer here mentioned ... he did spend more time talking of his appearances, making sure that his expensive cologne was on his hands so he would never smell anything offensive or smell offensive ... or keeping up appearances with a fancy yacht, fancy house, a vintage Mercedes for his wife who really had to bear the brunt of the shame of being associated with him. It is very hard to look past these character flaws to see if he really has learned his lessons and if he has been humbled by his downfall. I would like to think so, but since the book ended after he has left Carville, I have no clue if he did.

I do have mixed feelings about this book ... I am definitely not walking away from this book feeling inspired that I, too, can change my life. All I can think of is, geez, what a mess he has made of his life. The stories he shared of the patients and inmates are very interesting, but I get the feeling that they're glossed over.

This is not my favorite book of the year but it might be a good book for others who like memoirs. Would I recommend this to anyone else? Yes, I would, if just for the discussion of some of the thoughts I just mentioned above.

7/6/09

This slickly written but ultimately unsatisfying memoir starts with the author's deception to his children that he's going to "camp" instead of prison and then misleads the reader about the nature of Hansen's disease and the `leper colony' at the Federal Medical Center in Carville, Louisiana. In his opening remarks, the author makes it sound as if patients were still being quarantined at the facility: "For more than a century, Carville served at the United States' national leprosarium. Individuals who contracted this disease were forcibly quarantined at its remote location on a bend in the Mississippi River. By the 1990s the number of patients at Carville had dwindled to one hundred and thirty, the very last people in the continental United States confined because of the disease."

In truth, no one was being "confined" because of leprosy at the Carville center in the 1990s, and residence there had been purely voluntary for decades with patients free to come and go as they pleased. Although this must have become apparent to the author almost from the outset, he fails to inform the reader until well into the book. Similarly, he makes it sound as if Hansen's disease is far more contagious than it really is. According to multiple sources and the author's own remarks later in the book, leprosy is NOT highly infectious, and approximately 95 percent of people are naturally immune to it. Furthermore, patients "are no longer infectious after as little as 2 weeks of treatment"(Wikipedia), but the author quotes other inmates' unfounded fears and keeps that information from us to inject false drama into his tale.

Although I initially thought the set-up of the story was remarkable and quite entertaining (if a little suspect in terms of the detailed quotes and great one-liners White recalled), I became disenchanted about a third of the way through as my faith in White's explanations diminished. It became apparent he had created several erroneous impressions (re: leprosy, the `confinement' of the patients, how the old woman Ella arrived, and even the scale of his own crime). I noticed how many of his sources were now-deceased and unable to substantiate any of this material. I wondered why he waited 16 years to tell this story. I waited--and waited and waited--for a thorough explanation of his crimes and the money he `kited' and why and how he did it, but got only superficial explanations that attempted to portray him in the most favorable light. His moral conversion or "about-face" when it finally came seemed pat and unconvincing.

All in all, the memoir reads more like cleverly crafted, heavily `worked' material than heartfelt, authentic tale. It struck me as more spin than substance from a master of misrepresentation who criminally took $200,000 of his mother's retirement and $750,000 from the banks.

In the Sanctuary of Outcasts, by Neil White, is the best book I've read in a long time.

Mr. White was convicted of check kiting and sentenced to serve 18 months in a federal prison. This meant giving up a life of luxury and privilege, community status and ultimately, his marriage and coveted family life.

White was sent to Carville, a facility in Louisiana that housed white collar criminals and 150 or so leprosy victims. When White first stepped onto the property, he likened it to a scene from Alice in Wonderland, with its odd cast of characters, and was horrified to learn that he'd be living amongst outcasts. But soon enough his fear turned to curiosity, and he mingled with patients who ultimately changed his entire perspective on life.

This book was masterfully written; White takes the reader on an indescribable journey through his year at Carville. As a nurse who works with many social outcasts, the people White described in the book were fascinating to me. (A bonus was learning that White was a native of Gulfport, MS., where I live. In fact, I was Knox Whites nurse at one time).

White used incredible writing skills to show me, not tell me, his story so well that I was disgusted by his character about halfway through the book. He painted such an accurate picture of himself, that I completely fell into his trap, and didn't realize it until later on in the story. His intentions of describing his narcissism and complete disregard for his crimes and those he hurt by his actions, were flawless.


I enjoyed this book very much. I do not, however, have much faith that the author went on to live a virtuous, generous life helping unfortunate outcasts. There is nothing in the epilogue to suggest that. He was born into privilege and despite not one - but two - serious issues with the law - he still managed to land on his feet. It would have been nice to read that White devoted the rest of his life to serving homeless people and invalids, but that wasn't meant to be. In the real world, few people measure up to Ella and Harry.

I have always had a fascination with Carville after reading Miracle at Carville about the institution and the experiences of a patient there back in the 50's. So, when White's book appeared on the scene, I bought it quickly.
I found it sort of an enjoyable read, and nothing if not interesting. The author chronicles his one year stay at a part of Carville that had been converted into a federal prison. He focuses on several of the prisoners and Hansen Disease patients in weaving the story. He also dwells on his personal transformation ( and maybe not ) from a felon convicted of bank fraud into a just someone who wants the "simple things" out of the rest of his life. It's the personal transformatin part that is weak. He does a lot of whining. I found the lives of the prisoners and patients much more interesting than his accounts of his own life. that part of he book could have stood a lot more attention from the author. His "it's all about me" deliberations got old after awhile. One could understand how he got into trouble in the first place, and one might wonder if much had really changed based on his experience. All of his pronouncements about caring for the patients aside, I couldn't shake the feeling that White was just taking advantage of another vulnerable group to further his own selfish interests. All of the above aside though, it is a memorable book, and worth the reader's time.

The theme of personal transformation is not new, but most people do not experience this while serving time in a leprosarium turned Federal Prison. During his incarceration for kiting checks, Neil White shed his extra weight, his ignorance about Hansens disease, and many of his illusions as to who he was and what was ultimately important in life. Contrary to the experience of another reviewer, I did not find this to be at all slick or superficial. Without slipping into sentimentality, White opens the reader to the humanity of his companions, reminding us that each of us is in some respect an outcast, imprisoned, in need of healing and able to provide healing as well. Well written, well researched, funny, hopeful, compassionate and well recommended.