About this item
A stalker lets us glimpse into the world of his compulsions. A woman, confronting her convicted rapist, becomes obsessed with finding a way to kill him. A neo-nazi begins to see beyond the hate and violence on which he has based his life. How do people wind up in prison? Once there, can they change? What's the aftermath of a violent assault on victims and their families? What kind of a toll do jails and prisons take on those who work there? These are a few of the questions confronted by the characters in R.C. Goodwin's collection of stories, The Stephen Hawking Death Row Fan Club. The questions don't make for easy answers, and the characters don't fall into clear-cut categories. Taken together, the stories illuminate some of society's darkest corners.
About the Author
R.C. Goodwin was born in New York City and grew up in Springfield, Illinois. He attended Culver Military Academy, in Indiana, and graduated from Yale with a degree in history.After receiving a medical degree from The Royal College of Surgeons in Dublin, Ireland, he completed an internship in New Haven and a psychiatric residency in Hartford. His published writings include seven short stories, mainly with a medical/psychiatric slant.Three have won literary competitions: the Dana Prize for Short Fiction ("The Stephen Hawking Death Row Fan Club") , the Whiskey Island Short Story Competition ("Hello. My Name is Peter.") , and The Writer Short Story Contest ("Letters from the Hospice," printed online) . The Stephen Hawking Death Row Fan Club, a collection of six short stories and a novella, is his debut book, and was named to Kirkus Reviews' Best Books of 2015. His second book, Model Child - a powerful psychological thriller, will be published in March 2018 by the Side Street Press, Chicago, IL.From Kirkus Reviews: "Goodwin's potent debut drama is a series of stories about the U.S. rehabilitation system and how criminal acts affect the lives of criminals and victims alike. . . a collection of prison-centric stories that astonishes with its vibrancy and strong characters."From Examiner.com (Josef Hernandez, reviewer) : "This is storytelling at its finest and I found myself truly caring about some of these characters, even the ones who were guilty of committing heinous crimes. Goodwin gives each character and story a human element that allows the reader to slip into the story in a way that few authors can achieve. . . 'The Stephen Hawking Death Row Fan Club' is a very strong short story collection that is sure to satisfy any reader."
