Joe Loya
Joe Loya, is an author whose essays and book reviews have been published in dozens of national newspapers and magazines. He is also the author of the critically acclaimed memoir The Man Who Outgrew His Prison Cell: Confessions of a Bank Robber, and wrote and performed a one-man show of the same name at the Thick House in San Francisco. He has appeared on CBS News, CNN, MSNBC, FOX’s O’Relly Factor, and other TV shows to comment on cultural events. In 2007 the documentary Protagonist featured the story of his radical life change. He is one of the founders of Own Your Story and he lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.
“You’ll be taken with the energy and urgency of Loya’s writing and, above all, with the sweetness and beauty of his discoveries.”
“I will be retelling Joe Loya’s story for years as a testament to the trans- formative power of writing. In his darkest moment, corrupted and blameful, he picked up a pen. The introspection required in filling up blank paper saved his soul in a way religion and family never could. His story will no doubt do the same for many readers.”
“This is the most complete and unsparing portrait of a descent into wrongdoing and the painful climb back to civility that I’ve ever read.”
“This is a stunning memoir that I could not put down—it is funny, shocking, sad, wise, and, ultimately, deeply moving. It will linger with me for a long time. Joe Loya has performed a rare feat in both life and in his writing: he has understood and transcended his past.”
BY JOE LOYA: The Man Who Outgrew His Prison Cell MEMOIR, 2003