Stitching Freedom
At 16, Gary Tyler was arrested, beaten and framed at for the shooting of a white teen. An all-white jury sentenced him to death the following year. He survived over four decades at Angola Prison and now reclaims his power—sharing his gripping memoir of injustice, defiance, and the deep bonds of care and support that helped him overcome bitterness and become a leader and an artist.
The California Independent Booksellers Association chose Stitching Freedom as a finalist for their 2025 Golden Poppy Awards. The book also won the 2026 Social Justice Advocacy Award from In the Margins, honoring literature that addresses systemic injustices and illuminates resilience, resistance, identity, and hope. Order and view testimonials.
Ellen Bravo’s connection to Gary Tyler goes back to 1976, when she and her husband marched with two thousand other people in New Orleans to demand Gary’s freedom. She is proud to have helped Gary tell his story in his own words.
About
Ellen Bravo
Ellen Bravo is an award-winning author and lifelong activist, the former director of 9to5 (the group that inspired the movie,) and co-founder of Family Values @ Work, a network of state coalitions working for family-friendly policies. She has written three non-fiction books, including Taking on the Big Boys, or Why Feminism is Good for Families, Business and the Nation. awarded Foreword Magazine’s gold medal for women’s issues. Ellen’s first novel, Again and Again, won praise for being a “riveting page-turner that tackles some of the most important issues of our day — campus sexual violence, male privilege, and beltway politics.” She wrote Standing Up: Tales of Struggle with her husband, Larry Miller. Among her commendations is a Ford Foundation Visionary award.
A business editor once described her as “moving, witty and sometimes bawdy.” Ellen and Larry now live in Austin, TX and Oakland, CA; they have two adult sons. When she’s not raising hell or writing fiction, Ellen loves Zumba, bid whist, brainteasers, board games, kayaking, reading, and above all spending time with family and friends.
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