On January 7, 1916, Antonio Pontón, a Puerto Rican student at Albany Law School who suffered from mental illness, became the first Hispanic executed in the electric chair at the Sing Sing Prison in New York. Author Yasmin Tirado-Chiodini tells a fictionalized account of Pontón's story in her historical novel ANTONIO'S WILL, A Story of Sacrifice, Love, Tragedy and Injustice, the first book in The Antonio's Series. This second book, ANTONIO'S GRACE, An Island's Plea for a Native Son, is a work of non-fiction in which the author takes a closer look at the trial and clemency process in the Pontón case. In it, she shares photographs and a selection of the thousands of documents she found, containing clemency writings endorsed by over 21,000 people who prayed in vain for grace for Pontón. Tirado-Chiodini's research and analysis of the case one hundred years later uncover the injustices surrounding Pontón's murder trial and examine the viability of the death penalty as a just measure. The names and voices of clemency have returned after a century to plead once again for an island's native son. Will you listen? BONUS: The book's Appendix includes a transcription by the author of over 21,000 names of individuals and organizations who signed clemency petitions in the case, an invaluable resource for academics, historians, and genealogists.
About the Author: Yasmin Tirado-Chiodini is an attorney and family historian. She is a former U.S. Space Shuttle engineer and adjunct professor of legal ethics and negotiations for the Executive M.B.A. program at Rollins College, Crummer Graduate School of Business in Winter Park, Florida. She is the author of "ANTONIO'S WILL, A Story of Sacrifice, Love, Tragedy and Injustice" (Book 1 of The Antonio's Series), a historical novel telling the story of injustice of the first Hispanic executed in the electric chair in the United States, and the non-fiction companion book, "ANTONIO'S GRACE, An Island's Plea for a Native Son" (Book 2 of the series), presenting a selection of historical documents and photographs in the Antonio Pontón case, uncovering new findings from her research, detailing the unprecedented clemency effort, and analyzing the case 100 years later. She has also authored the non-fiction book "Does Your Compass Work? A Legal Guide for Florida Businesses." She practices business law, is a speaker, blogger, and frequently publishes in various media. She lives in Florida with her husband, daughter and their rescued Labradors.