UPDATE: SECOND EDITION NOW AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE!
As an author, I encourage readers who are interested in purchasing my book to support small indie retailers and bookstores rather than larger ones such as Amazon and B&N. Below are a few that carry the second edition of Reclaiming Lives:
This online outlet supports local, independent bookstores. Bookshop.org
Duluth, MN: Zenith Bookstore
Stillwater, MN: Valley Bookseller
Green Bay, WI: Brown County Central Library
Green Bay, WI: Lion’s Mouth Bookstore (purchase online or in store)
De Pere, WI: Bosse’s News and Tobacco
Second edition is listed in the 2021 Midwest Independent Publishers Association (MIPA) Catalog
One of the most touching reviews an author could ever receive:
9-22-2018 – “I’m reading Reclaiming Lives right now while having lunch. I met you at the Books and Beer Pop Up stand at Summit Brewery. I’m only on page 26 but something interesting is happening. I read a chapter or a couple of pages and put the book down. I soak in and really think about what you wrote. The people and the events being pictured in my mind. This is not a book I’m going to fly through. This is a book I will experience life through. Thank you Joan.” — William
National Book Awards for independent/self-published writers (3):
November 22, 2019 – DEEPLY HUMBLED to announce (for a third time), my book has been chosen as WINNER in the TRUE CRIME category for the BEVERLY HILLS BOOK AWARDS! AWARD LISTING.
MAY 24, 2019 – EXCITED TO ANNOUNCE my book was chosen as WINNER in the TRUE CRIME category for the INDIE EXCELLENCE BOOK AWARDS; the SECOND national book award my book has received! AWARD LISTING.
NOVEMBER 9, 2017 – My book was chosen as WINNER in the TRUE CRIME NON-FICTION CATEGORY for THE AMERICAN BOOK FEST- 2017 BEST BOOK AWARDS! View archived AWARD LISTING.
Most importantly, these wins directly impact and hold the key to the future of our six men: Michael Piaskowski (2001 exoneree), Dale Basten (released 2017- deceased 2018), Michael Hirn (paroled 2018), Michael Johnson (paroled 2019), Reynold Moore (paroled 2019) and Keith Kutska (still incarcerated)…
I eventually took this story to my hometown. These two interviews are a result of the interest this story generated both when it occurred in 1992 and more recently:
8-7-2019 – Suomi College/Finlandia University Alumni Association: Our Leading the Pride (podcast) for August features award-winning true crime author, Joan Treppa (’83). Joan’s story is incredible having dropped out of high school after her sophomore year to raise her son, to eventually attending Suomi, and becoming a social justice advocate for six men who were wrongfully convicted of murdering a coworker in the 1990’s.
8-11-2019 – The Keweenaw Report: Host Rick Allen Rick is joined by author and social justice advocate Joan Treppa on Copper Country Today, to talk about her book Reclaiming Lives and the effort to exonerate five men she says were wrongfully convicted of murder.
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April 19-22, 2018: UNTITLEDTOWN BOOK AND AUTHOR FEST! One of my goals for the book was to take this adaptation of the story back to Green Bay, Wisconsin–the city where six men met an unjust fate in 1995–to highlight the new facts that often get glossed over or omitted from local news reports. Being accepted as a participant in this annual book festival allowed me to do that in an effective way. With my presentation filling the room with 50+ people, I take pride in the fact that I was the only lesser-known author to make it onto the evening news!
News clip of interview with WBAY Channel 2 in Green Bay.
About this book:
This is not just a book. It is a mission that chronicles a persistent collaborative effort to gain legal assistance and eventual freedom for the remainder of the six incarcerated Wisconsin men believed to be innocent.
To be more precise, this book is the result of my participation in a growing movement to vindicate those convicted in the tragic death of a mill worker inside a Green Bay, Wisconsin paper mill. Told from my non-legal perspective, it addresses true events and real people whose lives were thrown into chaos when, in October of 1995, six murder convictions befell six innocent men. The path of devastation that ensued has continued to plague these men, their families, and the surrounding community–all of whom have never fully recovered from the fallout.
In 2009, a book titled The Monfils Conspiracy was published which details facts of the case along with alternative scenarios of what may have happened. A copy was given to me by one of its authors. It sparked within me, an emotional connection with the victims, a mission to help….to protect…and a fierce determination to find legal assistance for the convicted men. As a result, others eventually climbed on board and a new legal battle began. Hope was restored in the process to the many Family members who were also affected. This story is about justice. More importantly, it is about the perseverance and courage of the human spirit. And it shows how never giving in to what is, opens doors to what can be…
Information received recently confirms that both The Monfils Conspiracy (2009) and Reclaiming Lives (2017) are, in fact, having a direct impact on the most recent releases of these men!
You can still find the first edition at the Brown County Library in Green Bay. (The second edition is currently on order.) Their review of the first edition (from an article in the Green Bay Press Gazette) was quite complimentary…
“Reclaiming Lives: Pursuing Justice for Six Innocent Men” by Joan Treppa
“Tom Monfils died at his job at the James River Paper Mill in Green Bay in 1992. Was he murdered by six of his co-workers or did he commit suicide? At the resulting trial, those six men were convicted of first-degree intentional homicide and sentenced to life in prison, but Treppa argues they were wrongfully convicted. In subsequent years, two of the men have been released, but the other four are still serving their sentences while they petition the court for release. This self-published title follows Treppa, a social justice advocate, from when she heard about this story and details her attempts and efforts to get these men exonerated. She works closely with the authors of “The Monfils Conspiracy” and, although that title would add background to this book, it’s not necessary to read it first. Treppa’s enthusiasm and passion is evident, and readers not familiar with this case will become captivated.”
The second edition cover image includes a large stain which appropriately represents the current state of our criminal justice system.
Something not included in either version is a poem I wrote in 2015 for our 5th annual Walk for Truth and Justice held in Green Bay on October 28th-the day in 1995 when all six men were convicted of first degree intentional homicide, party to a crime. The poem depicts the wrongful convictions of six innocent men, the legal assistance that resurfaced in 2013, and a plea for enlightenment and salvation of those who perpetuated these convictions.
In February of 2017, the poem was submitted to the website of the Innocence Project in New York City for poetry month so that more people might enjoy it. It was generously shared on social media and reached over one million people. View it on the Innocence Project’s website.
The Cleansing of Rain by: Joan Treppa
Feel the rain Soothe our pain With each new drop Please make it stop
And with the chill We seek goodwill In loving faces And warm embraces
Much time is lost At a great cost See not the changed But what’s been gained
As time is molded A future unfolded Of what’s been started, Not of which is departed
The truth is nigh Let gones be bye Open thine eyes To accept this prize Let the souls be free Of the forgotten we
But let us pray For those astray In the dawning of this bright new day That their hearts be cleansed As they make amends
For their truths have faltered With lives forever altered In the dawning of this bright new day Let us pray…
I received this very special Mother’s Day card in 2017 from my son, Jared, who designed it using a photo he took of a Tiger Lilly. He then composed the poem based on words and phrases taken from my book…
This thoughtful and clever card was sent to me from a prisoner I write to who is also innocent of the crime for which he was convicted (unrelated to the Monfils case):
My life is blessed. My needs are met. My only wish is for the same for everyone…