This book is part memoir, part spiritual reflections. This author, Kate Grosmaire, writes about the tragic shooting death of her teenage daughter. This is a strongly Catholic book. This family settled on getting in the Catholic denomination after trying other denominations. She writes that book with Nancy French, a three times New York Times bestselling author. After her daughter was killed, Grosmaire became an educator about what has come to be known as restorative justice. The author and her husband are the co-founders of the Ann Grosmaire "Be the Change" Fund, a charitable fund to promote forgiveness and restorative justice practices. It is named after their murdered daughter. This book has 19 chapters that tell the story of this family's journey and their reflections of their journey. The book ends with a jailhouse interview with the the boyfriend who killed their daughter. The author concludes with some acknowledgments of those who made this book possible. The book ends with a few notes of sources used in this book, and finishes with bios of the author and her co-writer. Black and white photos of Ann, the daughter, are inserted in the book.
I read through this book in under a week. It was an easy read. I found it interesting and riveting until the last page. The author sets the stage by beginning with the tragedy that changed the lives of two families. This book is somehow no ssad or depressing. This is the case with most true crime books. That is because of the tone and message of this book. The title fits the message of this entire book beautifully. The author is honest about her struggles with forgiveness. She shares about how it affected her marriage. I was intrigued about the "restorative justice" concept. This is revolutionary, and as laid out in this book, I would love to see made universal. It is that good. This author stressed the great value of having a church family during this time. She details the overwhelming support that her church family blanketed her and her family with during their tragedy. They were suppounded with support afterwards. The author describes it as "floating in love." I frankly felt a touch of envy at this. Why does it always take a tragedy to pull us together? Why does it always take a tragedy to unite us? Sadly, that is so often the case! I valued how this book stressed the plight of the families of suspects and criminals. I was moved at the love and grace this family showed to the killer of their daughter. THey also cared for his family. Seldom does the media touch on the families of perpetrators. The stress is almost always on the perspective of the victims and their families. That is understandable. But the plights and experiences of perpetrators' families shouldn't be forgotten. They are also victims in another sense. I have believed that for a long time. I found in this book lessons on forgiveness, redemption, openness, compassion, and above all, hope. As this is a Catholic book, I read it in that context. I'm not a Catholic but I was moved at how this family drew on their faith. THe author affirms her prolife stance, that life is sacred from conception to natural death. In this case, it is a tragic end-of-life scenario.
I recommend this book for all people. I recommend it especially for people who like to follow true crime. It may show these true crime followers another perspective on this issue. This book should be required reading for criminology students. It should be required reading in law schools. It should be read by anyone who deals with the criminal justice system. Reading it will introduce you to the concept of restorative justice. It benefits victims and criminals, and the families on both sides. I recommend this book for everyone who needs to forgive, which I'm sure includes almost all of us. I recommend this book for crime victims who are ready to hear about forgiving their perpetrators. This book stresses that forgiveness benefits the offended as well as the offender.
I received a complimentary copy of this book through Booklook Bloggers. I was not required to give a positive review of this book.
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