Overview

Bernadette Baker lives through every mother's worst nightmare when her adopted sixteen-year-old daughter, Veronica, is brutally murdered in a shocking and random act of violence. Ten years later the murderer, Raelynn Blackwell, is facing execution for her crime, and despite being united in their grief over Veronica, the Baker family is deeply divided on the subject of the death penalty. On one side is Veronica's deeply spiritual and sensitive brother who believes that the death penalty is the last thing his baby sister would have wanted. On the opposite side is their tough-as-nails older sister who vehemently believes that death is the only way justice will be served. In the center is Bernadette, who is deeply ambivalent and longs for a resolution that will help her family move forward. After Raelynn receives a last-minute stay of execution, a secret is revealed that changes everything and leads to an unlikely bond between Raelynn and Bernadette. Just Mercy is a heart-wrenching and ultimately redemptive family drama of forgiveness, destiny, and the true nature of justice.

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9781627202046

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Reviews

This family drama is a must-read that teaches us about the true nature of justice and our very humanity. -Sr. Helen Prejean, C.S.J., author of Dead Man Walking A stunning achievement...surprising twists and turns as a family, shattered by the heinous killing of their youngest member, must come to terms with life-altering truths. -Hal Zina Bennett, author of bestseller Write From the Heart

Author Information

Dorothy Van Soest is a writer, social worker, political and community activist, as well as a retired professor and university dean who holds an undergraduate degree in English literature and a Masters and Ph.D. in Social Work. She is currently Professor Emeritus at the University of Washington with a research-based publication record of nine books and over fifty journal articles, essays, and book chapters that tackle complex and controversial issues related to violence, oppression, and injustice. Just Mercy was informed by her widely acclaimed investigation of the lives of thirty-seven men who were executed by Texas in 1997 and inspired by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice's Victim Offender Mediation/Dialogue program.

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