Seventy Times Seven: A True Story of Murder and Mercy

Today's nonfiction post is on Seventy Times Seven: A True Story of Murder and Mercy by Alex Mar. It is 384 pages long and is published by Penguin Press. The cover is blue with title and author in bold black print and pictures of both the murderer and the victim. The intended reader is someone who is interested in true crime and what justice really is. There is mild foul language, no sex, and descriptions of violence. There Be Spoilers Ahead. 

From the dust jacket- A masterful, revelatory work of literary non-fiction about a teenage girl's shocking crime--and its extraordinary aftermath
On a spring afternoon in 1985 in Gary, Indiana, a fifteen-year-old girl kills an elderly woman in a violent home invasion. In a city with a history of racial tensions and white flight, the girl, Paula Cooper, is Black, and her victim, Ruth Pelke, is white and a beloved Bible teacher.
When Paula is sentenced to death, no one decries the impending execution of a tenth grader. But the tide begins to shift when the victim's grandson Bill forgives the girl, against the wishes of his family, and campaigns to spare her life. This tragedy in a midwestern steel town soon reverberates across the United States and around the world--reaching as far away as the Vatican--as newspapers cover the story on their front pages and millions sign petitions in support of Paula.
As Paula waits on death row, her fate sparks a debate that not only animates legal circles but raises vital questions about the value of human life: What are we demanding when we call for justice? Is forgiveness an act of desperation or of profound bravery? As Bill and Paula's friendship deepens, and as Bill discovers others who have chosen to forgive after terrible violence, their story asks us to consider what radical acts of empathy we might be capable of.
In Seventy Times Seven, Alex Mar weaves an unforgettable narrative of an act of violence and its aftermath. This is a story about the will to live--to survive, to grow, to change--and about what we are willing to accept as justice. Tirelessly researched and told with intimacy and precision, this book brings a haunting chapter in the history of our criminal justice system to astonishing life.

Review- A very moving true crime book that examines the crime, the criminal, and what is real justice. The murder of Ruth Pelke by the hands of a group of teenage girls was very shocking to the community and her family. Her grandson started as angry as the rest of the his family but hearing Paula's grandfather cry out for her, something changed in him. He began to question what his grandmother would have wanted and what was justice when someone is 15. This book is very well written and the questions about justice, faith, and personal choice it raises are engaging. I was deeply moved by Bill, the grandson, and Paula, the murderer, as they tried to find peace and friendship with each other. I would recommend this book. 

I give this book a Five out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this book from my local library.