Are victims of crime destined to have the rest of their lives
shaped by the crimes they've experienced? ("What happened to the road
map for living the rest of my life?" asks a woman whose mother was
murdered.) Will victims of crime always be bystanders in the
justice system? ("We're having a problem forgiving the judge and the
system," says the father of a young man killed in prison.) Is it
possible for anyone to transcend such a comprehensively destructive,
identity-altering occurrence? ("I thought, I'm going to run until I'm
not angry anymore," expresses a woman who was assaulted.) Howard
Zehr presents the portraits and courageous stories of 39 victims of
violent crime. Many of these people were twice-wounded: once at the
hands of an assailant; the second time by the courts, where there is no
legal provision for a victim's participation. "My hope," says Zehr,
"is that this book might hand down a rope to others who have
experienced such tragedies and traumas, and that it might allow all who
read it to live on the healing edge." Includes more than 75 artistic photographs. Copyright 2001. |