A masterful, revelatory work of literary non-fiction about a teenage girlxe2x80x99s shocking crime xe2x80x94 and its extraordinary aftermath.
'An absorbing work of social history and a story about the mystery and miracle of forgiveness...it deserves to be read with attention.' Hilary Mantel,Booker Prizexe2x80x93winning author of the Wolf Hall trilogy
On a spring afternoon in 1985 in Gary, Indiana, a fifteen-year-old black girl kills a white elderly bible teacher in a violent home invasion. In a city with a history of racial tension the press swoops in.
When Paula is sentenced to death, no one decries the impending execution of a tenth grader. But the tide begins to shift when the victimxe2x80x99s 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 xe2x80x94 reaching as far away as the Vatican xe2x80x94 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. This story asks us to consider the nature of justice, and what radical acts of empathy we might be capable of.