Could you forgive your sister's killer? "You have to forgive because you have been forgiven," said author Jeanne Bishop in reference to Jesus' Gospel message. Change of Heart shares her journey of moving beyond the concept of "forgiving and forgetting" to personal reconciliation with the man who killed her pregnant sister and brother-in-law. Her decision to forgive didn't come without a price though, and Bishop addresses the sacrifices that she made in the book. Bishop's work also brings the reader into the discussion of the challenging issues of restorative justice, juvenile life sentencing, mandatory minimums, and incarceration in the criminal justice system.
"It's not okay what you did, but I am not going to hate you. I am not going to wish evil on you," said Bishop. "I am going to wish the opposite. I am going to wish that you will be redeemed." It's a unique standpoint that will challenge readers from all backgrounds to look at forgiveness from a new angle. Change of Heart will also encourage them to move beyond mere forgiveness to the deeper waters of redemption and grace.
Change of Heart is an ideal book for book clubs and women's discussion groups.
Jeanne Bishop is a public defender in Cook County, Illinois, and an activist for the abolition of the death penalty. She writes regularly for The Huffington Post, and her work has been featured on CNN.com, the Chicago Sun-Times, and Chicago Tribune, among others, and she has spoken around the world on issues related to crime and capital punishment.