Diversity Education for Social Justice: Mastering Teaching Skills

Politics & Social Sciences

Van Soest, Dorothy

Garcia, Betty

Council on Social Work Education

Politics & Government

Just Mercy

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. When a shocking discovery threatens to tear the family apart each of them is forced to face their conflicting reactions. A heart-wrenching and ultimately redemptive family drama of forgiveness, destiny, and the true nature of justice. 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. Dorothy Van Soest is indeed a masterful storyteller. I eagerly await her next book. --Hal Zina Bennett, bestselling author of Write From the Heart: Unleashing the Power of Our Creativity A thought-provoking novel about the full implications of the death . . . Complex characters populate this well-considered take on capital punishment. --Kirkus Reviews Just Mercy combines a brisk read with deep themes of justice, forgiveness, the abiding love of family and the sanctity of human life. --Joe Martin, Real Change Newspaper Just Mercy is a moving, fast-paced read that artfully sweeps us up in the journey of forgiveness- Leslie Neale, Director, Producer, Unlikely Friends Just Mercy reads like a motion picture ... bringing home the horror of the death penalty and the complexities of how compassion arrives in unexpected ways.--Jarvis Jay Masters, Author of Finding Freedom: Writings from Death Row and That Bird Has My Wings: The Autobiography of an Innocent Man on Death Row Just Mercy shares the compelling and intense journey of a family struggling with the horrors, trauma, and grief associated with the murder of a family member and the death penalty. --Marcelle Clowes, Member Engagement Coordinator, Murder Victims' Families for Reconciliation (MVFR) An eloquently envisioned and deftly delivered a compelling tale.--Sarah W. Bartlett, co-editor, HEAR ME, SEE ME: Incarcerated Women Write and founding co-director of writing inside VT. A family's struggle for justice reveals the complexities and quandaries inherent in capital punishment. After reading the book, it is impossible not to feel compassion for everyone who is impacted by the death penalty system.--Jen Marlowe, author, I Am Troy Davis A compelling read and the plot twist up there with the best of them. --Dave Avolio, Board Member, Washington Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty A page-turner that makes you think and stays with you long after you finish.-Irene Sheppard, Author, Restorativity Blog What makes a family and how families undertake and define healing is explored in this candid, utterly suspenseful and captivating novel. --Marilyn Armour, Ph.D. LICSW, Professor and Director, Institute for Restorative Justice and Restorative Dialogue, The University of Texas at Austin Just Mercy faithfully captures the emotional complexities surrounding the death penalty ... and confronts our notions of justice, punishment, and forgiveness. --Kristin Houlé, Executive Director, Texas Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty Just Mercy is a fitting title for a relationship between unlikely advocates that manifests the principles of the victim offender dialogue process in a riveting family drama. --David Doerfler, founder, Concentric Journeys A powerful call for breaking down the barriers that separate us and for recognizing the value of every human being. --Michael Reisch, Ph.D., Daniel Thursz Distinguished Professor of Social Justice, University of Maryland A journey through the Texas criminal justice system that you will never forget.-Larry Fitzgerald, former Public Information Officer, Huntsville, Texas Dept. of Criminal Justice

Literature & Fiction

Genre Fiction

Apprentice House

When seven-year-old Anthony Little Eagle is found dead on the concrete patio beneath the balcony of a foster home, police and child welfare officials determine that it was a tragic accident. Sylvia Jensen, the foster care supervisor, comes to suspect that the boy's death may have involved foul play and she is launched on a journey to find the truth no matter what the cost. She forms an unlikely alliance with J.B. Harrell, an investigative reporter, to search for the killer, defying her superiors and risking her career-even her own life-to ensure that justice is done. In the process both Sylvia and J.B. are forced to face their own pasts and learn to live with them. At The Center is about the danger of secrets, the power of belonging and how much bravery it takes to finally close the distance between who we pretend to be and who we really are.

At The Center

United States

Death, Unchartered

When a child's skeleton is discovered during the excavation of the site for a new charter school being built in the Bronx, former teacher Sylvia Jensen is certain of only two things. She is sure that the remains are those of eight-year-old Markus LeMeur, her third-grade student who disappeared in the violent and tumultuous fall of 1968. And she is sure that his death was no accident. Determined to find out who killed Markus and why, Sylvia again joins forces with investigative reporter J. B. Harrell and together they delve into the strikes and political protests of the late 1960s and corporate greed of the present. As Sylvia fights to make peace with her own past, she realizes that she missed her chance to save Markus, and she becomes driven to find his killer, before he can kill again.

Mystery, Thriller & Suspense

Mystery

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.

In 1984 SYLVIA JENSEN was a heavy drinker having an affair with Norton, an atomic veteran and fellow activist in the nuclear disarmament movement. In 2019, at seventy-seven and with her activist days behind her, Sylvia is protecting her hard-won recovery and simple lifestyle until Norton's troubled son Corey draws her back into the fight. To save his life and those of countless others, she and her old friend investigative reporter J.B. Harrell must unravel a decades old mystery and face the truth of the nuclear age before it is too late.

Nuclear Option

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Van Soest, Dorothy. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Van Soest, Dorothy

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Van Soest, Dorothy. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Diversity Education for Social Justice: Mastering Teaching Skills

Just Mercy

At The Center

Death, Unchartered

Death, Unchartered

Just Mercy

Nuclear Option