Grace Will Lead Us Home: The Charleston Church Massacre and the Hard, Inspiring Journey to Forgiveness

I just finished reading Grace will lead us home.Such an incredible story. So sad. So unnecessary. But it’s written so well.It has moved me like nothing else, that I’ve ever read. Moved me like there’s something more, something else that I need to do. But what that is I’m not exactly sure. But one thing I do know. I’ll never be the same after reading this. I commend the author, Jennifer Berry Hawes, for her due diligence in the amount of research that must have been necessary for her to conduct such an undertaking. The details. The human personalities that she captured with each person. I will never forget this book. I’m so glad that I have it on both audio and text. The young lady who did the audio, Karen Chilton, put so much life into it. As she portrayed each person’s voice. Their emotions. Their personality. Their character. I felt like I was there. This is something that so many people need to read. So many people need to experience. So many people need to live. At this time in our society where there is so much hatred. So much division. What happened? What happened to us. Where is love? Compassion? Understanding? The need to want to get along to make things better. Where are those things? But we have to be strong. We have to have faith. As it was mentioned by President Obama, time for talk is out. We need to be about action. There needs to be changes and some changes have started. But it’s not enough. We can’t stop, we can’t rest. We need to take that next step. And the next step. Not just one step at a time. But multiple steps at the same time. To do justice and remembrance of the Charleston Nine. And all those that have followed after. Even though the perpetrator here hid his heinous crimes under the guise of white supremacy. That is covertly what’s happening today in our police force. So we get the killings of Trayvon Martin, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, Ahmaud Aubrey and too many countless others. This has to stop. And it’s going take everyone. Every single one of us regardless to the color of our skins. Our ethnicity. Our culture. Our class. Our age. Everyone of us has a part to do. And I am willing and ready to do my part. Thank you Jennifer. Thank you so much for a wake up call and a work well done!

This is a truly compelling and necessary book. A story of vicious and incomprehensible violence. A story of profound loss. A story of forgiveness and of healing. This is the true story of the Charleston church massacre, June 17, 2017. It was a life-changer for those involved and also, I believe, for those who immerse themselves in this book. The author, Jennifer Berry Hawes, has a true gift of words that resonate and weave a vivid tapestry of a narrative that occurs all too often in our county. Nine of the twelve members of the historically black Emmanuel AME Church in Charleston were brutally murdered while at an evening Bible study. Hawes vividly recreates the massacre offering an instant insight into the 9 lives as the shooting occured, creating an aching sense of loss as they died.The shooting was carried out by 21-year-old Dylann Roof, a self-proclaimed white supremacist, taking inspiration from internet websites. He shows no remorse and states that it was "worth it' to take these 9 innocent lives. Roof believed that he was a savior for the white race from all others who by the nature of birth and skin color, threatened whit survival.This is a story about history - of the South, slavery, religion, leaders, politicians, policy, and ministers of faith. Of ordinary people who relied on their strong belief in a just and loving god. At the initial hearing for this lengthy and trying court process, the victims loved ones, left behind, stated publically that they forgave Dylann Roof. The guiding light of forgiveness is at the root of this inspiring yet tragic tale.

First of all , I do not normally read this type of book but I have family in Charleston so I was interested .When I started this book, I thought I knew what to expect. I insulated myself from my emotions as I read the events leading up to and at the tragic shooting. What I wasn’t expecting was the compelling stories of the aftermath, when the TV cameras had moved on to the next tragedy. This story, masterfully told, is equally heartwarming and heartbreaking. The police officer who stayed with the dead even through a bomb threat, has affected me deeply. In contrast, I am horrified by what the victims’ own church put them through. As a health care provider, I have seen first hand how tragedy can bring out the best, and worst, in families. The minute details Jennifer Berry Hawes is able to bring to light are spun together seamlessly and weave a story that shows these victims and survivors as the real people that they are - broken, enraged, despondent, flawed, tired, annoyed, and yet capable of the superhuman strength to persevere and, for some, to forgive.I would like to add that despite a seemingly “heavy” subject matter that this book is easy to read. The author effortlessly braids together the multiple views, adds a quick bit of interesting/ironic/meaningful history, and presents it in succinct passages that leave you racing for the next. I would highly suggest this for a book club or bible study as it is rich is topics for discussion .

Highly recommended. Very well written and interesting from start to finish. A must read and covers all aspects of this horrendous case.