A Review of "Convicted"

In 2006 I was a Sophomore in college when the unthinkable happened. A van full of students from my university was hit by a semi and two of the victims were misidentified. One alive, one deceased. Mark Tabb tells the riveting story of forgiveness then in "Mistaken Identity:, and he does it again in his book, "Convicted."

This book takes place in Benton Harbor, Michigan, a small community permeated by drugs, poverty, and crime. It is told from two perspectives - a crooked cop wanting to get drug dealers off the streets at the cost of his integrity, and the wrongfully accused Jameel. Each tells his side, the events leading up to the arrest and all the turmoil faced after. Both encounter Jesus, and by a miraculous turn of events, develop a friendship based on forgiveness.

At times the book is redundant, but otherwise it is a convicting and sobering account of racial injustice and a broken system. It challenged me to address my own white privilege in light of the headlines today. Reconciliation is important to Jesus, and this book is definitely a picture of that. It is worth the read.

I received my copy free from Bloggingforbooks.com in exchange for my honest review.

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