Table of ContentsIntroductionOverviewForgivenessDeathConclusionIntroductionFrom the book, we realize that when Stephanie Cassatly was eighteen, her mother was shot and killed during a convenience store robbery in New Orleans; changing every preconceived notion she had about the world and what it meant to feel safe. Twenty years later, she found and forgave her mother's killer, just before he died in the infamous Angola State Penitentiary. It was then that she realized that she had been as much a prisoner as he was. With a searing honesty that will make readers' hearts ache and sing; Notice of Release chronicles her traumatic and sometimes dangerous childhood as an expat in South America, her journey from grieving student to high-powered advertising executive, and how she reconciled her deep connection to her own children with her fear of be taken prematurely. two. In this memoir, she proves that shedding the weight of the past can unlock a brave and beautiful future, and comes to understand that finding and forgiving her mother's killer is ultimately a journey to finding herself.Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay The Overview This book is more than a gripping memoir about a girl's life's journey to forgive her mother's murderer. It's also a beautifully written story, recounting a journey of self-discovery while eloquently describing the complexities of human relationships with an honest examination of how we inadvertently create obstacles to those relationships. Ms. Cassatly connects with the reader from the first page and you will have a hard time putting the book down. A great selection for book clubs as it creates lots of discussion threads to explore. Her life changed forever nearly 40 years ago when her mother was murdered in a New Orleans liquor store. Eighteen-year-old Stephanie Cassatly was about to graduate from Emory University in Atlanta with a bachelor's degree in business when her aunt Joy and brother Stephen showed up at her dorm to tell her the news. “It was a big shock,” Cassatly said. “It’s always like being in a dark cave when I talk about it.” However, she talks about it a lot. The Jupiter resident recently wrote a memoir documenting the senseless crime, and she is now speaking publicly about her journey to forgiving the killer. “I forgave him in 2000,” Cassatly says of Charles Hodges, the man who was sentenced to life in prison at the infamous Louisiana State Penitentiary. Notice of Release takes readers through the halls of the maximum security facility she visited as part of her research. Chapter 30 describes her act of forgiveness, which began when a piece of paper fell to the floor as she was leafing through a file. It had the number of the prison chaplain on it. “On a whim, out of the blue, I picked up the phone and called,” Cassatly explains. Father Joël LeBauve responded. “I'm calling to find out more about one of your inmates who killed my mother 20 years ago,” Cassatly said. “Let me ask you, what do you want to accomplish?” » asked LeBauve. "I'm considering…I'm thinking of trying to find a way to forgive him, but I don't know if I can," Cassatly replied. LeBauve delivered the message to Hodges, who was wheelchair-bound with a terminal illness. “I’m struck by your timing, my dear,” LeBauve said. “That over a period of 20 years, you call now.” Cassatly, sitting in her living room overlooking theLoxahatchee River, remembers the moment she received the certified mail informing her of Hodges' death. "I'm standing in the aisle, holding this letter to my chest, thinking, 'He had been released, and I had been released,'" she said. "I said, 'That's going to be the title of the book.' » The 57-year-old wife and mother began by writing a release notice for her daughters. “I hadn't really told them the whole story,” Cassatly says. The undertaking involved not only visiting the prison, but also going through pages of court documents and contacting Hodges' family. "After I forgave him, I realized, 'Wow, something big just happened here,'" Cassatly said. “It was like someone had changed the dial on my radio.” She dropped out of her bachelor's degree and earned a master's degree in writing from Vermont College of Fine Arts. Letting your fingers loose on your laptop has become a passion and a priority. “I feel like this is the only way I can make sense of my own life,” Cassatly says. “It’s like an anchor.” ForgivenessA story of love and forgiveness that sends a powerful message No matter if you have lost a loved one to a brutal tragedy like Stephanie Cassatly did, this book sends a message that can and does apply to all people who have been afraid of the weaknesses of daily life that can influence our ability to live fully and experience joy and love. This is a book of great courage and strength, seemingly written by a genuine and real person. It's also a book that makes you feel like you're actually living the experiences described, as opposed to passive reading based on Cassatly's skills in telling her story honestly, authentically, and fully. The book sends a powerful message that life can be lived to the fullest if we have the strength to accept it, with forgiveness being the key. It can make you cry like me or, at times, laugh because it's so real. It may also make you think about your precious memories of loved ones and the assumption that the person who is angry and hurt is harming themselves and can be released if allowed. A memoir that reads like a novel, it is brilliantly written because it is gripping. to your heart and don't let it go. I'd be lying if I didn't say I shed more than a few tears. It's impossible not to get emotionally involved, this story is remarkable and intimately told. In a way, it's like I know Stephanie better than the people who have been in my life for many years. She's so good. This book is certainly about Stéphanie's journey and forgiveness, but much more. It delicately addresses complex family challenges, love, relationship difficulties and imperfect human beings. It's a question of compassion. It doesn't preach but leaves you with the joyful feeling that there is something bigger than us. I can’t wait to share and discuss with my book club friends. “Could you forgive your mother’s killer?” Don't let that compelling hook fool you: this is a multi-layered memoir with so much heart; you'll find yourself rooting for the author as she goes through the rocky process of forgiving her mother's murderer. Her complex family dynamic, including her mother's family's attempts to shield her from the details of the tragedy until she is old enough to properly absorb it, is so well written; you'll find yourself admiring Cassatly for more than just her ability to forgive the unforgivable, but for her ability to write so candidly and unapologetically about her own life, warts and all. No matter who you are and what.