This book is written in 3rd person and reads like a documentary. It was almost like hearing an episode of 60 Minutes in my head...only much longer. It had a very impersonal feel to it. The amount of details given regarding family background and the trials were extensive. For someone who knows the family or wants to know everything about the case, this feature might be great - but it was more than I needed to know. The pictures included within the text did add a nice touch.
As I said earlier, my main motivation for reading this book was to understand how someone could cope with such a tragedy. This theme was touched on a little, but was not the focus of the story. The Rising did not speak much about the importance of faith in healing. Instead it's focus was on the impact that community support can have on a family. This was my favorite part of the story. It was uplifting to hear about the kindness and generosity that people can offer...even strangers. Bill received nearly 25,000 pieces of mail, many containing money. He received so much money that he created a charitable foundation in memory of his girls. This foundation gave him something to focus on and was able to bless others. The evil done by the murderers was contrasted by this idea that many people are good. We just need to recognize that goodness.
Even though I did not care for the way this story was written, it is a story worth hearing. It testifies to the fact that life goes on and can even be good after an unimaginable tragedy.
*I received a complimentary copy of this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for an honest review.
