Change of Heart

I was again my usual restless self so I immediately headed for the bookstore and browsed through their English novels section. Something caught my eye... there's a new set of books from bestselling author Jodi Picoult.

I picked up the first book that I can get my hands on and fell in love with it just by reading the front cover which explored a question that many of us wouldn't know how to answer:

"You daughter needs a new heart.
The only match comes from a murderer.
WHAT WOULD YOU DO?"

Here's a synopsis from the Jodi Picoult Official website (http://www.jodipicoult.com/change-of-heart.html):

Shay Bourne - New Hampshire’s first death row prisoner in 69 years – has only one last request: to donate his heart post-execution to the sister of his victim, who is looking for a transplant. Bourne says it’s the only way he can redeem himself…but with lethal injection as his form of execution, this is medically impossible. Enter Father Michael Wright, a young local priest. Called in as Shay’s spiritual advisor, he knows redemption has nothing to do with organ donation – and plans to convince Bourne. But then Bourne begins to perform miracles at the prison that are witnessed by officers, fellow inmates, and even Father Michael – and the media begins to call him a messiah. Could an unkempt, bipolar, convicted murderer be a savior? It seems highly unlikely, to the priest. Until he realizes that the things Shay says may not come from the Bible…but are, verbatim, from a gospel that the early Christian church rejected two thousand years ago…and that is still considered heresy.

Change Of Heart looks at the nature of organized religion and belief, and takes the reader behind the closely drawn curtains of America’s death penalty. It also asks whether religion and politics truly are separate in this country, or inextricably tangled. Does religion make us more tolerant, or less? Do we believe what we do because it’s right? Or because it’s too frightening to admit that we may not have the answers?

I am currently reading the book and while it is a page-turner, I had to pause and stop every once in a while because my daughter keeps tugging at my hand. I don't like interruptions when I am reading but my little one has to always come first. Will tell you all about the book once I am done reading with it, which I hope is soon.

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