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The Advocate
Jonathan Law High School
Milford, CT
Issue Date: Friday, October 16, 2009
Issue: October 2009
Last Update: Monday, October 19, 2009
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There are currently 25 editions on-line. Click on edition name to view articles. February 2009 - Monday, February 23, 2009December 2008 - Monday, December 22, 2008November 2008 - Wednesday, November 26, 2008October 2008 - Friday, October 17, 2008June 2008 - Wednesday, June 11, 2008April 2008 - Tuesday, April 08, 2008February 2008 - Monday, February 25, 2008December 2007 - Thursday, December 20, 2007November 2007 - Monday, November 19, 2007October 2007 - Tuesday, October 16, 2007June 2007 - Wednesday, June 13, 2007April 2007 - Tuesday, April 24, 2007February 2007 - Thursday, February 15, 2007December 2006 - Thursday, December 21, 2006November 2006 - Tuesday, November 21, 2006October 2006 - Monday, October 16, 2006June 2006 - Tuesday, June 13, 2006April 2006 - Monday, April 10, 2006February 2006 - Friday, February 17, 2006December 2005 - Thursday, December 22, 2005November 2005 - Tuesday, November 22, 2005October 2005 - Friday, October 14, 2005April 2005 - Friday, April 01, 2005February 2005 - Thursday, February 17, 2005December 2004 - Monday, December 20, 2004
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[ArticleMedia]
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
By Casey L. - Columns Editor
In Jodi Picoult’s book "Change of Heart", June Nealon already had to suffer through the death of her first husband in a car crash caused by a drunk driver, with her two-year-old daughter in the back seat. Then five years later, her dedicated husband and daughter where murdered by the contractor, Shay Bourne, that she once saw as a god- send for coming to finish an addition before their second daughter was born. Now 11 years later, she must deal with her daughter, Claire, who desperately needs a new heart and the only viable donor, is Bourne, who is on death row for killing Claire’s father and sister. Bourne has a spiritual advisor, Father Michael, from a local church to guide him through his final days and try to come to terms with the chance that the organs of a mid-30s male may not be a good fit for a pre-teen girl. He and Bourne’s attorney also must fight the fact that when the jury including Bourne’s spiritual advisor who was a young college student at the time decided him guilty of capital murder and had him sentenced to death by lethal injection. Lethal injection would be a suitable way to die if it were not for the fact that the chemical makeup is designed to stop the heart, the only organ that they need to persist in order to save Claire. Through many tumultuous trials and court appearances, it is decided that Bourne’s religion demands that in order for him to get salvation for his sins, he must save the sister of his victim. In the midst of the trial, Bourne confesses to Father Michael that he would like to die for his crime but his crime is not as heinous as what the first jury was not told. The crime that was committed mirrors one that he had to suffer through with his sister as an adolescent and is the reason that he would like to die. Bourne feels that he deserves his sentence but not for the crime he is accused of committing rather because he could not protect someone just like he did not protect someone of the same offense as a youth. The suspense in this novel is very intriguing and keeps you reading until the very end. It also keeps you wondering why a guilt-ridden yet innocent man wants to die to save the girls of the family that sent him to jail. The only weak part of the book is that the evidence in the trials isn’t presented as it would be in the normal justice system. The details of the first trial would normally be made certain before a man is fully convicted, and the whole jury would have to be totally convinced of Bourne’s guilt in order for him to be put on death row. Those same truths should also prevail through the appeal process if this man truly does want to show his innocence and show real justice. Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
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