IndexIntroductionThe OverviewForgivenessDeathConclusionIntroductionFrom 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 idea she had about the world and what it meant to feel safe. Twenty years later, she found her mother's killer and forgave him, shortly before he died in Angola's infamous state penitentiary. It was then that she realized that she had been as much a prisoner as he was. With 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 college student to high-powered advertising executive, and how she reconciled her deep connection to her children with the fear of be caught prematurely. from them. In this memoir, she proves that shedding the burden of the past can unlock a courageous and beautiful future, and she 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 Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The Overview This book is more than a gripping memoir of a daughter's life journey to forgive her mother's killer. It is also a beautifully written story, chronicling a journey of self-discovery and eloquently describing the complexities of human relationships with an honest examination of how we inadvertently create obstacles to such relationships. Ms. Cassatly connects with the reader from the first page and you will find it hard to put the book down. A great selection for book clubs as it creates numerous discussion threads to explore. His life changed forever nearly 40 years ago when his 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 degree in economics when her Aunt Joy and brother Stephen showed up at her dorm to give her the news. “It was a big shock,” Cassatly says. “It's still like being in a dark cave when I talk about it.” Yet he talks about it a lot. The Jupiter resident recently wrote a memoir documenting the senseless crime, and now she's 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 Louisiana's infamous state penitentiary. Notice of Release takes readers through the halls of the maximum security facility he visited as part of his research. Chapter 30 describes his act of forgiveness, which began when a piece of paper fell to the floor while he was leafing through a folder. On it was the prison chaplain's number. “Impulsively, out of the blue, I picked up the phone and called,” Cassatly says. Father Joel LeBauve responded. “I'm calling you to get information about one of your inmates who killed my mother 20 years ago,” Cassatly said. “Let me ask you: What do you want to accomplish?” LeBauve asked. “I'm considering… I'm thinking about trying to find a way to forgive him, but I don't know if I can,” Cassatly replied. LeBauve relayed the message to Hodges, who was confined to a wheelchair due to a terminal illness. “I'm impressed with your timing, my dear,” LeBauve said. “That for a period of 20 years, you call now.” Cassatly, sitting in her living room overlooking the Loxahatchee River, recalls the moment she received the certified letter informing her of Hodges' death. “I was standing in the driveway, clutching this letter to my chest, thinking, 'He did itreleased, and I had been released,'" she says. "I said, 'This will be the title of the book.'" The 57-year-old wife and mother began writing Notice of Release for her daughters. "I hadn't told them the whole story," Cassatly says. The undertaking involved not only visiting the prison, but also poring over pages of court documents and contacting Hodges' family. "After I forgave him, I realized, 'Wow, here something big just happened," says Cassatly. "It was like someone changed the dial on my radio." He put aside his college degree and earned a master's degree in writing from the Vermont College of Fine Arts. Leaving his fingers free on the laptop has become a passion and a priority. "I feel like it's the only way I can give meaning to my life," says Cassatly. "It's like an anchor." from the fact that someone has lost a loved one in a brutal tragedy as Stephanie Cassatly did, this book sends a message that can and does apply to all people who have been afraid of the weaknesses of everyday life that can affect our ability to live fully and experience joy and love. This is a book of great courage and strength, apparently written by an authentic and real person. It's also a book that makes you feel like you're actually experiencing the experiences described instead of a passive reading based on Cassatly's abilities to tell her story honestly, authentically, and completely. The book sends a powerful message: life can be lived fully if we have the strength to embrace it, and forgiveness is the key. It might make you cry like I did or laugh at some points because it's so real. It may also make you think about your precious memories of loved ones and the premise that the person holding onto the anger and pain is harming themselves and can be released if allowed. A memoir that reads like a novel, it is brilliantly written as it grabs at your heart and doesn't let 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 extraordinary and intimately told. In a way it's as if 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 Stephanie's journey and forgiveness, but so much more. It delicately discusses complicated family challenges, love, relationship struggles, and imperfect human beings. It's about compassion. It doesn't preach but leaves you with the joyful feeling that there is something bigger than us out there. I look forward to sharing and discussing with my book club friends. "Could you forgive your mother's killer?" Don't let this 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 shocking process of forgiving her mother's killer. Her complicated family dynamic, including her mother's family's attempts to shield her from the details of the tragedy until she was old enough to absorb it properly, is so well written; you'll find yourself admiring Cassatly not only for his ability to forgive the unforgivable, but also for his ability to write so candidly and unabashedly about his own life, for better or worse. No matter who you are and what you've been through, you'll find something in this story that will speak to you. DeathNotice of Release explores the boundaries of grief and, equally importantly, forgiveness, ultimately finding common ground between the two. Cassatly untangles the threads of the actions of the man who killed his mother, revealing connections to family dynamics, culture, class and.