The Rising: Murder, Heartbreak, and the Power of Human Resilience in an American Town by Ryan D'Agostino

I always enjoy reading biographies or memoirs and for years have been fascinated by crime stories.  The Rising is a great blend of both genres. It is the true story of the Petit family, an upper middle class family living in the suburbs of Connecticut. Bill Petit is a Yale grad and skilled physician. His wife, Jennifer, a beautiful pastor's daughter and pediatric nurse.  They had two daughters, Hayley, an popular athlete preparing for college, and Michaela, a sweet happy eleven-year old. They had it all until one night two men broke into their home and the unthinkable happened.  Everyone's worst nightmare: the men beat Bill within an inch of his life, assaulted Michaela, choked Jen to death, and murdered the girls by setting the house on fire.

This book tells the story of both Bill's and Jennifer's childhood, their dating and early marriage years, and then the time when they raised their children.  The reader really gets a feel for who this family is and what makes them tick.  Then the author tells the story of the horrific night when Bill's marriage, family and home were destroyed.  He then goes on to describe what life was like for Bill afterward.  The devastation, the deep loss, the agony--both physical and emotional.  Ryan D'Agostino does a wonderful job of answering the question: how does one survive a tragedy like that?

For me, one the most fascinating aspect of the book was the trials of the two men who committed the grisly crimes. It was very interesting to peek into the courtroom and into the minds of the attorneys and defendants. Thankfully justice prevailed.  But most of all love and grace prevailed. More than anything, The Rising is a story of the power of love and the resiliency of the human heart.  I received this book from Blogging for Books for free in exchange for my honest review.