Convicted - A true story

Jameel McGee: “For the next three years not a day went by that I didn’t think about my son who I had never seen and the cop who had kept me from him. And for most of those three years I promised myself that if I ever saw this cop again, I was going to kill him. I intended to keep that promise.” 

Andrew Collins: “I watched this angry man march through a crowd, a little boy and another man struggling to keep up with him....The man walked straight up to me, stopped, and stuck out his hand. I took it. “Remember me?” he asked in a tone that sounded more like a threat than a question. 
Somehow, a name came to me. ‘Jameel McGee,’ I replied.” 


It reads like a gripping crime novel…except this story really happened.

Racial tensions had long simmered in Benton Harbor, a small city on the eastern shore of Lake Michigan, before the day a white narcotics officer--more focused on arrests than justice—set his sights on an innocent black man. But when officer Andrew Collins framed Jameel McGee for possession of crack cocaine, the surprising result was not a race riot but a transformative journey for both men. 

Falsely convicted, McGee spent three years in federal prison. Collins also went to prison a few years later for falsifying police reports. While behind bars, the faith of both men deepened. But the story took its most unexpected turn once they were released--when their lives collided again in a moment brimming with mistrust and anger. The two were on a collision course—not to violence—but forgiveness.  

As current as today’s headlines, this explosive true story reveals how these radically conflicted men chose to let go of fear and a thirst for revenge to pursue reconciliation for themselves, their community, and our racially divided nation.

Convicted is available for purchase at the following retailers:

• Random House
• Amazon
• Barnes & Noble
• iBooks
• IndieBound
• ChristianBook.com (CBD)
• Lifeway
• Parable

My Take:

I found this book interesting and encouraging. No, it may not change the world, but it does have a wonderful message and possibly the power to help change one person at a time. It's a moving story of God's grace and forgiveness. There are many injustices in the world, and we will never right them all, because once sin entered the world, only through Christ will racial tensions be brought down, and the hearts of people changed. But because of sin, the world will never be perfect again, until Christ reigns in all His glory. 

This book can be taken in one of two ways. A person can dwell on the fact that there are crooked cops out there and all the racial injustice, or a person can dwell on the fact that forgiveness is real and does happen!

I enjoy true stories of redemption, humility, and how God transforms lives. And this one was worth reading. It jumps back and forth between Jameel and Andrew, telling how each arrived at their current place in life. Its a great example of just how easy it is to either be in the wrong place at the wrong time, or simply by allowing small sins to creep in, we can soon be on a downward spiral to a place we never thought we'd go, doing things we never thought we would do. There were just a few places that were a tad confusing for me on the time-line, but could possibly be something I missed or mis-read. 

I would recommend this book. 

I received a copy of this book courtesy of Blogging for Books and Waterbrook to read. I was not asked or required to review this book positively. All opinions are my own.