Seventy Times Seven

A True Story of Murder and Mercy

By: Alex Mar

Narrated by: Alex Mar

“Alex Mar’s bold yet sensitive account of one of America’s youngest death row inmates—and the people whose lives she forever changed—is intimately reported, deeply moving, and unforgettable.”—Robert Kolker, New York Times bestselling author of Hidden Valley Road

“An absorbing work of social history and a story about the mystery and miracle of forgiveness. This is a book of awesome scope, and it deserves to be read with attention.”—Hilary Mantel, Booker Prize-winning author of the Wolf Hall trilogy

A masterful, revelatory work of literary non-fiction about a teenage girl’s shocking crime—and its extraordinary aftermath

On a spring afternoon in 1985 in Gary, Indiana, a fifteen-year-old girl kills an elderly woman in a violent home invasion. In a city with a history of racial tensions and white flight, the girl, Paula Cooper, is Black, and her victim, Ruth Pelke, is white and a beloved Bible teacher. The press swoops in.

When Paula is sentenced to death, no one decries the impending execution of a tenth grader. But the tide begins to shift when the victim’s grandson Bill forgives the girl, against the wishes of his family, and campaigns to spare her life. This tragedy in a midwestern steel town soon reverberates across the United States and around the world—reaching as far away as the Vatican—as newspapers cover the story on their front pages and millions sign petitions in support of Paula.

As Paula waits on death row, her fate sparks a debate that not only animates legal circles but raises vital questions about the value of human life: What are we demanding when we call for justice? Is forgiveness an act of desperation or of profound bravery? As Bill and Paula’s friendship deepens, and as Bill discovers others who have chosen to forgive after terrible violence, their story asks us to consider what radical acts of empathy we might be capable of.

In Seventy Times Seven, Alex Mar weaves an unforgettable narrative of an act of violence and its aftermath. This is a story about the will to live—to survive, to grow, to change—and about what we are willing to accept as justice. Tirelessly researched and told with intimacy and precision, this book brings a haunting chapter in the history of our criminal justice system to astonishing life.

©2023 Alex Mar (P)2023 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

“A compassionate account of mercy for a teenage girl on death row . . . [this book] demonstrate[s] the impact that great true crime can have . . . giv[ing] a full accounting not just of the details of the crimes but of the lives of those affected by violence, exploring whether the legal system can truly provide justice.” —Sarah Weinman, The New York Times

“Haunting . . . You’ll find yourself lying awake in the small hours, turning it over and over in your mind . . . Seventy Times Seven is a book about the promise and limits of empathy—the ways in which we see one another, and the ways in which we cannot . . . Seventy Times Seven gives readers an unflinching glimpse into brutality, pain, loneliness, rage and revenge, and asks if regret, compassion, mercy and forgiveness can be enough to bridge the gulfs of race, class and ideology that so often divide us . . . Full of questions and painful ambiguities—and Mar is courageous enough to leave most of her questions unanswered.” —Rosa Brooks, The Washington Post

“Mar’s narrative is probing, careful, elegant, and sure; each page yields a new dimension of the story and requires us to reengage with the facts anew. This is a complicated tale, gracefully told, that will engross readers for years to come.” —New York Magazine (The Best Books of 2023)

Good, But Meanders Too Much

There is a lot of good and interesting story here, but it feels like the author got SO into the subject, and was so enthusiastic about telling these stories, that they lost focus. Some parts, like the stories about the journalists from Italy, or the asides about other organizations or murder victim family members, just don’t add much. By the third part of the book, I didn’t understand where the narrative was going or why. So I wound up not finishing. But it’s a great topic and I’d recommend giving it at least a partial spin.

Good story!

A decent read. Somewhat slow at times but over all a good story line. Good!

So-so

Couldn’t wait for it to end. Some parts were interesting, other parts boring. Couldn’t keep up with all the names.

How Committed Are You?

How committed are you to God’s word? Forgiveness is a funny thing. So many people hold on to petty grudges instead of forgiving them and moving on. But what does the Bible say? In Matthew 18:22 KJV, says:
“Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.”
‭‭That is where this story picks up. When parents fail their child. And the village fails that child. The [governmental] system fails that child…what or who is left to stand for that child? And when that child commits an unspeakable horror? Who then? This book was beautifully written. You received thorough background on every person introduced to help one understand how they got to “this” point. Paula Cooper killed Ruth Pelke. But Paula was a child. A child failed by almost every single person in her life. The state sentences Paula to death. But…should a child die by the state? Who will speak for Paula when she’s incapable of advocating for herself? Ruth’s grandson. That’s who. This story traces the anatomy of forgiveness. Explores the process of the death penalty and the painstaking work it took to change the archaic structure. The ending took me out the game. I mean…did me in. But I appreciate the story.

Interesting

I was a little girl living down the block from the Pelke home when this horrendous crime occurred. Knowing the location, the players, and outcome made the story very compelling. The author clearly has an agenda but it does not overtake the overall narrative.

I am missing something

I am missing you all! I am not really sure if it's going against something.