An Interview with Naseem Rakha, author of The Crying Tree

On September 9, 2009, @ 10p, EST (GMT -4), join Harry as he interviews Naseem Rakha, author of The Crying Tree. Naseem is an award-winning journalist whose stories have been heard on NPR’s All Things Considered, Morning Edition, Marketplace Radio, Christian Science Monitor, and Living on Earth. Prior to journalism Naseem taught Holistic Resource Management to farmers, ranchers and tribes throughout the US and Canada. Naseem is a graduate of Southern Illinois University in Carbondale where she received her degree in Geology. She now lives in Oregon with her husband, son, and many animals. When Naseem isn’t writing, she’s reading, knitting, hiking, gardening, collecting rocks, or just watching the seasons roll in and out. FROM THE AUTHOR: The murder of a child dredges up the most painful emotions. There is no justice in it, no justification, and no way to find solace. Remorse and vengeance become inseparable from the souls of the people left behind. Yet, somehow there are inspirational stories of those who have come to forgiveness. I found this baffling situation as a reporter covering an execution for public radio and then later in interviews with the parents of murder victims. I wanted to understand how an individual can move from one place to another –hate to forgiveness, despondency to hope – what that road looks like, and what toll it must exact. THE CRYING TREE is that story, told through the lives of two main characters: Irene Stanley, the mother of slain 15-year-old Steven Joseph Stanley, and Tab Mason, the stoic and determined superintendent of the Oregon State Penitentiary who is preparing to execute the boy’s murderer. Powerful and touching, this book provides insight into how murder, death row, capital punishment, and enduring these experiences deeply impact victims’ families. It’s a story of forgiveness and redemption and of the difficult decisions that lead people through life and that ultimately give life meaning. HTTP://www.naseemrakha.com