Forever Changed: Remembering Oklahoma City, April 19, 1995

by Marsha Kight (Editor)

Royalties from Forever Changed will aid those survivors and family members who have contributed to this book.Much has been written about the Oklahoma City bombing and how 168 people were killed. But news accounts often fail to put a face on the victims or to show the significance of their lives and contributions to their families and communities. Little is known about the lives of the many who survived the blast and the families of those who didn't. The tomorrows of so many ordinary people have been irreparably altered by a single act of domestic terrorism.Three years in the making, Forever Changed is the exclusive volume that brings together survivors and family members of victims. This powerful work tells the special stories of those who died, the pain endured by their families, and the ongoing struggles of the survivors a circle of grieving and hope that reaches far beyond the heartland. These unique first person accounts lucidly illustrate the goodness that was lost on April 19, 1995, the legacies that remain, and the courage of all those who were affected by the bombing.Internationally recognized victim's rights advocate Marsha Kight and her assistant, Lori Doggett, collected these stories and photographs from the many families in their home city and kept them in storage until the juries were chosen for the perpetrators' trials. Kight also contributes the story of her daughter, Frankie Merrell, 23, who was killed in the blast.

310 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 1998

Reviews

[CJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

In April 1995, my daughter wasn't quite a month old and I remember sitting in front of the TV holding her and weeping at the footage. I couldn't believe then (and still can't) that a fellow American could do something so horrific.

The mother of one of the victims compiled essays from survivors and families of victims - their view of the bombing and the aftermath. This book was published before the end of Timothy McVeigh's trial and I expected to read a lot of essays about how much people hated him, yet only one essay even mentions his name. It was difficult to read and at the same time, the essays where people have picked themselves up and continued to live were so uplifting. I hope that I never find myself in such a situation, but it's comforting to know that people do make it through.

As an aside, I had to go to Oklahoma City in September 2007 for a work training session. A group of us went over to the Memorial after the session was over on a Thursday night. The site is amazingly peaceful. It was dusk and the sun was streaming through the trees and the bases of the chairs - so beautiful. I was marveling at the ability of Oklahoma City to create something so amazing out of the devastation when I saw a birthday balloon attached to one of the children's chairs. My heart broke.

[Kyle Escotf · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is nonfiction and the main characters are all of the 81 people who put there hands on experience into this book. Forever Changed is written by Marsha Kight. In this book you'll learn about how on April 19, 1995 at 9:02 Timothy McVeigh bomb the Murrah Federal Building changed the U.S.. The total deaths were 168 and the amount of kids that dies were 19. Over 600 people were injured in this terrorist attack on U.S. Soil. Timothy McVeigh was in the Armed Forces and served in the Persian Gulf War. The bomb destroyed over 300 buildings and destroyed several families. Read on to find out what survivors and family members of people that died had to say about this tragedy. If you like Report from Ground Zero you'll like this book because it tells you about what happened and peoples first hand experiences. If I had to rate this book I would give it 4 stars.

[Karrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book contains short stories from survivors and victims as well as family members who lost loved ones due to the Oklahoma City Bombing. Some of the stories were more touching than others, but each one is written in there own words giving you an insight to their feelings and how their lives were affected by that dreadful day. It can be slow and times, but I still enjoyed it.

[behsforensics]

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