ACPL Online Book Club discussion

Acknowledging responsibility for his crime—as Larry has done—is considered to be an essential ingredient for demonstrating rehabilitation. Why do you think that is so?

Newton believes he murdered a 19 year old Christopher Coyle because he did not want to seem weak in front of his fellow gang members. The murder didn’t seem to me to be about robbery or revenge. It was a thrill killing. Coyle was a complete stranger to him. How much money do you except a teen-aged college student to have? It’s a little much, and the murder was horrific.

I believe what Newton says about his not having enough sense of self to resist the gang, but he has to acknowledge the suffering he caused to Christopher Coyle, his girlfriend, and their families before he can accept responsibility for what he did.

I understand this is not a true crime book. I infinite respect for the work Bates did. Maybe Bates confronted Newton directly about the suffering he caused. Maybe she got him to acknowledge Coyle’s inherent worth and the horror the poor young man must have felt when he realized he was going to die. Maybe he recognized and accepted responsibility for the holes in the hearts of Coyle’s family members, and the horror Coyle’s girlfriend most have experienced, but if he/she did, it’s not conveyed in the narrative of an otherwise great book.