Judge Stone, James Patterson and Viola Davis, authors; Viola Davis, narrator
Outline:
What-A criminal trial
Where- Union Springs, Alabama
When-Present day or thereabouts
Who-Three main characters, a doctor, a lawyer, a newly minted teenager
Why-Abortion is on trial
1-Mary Stone is the duly elected Circuit Court Judge in Union Springs, Alabama. She was elected to a six-year term and will very soon have to run for re-election. Stone is unmarried. She lives alone on and cares for the family farm that was handed down from her great-grandparents. She loves her horse, Tornado and her rooster, Foghorn. In a twist of fate, Foghorn saves her life. She respected life. Her horse was going to have a foal. It would be named Thunder. Her dearest friend is Lucilla. She is close to her two sisters, Nellie and Jordan. They are all responsible women. Mary holds a free weekly breakfast on her farm, for those in need. She knows all about racism, rape, justice and the law. She wants to fairly uphold it. She refers to this Bible Belt area of the South that she lives in as the Black Belt of the South. Mary has secrets.
2-Bria Gaines is a dedicated, very qualified doctor. She knows all about the kind of town that doesn’t have enough money or medical care. That was her reason for moving to Union Springs. She wanted to help others. She set up her office in Union Springs and works tirelessly for those who are underserved. She lives alone.
3-Nova Jones is just 13 years old. She knows all about rape and is about to find out all about the law and justice. She takes care of her four younger siblings for her mother who is not yet 30, but loves to have children. Nova loves the things that live and grow in nature. Unfortunately, a child is now growing inside Nova.
All three are black females in a small southern town. All three know injustice all too well. All three will soon face life-changing events.
The Story:
Cocheta Bass is the school nurse. She grew up on an Indian reservation and has a young child. She is divorced and is raising Holden alone. He just began College. Nova Jones is a student at Cocheta’s school. She has a terrible secret. Cocheta discovers Nova’s secret when she comes to her office ill, several times. Nova Jones was violently raped and told no one. Nova Jones is frightened. She takes care of her four younger siblings. She cannot tell her mother who, just past her mid-twenties, already has five children. Nova is the oldest. Starla just loves children. Cocheta knows how hard it is to be a mother at her age, let alone at 13. She wants to help Nova. When Cocheta realizes the real reason that Nova feels sick every morning, she turns to Dr. Gaines for help even though she knows she is asking her to commit a crime that can have disastrous results if it is discovered. Abortion is illegal in Alabama except in clearly defined extreme circumstances. Dr. Gaines knows that Nova is frightened and has nowhere else to turn. Although Nova confesses that she had been raped, she insists that she remembers few details. Dr. Gaines agrees to help Nova and grant Cocheta’s request. Nova did not bring her mother as requested on the night the procedure took place. She did not want her mother to know about her pregnancy. Starla is a member of what feels like a holy roller church. Nola knows her mother and God will punish her. She has committed a sin by getting pregnant, no one will believe she was raped. She will be even more sinful if she agrees to terminate the life of the child she is carrying. She wants it to be kept secret. However, Nova gets sick and does not return to Dr. Gaines for help. Instead, in pain and bleeding, she is taken to the Emergency Room where the abortion is revealed. Shortly afterwards, Dr. Gaines is arrested. The case lands in Judge Mary Stone’s courtroom.
Dr. Bria Gaines hires a lawyer, but she knows she has little hope. She did commit the crime. Her friend and lawyer, Bradley Tyler, insists that she hire a different lawyer, Benjamin Meyers, from Atlanta. He is white and wants to help her. The town prosecutor, District Attorney Robert Reeves, has brought in Eleanor Lindquist, the Assistant Attorney General to help. This is a high-profile case and the prosecutor wants to win. The local pastor and the governor try to coerce Mary “to do the right thing”. They want her to recuse herself so a lawyer who will guarantee their win is selected. She refuses. Her career is now in jeopardy. Her ownership of the farm is questioned; her life is threatened. This case is turning into a dangerous nightmare.
The court scenes are riveting. All the lawyers are authentic. The judge has a full command of the laws involved. She is in control of her courtroom at all times, even when her own life is threatened and she experiences devastating violence. The town explodes with journalists, pro-life and pro-choice supporters, White Supremacists, the Klan, and general troublemakers. There is violence. The overwhelming negative picture is of White agitators and thugs. Despite the threats, Mary is determined to hold a fair trial in her courtroom.
Conclusion:
When the verdict comes down, there is astonishment. Mary’s career may well be over. Do you agree with the verdict? How do you feel about abortion? Do you believe, like the doctor who was witness for the defense, that there is no baby until birth and that it is a fetus until then? Do you believe any fetus can be aborted, regardless of the time in the pregnancy? Do you believe that abortion should be illegal regardless of the circumstances. Do you believe abortion should be legal but regulated? The novel presents a conundrum that society has pondered for years and may continue to question forever. Should there be exceptions for abortion in the case of rape or incest? Should a woman have to bear a child if she is not ready, willing or able? If it isn’t fully formed, is it a baby? If it isn’t viable, is it a baby? What if a fetus dies in the womb? May the pregnancy ever be terminated? Is abortion murder? When does life begin?
This is a book that honestly examines the legal system, racism, abortion, a woman’s right to choose, injustice, and other moral dilemmas. There are so many secrets, and often, revealing them can coerce behavior that is unwanted or unexpected. Secrets can be used as weapons, regardless of how they are discovered and/or revealed. There are few woke issues left uncovered. In some cases, the virtuous are overwhelmingly judgmental and righteous. While they object to abortion, they do not object to violence and harming those in favor of abortion. This defies common sense and always has. Will justice be done? What is justice, in the end? Who determines it, ultimately?
The trial of Dr. Gaines was handled superbly. Judge Stone was realistic and honorable. Because of her secrets, should she have recused herself? Why didn’t she? Was she afraid that Dr. Gaines would never get a fair trial in the “black belt” of the South. There were times when the story became too melodramatic with an emphasis on racism that went too far, especially since it was so one-sided. The song “I wish I was in the Land of Dixie” disturbed Mary because of her interpretation of the words. What do the words really mean? Some decisions were made based on extenuating circumstances and necessity, like Cocheta’s decision to be a witness against Dr. Gaines. Do you agree with her decision? This book exposes so many things that are wrong with society, and it does it fairly and without malice. Our justice system is indeed, flawed. Racism continues. Virtue is in the mind of the beholder. The idea of life and respect for it is viewed differently by different people. Book groups will have a heyday discussing this one.