Bone to Pick: Of Forgiveness, Reconciliation, Reparation, and Revenge [Paperback]

Ellis Cose (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 2005

In a world riven by conflict, reconciliation is not always possible -- but it offers one of the few paths to peace for a troubled nation or a troubled soul. In Bone to Pick, bestselling author and Newsweek editor Ellis Cose offers a provocative and wide-ranging discussion of the power of reconciliation, the efficacy of revenge, and the possibility of forgiveness.

People increasingly are searching for ways to put the demons of the past to rest. That search has led parents to seek out the murderers of their children and torture victims to confront their former tormentors. In a narrative drawing on the personal and dramatic stories of people from Texas to East Timor, Cose explores the limits and the promise of those encounters.

Bone to Pick is not only the story of victims who have found peace through confronting the source of their pain; it is also a profound meditation on how the past shapes the present, and how history's wounds, left unattended, can fester for generations. Time does not heal all, Cose points out. Memories and anger can linger long beyond a human lifespan. The descendants of Holocaust survivors and African slaves alike feel the effects of their forebears' pain -- and in some cases are still demanding restitution.

What is behind the movement for reparations? Why are truth-and-reconciliation commissions sprouting all over the world? Why are old wars being refought and old wounds being reopened? In Bone to Pick, Ellis Cose provides a moving and nuanced guide to such questions as he points the way toward a more harmonious world.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Newsweek contributing editor Cose (The Envy of the World) examines a broad spectrum of responses to the pain and trauma of personal violence as well as national tragedy. He visits American families victimized by crime and the World Trade Center attacks, consults a range of literature (e.g., Bernhard Schlink's The Reader and Laura Blumenfeld's Revenge) and travels around the world to see how ruptured societies cope with past human rights violations. While Cose meets several victims who agree that forgiveness helps them cope, he acknowledges that, for some, the return of normalcy and security remains a first priority. And forgiveness is not always forthcoming; Cose finds those molested by priests can forgive the molestor more easily than they can those who didn't stop him. While Cose acknowledges that some relatives and friends of homicide victims feel relief at the murder's execution, he's more inspired by those who transform wrath into "something more ennobling." He concludes that the truth and reconciliation commissions in South Africa and Peru provided more of the former than the latter; a Peruvian tells him that reconciliation must be rooted in fundamental change that has so far not been forthcoming in that country. Cose looks at reparations cases from Maori in New Zealand to Japanese-Americans interned in the U.S. during WWII. He contrasts the response to 1920s mob attacks on blacks in Tulsa, Okla., and Rosewood, Fla.; in Rosewood, unlike Tulsa, officials have supported restitution. As for reparations for American slavery (a book in itself), Cose acknowledges that the case can't be won in court, but makes it clear that the issue is still hovering and doing damage. The scope forces Cose to touch lightly and then move on, but the book gives readers a substantial nudge toward exploring the lessons of recent history.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Cose, author of Envy of the World (2002), covers substantial geographic and emotional territory in exploring the quest of victims--both individuals and groups--to face their past suffering, the perpetrators, and the desire to move beyond their suffering. Cose weaves a tapestry of stories of individuals victimized by child abuse, incest, and random murders of loved ones, and their impulses for justice, revenge, and retribution, with stories of victims of national or ethnic violence seeking justice and reconciliation through the numerous truth commissions modeled after South Africa's experience. Victims seek acknowledgment as much as reparations. Cose is most poignant at interweaving successful efforts at reparations by victims of the Jewish Holocaust and Japanese internment in the U.S. against unsuccessful efforts by black victims of the assaults and destruction of Rosewood, Florida, and Tulsa, Oklahoma. Cose places these American atrocities within a broader context that exposes our own vulnerabilities and reluctance to face ugly truths, mainly that disclosure and recognition of wrongdoing are crucial before forgiveness and reconciliation can occur, and for the sake of internal peace. Vernon Ford
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Washington Square Press (February 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743470672
• ISBN-13: 978-0743470674
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,083,422 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars bone to pick, September 22, 2009

By 

Anita J. Jacobson (Charlottesville, VA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Bone to Pick: Of Forgiveness, Reconciliation, Reparation, and Revenge (Paperback)

Bone to Pick: Of forgiveness, reconiliation, reparation, and revenge was a book I was emotionally totally unprepared to read. The examples Ellis Cose showed made me revisit why I am so unwilling to forgive my own father. All of the atrocities Mr. Cose wrote about were horrendous and the people that allowed themselves to forgive the perpetrators of their deep anguish touched me in a way I never thought possible. This book is one EVERYONE who hates, wants dead, despises anyone who has harmed them needs to read. It just might lighten your load.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Eye opening experience, July 10, 2010

By 

Daryl Moore (Washington DC, USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Bone to Pick: Of Forgiveness, Reconciliation, Reparation, and Revenge (Paperback)

Ellis Cole is an excellent author. The book is well put together. His writing sytle is easy to follow. It actually give you somethings to think about. It's a very informative book. I'd suggest reading his books if you get a chance.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bone to Pick, July 16, 2009

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Simon M. Lam (CA, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Bone to Pick: Of Forgiveness, Reconciliation, Reparation, and Revenge (Paperback)

In my opinion, I thought this was a very good read. This book teaches you about forgiveness and reconciliation. Ellis Cose uses stories from other parts of the world to show the readers the struggles the people have been through in his stories. Holding on to hatred leads to more hatred and sometimes people need to let it go.