There has been a gross misconception made by some that to be an anti-death penalty advocate––or to wish that Jesse James Hollywood never be ordered to die––is to hold a position that is somehow slanted against the interests of Nicholas Markowitz or his family. Michael Mehas believes nothing could be further from the truth. The author had the opportunity to meet with each member of Nick’s immediate family, and he appreciated them as the caring and fragile human beings they were.
Michael watched how––under emotionally difficult circumstances––Nick’s parents shined with the stars at the world premiere for Alpha Dog. He admired how Nicholas’ half brother and half sister displayed their courage while answering emotionally charged questions concerning their family’s ordeal made by the author while conducting his research for the film and book. The family’s honest realizations and heartfelt recollections seemed to provide depth and understanding for both questioner and interviewee alike. Michael found himself identifying with the family as much for its common sense of loss as the depth of each member’s newfound appreciation for one another.
Michael Mehas wishes that we all might feel compassion toward the Markowitzes for what they’ve endured. They have been through so much, and they deserve our love and support. He also hopes that we can find it in our hearts to display that same type of sympathetic consciousness for all the families who suffered so tremendously as a result of what took place in August of 2000. There are others whose loved ones were involved in the tragedy and whose lives are presently at stake––and can still be saved.
Stolen Boy tells its story as if assembling the pieces to a puzzle of humanity. As the story progresses, the reader will see that each character––as a piece to the story puzzle––becomes critical to the final picture. Every player’s freewill to act or not to act is so interrelated with every other player’s freewill that each character emerges as a potential life-or-death difference by story’s end.
As the pieces to Stolen Boy start to assemble into a coherent pattern of meaning, the reader can begin to understand how that same interconnectedness experienced by the players in the story applies to our own lives. How, in our day-to-day living, each act we commit can influence the way others around us feel––positively or negatively. How this pattern can continue indefinitely, affecting all who are touched, like the ripples in a pond from a stone’s throw. Being anti-death penalty is not the antithesis to victim’s rights. It is not tantamount to being insensitive toward those who have been victimized by violent crime. Anti-death is like being pro-life. It’s about saving a piece of ourselves by not allowing that piece to die––by letting all living things live no matter how socially unworthy they might be deemed by some. By promoting life we expand the universe of human consciousness through life-giving measures rather than shrink it with thoughts of hatred, revenge, and death.
