Living with Conviction: A True Crime Memoir by Toby Dorr – Review by Allyson Ware

Living With Conviction: Unexpected Sisterhood, Healing, and Redemption in the Wake of Life-Altering Choices by Toby Dorr
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I truly struggled with this novel. It was incredibly well written, which is why I have given it 4 stars. The missing star is because as a victim advocate in the criminal justice system, I see individuals play victim all too often. I can see that she was lonely and this inmate provided her with the attention she was craving. However, she spent a significant amount of time planning with him prior to the actual escape. She had to have known that there were going to be consequences for her actions. Maybe she could not see past the attention to think about the consequences.

Overall, I truly enjoyed this book. The author did a great job with the timeline and giving her honest thoughts throughout the process. The criminal justice process IS frustrating and confusing. It moves quickly and when you are stuck in trauma like she was, she needed someone to stop and explain it to her. I have never read a memoir before, but I believe I may have found a new favorite genre!

Review by @aware
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