Today is my turn and closing stop on the blog tour (Love Books Group Tours) for "Stand Against Injustice" by Michelle Diskin.
About the author (from Amazon)
Mother of three, campaigner for justice and Committed Christian.
Michelle campaigned for eight years for the release of her disabled brother, Barry George, after he was wrongly convicted in 2001, for the high profile murder of BBC television presenter, Jill Dando. Mr George was acquitted in 2007 and sent for re-trial in 2008. He was found not guilty, by unanimous jury verdict on 1st August 2008.
Born in Fulham, London in 1955, Michelle lived in West London until 1973. She then moved to Cork, Ireland, where she lived until 2012, with her three adult children. Michelle's first husband, Patrick, died unexpectedly in 2007 after a short illness, but, with God's grace, she is now married again, to Peter, who supports her in her Miscarriage of Justice (MOJ) activities. They are both committed Christians, who worship at a Baptist church in Northamptonshire, taking on many responsibilities within the fellowship.
About the book
On April 26, 1999, BBC TV presenter Jill Dando was murdered outside her home in London. Barry George was convicted and imprisoned for the murder but was later acquitted after an appeal and retrial. Stand Against Injustice is the powerful memoir of the sister of Barry George. For the first time, Michelle Diskin Bates tells her story, the human side and truth behind one of recent history's most high profile and damaging miscarriages of justice whose life is inextricably interwoven in the drama, the trauma, the conspiracy and the fight for justice. A self-confessed 'ordinary housewife', Michelle's voice weaves the personal everyday struggles that bring depth, color, and passion into what is an extraordinary account. A troubled childhood weighted with overbearing responsibility, fear and insecurity, depression, and the challenges of marriage and adult relationships, Michelle's life has never been easy. However, the one constant in her life - her faith in God - underpins and provides the foundation upon which she now stands - against injustice.
Buy Link
https://amzn.to/2pc2i5o
Twitter Handles
@malcolmdown
@Michelle_Diskin
@LoveBooksGroup
For my stop I have my review, enjoy.
Stand Against Injustice by Michelle DiskinMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
Time taken to read - 1.5 days
Pages - 280
Publisher - Malcolm Down
Source - Review Book
Blurb from Goodreads
On April 26, 1999, BBC TV presenter Jill Dando was murdered outside her home in London. Barry George was convicted and imprisoned for the murder but was later acquitted after an appeal and retrial. Stand Against Injustice is the powerful memoir of the sister of Barry George.
For the first time, Michelle Diskin tells her story, the human side and truth behind one of recent history's most high profile and damaging miscarriages of justice whose life is inextricably interwoven in the drama, the trauma, the conspiracy and the fight for justice. A self-confessed "ordinary housewife," Diskin's voice weaves the personal everyday struggles that bring depth, color, and passion into what is an extraordinary account.
A troubled childhood weighted with overbearing responsibility, fear and insecurity, depression, and the challenges of marriage and adult relationships, Diskin's life has never been easy. However, the one constant in her life - her faith in God - underpins and provides the foundation upon which she now stands - against injustice.
My Review
I don't think there is one person, of a certain age and above, who hadn't heard of the Jill Dando murder. She was a big tv personality on Crime Watch so we all knew of her and when it was announced she had been murdered everyone was shocked. That is about as much as I remember, I don't remember following anything in the news as I was younger and didn't really follow anything like that. So when the opportunity came to read this book I absolutely agreed, I like reading true crime and it would be interesting to read more about the case.
It is worth noting that this is not all about Barry George, the man accused of killing Dando although he does of course feature a lot in it. This is his sister Michelle's story, everything is through her, where she was when she heard, everything that transpired afterwords through her experiences. Background and family history of Barry and Michelle, their relations, upbringing and the journey they went through, experiences with the police, prison, media and how it affected them and their immediate family. As well as battling to prove her brothers innocence, Diskin also reveals the loss and heart break she experiences during this time and how she her faith got her through some of the hardest times during it all. There are also verses included from the bible and at the very end an inclusion of the organisations that helped Barry and Michelle during their ordeal. Michelle has spoken in many places and done interviews in relation to what they experienced and survived.
It is a book that spans across twenty years and we hear a little snippet from Diskin's grown children, how they felt, looking back on everything that happened. There are a few mentions of other people who were wrongly accused and a bit explaining what the organisations are and what they do with links added for readers to explore more if they so wish. Raw in places and an emotive book I imagine for her to write, her faith is evident through many of the passages. Absolutely worth a read and it makes you realise how quick many of us are to make judgments based upon things we read/see on the newspapers/tv and the toll that can take on others, 3.5/5 for me.
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