Grace from the Rubble: Two Fathers’ Road to Reconciliation after the Oklahoma City Bombing

Bishop (Change of Heart), a public defender and human rights advocate, delivers the heartrending story of an unlikely friendship forged in the aftermath of the 1995 Oklahoma City domestic terrorist bombing. Bishop—who was raised in Oklahoma City, has a journalism degree, and is the sister of a murder victim—has followed the case closely. She brings sensitized, respectful attention to the story of Bud Welch, whose 23-year-old daughter, Julie, died in the bombing. Welch sought out another father: Bill McVeigh, father of Timothy McVeigh, the man who drove the truck bomb. Bishop underscores what the two fathers had in common: both had strong Catholic faith, and both lost a child as a result of the bombing. The author traces the influences on the two men and their children, who all grew up in a state where tornados, a history of land struggles, and church community were all mainstays of life, and then recounts the bombing and its emotional and legal aftermath, including the 1998 meeting of the men that led to their friendship. Readers should have tissues at hand before beginning Bishop’s affecting story. This incredible and empathetic story is a testament to the powers of forgiveness, fellowship, and redemption. Agent: Greg Daniel, Daniel Literary Group. (Apr.)