A Season of Loss, A Lifetime of Forgiveness

A little more than ten years ago, the life of Dany Heatley was forever changed, and it had major consequences for not only him, but also the lives of Graham and LuAnn Snyder, parents of the deceased Dan Snyder, their friends and family, and the Atlanta Thrashers organization.  John Manasso documents the events pertaining to the crash in an Atlanta neighborhood on the evening of September 29, 2003 and how it has affected those who knew Snyder the best.

A Season of Loss, A Lifetime of Forgiveness focuses mainly on Snyder and how his family has found the ability to forgive Heatley all the while finding a way to hold him accountable in ways that the justice system couldn't do.  For the book, Manasso takes the time to talk to the Snyders, mainly Graham, LuAnn, and brother Jake, Dan Snyder's former teammates with the Orlando Solar Bears (Snyder won a championship with them in 2000) and the Chicago Wolves (the Thrashers' affiliate at the time), and those whose lives he had touched.  Manasso also makes note that while Heatley did not have a say in the book, it was not for trying, as he is careful to note that he did ask for an interview with both Dany and Murray Heatley, only to have the request never answered.  The book is not just about the struggles that the Snyders had in coping with the loss of a son, it's also about their ability to forgive, with a fair portion of it being due to their Mennonite upbringing, something that is mentioned in detail.  Towards the end, the trial of Heatley was also mentioned, and Manasso does a good job of recounting some of the events of the trial, as well as the evidence that may or may not have figured into the decision.  The lone flaw that I saw with the book was that there wasn't much mention of the Snyders' reaction to when Heatley requested and got a trade in 2005.

In all, A Season of Loss, a Lifetime of Forgiveness is a book that while it is hockey related, it is also one that I believe sends a positive message of forgiveness in the face of tragedy and is a fairly easy read for a 260 page book.