A review by jenniferstringer
A Book of American Martyrs by Joyce Carol Oates

4.0

Not an easy book to read, and not an easy topic to talk about. But Joyce Carol Oates portrays these martyrs in the fight over abortion with nuance and respect. Neither martyr is vilified nor lauded. Both families are convinced of the righteousness of their cause. Both martyrs act without much thought or care about how their actions might affect their families. Both of their families suffer immensely in the aftermath of the calamity. In the end, I'm left feeling that martyrdom, at least in the abortion debate, just isn't worth the pain. It changes nothing and pain is all that is left in its wake.