Practicing Forgiveness: Aftermath of the First Suicide Bombing of an American Target

About the Book

"The massive truck bomb that destroyed the American Embassy in Beirut in April 1983 targeted the symbol of the United States in Lebanon. The why and how of that terrorist incident have frequently been explored. The human consequences have received less attention. In her book, "Practicing Forgiveness: Aftermath of the First Suicide Bombing of an American Target" Margaret Powell has written movingly about those human consequences. She describes what happened to the McIntyre family when their husband and father, my friend and colleague, Bill McIntyre was killed. Mrs. Powell rushed from the United States to Beirut to care for Bill´s widow, also injured in the attack, and bring her home. Her story touched me deeply with its pathos, humor, courage, and compassion. A wonderful book." U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon, Robert S. Dillon, retired.

About the Author

A happily married suburban housewife with two children, Margaret Powell gradually entered a life of causes. After leading a land preservation campaign, being twice elected Republican Committeewoman, she joined the Pennsylvania Program for Women Offenders, Inc. There she brought together statewide women’s organizations to lobby succsessfully for systemic change in the state’s correctional system resulting in a viable sentencing alternative: Community Treatment Centers for Women. She was appointed to the Governor's Justice Commission, joined the boards of Phoenix House in Bryn Mawr, the Main Line Cluster for Justice, and eventually became President of the Board of Managers of Sleighton Farms School, a juvenile correctional facility. After fifteen years in Vermont, she and her pilot husband Dick, currently reside in Florida. She is a member of the American Association of University Women, PEO, The League of Women Voters, Guardian Ad Litem, and Women for Women, Intl.