Hard to Place: A Crime of Alcohol

By Katherine Norgard

Hard to Place: A Crime of Alcohol is a unique personal account about the difficulties faced by a family when a loved one is charged with a capital crime. It reveals the fine line between what seems to be a clear case of guilt while leaving the reader with doubts as to whether justice is served, given the legal versus medical/psychological perspectives of the crime and the complicated issue of fault.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1512290270
• ISBN13: 9781512290271
• Release Date: May 2015
• Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
• Length: 210 Pages
• Weight: 0.63 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Book Will Appeal to Many Audiences

Hard to Place: A Crime of Alcohol is the story of Kathy Norgard's effort to save her adopted son John from the death penalty. In the process, she solves the mystery of John's behavioral problems. A charming child with a talent for sports and music, John had always had difficulty telling the truth. There is an explanation and this is discovered by Norgard through an investigation of his birth history following his sentence to death for two murders. This book will appeal to people interested in our justice system and the death penalty but it has a wider appeal on the issues of foster care, adoption and fetal alcohol syndrome. What impresses me the most is Norgard's ability to draw support from family, friends and her faith to get through one of the most devastating challenges any parent could imagine.

Hard to Place -A mother's search for hope

Hard to Place: A Crime of Alchohol unfolds as the reader is emotionally drawn into the life and family of Katherine Norgard as she desperately trys to save her adopted son, John,from a death sentence. This is a story that never should have happened. Adoptions, raising another person's child should always have happy endings but in this story "happy" is reduced to an irrelevant term. The reader is carried from chapter to chapter as Norgard gives a first hand account of raising a difficult child that turns into a murderer, discovering that this cute bi-racial child is a victim of disease called fetal alchohol syndrome, damaging John's ability to process and learn from past mistakes. This is must read story of endurance that demonstrates that the human spirit can overcome many daunting obstacles by never giving up. It is a story that will change how you see violent crime and it will awaken you the many injustices of our civil society.

Hard to Place a must-read

Katherine Norgard's "Hard to Place" is a factual account written by a mother whose adopted son committed two horrendous murders and was sentenced to death. Norgard's story is one of trying to raise a troubled boy, learning eventually of his Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (from a biological mother who drank during pregnancy), learning of his crime, and embarking on an emotional roller-coaster ride through the Arizona system of justice as she tries to save him from Death Row. Norgard writes from the heart--expressing anguish, grief, fear, and love in a compelling read. I literally could not put it down. This is a book for everyone, but it is a must for mental health professionals, legal professionals, & all those interested in the entire US justice system.

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome: A Preventable Consequence

Katherine Norgard's latest book aptly shows the serious health problem and consequences of fetal alcohol syndrome that tragically affects victims and families alike. This book also illustrates in a vivid and compelling way the harrowing experience of a mother managing her life with a son convicted of murder and sentenced to death. Ms. Norgard's adopted son John is a prime example of the results that a family endures because of a mother drinking during pregnancy. Causing a child to suffer from FAS is nothing short of child abuse and the effects of this indulgence usually last a lifetime. Had John's biological mother abstained from drinking alcohol during her pregancy, the outcomes depicted in Norgard's story would no doubt have been different. Those individuals of childbearing age who do read this persuasive story will know that there clearly is not a safe amount of alcohol to drink during pregnancy or even by those contemplating pregnancy. It is certainly a must read.

Hard to Place-A crime of Alcohol

This book is an honest and eye-opening account of a combination of several things. It begins with a first hand account of what it means to raise a disabled child. There are all kinds of disabilities (e.g. learning, cognitive, social, physical, etc.)and each one puts a particular sort of strain on a family. In this case, the disability is fetal alcohol syndrome; a little recognized disease with a huge impact on society. Unfortunately, our penal system gives almost no weight to this disease and rarely recognizes it as predetermining factor to commission of a crime. When her son was accused of double murder and sentenced to death, the author set out to discover what would make such a personable man capable of such an awful crime. After many years of research, studying death penalty law, and tracking family history, the author finally comes to terms with what has happened. Her never ending work finally results in commuting his sentence from the death penalty to life in prison. This book is a must read for anyone tangled up in the capital punishment morass or for anyone who deals with disabled children on a daily basis.