Helen Whitney's FORGIVENESS explores the act of forgiveness through a wide range of stories, from adultery and personal betrayal to the post-genocidal reconciliation of nations. In focusing on specific instances of affliction-one family torn apart by abandonment, the post--partheid Truth and Reconciliation hearings in South Africa or the memories of '60s radicals coping with their violent acts of protest-FORGIVENESS studies the psychological impetus and impacts of this crucial sentiment, illuminating its power, its limitations and, in some cases, its dangers.