Dear Jacob: A Mother’s Journey of Hope

Tens of thousands of readers embraced Dear Jacob: A Mother’s Journey of Hope, first published by the Minnesota Historical Society Press in hardcover in 2023. The paperback edition, featuring a new afterword and cover, spreads its powerful message even further.

In 1989, eleven-year-old Jacob Wetterling was kidnapped not far from his home in St. Joseph, Minnesota. The community quickly rallied around the family, and Patty Wetterling, Jacob’s mother, stepped into the spotlight. Within days, the call to find Jacob traveled far and wide, with hundreds of stories in local and national media, including coverage in the New York Times. Minnesota’s governor sent National Guard troops to aid in the search. Around the country, people posted flyers, sent letters of support, and turned on porch lights in solidarity.

As the criminal investigation stretched from weeks to months to years, Patty devoted herself to advocating for children. She successfully lobbied for the passage of the 1994 Jacob Wetterling Act, which established sex offender registries. She served on the board of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children for over twenty years and became a nationally respected authority on child protection.

Punctuated by Patty’s letters to her missing son, Dear Jacob brings readers into the heartbreak of a parent’s worst nightmare. It also describes the development of an unexpected friendship with an inquisitive blogger, Joy Baker, whose deft research uncovered clues that ultimately led to the conclusion of the twenty-seven-year-long missing persons case.

Cowritten with Baker, this memoir chronicles both a personal and a collective story of contemporary history, one that permanently changed public policy and the way we parent our children. It also shows that communities can heal after tragedy, and that families can still experience love, happiness, joy, and hope.