Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption

by Bryan Stevenson

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE STARRING MICHAEL B. JORDAN AND JAMIE FOXX • A powerful true story about the potential for mercy to redeem us, and a clarion call to fix our broken system of justice—from one of the most brilliant and influential lawyers of our time.

“[Bryan Stevenson’s] dedication to fighting for justice and equality has inspired me and many others and made a lasting impact on our country.”—John Legend

NAMED ONE OF THE MOST INFLUENTIAL BOOKS OF THE DECADE BY CNN • Named One of the Best Books of the Year by The New York Times • The Washington Post • The Boston Globe • The Seattle Times • Esquire • Time

Bryan Stevenson was a young lawyer when he founded the Equal Justice Initiative, a legal practice dedicated to defending those most desperate and in need: the poor, the wrongly condemned, and women and children trapped in the farthest reaches of our criminal justice system. One of his first cases was that of Walter McMillian, a young man who was sentenced to die for a notorious murder he insisted he didn’t commit. The case drew Bryan into a tangle of conspiracy, political machination, and legal brinksmanship—and transformed his understanding of mercy and justice forever.

Just Mercy is at once an unforgettable account of an idealistic, gifted young lawyer’s coming of age, a moving window into the lives of those he has defended, and an inspiring argument for compassion in the pursuit of true justice.

Winner of the Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Nonfiction • Winner of the NAACP Image Award for Nonfiction • Winner of a Books for a Better Life Award • Finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize • Finalist for the Kirkus Reviews Prize • An American Library Association Notable Book

“Every bit as moving as To Kill a Mockingbird, and in some ways more so . . . a searing indictment of American criminal justice and a stirring testament to the salvation that fighting for the vulnerable sometimes yields.”—David Cole, The New York Review of Books

“Searing, moving . . . Bryan Stevenson may, indeed, be America’s Mandela.”—Nicholas Kristof, The New York Times

“You don’t have to read too long to start cheering for this man. . . . The message of this book . . . is that evil can be overcome, a difference can be made. Just Mercy will make you upset and it will make you hopeful.”—Ted Conover, The New York Times Book Review

“Inspiring . . . a work of style, substance and clarity . . . Stevenson is not only a great lawyer, he’s also a gifted writer and storyteller.”—The Washington Post

“As deeply moving, poignant and powerful a book as has been, and maybe ever can be, written about the death penalty.”—The Financial Times

“Brilliant.”—The Philadelphia Inquirer

• ISBN10: 0812994523
• ISBN13: 9780812994520
• Publish Date: 21 October 2014
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: One World
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 352
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/isbn/9780812994520

Reviews

[lindsey]

Just Mercy is one of my favorite books of 2020 so far, and I believe it's a book that everyone needs to read. It's incredibly powerful and deeply moving, not to mention an eye-opening look at the U.S. prison system, racism, and capital punishment.

Bryan Stevenson, a lawyer working out of Alabama and the founder of the Equal Justice Initiative, recounts some of the many cases he's worked on over the years, focusing on the inhumane treatment of prisoners and of juveniles sent to adult prisons, but mainly on those wrongfully accused and sentenced.

He talks about several people he's helped over the years, but most of the story line follows the case of Walter McMillian, a man who was wrongfully accused of murder and sentenced to death row.

Before reading this book, I didn't realize just how many people are still wrongfully sentenced to prison or death, especially people of color. It's a horrifying realization, and if Mr. Stevenson's goal in writing this book was to make people aware of the problem, he succeeded.

This could have been a dull book full of dry statistics, but Mr. Stevenson's passion for his work comes through on every page, and it was utterly riveting. I didn't want to put it down.

At times heartbreaking, Just Mercy is ultimately inspiring. The work that Mr. Stevenson has done is incredible, and it's clear that he hasn't given up despite the many obstacles in his way.

I feel like this quote from Mr. Stevenson himself sums up the reason he works so hard for those unable to help themselves: "Each of us is more than the worst thing we've ever done."

I cannot recommend this one enough, and as I said earlier, it's a book that everyone needs to read.

[ktshpd]

Amazing. Read most of it in one day. Heart breaking but hopeful.

[Heather]

Just Mercy had been on my radar for a while but I didn't decide to pick it up until it was the first pick for the social justice book club hosted by Entomology of a Bookworm.  I listened to the audiobook.  It was narrated by the author and he did a good job of telling his story.

The story begins with the author setting up a branch of the Equal Justice Initiative in Alabama.  The goal is to help people on death row have legal representation.

The case of Walter McMillan is used to explain to the readers how our justice system can go horribly wrong.

Walter McMillan was convicted of a murder even though he was far away from the murder scene with a large group of people, the person who accused him couldn't identify him in a room, and the truck he was supposedly driving had its transmission rebuilt that day at the time of the murder.

Other cases are discussed throughout the book.  Another focus of the author's is the plight of children who were tried as adults and received life sentences without the possibility of parole.  One of the people featured had been kept in solitary confinement for decades.  He was caught in a loop of self harming because he was isolated and every time he self harmed he had more time added in solitary.

Sometimes helping someone is making sure seemingly logical things are done like housing young children away from the adult prison population so they aren't raped.

The author also does a good job of explaining how entire communities are involved in cases of wrongful convictions.  He talks a lot with the family and friends of the accused but I would have also been interested to see how finding out that the person in jail for a family member's murder was innocent affected the victim's family.  There was just one brief interaction about this.



Aside from any discussion of the ethics of capital punishment there is one thing that I just don't understand.  How is it possible to mess up lethal injection as horribly as seems to be happening?  I guess I have an unusual perspective on this because euthanasia is an important part of my job.  It is easy to do without causing pain and suffering.  Why can't people figure it out?  I guess a large part of the problem is that doctors aren't allowed to be involved.  Changing that would probably solve the issue instead of letting untrained personnel do it.  But still, books and articles are published in the veterinary literature all the time.  Do some study.  Get it right if you are going to do it.  /rant

 This review was originally posted on Based On A True Story