Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption
Oct 2014 · One World
4.7star
162 reviewsreport
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352
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About this ebook
#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 • A KIRKUS REVIEWS BEST NONFICTION BOOK OF THE CENTURY
A Best Book of the Year: 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
“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
“[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 • A KIRKUS REVIEWS BEST NONFICTION BOOK OF THE CENTURY
A Best Book of the Year: 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
“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
Ratings and reviews
4.7
162 reviews
Hex
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May 28, 2019
This book is one of the best books I have read so far. Without spoiling much the book is about a man who helps people who have been wrongly convicted and sentenced to either life in prison, or given the death sentence. The book includes real stories of this man and his encounters with these people in prisons. The book has depressing moments as well as good moments but this isn’t a novel type of book. It serves to shed some light on a topic not many discuss which is the point of view of an inmate in prison. The book does a great job at including various controversial topics and talking about them in an unbiased way. The author simply talks about these topics from his experience. This book helped to enlighten me and made me realize that even though we see people being arrested maybe for a murder case, or any other horrific type of crime, there is always the possibility that the person might be innocent and we could be celebrating the imprisonment of someone who did no harm. Just mercy also sheds light on how these inmates are inhumanely treated which is another part of life not many of us stop to think about. This book gets five stars for me since it doesn’t attempt to sugar coat the harsh realities of life , and although this might be more depressing for some I believe it is necessary for us learn about these realities that might be happening around us without our knowledge.
41 people found this review helpful
Paul Demetre
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December 31, 2021
" We are all implicated when we allow other people to be mistreated. An absence of compassion can corrupt the decency of a community, a state, a nation. Fear and anger can make us vindictive and abusive, unjust and unfair, until we all suffer from the absence of mercy and we condemn ourselves as much as we victimize others. The closer we get to mass incarceration and extreme levels of punishment, the more I believe it's necessary to recognize that we all need mercy. we all need justice and - perhaps - we all need some measure of unmerited grace." This one paragraph gives you an idea of what Bryan Stevenson believes and why he works so tirelessly for those who have been treated unjustly, or require some mercy. If this one paragraph doesn't move you, find another book, if it does I highly recommend reading it.
Marco Maldonado
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March 16, 2020
With all the respect and applause this book deserves: What a (sad) great book! I learned so much through this book and it opened my eyes to a side of US history I was oblivious to, I did not grow up in America and the only US history I studied was in during high school. This book opened my eyes and the door to new book titles on the same subject that I can't wait to read and learn so much from. I can't wait for this movie to become available on DVD to watch it. There is so much history that needs to be taught in school about all this unfairness and racial discrimination we still see today, so that we can fully understand everything people of color have had to endure. A couple of the books that were mentioned in here that are on my next reading list are 1) "Slavery by another name" by Douglas A. Blackmon, and 2) "The new Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander. I hope that you - like me - like this book and become more interested in this part of history, and that it motivates you to act in a way that advocates for those in need and who face adversity in today's present. A truly remarkable book! Thanks.
2 people found this review helpful
About the author
Bryan Stevenson is the founder and executive director of the Equal Justice Initiative, a human rights organization in Montgomery, Alabama. Under his leadership, EJI has won major legal challenges eliminating excessive and unfair sentencing, exonerating innocent death row prisoners, confronting abuse of the incarcerated and the mentally ill, and aiding children prosecuted as adults.
Mr. Stevenson has argued and won multiple cases at the United States Supreme Court, including a 2019 ruling protecting condemned prisoners who suffer from dementia and a landmark 2012 ruling that banned mandatory life-imprisonment-without-parole sentences for all children seventeen or younger. Mr. Stevenson and his staff have won reversals, relief, or release from prison for over 140 wrongly condemned prisoners on death row and won relief for hundreds of others wrongly convicted or unfairly sentenced.
Mr. Stevenson has initiated major new anti-poverty and anti-discrimination efforts that challenge inequality in America. He led the creation of EJI’s highly acclaimed Legacy Sites, including the Legacy Museum, the National Memorial for Peace and Justice, and Freedom Monument Sculpture Park. These new national landmark institutions chronicle the legacy of slavery, lynching, and racial segregation, and the connection to mass incarceration and contemporary issues of racial bias.
Mr. Stevenson has argued and won multiple cases at the United States Supreme Court, including a 2019 ruling protecting condemned prisoners who suffer from dementia and a landmark 2012 ruling that banned mandatory life-imprisonment-without-parole sentences for all children seventeen or younger. Mr. Stevenson and his staff have won reversals, relief, or release from prison for over 140 wrongly condemned prisoners on death row and won relief for hundreds of others wrongly convicted or unfairly sentenced.
Mr. Stevenson has initiated major new anti-poverty and anti-discrimination efforts that challenge inequality in America. He led the creation of EJI’s highly acclaimed Legacy Sites, including the Legacy Museum, the National Memorial for Peace and Justice, and Freedom Monument Sculpture Park. These new national landmark institutions chronicle the legacy of slavery, lynching, and racial segregation, and the connection to mass incarceration and contemporary issues of racial bias.
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