Just Mercy : : a Story of Justice and Redemption

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Malletts Adult Books 4-week checkout	Adult Book / Nonfiction / Biography / Political Figures / Stevenson, Bryan	4-week checkout	On Hold Shelf
Downtown 2nd Floor 4-week checkout	353.48 St	4-week checkout	Due 04-18-2024
Traverwood Adult Books 4-week checkout	Adult Book / Nonfiction / Biography / Political Figures / Stevenson, Bryan	4-week checkout	Due 05-03-2024
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The founder of the Equal Justice Initiative in Montgomery, Alabama recounts his experiences as a lawyer working to assist those desperately in need, reflecting on his pursuit of the ideal of compassion in American justice.

COMMUNITY REVIEWS

Well worth a read submitted by jhaberich on June 22, 2016, 11:16am This book is wonderfully written and is an important and timely read. While it is disheartening (to say the least) to read of all the injustices recounted in the book, I highly recommend this book.

Inspiring book submitted by zzumeta on July 11, 2016, 12:01am Bryan Stevenson's story is important, intense and inspiring. He has achieved much with very little, and against great odds. I agree it is disheartening to read about all the injustice, but it is very heartening to read about those who fight it. Stevenson writes well, tells a good story, and leaves us wanting to do more.

A must read submitted by pk on June 27, 2017, 7:03pm This book is well worth your time. The injustice in our justice system is appalling and Bryan Stevenson brings us this news in a very interesting book. He recounts his work over the years with death row inmates and others who have had little access to legal representation. Important, well written, worth the read.

Necessary read submitted by steveiew on June 19, 2018, 9:30am This book opened my eyes to the continued injustices of our justice system, particularly toward people of color. Bryan Stevenson interweaves stories of his work over the years helping prisoners on death row in the deep south with his own personal story. Anyone who thinks racism is a thing of the past needs to read this book.

Injustice Abounds! submitted by thegretch on July 14, 2018, 8:47pm A painful reality exists in our justice system, if you are a person of color the cards are stacked against you. Thank goodness for people like Stevenson who go above and beyond to defend those who cannot defend themselves. Great read!

Read this book! submitted by betsywil on August 9, 2018, 3:22pm Just Mercy tells compelling and powerful stories of individual and systemic injustice in the US. As author Bryan Stevenson writes, too often the opposite of poverty is not wealth; the opposite of poverty is justice.
The book alternates Stevenson's personal story with the stories of people wrongly condemned to death.

Read this important book.

To become a better citizen submitted by younhee on July 14, 2019, 2:36pm This gave me an eye opening moment to look at widespread injustice in our society. Injustice to the poor, the uneducated, the vulnerable, and the colored is ongoing in our justice system which we expect to be just and fair. As we are more sensitive to injustice, we can be more responsible citizens to make an educated decision in elections.

Essential Read submitted by LauraMarie on August 9, 2019, 8:40pm This book is an absolute must-read. It will call you to anger and action to against a system that oppresses and humiliates. It will call you to honor the people who have been targeted by an unjust system, and support those fighting for mercy and compassion and respect. Thank you, Bryan Stevenson.

Captivating and heartbreaking submitted by Jinxyluis on August 21, 2019, 11:43am Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson is a captivating and moving look at the heartbreaking injustice throughout the American justice system. Stevenson lovingly tells the story of Walter McMillan, a man who was wrongfully convicted of murder and sentenced to death, and their work to appeal this racist egregious miscarriage of justice. Stevenson doesn’t stop his criticism of the justice system with its impact on wrongful convicted individuals, further arguing against our treatment of people who actually have committed crimes but who are far too often being punished with disproportionately harsh sentences. He brings to light our failure to treat mercifully our most vulnerable populations, focusing especially on children, disabled people, people of color, immigrants and the poor. I learned so much and was deeply impacted by this book, and I highly recommend this flawless book to everyone.

Compelling submitted by saleder on August 28, 2019, 5:38pm Well-written, this book should be required reading for all. The stories of injustice are eye-opening.

Just Mercy submitted by crp on August 30, 2019, 2:27pm Beautifully written book.

Horrifying, inspiring, maddening, necessary, and heartbreaking submitted by Susan4Pax -prev. sueij- on June 17, 2020, 8:27pm Bryan Stevenson started out as a young lawyer who just wanted to make a difference… then he started to learn about the injustices that had accrued to inmates on Alabama’s death row. He tells heartwrenching and infuriating stories of racial and judicial miscarriages of justice, and how they have lead to decades of incarceration and deaths. He ultimately founded the Equal Justice Initiative (EJI), and tells the story of its inspiring work.

This book is horrifying, inspiring, maddening, necessary, and heartbreaking. Stevenson is at the center of the story, and yet manages to write the book so that it does not feel like HIS story. That’s skill. Every person in this country should read this book… and then write to their reps and demand reform, until justice truly is just.

Captivating and Important submitted by oliviagingold on July 24, 2022, 4:57pm Sometimes, you find books that are good stories. Sometimes, you find books that are important reads. Rarely, you find books that are both. Just Mercy falls into this final category. Bryan Stevenson is a fantastic storyteller who draws the reader in with first-person narrative that follows the cases of people, mostly men, currently on death row. His book details the plight of those who have been persecuted by pervasive racism, a societal obsession with mass incarceration, and the overall political and social failures of the US throughout the 1900s and into the 2000s while personalizing it through this narrative strategy.

Stevenson's recounting of his early and developing legal career will tear at your heartstrings while laying bare just how much work is left to be done in this Country. I believe it is an important read and tells a critical story about America's recent history, but what's better is that it is also an interesting and attainable read. Many books written by experts rely on or utilize highly-academic, and thereby inaccessible, language, making their findings and lessons inaccessible to the everyday reader. This book does not rely on academic prose or legal jargon to convey its message and that increases its power and efficacy tenfold.

Great Book submitted by mwschoe on August 15, 2022, 5:10pm I had to read this book as part of my orientation, and found it a captivating but heartbreaking read. It really catalyzes some of the issues that the current justice system has while avoiding falling into a trap of hopelessness.

Riveting submitted by Xris on June 16, 2023, 12:39am Riveting true stories of people Bryan helped through the criminal justice system. He's doing a great job to fight injustice and I hope he's able to continue for a long time with the Equal Justice Initiative.

Must Read submitted by JJM.Deucher on August 13, 2023, 7:21am A nonfiction that reads with the flow of a fiction novel if you are someone who is hesitant to dabble in nonfiction. Stevenson's career and what he brings to light is important for all to read. And of course reas this first, then go see the movie.