#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 … 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
more
I learned a lot from this book. It did get a bit repetitive with all the cases. I have not seen the movie, and will look forward to doing so.
Life changing read!
This should be required reading for every high school English class.
Bryan Stevenson is a hero for our times; Archbishop Desmond Tutu called him “America’s Nelson Mandela.” He is a human being with a deeply human heart who loves and serves those in deepest trouble and sorrow. And he writes like an angel. I wish I could afford the audiobook, read by the author himself. It would serve as my daily meditation.
Everyone should read this book
Hard to read, but is an incredible and thought-provoking book that starts a much needed conversation.
Bryan Stevenson changed the conversation and this book shows the need for reform through stories of his clients.
I highly recommend this book, even if you’ve watched the movie!
Very interesting. The author tells his story about how he has spent his entire life as an attorney building cases to obtain release of people wrongfully convicted and confined in prison.
The story of author and civil rights attorney Bryan Stevenson’s journey to starting the non-profit organization, Equal Justice Initiative, where he fights for the rights of wrongfully incarcerated individuals, those who’ve received overly harsh sentences, and people lacking legal representation. The bulk of the narrative tells the story of a man who was wrongly convicted of a murder he didn’t commit and the six year struggle to get him exonerated, interspersed with the author’s other cases. A
phenomenal book that was eloquently written and took me on an engaging journey. I was heartbroken and even moved to tears by many of the stories, while also being outraged at how broken our justice system can be. I can’t recommend this book highly enough. I think it might be the best one I’ve read so far in 2020
Eye-opening, mind expanding
I will be discussing some of the main points and stories found in this book. It is nonfiction so I don’t really consider them to be spoilers.
I was enraged and saddened by what I learned in these pages. I was horrified during the discussions of child life imprisonment for nonviolent crimes, and especially horrified when I learned about the 14-year old who was executed in the electric chair for illegally killing 2 young girls. The only evidence, in this case, was that the girls had asked him a question earlier in the day before their disappearance and death.
The main case we follow in this book is of Walter McMillan, a man accused of the murder of a young woman and sentenced to death row. The catch? He was surrounded by family and friends at a gathering when the murder was committed. Double catch? The police coerced and threatened a witness to testify against Walter who didn’t even know him and had never seen him before.
I think this is a book that should become required reading in high school. No one teaches kids these things, no one teaches them about our mistakes. They make it seem like everything was fine after the civil war. And then you learn about Jim Crow laws but don’t worry its fine now. We are never taught about this side of history. The only reason I can think of for why they aren’t telling us is because, it’s still happening but they want the masses to think everything is fine.
A powerful and thought provoking book to say the least.
Be a stone catcher and just show mercy
3.5
Would like to start off by saying that this book is extremely important and informative. Before reading this, I had no idea of the workings of our justice system and all the wrong that is done. I’ve always assumed that the system is mostly fair and that occurrences of people being wrongly convicted were extremely rare. This book proved otherwise and was eye-opening in that department. I also have a lot of respect for Bryan Stevenson and the work that he has done. He is a living miracle helping so many people who can’t help themselves. I appreciate his efforts immensely AND that he wrote a book to share these experiences with the world.
My rating is because I had a really hard time getting into/finishing it due to it being heavy, both emotionally and with information. This may be due to currently being in school but, at times, reading this felt like I was studying or reading something for a class project. I found it to be fragmented and hard to follow. There are a lot of names/stories recounted and if someone was brought up again in a later chapter it was hard for me to remember who was who, or who did what. I think this is a great book for people who take notes/journal/annotate as they read.
I would still recommend reading Just Mercy. It is valuable and would compel many to rethink their opinions on controversial topics like the death penalty. I have a whole new insight after finishing this and I believe it can conjure meaningful discussions on our justice system. I just think it is something I need to reread later when I’m not in school
This is a favorite selection of one of my bookclubs — excellent! I can not say how many times I cried over the injustice in this book. Bryan Stevenson is a saint! Mr. Stevenson is an attorney and founder of the EJI — Equal Justice Initiative — a legal practice dedicated to defending the poor, the wrongly condemned and those trapped in the furthest reaches of our criminal justice system. He defends those who were young children and tried as adults and sentenced to execution and life — now illegal, those that are disabled both mentally and physically. The book focuses on his first case representing Walter McMillian who was sentenced for execution for a murder he did not commit. Despite evidence proving he was not at the crime scene, Mr. McMillian spent years on death row, before he was finally released. Heart wrenching stories and so unimaginable to see not only how unjust and ignorant the judges and prosecuting lawyers can be but overpowering all that is Stevenson and his team who were beyond patient, a source of hope for those who had no one to listen to them, and always kept justice as their core.
A well told real story of a man who was incarcerated for a crime he didn’t commit and the lawyers who worked for justice.
The real life stories of the people Bryan Stevenson has worked with in his efforts to help people wrongly accused of crimes and sentenced to death. The primary story involved a man who was clearly innocent, had an unimpeachable alibi corroborated by dozens of people, but was sentenced to death for the murder of a white woman by a racist sheriff, because he had the audacity to have sex with a married white woman while being black. The real cases are interspersed with facts of the criminal justice system, the number of executions in different states, the legal issues involved, and the limits to the ability to help correct injustices.
Audio book was read by the author.
Bryan Stevenson is extremely qualified to write this book. He’s been a faithful defender of the oppressed for over two decades, making a real difference with his work.
After reading this book, I changed my thinking about capital punishment, and I no longer believe in the death penalty. This is because more often than not, it is applied to people who are poor, uneducated, of a racial minority and who lack access to and the benefit of competent and engaged legal counsel and representation. Also, more underprivileged poor minorities versus wealth white individuals are falsely accused, are imprisoned by prejudiced law enforcement officials, and their cases are presided over by biased judges. The tragedy of a wrongly accused individual being put to dead is disturbing, haunting and heartbreaking. The world is not fair and the death penalty is one weapon used to keep it that way.
Great example of someone making a difference. Shows how biased the justice system is.
This book is inspirational and sad, it truly opened my eyes to the racial inequity that still exists in the United States. A very well written book.
I am angry about the stories in this book- racism is WRONG. The incarceration rate in the US is out of control. God bless Bryan Stevenson and the Equal Justice Initiative, and other similar organizations, for the work they do advocating for those unable to do it themselves. The book is extremely powerful, everyone should read it. Lots of humanity in this book, gives you hope against the tremendous racism so prevalent. The stories of incarcerated people, wrongly accused, or jailed as children, are extremely moving.
#JustMercy #BryanStevenson