#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
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True story of an amazing young lawyer fighting against the injustices of wrongly accused blacks on death row. Not an easy read, but a MUST read to expand your knowledge and compassion for the less fortunate!
I absolutely cannot recommend this enough. It’s such an important book. One that I’ll read again and again.
I was recommended this book to read and was blown away by it. The author is writing about his time being a lawyer in a non-profit that has been working to try to get people off of death row who don’t deserve to be there. It was really eye-opening and I could only read 2 chapters a day at most because of how upset I was getting hearing about the treatment of the people in this book and the fact that justice was so hard to come by. And as difficult as it was for me to read, it was also important for me to read and learn about how much the existing “justice” system is truly set against POC and those in poverty.
I really admire what this author and his organization has been fighting for. I hope they can continue to get innocent people out of death row.
As a resident of south Alabama I remember these events in the news. I have also attended lectures by Mr. Stevenson. He is truly an exceptional being who has brought justice and understanding to difficult cases and heart breaking circumstances. He helps open the eyes of us all. What he presents should bring soul searching and understanding to all.
Everybody should read this book.
Important book–always, but especially now
Should be read by every American.
Should be required reading for all sentient human beings. The world needs more Bryan Stevensons.
Wow. This book is just astounding. It just breaks my heart to read of so many people who are aching and whose lives are ruined because of small mistakes (or big ones at an age one can’t really process the implications of their choices) or false accusations. The story about Walter makes me sick. How people can knowingly accuse an innocent man and send him to death row, without feeling any guilt or remorse, is just sickening. The racial injustices that are still occurring in this country almost make me embarrassed to be an American. We should have most past all of that by now and ashamed that we haven’t.
I don’t know that I can adequately explain how I feel about this book. It’s heartbreaking while simultaneously a bit hopeful. People like Bryan and his team of lawyers and social workers and their programs—and even people like the woman at the end Bryan meets at the courthouse after the resentencing and release of Mr. Carter and Mr. Caston—are people who bring hope.
Some quotes that felt powerful to me:
The woman Bryan met at the courthouse:
“I decided that I was supposed to be here to catch some of the stones people cast at each other. . . . yous a stonecatcher, too.”
(This really got me thinking about Stone catchin’. I definitely want to be a stone catcher, rather than a stone thrower.)
“Keep singing. Your songs will make you strong. They might even make you happy.”
Walter McMillian:
“Dying on some court schedule or some prison schedule ain’t right. People are supposed to die on God’s schedule.”
Bryan Stevenson:
Mercy is just when it is rooted in hopefulness and felt given. Mercy is most empowering, liberating, and transformative when it is directed at the underserving. The people who haven’t earned it, who haven’t sought it, are the most meaningful recipients of our compassion.
AUDIOBOOK REVIEW: Read by the Author. Bryan does a good job of reading, especially because he can say all the bits of conversation exactly as he remembers them being said when they occurred. I liked hearing the various inflections and tone in the ways he heard them. It’s a bit slow for me (as is typical) and I listened at 1.5x speed.
This is a powerful book that everyone should read written by someone who is really making a huge difference in the lives of those unjustly accused.
This book greatly expanded my view of the inequitable treatment of minorities by prisons and the entire justice system. Well written and very informative.
Would recommend this book unreservedly. It really opens one’s eyes to the defects in our criminal justice system, and its inherent racism. He tells the story of various young individuals, all Black, and how their lives were ruined. Mesmerizing and essential reading today.
Absolutely MUST READ! This book is heartbreaking, but if you desire to be a better person, this may be a great start.
This is not an easy read but it’s something everyone should read just so they understand what happens in some areas of our country in the judicial system. It will make you mad, and it probably make you cry, but if you grew up in Colorado you will feel so very blessed.
Excellent book. It will leave you angry at our skewed, biased legal system and thankful for the people working so hard to defend those mistreated by it.
A moving memoir by a true American hero. Well-told and inspiring.
This is one of the best books I’ve ever read. The author is a hero.
Every person in the US needs to read this book and understand the reality of racism in our country.
it makes sense to what is happening in the world everyday and that it shows that we should never give up.
A necessity for anyone looking to learn about the legacy of racial inequities in our country told with a powerful story-telling voice that captivates the reader and incites contemplation and reflection, if not action.