Reviews
Just Mercy (Adapted for Young Adults): A True Story of the Fight for Justice, by Bryan Stevenson
julianolan16's review against another edition
5.0
“The real question of capital punishment in this country is, Do we deserve to kill?”
This is a book I will recommend to every person I know. It exposes that massive injustices in mass incarceration and is an absolutely heartbreaking read. The justice system and prison system are two of the biggest issues in the United States in my opinion and we as a society and a country can not move forward until this is more adequately addressed. Stevenson does a great job telling a moving story while giving facts and information on the inadequate justice system, it becomes almost infuriating reading how unfairly so many people have been treated and the blatant disregard to evidence. The racism in mass incarceration has never been hidden but this book really makes you think about how African Americans have been continually disregarded through the United States History. In 2022 the number of people on death row has decreased, but the United States is the only western country that still allows it. As Stevensons reaffirms throughout the book, a person should not be defined by the worst thing they have done. Nobody should be sentenced to murder. The systematic racism in the justice and prison system is a continued issue today as well as the lack of support people receive after being released from prison providing no resources to become a member of society. The pattern of abuse will continue until real legislative change is made as well as how society views and treats ex-offenders, especially all of those that are in prison for long stunts for non-violent crimes.
“Ian spent 18 years in uninterrupted solitary confinement” - Ian was sentenced at 13 years old
“Prison population has increased from 300,000 people in the early 1970s to 2.3 million people today”
“Between 1990 and 2005, a new prison opened in the United States every 10 days”
This is a book I will recommend to every person I know. It exposes that massive injustices in mass incarceration and is an absolutely heartbreaking read. The justice system and prison system are two of the biggest issues in the United States in my opinion and we as a society and a country can not move forward until this is more adequately addressed. Stevenson does a great job telling a moving story while giving facts and information on the inadequate justice system, it becomes almost infuriating reading how unfairly so many people have been treated and the blatant disregard to evidence. The racism in mass incarceration has never been hidden but this book really makes you think about how African Americans have been continually disregarded through the United States History. In 2022 the number of people on death row has decreased, but the United States is the only western country that still allows it. As Stevensons reaffirms throughout the book, a person should not be defined by the worst thing they have done. Nobody should be sentenced to murder. The systematic racism in the justice and prison system is a continued issue today as well as the lack of support people receive after being released from prison providing no resources to become a member of society. The pattern of abuse will continue until real legislative change is made as well as how society views and treats ex-offenders, especially all of those that are in prison for long stunts for non-violent crimes.
“Ian spent 18 years in uninterrupted solitary confinement” - Ian was sentenced at 13 years old
“Prison population has increased from 300,000 people in the early 1970s to 2.3 million people today”
“Between 1990 and 2005, a new prison opened in the United States every 10 days”
kat_r3ads's review against another edition
5.0
Read this after reading Anthony Ray Hinton's The Sun Does Shine and was floored by the work Bryan Stevenson was doing. Reignited my passion for human rights and my desire to attend law school.
agaymont's review against another edition
5.0
This book. Oh so many words about this. It was beautiful, heart wrenching, depressing, but most important SO IMPORTANT TO READ!!! Bryan is such a great writer, lawyer, person. His dedication to his clients, especially Walter, it makes my heart swell. At some moments I needed to stop reading because everything was getting heavy and depressing. I’m not complaining about that because this is unfortunately the reality we live in still. The death penalty is no joke and it’s unfortunate for those who are innocent and are wrongly committed. If you haven’t read this book PLEASE DO!
hngarrett's review against another edition
5.0
Incredibly powerful and engaging. Your heart will break. You may even cry. And then you remember these stories really happened.
taffy_sea's review against another edition
5.0
Powerful, persuasive and urgent. This extremely well-written book is so compelling it flies by quickly, despite its heavy content. As good as the narrative is, it's also meticulously researched with case after case illustrating Stevenson's point. He is very effective at drawing attention to the different intersections of vulnerability (race, poverty, youth, disability, gender... and, bears repeating, poverty). This book has been on my radar for years and I'm so glad I've read it. This is a really compassionate book, and vital for all Americans to read.
julesz's review against another edition
5.0
Just Mercy is an amazing book for anyone interested in the history of the United States justice system. I would highly recommend it to anyone, especially for students who plan on having a career in justice studies. Bryan Stevenson informs his audience of past laws on sentencing, court procedures including jury selection, and the presence of corruption within it all. The book itself centers around one main case while going back and forth between it and multiple yet brief accounts of multiple cases taken on by Stevenson and EJI, the non-profit organization Stevenson founded. Between the rage inducing injustice and corruption and the unbelievable victories, Just Mercy keeps your emotions on edge.
sneakilee's review against another edition
5.0
As I tore through the book, it broke my heart often, left me choking often and angered me at the injustice of it all. If the system is rigged, was there any point? And yet, at the end I dare to be hopeful. In those heartbreaking stories there is gracefulness, forgiveness, unimaginable strength and so much hope. I particularly loved the historic context of racial and economic disparity that Bryan uses to explain the plight of those caught in the spokes of injustice as we chug along. A very timely reminder to at least see the broken in our societies and maybe show a little, particularly to the undeserving.
sjklass's review against another edition
4.0
I finished this a few days ago on audiobook, read by the author, and am still thinking about it. Inspiring with so many examples of why EJI (Equal Justice Initiative) is such a necessary non-profit organization. Corrupt, inept judges and biased, racist juries send many innocent men, women and yes, children to prison, some even to death row. Yes, children on death row. “We have to reform a system of criminal justice that continues to treat people better if they are rich and guilty than if they are poor and innocent.” Bless you Bryan Stephenson for dedicating your life to bringing relief and justice to the wrongly convicted.
“My years of struggling against inequality, abusive power, poverty, oppression and injustice had finally revealed something to me about myself. Being close to suffering, death and cruel punishments didn’t just illuminate the brokenness of others; it also exposed my own brokenness. You can’t effectively fight abusive power, poverty, inequality, illness, oppression, or injustice and not be broken by it. We are all broken by something. We have all hurt someone and have been hurt. We all share the condition of brokenness even if our brokenness is not equivalent. Being broken is what makes us human. We can embrace our humanness, which means embracing our broken natures and the compassion that remains our best hope for healing.”
“My years of struggling against inequality, abusive power, poverty, oppression and injustice had finally revealed something to me about myself. Being close to suffering, death and cruel punishments didn’t just illuminate the brokenness of others; it also exposed my own brokenness. You can’t effectively fight abusive power, poverty, inequality, illness, oppression, or injustice and not be broken by it. We are all broken by something. We have all hurt someone and have been hurt. We all share the condition of brokenness even if our brokenness is not equivalent. Being broken is what makes us human. We can embrace our humanness, which means embracing our broken natures and the compassion that remains our best hope for healing.”