ems_rxlibrary's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
Wow! I had seen the movie that was based on this book, so I was pretty sure I would like the book, but I was amazed by how well thought out this book was! Bryan Stevenson presented all the details of each case in a way that was interesting and never boring. He explained things very well and cited his sources. Even though he has every right to be bitter, he isn’t. He gave so many people hope when there was none. I loved this book so much!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, and Racism
Moderate: Gun violence, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicide attempt, Suicide, and Dementia
sour_pickles12's review
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
wahine2748's review against another edition
5.0
"The power of just mercy is that it belongs to the undeserving. It’s when mercy is least expected that it’s most potent—strong enough to break the cycle of victimization and victimhood, retribution and suffering. It has the power to heal the psychic harm and injuries that lead to aggression and violence, abuse of power, mass incarceration."
This book has been on my radar for almost as long as it's been out, and after watching the movie this year, I knew that I had to bump this up on my TBR list. If you liked the movie with Michael B. Jordan, this book will feel like the movie plus extras and behind-the-scenes content. Although Walter McMillian's wrongful conviction is at the center of the story like the movie, this book is about more than just one man and his lawyer fighting against an unjust system. Just Mercy provides so much context for this one case that makes the story even richer. Stevenson shares many more cases and injustices in this book, plus he dives into the systematic issues of racism and incarceration that led to these injustices he has dedicated his life to fighting.
I admire this man's life of service, and surprisingly he's just as good of a writer as he is a lawyer. His passion comes through in his words, and Stevenson is so open not only about his cases but about his own upbringing and struggles too. He has a thoughtful, deep and yet accessible conversation with the reader and uses his experiences to illustrate his points about the changes that need to be made to the justice system. This story, its explorations and ideas will stay with me for a long time.
This book has been on my radar for almost as long as it's been out, and after watching the movie this year, I knew that I had to bump this up on my TBR list. If you liked the movie with Michael B. Jordan, this book will feel like the movie plus extras and behind-the-scenes content. Although Walter McMillian's wrongful conviction is at the center of the story like the movie, this book is about more than just one man and his lawyer fighting against an unjust system. Just Mercy provides so much context for this one case that makes the story even richer. Stevenson shares many more cases and injustices in this book, plus he dives into the systematic issues of racism and incarceration that led to these injustices he has dedicated his life to fighting.
I admire this man's life of service, and surprisingly he's just as good of a writer as he is a lawyer. His passion comes through in his words, and Stevenson is so open not only about his cases but about his own upbringing and struggles too. He has a thoughtful, deep and yet accessible conversation with the reader and uses his experiences to illustrate his points about the changes that need to be made to the justice system. This story, its explorations and ideas will stay with me for a long time.
c100's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.0
lynds_dewey's review against another edition
5.0
Such an eye-opener to race inequality, prison life and so much more. Highly recommend and appreciate Bryan's example of giving his life to help those who suffer. We all can do more.
fiberreader's review against another edition
5.0
This is a phenomenal book — compelling, heartbreaking, and inspiring. Knowing that there are people like Bryan Stevenson working to try to fix a clearly very broken criminal justice system gives me hope for the future. If you need insight into why the system is broken, this is a must read.
beatsbybeard's review against another edition
5.0
Bryan Stevenson is a lawyer and founder of the Equal Justice Initiative, a nonprofit institution based in Montgomery, Alabama that provides legal representation to the poor and wrongfully convicted, particularly those on death row. In this book, he recounts the stories of many of his clients and the impact mass incarceration has on primarily poor communities of color. He also discusses the sentencing of children and is responsible for bringing that issue to the Supreme Court, where two rulings declared unconstitutional the death sentencing of juveniles and life-without-parole sentences for non-homicide crimes. But aside from his accomplishments and how much he has done for these individuals and their communities, his writing brought me to tears multiple times. I cannot recommend this book strongly enough as the national conversation continues to develop about mass incarceration, poverty, and our traumatic racial history.