Just Mercy in Around the World in 80 Books

Jul 30, 2020 Daina rated it it was amazing

Shelves: non-fiction

This book has been on my radar for quite some time. With the resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement, I opted to finally dive in to Just Mercy and I am so glad that I did.

This book is phenomenal. I honestly believe that more citizens of the United States need to begin to appreciate Bryan Stevenson for the national treasure that he clearly is. He has been challenging the bastardization of our Justice system by racist structures while simultaneously upholding our nation's core values.

Fresh o This book has been on my radar for quite some time. With the resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement, I opted to finally dive in to Just Mercy and I am so glad that I did.

This book is phenomenal. I honestly believe that more citizens of the United States need to begin to appreciate Bryan Stevenson for the national treasure that he clearly is. He has been challenging the bastardization of our Justice system by racist structures while simultaneously upholding our nation's core values.

Fresh out of law school, Stevenson began representing Death Row prisoners as an attorney with the Southern Prisoners Defense Committee in Atlanta, GA. Eventually he would found the Equal Justice Initiative in Alabama, an organization that has won significant Supreme Court cases and has made tremendous strides towards justice for all (the name is quite self-explanatory, as it turns out). EJI has been recognized internationally for the work that they do and has been featured in/on several media outlets.

In reading this book, I knew that there were pockets of the Deep South that were still outwardly racist. What I did not realize, or what I had failed to see despite knowing systemic racism is an issue, is that the prejudice was codified into the justice system in several states. States' Supreme Courts purposely upheld blatantly unjust rulings despite sufficient evidence to the contrary, and reading about certain cases that Stevenson worked made my blood boil.

It has been a while since a book made me put it down so I could breathe calmly, then enrapture me to the point where I read through my discomfort for hours on end, and then put it down again because I didn't want to finish it yet. Stevenson's story made my heart hurt and his experiences made me want to cry for him.

Each chapter focuses on a different angle of justice he has sought- literal children tried as adults, impoverished women cast aside, broken men unworthy of saving. The common thread throughout is a case close to Stevenson's heart- that of Walter McMillian's. A case he fought HARD for and which caused me much distress to read about. In the end, Stevenson pays tribute to a few lessons he's learned from the clients he's represented along the way- how broken people either cast stones or find compassion, and the definition of just mercy and how it can save.

There is so much more I can say about this book as it contained so many disheartening anecdotes and statistics. All I'll say is that I can't recommend this book enough. ...more

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May 11, 2019 Carol rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: potential-book-club-books

On my to be read list for too long, I'm glad I finally read it. Bryan Stevenson is a hero. He shines a light on the injustices minors, impoverished, people of color, the mentally ill and challenged confront in our legal and justice system. Eye opening and still relevant after 5 years of its release. We are all broken people. Embrace our broken nature and create a need and desire for mercy. Recognize our shared humanity. ...more

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May 27, 2018 Kent Winward rated it it was amazing

I read this at the same time as Mailer's "The Executioner's Song" and they both hit capital punishment, but from two very different directions. One is the story of brutal justice demanded by a brutal man, this book however is about the struggle to escape brutal justice imposed on the poor, the weak, and the racially profiled. Stevenson's work is commendable. I applaud him and he points out flaws in our criminal justice system that are all too real. I have tried at times in my life to fight this ...more

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Jul 13, 2019 Rongrong rated it it was amazing

Shelves: non-fiction, 2019-finished

Heartbreaking. Alarming. Vital. Well-woven chapters, thoughtfully and respectfully told stories of injustice within a system that has been worse than unfriendly to people who deserve better, people we have all intersected with or been. I went to the EJI website after finishing the audiobook (read by the author; I have never before finished an audiobook!) and found the stories of many of the people Bryan features in the book. Go visit!

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