Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption

by Bryan Stevenson

But if we don’t expect more from each other, hope better for one another, and recover from the hurt we experience, we are surely doomed.”

Mass incarceration has been largely fueled by misguided drug policy and excessive sentencing,

But Havel had said that these were things they wanted; the only thing they needed was hope. Not that pie in the sky stuff, not a preference for optimism over pessimism, but rather “an orientation of the spirit.” The kind of hope that creates a willingness to position oneself in a hopeless place and be a witness, that allows one to believe in a better future, even in the face of abusive power. That kind of hope makes one strong.