A review by baknata
Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption by Bryan Stevenson

dark emotional informative reflective sad fast-paced

5.0

This was a required reading my freshman year of college, I have never liked a required reading more. As someone going into the criminal justice field, I have done a lot of research on various parts of it. This book provided a totally different lens. It was heartbreaking reading the stories of these people who were being mistreated solely on the grounds of their skin color. There is so much wrong with the idea of a death sentence, and reading the stories of those on death row only solidified my disdain for it. The wonderful part of this book is that it also is telling the story of Bryan Stevenson, who is using his position to help these people. He is reaching those who are mistreated and forgotten and helping as much as he can. There are so many inspiring stories in this book, which helps with those that don't have such hopeful endings. This book gives a full picture look at the problems these people are facing and doesn't sugarcoat what's going on. Part of me wants to say that this book isn't for everyone, because of some of the graphic stories that occur, but really it is for everyone. These things are really happening in our country, and ignoring the problems because they are gory isn't going to stop them from happening or help those who are victims of a terrible system. Everyone needs to hear these stories and then take a good hard look at what kind of country they want to live in and what exactly they can do to make it that way. Overall, I think this is one of the most powerful books I've read and would recommend it.