Just Mercy

A Story of Justice and Redemption

By: Bryan Stevenson

Narrated by: Bryan Stevenson

Length: 11 hrs and 11 mins

Publisher's summary

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE STARRING MICHAEL B. JORDAN AND JAMIE FOXX

A powerful true story about the potential for mercy to redeem us, and a clarion call to fix our broken system of justice—from one of the most brilliant and influential lawyers of our time.

“[Bryan Stevenson’s] dedication to fighting for justice and equality has inspired me and many others and made a lasting impact on our country.”—John Legend

NAMED ONE OF THE MOST INFLUENTIAL BOOKS OF THE DECADE BY CNN • Named One of the Best Books of the Year by The New York Times • The Washington Post • The Boston Globe • The Seattle Times • Esquire • Time

Bryan Stevenson was a young lawyer when he founded the Equal Justice Initiative, a legal practice dedicated to defending those most desperate and in need: the poor, the wrongly condemned, and women and children trapped in the farthest reaches of our criminal justice system. One of his first cases was that of Walter McMillian, a young man who was sentenced to die for a notorious murder he insisted he didn’t commit. The case drew Bryan into a tangle of conspiracy, political machination, and legal brinksmanship—and transformed his understanding of mercy and justice forever.

Just Mercy is at once an unforgettable account of an idealistic, gifted young lawyer’s coming of age, a moving window into the lives of those he has defended, and an inspiring argument for compassion in the pursuit of true justice.

Winner of the Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Nonfiction • Winner of the NAACP Image Award for Nonfiction • Winner of a Books for a Better Life Award • Finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize • Finalist for the Kirkus Reviews Prize • An American Library Association Notable Book

©2014 Bryan Stevenson (P)2014 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

“Just Mercy is every bit as moving as To Kill a Mockingbird, and in some ways more so. . . . [It] demonstrates, as powerfully as any book on criminal justice that I’ve ever read, the extent to which brutality, unfairness, and racial bias continue to infect criminal law in the United States. But at the same time that [Bryan] Stevenson tells an utterly damning story of deep-seated and widespread injustice, he also recounts instances of human compassion, understanding, mercy, and justice that offer hope. . . . Just Mercy is a remarkable amalgam, at once a searing indictment of American criminal justice and a stirring testament to the salvation that fighting for the vulnerable sometimes yields.”—David Cole, The New York Review of Books

“A searing, moving and infuriating memoir . . . Bryan Stevenson may, indeed, be America’s Mandela. For decades he has fought judges, prosecutors and police on behalf of those who are impoverished, black or both. . . . Injustice is easy not to notice when it affects people different from ourselves; that helps explain the obliviousness of our own generation to inequity today. We need to wake up. And that is why we need a Mandela in this country.”—Nicholas Kristof, The New York Times

“Unfairness in the justice system is a major theme of our age. . . . This book brings new life to the story by placing it in two affecting contexts: [Bryan] Stevenson’s life work and the deep strain of racial injustice in American life. . . . You don’t have to read too long to start cheering for this man. Against tremendous odds, Stevenson has worked to free scores of people from wrongful or excessive punishment, arguing five times before the Supreme Court. . . . The book extols not his nobility but that of the cause, and reads like a call to action for all that remains to be done. . . . The message of the book, hammered home by dramatic examples of one man’s refusal to sit quietly and countenance horror, is that evil can be overcome, a difference can be made. Just Mercy will make you upset and it will make you hopeful. . . . Stevenson has been angry about [the criminal justice system] for years, and we are all the better for it.”—Ted Conover, The New York Times Book Review

Sweet Home Alabama

This is an astonishing, compelling, harrowing, gripping, shocking book.

It’s the true story of a young African American lawyer in modern times who defended the most marginalised, forgotten condemned people in the prison system of the Deep South.
It is an expose of the tragic stories of people either on death row or sentenced to life without the possibility of parole. Some of these people are innocent; others have committed crimes but have received disproportionately severe punishments (where mitigating circumstances, such as severe mental illness, young age or extreme provocation, have not been properly considered).

The litany of mistreatment is profoundly disturbing: poor legal representation (due to dire poverty and denial of access to court-appointed lawyers); rigged all-white juries; endemic institutionalised racism and corruption; children, denied access to juvenile legal processes, getting life sentences in adult prisons - where they are then sexually abused and traumatised; cruel punishments such as solitary confinement in tiny overheated spaces, and so on.

As a black lawyer he also had to tolerate racial harassment and intimidation from a significant proportion of officials with confederate, segregationist attitudes. He was routinely strip-searched (when white lawyers would get no more than a pat-down) and had to overcome deliberately obstructive and abusive behaviour, as well as enduring death-threats.

It is truly heart-warming and deeply moving to hear how this lawyer (and his team) bravely devoted most of his waking hours to getting justice for victims of an unfair judicial system, but his limited resources inevitably restricted him to being able to take a relatively small number of cases. Logic implies that there must be thousands of desperate people in similar predicaments elsewhere in the Deep South and wider USA who will never be helped.

You can’t help but appreciate the heroic efforts of this man to free the lucky few from harsh and unfair sentences, but sadly, the big picture for many people is one of poverty, racism, and injustice.

Despite this bleak assessment, I wholeheartedly recommend this excellent book.

Down in the trenches

I loved this book and performance. Brian's own experiences of race, of work, of life, juxtaposed against the trajectory of Walter's life and case, is brilliant!
There is definitely a racial bias in the American justice system, and the collateral damage of families is heart-breaking. I found this book was hard to read, but not without hope.
Sometimes, the shorter case studies are almost jarring in their placement, and the narration is flatter in places than it could have been, but this is a small issue in a tragic, difficult yet ultimately hopeful book.

Comment on Narration

The story was unspiring, however I would have liked a professional to do the reading

Powerful

Inspiring and heartbreaking. A must read. Much more information than the movie. Audible version is excellent.

A must read (listen)

I have learned so much listening to this book. A white northerner I was ignorant of most of this material. Through study of reconciliation I learned of the book. I now realize even better the need for reconciliation. Through it we can learn what people of color continue to experience and work together to end this evil.

Do take the time to get this book and listen to it. It’s not easy listening but it’s worth it.

A true great listen

Took me awhile to finish but it was well worth it.
This writer has undeniable talent.
This story made me want to fight a good fight. The fight for justice for those who had none.

This is a must read (listen) book!!

I have over 400 books in my audible library and this may be the best book I’ve heard. It’s not just a great book, it’s important that people hear it.

Thank you Bryan Stevenson for all you’re doing!

Powerful

I would recommend this book to anyone interested in working in the criminal justice/social work space, and to those who have never taken the time to think about our criminal justice process.

Stevenson’s narrative and description of the system is insightful and undeniably accurate. His proximity to the people he serves has given him an amazing level of understanding. He not only understands the judicial system, procedure, and the historical context, he understands the people. This is a powerful book, and I can’t wait to see if the movie does it justice.

Heartbreaking & Necessary!

5/5: This book is heartbreaking and yet such a necessary read. It is utterly unacceptable that our penal (and legal) system still gets it so wrong so often. I know it's a human system, but that also means that things like greed, pride, image control, prejudice, racism, and every other evil that harms shows up and harms real people. Children, those mentally incapacitated, and poor should not carry the load of "justice" so white people (because that's mainly who's in charge if we're honest) can pretend like it's working. I cannot say enough how much I thank God that Bryan Stevenson and others like him exist and will not be silenced. If we are to make our way forward in a better way, we have to be honest about racial reconciliation and part of that is creating widespread scrutiny of the legal systems in every state from police, investigators, lawyers, judges, and prisons (and its employees). It's beyond time. I believe everyone should read this book to begin to understand just how unjust our system truly is.

Attention Grabber

This story is very enlightening and the book provides a lot of historical and current information. Stories are sad, and accounts are riveting. Thank God for EJI and their dedication and commitment to the work they do in helping those with less means. I will now watch the movie! Enjoyed the author's narration too!!!!