Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson

June's book was JUST MERCY by Bryan Stevenson. We all gave it a score of either a 3.75 or a 4 so, that averaged out to a 3.85.

When starting the book we all knew that our prison system certainly wasn't perfect but, I think we were hoping that cases like Walter McMillians' were exceptional. However, the fact Bryan has made this his mission/career for more than thirty years, proves otherwise. This book was incredibly thought provoking and brought all of us to tears, on more than one occasion, and ultimately changed Pam's mind towards that death penalty. 

Bryan Stevenson’s Just Mercy was compelling. His assertion that “we are more than the worst thing that we have done” was provocative.  Stevenson’s Methodist (AME) faith informs his profound belief in the possibilities of redemption, and I found his perspective moving.  He presents a series of vignettes that highlight the injustices in the criminal justice system in the Deep South that persisted into the 1980s and beyond. His narrative was particularly moving when he documented the cases of innocent people who were falsely indicted for murder and were incarcerated for crimes that they did not commit.  Stevenson successfully revealed the humanity of people like Walter McMillian and the terrible personal consequences of his time in prison.  It was painful to read about McMillian’s inability to reconstruct his pre-prison family life and business successes after he was released.  His freedom from prison was simultaneously heartwarming and tragic. 

However, Stevenson fails to show the many cases where the sentences were just and the criminals were unrepentant, which might cause the reader to assume that all life sentences are unjust. Nonetheless, Stevenson’s nonprofit organization, Equal Justice Initiative, provides support and hope for people who are improperly sentenced.