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4.72 AVERAGE
4.72 AVERAGE
This may be the first five star rating I’ve give this year. Of all of the books that I’ve read this year that deal with social injustice, this is the one that I will be proselytizing. Please read this book immediately. You will not regret it
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- “perhaps if he hadn’t been successful enough to live off his own business he would have more consistently kept in mind those racial lines that could never be crossed”
- by circumventing racial lines in one area, he made himself a target, was in greater risk of getting trapped by those lines in another area
- US Supreme Court upheld anti-miscegenation statutes for decades- always been problematic it seems
- “forcing prosecutors to find more creative ways to exclude black jurors” racism as a lesson in creativity
- kind of crazy how many discriminatory laws the supreme court upheld only to later change their minds
- i wonder how much the internet has changed things, people now have more access to information, can be more informed on supreme court rulings and laws themselves, when cases of brutality or injustice make the news it spreads farther faster; does that make it harder or easier to uphold/entrench the unjust way death row inmates specifically are treated?
- cases with death row inmates aren’t about protecting/getting justice for the victims of the crimes, but instead are an opportunity for actors at different levels to exercise their power, pin blame on “easy targets,” use them as scapegoats; job of defense lawyer becomes to prove why these people are worthy of compassion, instead of proving blame/fault in whatever the alleged crime was
- “i couldn’t stop thinking that we don’t spend much time contemplating the details of what killing someone actually involves” because again our own humanity isn’t implicated, the consequences die with the person getting executed
- wtf is this super predator theory that’s insane where did it come from
- challenging the system from inside the system, how far can you really get
- the statistics on inmates with mental illness or disabilities is horrifying; truly shifting back and forth between imprisoning people with these issues in institutions vs prisons but in both cases they’re horribly abused
- the transition to the story about his grandfather was jarring/wild, who edited this book?
- i think it was structured well, weaving walter’s story throughout the entire thing as a tangible ongoing example of why all this matters, giving life to the subject matter
- very moving, some of the editing choices were a little odd/abrupt, overall a great read
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Incredibly sad stories of injustice in this book. But the work Stevenson did was remarkable and I loved reading him detailing it all. This man is a hero. It makes you realize how much work we have to do as people. Very educational and heartfelt read.
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
medium-paced
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
medium-paced
Like many people, I rushed to read this book after watching the movie of the same title. I was glad I listened to the audiobook, because the author is a fantastic narrator.
This book is not just a memoir about Bryan Stevenson's professional career as a lawyer and founder of the Equal Justice Initiative in Alabama. The book felt more like a classroom lecture of the best kind, where Mr. Stevenson discussed challenges and plights of our judicial system and using his own experiences as examples of such atrocities through the lens of individuals being sentenced to death, life without parole, or other unusual and cruel punishments.
I can't tell you how many times listening to this book my heart would ache at the injustices afflicted to so many people, sometimes audibly gasping out of disbelief. Stevenson is a masterful storyteller and teacher, and I appreciated that he didn't go on rants about the various issues he presented. Instead, he would provide background history on decisions made by our judicial and legal leaders coupled with some vignettes about real live people that were affected by the consequences of these rules and policies in place.
I think books and stories like these drive the point home that we have to remember that no matter the political or social issue at hand, it is personal as long as people are involved - we can't separate the humanity from our actions and decisions. My heartstrings really pulled when hearing about people with disabilities being sentenced when their lawyers didn't take the time to look into their medical/psychiatric history, not doing their clients and justice. This isn't to say wrongdoers shouldn't be punished, but books like this one spoke to my heart about the importance of civility, humanity, and rehabilitation.
I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in our legal and justice system, as well as American history and other social science topics.
This book is not just a memoir about Bryan Stevenson's professional career as a lawyer and founder of the Equal Justice Initiative in Alabama. The book felt more like a classroom lecture of the best kind, where Mr. Stevenson discussed challenges and plights of our judicial system and using his own experiences as examples of such atrocities through the lens of individuals being sentenced to death, life without parole, or other unusual and cruel punishments.
I can't tell you how many times listening to this book my heart would ache at the injustices afflicted to so many people, sometimes audibly gasping out of disbelief. Stevenson is a masterful storyteller and teacher, and I appreciated that he didn't go on rants about the various issues he presented. Instead, he would provide background history on decisions made by our judicial and legal leaders coupled with some vignettes about real live people that were affected by the consequences of these rules and policies in place.
I think books and stories like these drive the point home that we have to remember that no matter the political or social issue at hand, it is personal as long as people are involved - we can't separate the humanity from our actions and decisions. My heartstrings really pulled when hearing about people with disabilities being sentenced when their lawyers didn't take the time to look into their medical/psychiatric history, not doing their clients and justice. This isn't to say wrongdoers shouldn't be punished, but books like this one spoke to my heart about the importance of civility, humanity, and rehabilitation.
I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in our legal and justice system, as well as American history and other social science topics.
I have never been a supporter of the death penalty and am grateful that Bryan Stevenson brings to light the dangers of capital punishment and life imprisonment sentences for minors. He presents some of his own commentary on this but also weaves in stories of real people he has helped and tried to help. Highly recommend.