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A review by trinityb2021
Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption by Bryan Stevenson
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
5.0
5 ⭐️
This is an extremely well written memoir. I have always had an interest in the criminal justice system and this is an exceptional study of the cruel sides of it. Hearing how fucked up the system is from a defense attorney somehow makes it even sadder.
Obviously I was anti-death penalty before I read this book but I’m not sure how anyone can argue for capital punishment after reading this. Even an error rate of 1 is too much when you’re dealing with people’s lives. (Hint the death penalty has definitely killed more than 1 innocent person).
<blockquote><i>The death penalty is not about whether people deserve to die for the crimes they commit. The real question of capital punishment in this country is, Do we deserve to kill?</blockquote></i>
I spent a lot of my academic career studying racial injustice and imprisonment so a lot of this was things I’ve heard before. The brief sections about convict leasing, arrest rate differences, community policing, etc. was all stuff I researched for my capstone project. However, the personal stories, the individual cases, were all extremely fascinating. So many people’s lives have been completely ruined, or ended, because of a racist system that refuses to bend to people’s mistakes.
<blockquote><i>Each of us is more than the worst thing we’ve ever done.</blockquote></i>
Reading about the worst parts of our society always makes me pissed off and motivated. I think last time I almost applied to law school because I wanted to work for the Innocence Project lol. (this is still an option omg I’m appalled and pissed). How can I go back to reading my silly little fantasy and romance books after this?
Also: Audiobook read by the author ✅
This is an extremely well written memoir. I have always had an interest in the criminal justice system and this is an exceptional study of the cruel sides of it. Hearing how fucked up the system is from a defense attorney somehow makes it even sadder.
Obviously I was anti-death penalty before I read this book but I’m not sure how anyone can argue for capital punishment after reading this. Even an error rate of 1 is too much when you’re dealing with people’s lives. (Hint the death penalty has definitely killed more than 1 innocent person).
<blockquote><i>The death penalty is not about whether people deserve to die for the crimes they commit. The real question of capital punishment in this country is, Do we deserve to kill?</blockquote></i>
I spent a lot of my academic career studying racial injustice and imprisonment so a lot of this was things I’ve heard before. The brief sections about convict leasing, arrest rate differences, community policing, etc. was all stuff I researched for my capstone project. However, the personal stories, the individual cases, were all extremely fascinating. So many people’s lives have been completely ruined, or ended, because of a racist system that refuses to bend to people’s mistakes.
<blockquote><i>Each of us is more than the worst thing we’ve ever done.</blockquote></i>
Reading about the worst parts of our society always makes me pissed off and motivated. I think last time I almost applied to law school because I wanted to work for the Innocence Project lol. (this is still an option omg I’m appalled and pissed). How can I go back to reading my silly little fantasy and romance books after this?
Also: Audiobook read by the author ✅