JUST MERCY

JUST MERCY

By Bryan Stevenson

It’s hard for me to write a review about this book that hasn’t already been better written by others. This book is one of the most important ones I’ve ever read. If only everyone could read it. I challenge anyone not to be touched by its message. I highlighted so many passages that I almost highlighted the whole book! Bryan Stevenson did a wonderful job in telling these stories of men and women that have been incarcerated and treated unfairly by our “justice” system. This isn’t a book saying crime is ok, or that no one should be convicted of crime. It’s about those that were convicted unjustly, and also about the immense corruption that occurs in our legal system.

“This book is about getting closer to mass incarceration and extreme punishment in America. It is about how easily we condemn people in this country and the injustice we create when we allow fear, anger, and distance to shape the way we treat the most vulnerable among us.”

“One in every fifteen people born in the United States in 2001 is expected to go to jail or prison.”

“We’ve given up on rehabilitation, education, and services for the imprisoned because providing assistance to the incarcerated is apparently too kind and compassionate. We’ve institutionalized policies that reduce people to their worst acts and permanently labeled them ‘criminal,’ ‘murderer,’ ‘rapist,’ ‘thief,’ ‘drug dealer,’ ‘sex offender,’ ‘felon’ – identities they cannot change regardless of the circumstances of their crimes or any improvements they might make in their lives.”

“I have discovered, deep in the hearts of many condemned and incarcerated people, the scattered traces of hope and humanity – seeds of restoration that come to astonishing life when nurtured by very simple interventions.”

And perhaps most importantly, and some things that so many are blinded to:

“Each of us is more than the worst thing we’ve ever done.” and
“The true meaning of our character is how we treat the poor, the disfavored, the accused, the incarcerated, and the condemned.”

I cried many times throughout the reading of this book. I had to put it away at times because it hurt too much to read. And then I thought, if it hurts too much for me to just read about these things, how much does it hurt the ones living through it? This book could change how you look at people and circumstances. I applaud Bryan Stevenson for his work and for this book.

Reviewed September 2016