Just Mercy is a first-person account of Bryan Stevenson, a black lawyer, who helps prisoners that did not receive fair trials as part of a non-profit organization. Stevenson writes about various clients that he has worked for over the years and how the justice system has failed them.
Living in Johnson County, racism and prejudice can seem like a distant thing. Just Mercy is so powerful because it uses stats and facts to show just how prevalent it really is. This book is one of my favorites because it opened my eyes to the failings of our justice system. These tragedies of cases were difficult to read about. Sometimes I’d have to remind myself that the book is nonfiction; often it’d seem too horrific to be true. African Americans, children, and mothers who are clearly not at fault (or at very little fault) receiving life in prison sentences? This needs to be changed. Thankfully, even though many of these situations seem hopeless, Stevenson offers us hope that, “Each of us is more than the worst thing we’ve done.” I’d rate this book 5 out of 5 stars and suggest it for anyone that wants to learn more about prejudice in our legal system.