#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE STARRING MICHAEL B. JORDAN AND JAMIE FOXX • A powerful true story about the potential for mercy to redeem us, and a clarion call to fix our broken system of justice—from one of the most brilliant and influential lawyers of our time. “[Bryan Stevenson’s] dedication to fighting for justice and equality has inspired me and many others and made a lasting impact on our country.”—John Legend NAMED ONE OF THE MOST INFLUENTIAL BOOKS OF THE DECADE BY CNN • Named One of the Best Books of the Year by The New York Times • The Washington Post • The Boston Globe • The Seattle Times • Esquire • Time Bryan Stevenson was a young lawyer when he founded the Equal Justice Initiative, a legal practice dedicated to defending those most desperate and in need: the poor, the wrongly condemned, and women and children trapped in the farthest reaches of our criminal justice system. One of his first cases was that of Walter McMillian, a young man who was sentenced to die for a notorious murder he insisted he didn’t commit. The case drew Bryan into a tangle of conspiracy, political machination, and legal brinksmanship—and transformed his understanding of mercy and justice forever. Just Mercy is at once an unforgettable account of an idealistic, gifted young lawyer’s coming of age, a moving window into the lives of those he has defended, and an inspiring argument for compassion in the pursuit of true justice. Winner of the Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Nonfiction • Winner of the NAACP Image Award for Nonfiction • Winner of a Books for a Better Life Award • Finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize • Finalist for the Kirkus Reviews Prize • An American Library Association Notable Book “Every bit as moving as To Kill a Mockingbird, and in some ways more so . . . a searing indictment of American criminal justice and a stirring testament to the salvation that fighting for the vulnerable sometimes yields.”—David Cole, The New York Review of Books “Searing, moving . . . Bryan Stevenson may, indeed, be America’s Mandela.”—Nicholas Kristof, The New York Times “You don’t have to read too long to start cheering for this man. . . . The message of this book . . . is that evil can be overcome, a difference can be made. Just Mercy will make you upset and it will make you hopeful.”—Ted Conover, The New York Times Book Review “Inspiring . . . a work of style, substance and clarity . . . Stevenson is not only a great lawyer, he’s also a gifted writer and storyteller.”—The Washington Post “As deeply moving, poignant and powerful a book as has been, and maybe ever can be, written about the death penalty.”—The Financial Times “Brilliant.”—The Philadelphia Inquirer
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About the author
Bryan Stevenson
Author
Bryan Allen Stevenson is an American lawyer, social justice activist, and law professor at New York University School of Law, and the founder and executive director of the Equal Justice Initiative. Based in Montgomery, Alabama, he has challenged bias against the poor and minorities in the criminal justice system, especially children. He has helped achieve United States Supreme Court decisions that prohibit sentencing children under 18 to death or to life imprisonment without parole.
Just Mercy
by Bryan Stevenson
Books Like Just Mercy
If you're looking for books similar to Just Mercy, here are some recommendations based on themes, tone, and narrative style.
The New Jim Crow
Michelle Alexander
A groundbreaking analysis of systemic racism in the American criminal justice system. Explores how mass incarceration has become a contemporary form of racial control. Reveals the profound inequalities embedded in law enforcement and judicial processes. Provides a comprehensive examination of racial injustice similar to Stevenson's work. Offers critical insights into structural racism and social justice.
Devil in the Grove
Gilbert King
A powerful account of racial injustice in the Jim Crow South. Tells the story of Thurgood Marshall's legal battles against systemic racism. Provides a detailed examination of legal struggles for civil rights. Offers insights into historical challenges of racial justice. Shares Stevenson's commitment to fighting for marginalized individuals.
The New Jim Crow
Michelle Alexander
A groundbreaking analysis of systemic racism in the American criminal justice system. Explores how mass incarceration has become a contemporary form of racial control. Reveals the profound inequalities embedded in law enforcement and judicial processes. Provides a comprehensive examination of racial injustice. Offers critical insights into structural racism.
Evicted
Matthew Desmond
A powerful ethnographic study of poverty and housing insecurity in America. Follows eight families in Milwaukee struggling with eviction and systemic economic challenges. Demonstrates how social systems perpetuate cycles of poverty and marginalization. Provides a compassionate, in-depth look at social inequality. Shares Stevenson's commitment to understanding marginalized communities.
The Sun Does Shine
Anthony Ray Hinton
A memoir of wrongful imprisonment and eventual exoneration. Tells the story of a man who spent 30 years on death row for a crime he did not commit. Demonstrates remarkable resilience and hope in the face of systemic injustice. Provides a personal account of legal struggles similar to cases in Just Mercy. Highlights the importance of legal advocacy and human dignity.
Slavery by Another Name
Douglas Blackmon
A groundbreaking investigation of forced labor after the Civil War. Reveals how legal systems perpetuated slavery through convict leasing and other mechanisms. Provides historical context for contemporary racial inequalities. Offers a comprehensive examination of systemic oppression. Shares Stevenson's commitment to uncovering hidden histories.
The Warmth of Other Suns
Isabel Wilkerson
A masterful narrative of the Great Migration of African Americans from the South. Tells personal stories of individuals escaping racial oppression and seeking new opportunities. Explores themes of justice, resilience, and systemic racism. Provides historical context for contemporary social challenges. Offers profound insights into racial dynamics similar to Stevenson's approach.
The Color of Law
Richard Rothstein
A comprehensive history of government-sanctioned racial segregation in the United States. Reveals how legal and policy decisions created and maintained racial boundaries. Demonstrates the deep-rooted nature of systemic racism. Provides historical context for contemporary social inequalities. Offers a scholarly approach to understanding racial injustice.
The Hate U Give
Angie Thomas
A powerful novel exploring police violence and systemic racism. Tells the story of a young woman confronting racial injustice. Provides a compelling narrative of resistance and hope. Offers a personal perspective on systemic challenges. Shares Stevenson's commitment to highlighting marginalized experiences.
Are Prisons Obsolete?
Angela Davis
A critical examination of the prison industrial complex and its role in perpetuating social inequalities. Challenges traditional approaches to criminal justice and punishment. Advocates for transformative approaches to addressing crime and rehabilitation. Provides a radical critique of systemic injustice. Shares Stevenson's commitment to reimagining justice.
Locking Up Our Own
James Forman Jr.
An exploration of how African American leaders contributed to mass incarceration. Provides a nuanced examination of racial dynamics in criminal justice. Reveals the complex motivations behind punitive policies. Offers insights into the unintended consequences of well-intentioned actions. Shares Stevenson's commitment to understanding systemic challenges.
Chokehold
Paul Butler
An examination of how the criminal justice system targets Black men. Provides a legal and sociological analysis of racial profiling and mass incarceration. Offers insights into systemic racism from a former prosecutor's perspective. Explores strategies for challenging unjust legal practices. Shares Stevenson's commitment to addressing racial inequities.
Presumed Guilty
Erwin Chemerinsky
An examination of racial bias in the criminal justice system. Reveals systemic problems in legal processes and law enforcement. Provides legal analysis of racial disparities in prosecution and sentencing. Offers insights into structural inequalities. Shares Stevenson's commitment to challenging unjust legal practices.
The End of Policing
Alex S. Vitale
A critical analysis of contemporary policing and its role in social control. Challenges traditional approaches to law enforcement and public safety. Provides alternative models for community protection. Explores systemic issues in criminal justice. Offers a radical perspective on addressing social inequalities.
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