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 This book was read by Julie Humphrey, Library Director.

Title: Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption
Author: Bryan Stevenson
Genre: nonfiction, memoir
Read Great Things 2020 Categories: A book about civic engagement; A book that has won an award, and A book suggested by a 91��Ƭ��Pro Librarian

Why did you choose to read this book?

Librarian Courtney Bippley recommended this book a while ago. I want to keep learning about criminal justice issues in the United States. I’ve always been strongly opposed to capital punishment and this book further solidified and impacted my beliefs.

What did you like about it?

This is one of the most important books I have read in a long time. It's incredibly powerful, and I really admire Bryan Stevenson’s dedication and commitment to defend poor, marginalized, wrongly condemned, and mentally ill citizens incarcerated in our criminal justice system. I most appreciated learning the stories of real people that Mr. Stevenson has defended and the problematic, racist, and unjust systems they encountered in law enforcement and their court experiences. I liked the book’s emphasis on the importance of confronting injustice in all forms.

Does this book remind you of another book?

It reminded me a lot of and .

Is there anything noteworthy about the book?

This book was recently adapted into a . The movie was also excellent but the book goes so much deeper, and there are so many more people and stories to learn about. I really appreciate Mr. Stevenson's work for juvenile justice, which is not discussed in the film at all. This book also won the Carnegie Medal for best nonfiction and the NAACP Image Award.

This quote really sums up one of the most meaningful ideas in the book for me: 

“We are all implicated when we allow other people to be mistreated. An absence of compassion can corrupt the decency of a community, a state, a nation. Fear and anger can make us vindictive and abusive, unjust and unfair, until we all suffer from the absence of mercy and we condemn ourselves as much as we victimize others. The closer we get to mass incarceration and extreme levels of punishment, the more I believe it's necessary to recognize that we all need mercy, we all need justice, and-perhaps-we all need some measure of unmerited grace.”

― Bryan Stevenson, Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption

What feeling did the book leave you with?

I was incredibly angry and deeply sad while reading this book, but I’m now better informed, engaged, inspired, and hopeful. I am now donating regularly and following the amazing work of Brian Stevenson and the . 

Who else might like this book?

I think this book would be valued and appreciated by anyone interested in civil rights, criminal justice, law, true crime, sociology, and memoirs.

With what would you pair with this book?

On my to-read list is Michelle Alexander’s  I want to keep learning about this important topic.

Listen to the.