Celestial | Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redempti...

Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption

Bryan Stevenson

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#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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Posts about this book from across Bindery

Celestial\ \ Steph\ \ • Jun 21

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Eclectic Reads\ \ Kass\ \ • Mar 9

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[February might be the shortest month of the year, but that makes my determination to find, read, and fall in love with the most books possible my main goal. I would say having three 5⭐️ reads would accomplish that goal. I also have fallen in love with non-fiction and am craving non-fiction books. To me, that alone is peak goal reaching. I read a total of 17 books and 1 novella. I had an average rating of 4.12 ⭐️ with 6,680 pages read. \ \ Here are my top 5 books from February: \ \

The House of my Mother by Shari Franke\ \ *I do not rate memoirs*\ \ \ I had never heard about 8 Passengers (even though I lived on Youtube in my teenage years) or the downfall of Ruby Franke. There is maybe a brief recollection if I think very hard about it, but otherwise, I went into Shari Franke's memoir blind and came out a different person. I personally think that children should not be on vlogging channels and their childhood put on the Internet. This here though showed that you never know what happens behind closed doors, even when someone lives in a glass house. The trauma that Shari endured, the abuse she was subjected to time and time again, and her frame of mind that there may be some good to come out of it in the end. I was horrified to hear of what Shari and her siblings experienced. Their lives documented, their actions, thoughts, and feelings manipulated to appease Ruby and Jodi's fantasies. I was appalled, broken, and hopeful for Shari. I wish to see her thrive and grow. To have a community, friends, and family that will support her rather than drag her down. I want this to be an example for so many that vlogging a child's life might not be all sunshine and roses the cameras make it out to be. \ \
Ink Blood Sister Scribe by Emma Törzs\ \ \ 4.5⭐️ \ \ Imagine a book where the magic is spell books. Anyone can use the spell book, but they must give some of their blood to activate the spell. The spell does not last forever and the spell book fades over time with each use. There are some people who have the ability to feel the spell books, differentiate between regular and magic. Now, imagine where to create the spell book, you have to be a scribe and what you need to give is your blood... and lots of it. This is the foundation of Ink Blood Sister Scribe. The very very very basic foundation, but this is the foundation you want to know. No, need to know, because the rest of the book will suck you in. Not only is this a unique magic system I have never read about before, but it is also a standalone. Now if those two things don't convince you to read it, maybe knowing that I got 20% into this book and then all of a sudden I was finished and my mind was altered. I craved a book that would sink its teeth into me. I have never read a book quite like this and unless I read another book by Emma Törzs, I don't think I ever will. \ \
A Time of Blood by John Gwynne\ \ \ 5⭐️ \ \ Since this is a sequel, I don't want to be someone that spoils a book for you. I'll just put it this way- I finished 'A Time of Dread' and then immediately picked up 'A Time of Blood.' I finished both of these books in about 72 hours. I would have finished them sooner if I didn't have to be an adult and go to work. \ \
A Time of Dread by John Gwynne\ \ \ 5⭐️ \ \ Going back to the Banished Lands was the equivalent of drinking a large glass of water after being parched for days. Nothing has or will ever taste as good. You have the same writing style that you fall in love with during 'The Faithful and the Fallen,' a smattering of references from 'TFATF,' and the joy of the character work John Gwynne is known for. If you loved 'TFATF' and have been sitting on this series, get off your butt, pick this up, and fall in love all over again. \ \
Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson\ \ \ 5⭐️ \ \ This book made me fall in love with non-fiction, crave it, buy it, and read it. This is the first non-fiction book I have read since college and the first I have read without it being part of the syllabus. 'Just Mercy' follows Bryan Stevenson and his journey into helping the wrongly convicted on death row. It takes a deep dive into the United States justice system, the corruption littered throughout, how race, poverty, and mental health can all impact the outcome of a trial and the bias seen throughout the legal system. It was raw and heartbreaking. Each of the trials are based on true stories. The determination Bryan Stevenson has to save those on death row is hindered often by the same justice system that put them in there. I shed many tears while reading and was impacted by this book in more ways than one. I truly think this is a book that everyone should read. I am not just saying this because it's a good book, which it is, but because of the topics it covers, the important issues that take place on these pages, and the reality this book gives you.](https://eclecticreads.binderybooks.com/item/OqNSi8tyWXZGI8XG1sGE/)

February Reading Wrap Up

5 books

Eclectic Reads\ \ Kass\ \ • Feb 19

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In the last two weeks I have managed to read 10 books. Of these ten books, three of them were 5 stars and one was the best non-fiction books I’ve ever read. It was so fantastic that I now want to just read non-fiction. One of my goals for 2026 was to read more non-fiction and memoirs and with three in those categories just this month, I think it’ll be possible.\ \ Ten books, however, is a lot and I want to break it down with what I read why you should read these books.\ \ The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon\ \ This was a reread but the first time I have read the new 10th Anniversary edition. I adored this series the first time I read it and rereading made me fall in love with the world and characters all over again. If you love dystopian and fantasy books mixed with a rebellion and hope that is just as likely to flourish as it is to be crushed, this is the book and the series you should be reading.\ \ A Time of Dread and A Time of Blood by John Gwynne (5 ⭐️ )\ \ Do not be like me and finish ‘The Faithful and the Fallen’, tell yourself you will get to the next series in a world you love, and then wait over 6 months before you do. Do not do it. You will regret it. The Banished Lands are John Gwynne at his prime. Everything you loved about ‘The Faithful and the Fallen’ is once again on these pages. While you have a new cast of characters and plot, the central themes, tone, and prose that you adored is present here.\ \ James by Percival Everett\ \ There is a reason this book is award winning. From the prose to the narrative to the themes, every aspect of this well thought out and thought provoking. The themes of racism, slavery, ignorance, and the exploration of the perception of language made this book more intriguing than I imagined. Layered with humor and heartbreak, ‘James’ is an instant modern classic.\ \ The Blood Traitor by Lynette Noni\ \ When I think of YA fantasy at its prime, I will forever think of this series. Up until the last page, I was rooting for these characters, wondering how the story would unfold, and be grateful for the journey I was taken on. If you want a YA fantasy series to fall in love with, this is the one for you.\ \ The House of My Mother by Shari Franke\ \ A mesmerizing memoir that showed light on a situation we all thought we knew, but from the perspective of the hell Shari was living in, a camera still only shows so much. Though I never watched or had heard of 8 Passengers on Youtube in their prime, I was aware of the fall out and preceding arrest of Ruby Franke and Jodi Hildebrandt. This memoir reaffirms my stance on why I am against family vlogging and what in this case turned into child exploitation. It was a heartbreaking and insightful memoir and one of the best I have ever read.\ \ The Gate of the Feral Gods by Matt Dinnaman\ \ I would like to state that I have been listening to this audiobook for about two months and only had about 3 hours left by the time February rolled around. It did not take me two months because I did not enjoy it (I really loved it), but because my fiancé and I have been listening to DCC whenever we are in the car together. That’s beside the point. The most important point here is if you haven’t read Dungeon Crawler Carl yet, what are you doing and why are you missing out on the best time of your life?\ \ On Sundays She Picked Flowers by Yah-Yah Scholfield\ \ The best way to describe this book is raw. Raw details. Raw emotions. Raw characters. Raw narrative. The writing to me was the best aspect of the story. It was lush but ominous, mixing beauty with horror in every sentence. If you want a graphic horror novel with peak writing, you have found not only an excellent debut, but the book meant for you.\ \ And Side By Side They Wander by Molly Tanzer\ \ In just 90 pages, you become fully immersed in the world and characters that are about to commit an art heist. It was surprising how much detail and nuance development in a short span, giving you a fully fleshed out story that makes you want even more. I would to see what Molly could do in a full fledged novel, the exploration of the characters, the philosophical undertones, and the depths of the political intrigue that was only barely touched upon. This does not come out until May, but it will be worth the quick read.\ \ Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson (5 ⭐️ )\ \ THIS BOOK! I rarely read non-fiction, but when it came to every aspect of this book I could not put it down. I got emotional multiple times throughout reading this, shedding tears through the last page. This was more than just a look at the injustice of the justice system in the United States, but a look at humanity, systemic racism, bias, poverty, and the violence and cruelty plaguing our justice system. It is both eye-opening and captivating, shedding light on issues that are going unchecked and repeatedly harming those who just needed a hand to help them up instead of push them down. I will be thinking about this book for a very very long time. I wish I could get everyone to read it. It inspired hope while also pointing out the tragedies that keep mercy from succeeding. Please, please read this. Whether you read non-fiction or not, it’s a book that would benefit from everyone reading.\ \ Join for free or login