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  • Just Mercy

  • A Story of Justice and Redemption
  • Written by: Bryan Stevenson
  • Narrated by: Bryan Stevenson
  • Length: 11 hrs and 11 mins
  • 4.9 out of 5 stars (265 ratings)

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Just Mercy

Written by: Bryan Stevenson
Narrated by: Bryan Stevenson
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Publisher's Summary

#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

©2014 Bryan Stevenson (P)2014 Random House Audio
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What the critics say

Just Mercy is every bit as moving as To Kill a Mockingbird, and in some ways more so. . . . [It] demonstrates, as powerfully as any book on criminal justice that I’ve ever read, the extent to which brutality, unfairness, and racial bias continue to infect criminal law in the United States. But at the same time that [Bryan] Stevenson tells an utterly damning story of deep-seated and widespread injustice, he also recounts instances of human compassion, understanding, mercy, and justice that offer hope. . . . Just Mercy is a remarkable amalgam, at once 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

“A searing, moving and infuriating memoir . . . Bryan Stevenson may, indeed, be America’s Mandela. For decades he has fought judges, prosecutors and police on behalf of those who are impoverished, black or both. . . . Injustice is easy not to notice when it affects people different from ourselves; that helps explain the obliviousness of our own generation to inequity today. We need to wake up. And that is why we need a Mandela in this country.”—Nicholas Kristof, The New York Times

“Unfairness in the justice system is a major theme of our age. . . . This book brings new life to the story by placing it in two affecting contexts: [Bryan] Stevenson’s life work and the deep strain of racial injustice in American life. . . . You don’t have to read too long to start cheering for this man. Against tremendous odds, Stevenson has worked to free scores of people from wrongful or excessive punishment, arguing five times before the Supreme Court. . . . The book extols not his nobility but that of the cause, and reads like a call to action for all that remains to be done. . . . The message of the book, hammered home by dramatic examples of one man’s refusal to sit quietly and countenance horror, is that evil can be overcome, a difference can be made. Just Mercy will make you upset and it will make you hopeful. . . . Stevenson has been angry about [the criminal justice system] for years, and we are all the better for it.”—Ted Conover, The New York Times Book Review

What listeners say about Just Mercy

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Essential

There is a reason this book is on so many recommend reading lists. It's a great entry point into understanding the plight of the imprisoned population of the United States and some of the deep systemic issues people like Bryan are valiantly fighting to change. It's also an incredible dive into the roles of mercy and grace.

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Fantastic book!

This was an excellent book. If you've watched the movie, there are still lots of great stories and information that they don't tell you there... including a cameo by Rosa Parks!
Bryan Stevenson and his team are people who make me hopeful for Humanity.

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Excellent. Potentially life changing.

Excellent and potentially life changing book. While it’s hard to hear some of the awful stories, I am thankful to have listened to this book. My heart and mind were touched/opened in a new way. The work that Bryan and his team are doing is wonderful. I also really appreciated Bryan’s reading of his own book.
Recommend 100%

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A must read!

If I could have listened to this book in one sitting, I would have. But I listened bit-by-bit by bit, So I could properly take in the vast amount of information shared by the author, lawyer Bryan Stevenson, and and take in the depth of the stories he shares about his experiences and clients. This book is shocking and inspiring. I will most likely listen to it again and have no doubt this book's profound message will continue to sink in over time. Makes me want to go to law school.

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An incredibly eye opening book.

This is one of the best books I’ve read (listened to). Incredibly informative and heartbreaking, knowing how bad things really have been. I am so glad I listened to this one.

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REALLY?

I had some idea of the inequalities and issues surrounding race and the criminal justice system in the southern US. I've experienced a taste of the prejudices myself as a young man in transit from Mexico to Canada via Texas. I wasn't prepared for some of the more egregious injustices mentioned in this book. Women sentenced to death after the birth of a stillborn child because an incompetent medical examiner felt the child might have had a heart beat when born? a moving and powerful testimony.

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10/10 should be mandatory for everyone to read

The message, the different cases, the different people. Just an amazing story of how much change 1 man can bring to a world of injustice.

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Phenomenal

This book is absolutely sensational - and such a fantastic insight into one of my personal heroes, Bryan Stevenson.

I chose to listen to this one on audio, which Bryan narrates himself, and I could not recommend it enough. Everything about who Bryan is, how he's chosen to live his life and evoke his career as a lawyer to help those who need it most is beyond inspiring. There are not words for the emotion that this book will stir up in you. Despite the many devastations and injustices in cases that Bryan has worked, he still manages to leave you with hope.

This is a must read, for every human being.

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Heartbreaking- a must read for the betterment of humanity

There were times I had to stop reading as trying to digest such injustice was sickening. If reading it is hard what must living it be.
We all want the world to be a better place- thank you Bryan for not just wanting it but making it so. Gratitude

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Incredible

Bryan Stevenson is the most amazing writer, his ability to write with clarity and emotion is a true art! The stories about his clients who are and were incarcerated for all the wrong reasons is not only heartbreaking but it is also a crime in itself! It should be read in schools to open the minds of future lawmakers and social justice movements. Maybe that way we can rid this world of white privilege!

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