Book Summary Of Just Mercy

In this book review, we will be talking about the book Just Mercy by Brian Stevenson, which recalls his work as a lawyer, mainly his work with minority groups and how they are treated in the criminal justice system. Stevenson tells the story of how he represented people wrongly convicted, those facing life sentences, and the disadvantaged youth. The book mainly focuses on the story of Walter McMillian, who was wrongly convicted of murder. Through Stevenson’s work, he shows the many flaws of the criminal justice system and calls for it to be reformed. Throughout the book, we see very strong themes of empathy and justice. In this review, we will be discussing a summary of the book, the book's strengths and weaknesses, and how the book relates to our class. The book begins with …show more content…
McMillian had a successful lumber business, but he was African American, which caused him not to be trusted in the community. He had an affair with a white woman named Karen Kelley. She was going through a divorce and a rough custody battle in which McMillian had to testify. McMillian’s reputation suffered greatly from this incident. At this time in the south, it was very frowned upon to have interracial relationships. After McMillian’s court appearance, Karen got involved with a criminal named Ralph Myers. Shortly after, two young girls were murdered and Karen and Ralph were believed to be involved. While Ralph was being interrogated, he claimed that he, Walter and Karen committed the murders. Without Walter even knowing Ralph, and despite any evidence, they arrested Walter, quickly trying to close the case. While Stevenson was in Alabama, he had a negative encounter with the police where he was wrongfully arrested. After this experience, he decided to form his own law office in Alabama. Ralph had also accused McMillian of committing sexual assault along with the murders. For this, he was ultimately arrested for