Starred review from September 1, 2018
Grades 9-12 *Starred Review* Stevenson brought the topic of mass incarceration to the forefront in his critically acclaimed, Carnegie Award-winning Just Mercy? (2014). In this adaptation for young people, Stevenson once again describes the difficult work he's faced as a lawyer and founder of the Equal Justice Initiative, based in Mobile, Alabama. As he focuses on the case of Walter McMillian, a poor African American man wrongfully convicted of capital murder, he brings to light alarming racial and socioeconomic disparities in the criminal-justice system, particularly the overwhelming number of poor and black prisoners without adequate legal representation and on death row. The author also weaves in stories of mistreated prisoners with mental illness, female prisoners abused by male guards, and other atrocities. The stories that will resonate most with adolescent readers, however, are those of teens, even as young as 13 and 14, sentenced to life in prison in adult facilities. While calling out needs for prison reform, Stevenson asks readers to consider a just mercy for the prisoners mentioned in the book and those like them. A just mercy would see prisoners as human beings, taking into consideration their often trauma-filled backgrounds, realistic sentences for young teens, and rehabilitative services upon release, among other changes. Classrooms and book groups will find plenty to discuss and debate. Compassionate and compelling, Stevenson's narrative is also unforgettable.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)
September 29, 2014
With a mandate to serve the poor and voiceless, Stevenson, a professor of law
at New York University and executive director of the Equal Justice Initiative,
a legal firm providing services for the wrongly condemned, describes in his memoir how he got the call to represent this largely neglected clientele in our justice system. He notes that, with no parole in some states and a thriving private prison business that often pushes local governments to create new crimes and impose stiffer sentences, America has the world’s highest incarceration rate and, at 2.3 million, its largest incarcerated population. In an early case during his career, Stevenson defended Walter McMillian, a black man from southern Alabama, who was accused by a white con-man of two murders, although the snitch had never even met him and was himself under investigation for one of the murders. Through a series of bogus legal situations, police harassment, racism, and phony testimony, McMillian found himself on Alabama’s death row, fully aware of the legacy of class and race prejudice that made poor Southern blacks susceptible to wrongful imprisonment and execution. Stevenson’s persistent efforts spared McMillian from that ultimate fate, and the author’s experience with the flaws in the American justice system add extra gravity to a deeply disturbing and oft-overlooked topic.
January 1, 2019
In this adaptation of his popular adult title, Stevenson chronicles his early career as a lawyer fighting for prisoner rights in the South. While the moving story of a man's fight against an unjustified death sentence focuses this informative book, interspersed vignettes of Stevenson's work with teens facing life sentences are equally powerful. This engaging, eye-opening read is likely to inspire further education and activism. Ind.
(Copyright 2019 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)
Starred review from July 15, 2018
"Each of us is more than the worst thing we've ever done," proclaims Stevenson's adaptation for younger audiences of his 2014 New York Times bestseller, a deeply moving collage of true stories dedicated to transforming the U.S. criminal justice system. The story begins in 1983, when 23-year-old Stevenson, a Harvard Law intern, found the moral resolve to join the pro bono defense team of a capital punishment case in Georgia. Throughout his journey, he highlights numerous cases that demonstrate unfair policies and practices throughout our criminal justice system. These examples form an incisive critique of mass incarceration resulting from state and federal policy changes in the late 20th century. He continues to lead the Alabama-headquartered Equal Justice Initiative, whose mission it is to protect basic human rights for the most vulnerable. Stevenson argues that, "The true measure of our character is how we treat the poor, the disfavored, the accused, the incarcerated, and the condemned." These important stories put a human face on statistics and trends and give us tested strategies to reverse the oppressive consequences of racial and economic injustice in our country. This inspiring book will ignite compassion in young readers and show connections between the history of slavery, Reconstruction, and the present day.This is required reading, embracing the ideals that "we all need mercy, we all need justice, and--perhaps--we all need some measure of unmerited grace." (notes, index) (Nonfiction. 12-18)
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