Includes bibliographical references (pages 319-336).

Introduction : higher ground -- Mockingbird players -- Stand -- Trials and tribulation -- The old rugged cross -- Of the coming of John -- Surely doomed -- Justice denied -- All God's children -- I'm here -- Mitigation -- I'll fly away -- Mother, mother -- Recovery -- Cruel and unusual -- Broken -- The stonecatchers' song of sorrow -- Epilogue.

The founder of the Equal Justice Initiative in Montgomery, Alabama recounts his experiences as a lawyer working to assist those desperately in need, reflecting on his pursuit of the ideal of compassion in American justice.

"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"--amazon.com.

1130L Lexile

Reading Counts RC High School 10. 24 Quiz: 66246.

Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Nonfiction, 2015 Winner