![]() ![]() In Stevenston’s life, the stonecatchers intercept those stones thrown by an unfair legal system. ![]() But then there is the hope filled story of the “stonecatchers,” named with a biblical echo of Jesus interrupting the stoning of a woman by inviting anyone without sin to cast the first stone. And stories so awful that it is hard to bear – dogs being brought into the courtroom specifically to terrify Black people who had seen dogs in other terrifying circumstances, mentally ill prisoners being abused, people on death row with no hope. There are stories that make us angry, where Black people are barred from jury service, and poor people are assigned inept attorneys who are later disbarred. There are stories of children being tried, sentenced, and incarcerated as adults, and of Stevenson pressing for changes in laws governing this. There is the story of Walter who, though innocent, spent six years on death row in Alabama’s Holman prison, and of Stevenson’s work that led to his exoneration and release. ![]() There is the story of Henry, whom Bryan meets on death row, waiting to be assigned his execution date, not wanting his family to know when it is coming for fear of the pain it will cause them. This is a book of stories, full of heartbreak and hope. Many books addressing social justice have an edge, but Bryan Stevenson’s Just Mercy has a heart. ![]()
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