Off my Bookshelf

Just Mercy
by Bryan Stevenson

This book will be one of my favorites, or better said, mind-changing books this year. It should be required reading for everyone, politicians, lawyers, policemen, judges, psychologists, college students, parents, black, and white. If more people read it, this county's citizens might become more empathetic; and, I hope, more would be done to make laws fair and just.


My favorite verse is:

"And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God." -Micah 6:8 

How can I act justly if I am ignorant of the judicial system I live under? How can I show mercy without having empathy toward those in need of mercy? The older I get, the more I see that nothing in life is simply defined or simply solved. But solutions to our criminal system do need to be found.

Here are some convicting quotes from "Just Mercy":

"Each of us is more than the worst thing we've ever done." page 26

"The true measure of our character is how we treat the poor, the disfavored, the accused, the incarcerated, the condemned." -page 26-27 

"The power of just mercy is that it belongs to the undeserving. It's when mercy is least expected that it's most potent - strong enough to break the cycle of victimization and victimhood, retribution and suffering. it has the power to heal the psychic harm and injuries that lead to aggression an violence, abuse of power, mass incarceration." page 384

"...mercy is just when it it rooted in hopefulness and freely given. Mercy is most empowering, liberating and transformative when it is directed at the undeserving. The people who haven't earned it, who haven't even sought it, are the most meaningful recipients of our compassion." page 420

If you haven't heard of "Just Mercy," take my advice and buy it, check it out from the library or borrow it from a friend. You won't shut the book feeling warm and fuzzy, but you will definitely be challenged and more informed and possibly convicted to try to help find a solution.