Three Reasons You Should Read Bryan Stevenson's Book, "Just Mercy"
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 and violence, abuse of power, mass incarceration.
Stevenson, Bryan. Just Mercy (p. 294). Random House Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
Book Summary:
Did you know…
The United States holds the world record for the highest rate of incarceration?
And, did you know that one in every fifteen people born in the US in 2001 is projected to wind up in either prison or jail? The statistics are even more dire for people of color. One in every three black male babies born in 2001 will be incarcerated.
Did you know how 250,000 of our kids - some as young as twelve years old - get sent to adult institutions?
Our children are not the only ones wrongfully misplaced….
50% of the prison and jail population have a diagnosed mental illness.
Did you know since the privatization of prisons, mass incarceration has become a cottage industry. Since 1980, costs have skyrocketed from 6.9 billion to nearly 80 billion today.
Bryan Stevenson knows. Bryan’s book, “Just Mercy” is a more than a call to compassion - it’s a call to action. We must first open our eyes and hearts, and then find ways to lift our voices to call out for reform. Read more about these facts and the personal stories of men, women, and children who suffered wrongfully within our current “justice” system. Had Bryan not intervened, innocent men and women would have been “legally” murdered.
3 Reasons You Need to Read This Book:
Just Mercy Is A Call To Compassion
“Compassion is not a virtue -- it is a commitment. It's not something we have or don't have -- it's something we choose to practice. “- Brené Brown
Compassion starts with connection. Connection happens when we say to those around us, “I see you, I hear you, I value you.” True connections are the cornerstone of compassion, and it’s a vital part of what it takes to make our society healthy. We are called to care about those people in our communities who are mistreated, vulnerable, and at risk.
”The true measure of our character is how we treat the poor, the disfavored, the accused, the incarcerated, and the condemned. We are all implicated when we allow other people to be mistreated. An absence of compassion can corrupt the decency of a community, a state, a nation.”
Stevenson, Bryan. Just Mercy (p. 18). Random House Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
Mercy Starts With Awareness & Ends With Justice
If we’re honest - if we can step out the cone of shame for a minute and admit it - we all have experienced times of brokenness.. I used to think brokenness was a bad thing. Not so. Light is not able to penetrate solidness. But if something is broken, light filters its way through the cracks and shines away the darkness. Shame is replaced with hope and healing. Healing becomes possible when we we all find out that we are not alone after all.
“Each of us is more than the worst thing we’ve ever done. My work with the poor and the incarcerated has persuaded me that the opposite of poverty is not wealth; the opposite of poverty is justice.” -Stevenson, Bryan. Just Mercy (pp. 17-18). Random House Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
3. Awareness & Justice Is Where Healing Begins
That’s the teaching of “Just Mercy.” If we as a society become aware of the wrongful treatment of our most vulnerable citizens, we open up the possibility for justice and healing.
“We have a choice. We can embrace our humanness, which means embracing our broken natures and the compassion that remains our best hope for healing. Or we can deny our brokenness, forswear compassion, and, as a result, deny our own humanity.” -Stevenson, Bryan. Just Mercy (p. 289). Random House Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
Deeper Thoughts:
What bothers me most is how easily the justice system was used to conspire against a man who was known to be innocent. And it’s not just one account of one man. There are many accounts where lives of vulnerable people are wrongfully ruined. It bothers me how officials were outright caught in destructive lies , yet did not have to be accountable for their crimes against innocent human beings. And make no mistake about it…what some of the officials did in Bryan’s stories ARE crimes. The voting public needs more visibility into these types of criminal behaviors, and those we voted for need to be held accountable for their actions.
More Resources:
Readers! This is going to be a movie! Take a look at the trailer here.
Here’s Oprah’s interview of Bryan Stevenson.
Take a look at some things folks are doing to affect change in their communities:
Do you know someone who is trying to re-enter the work force? Encourage them to NOT GIVE UP! Take a look here to see what’s available.
Connections are important. Isolation will not make us better. Think about volunteering.