Just Mercy Book Report

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In the book Just Mercy, we uncover the story of Bryan Stevenson and his encounters with death row inmate Walter McMilian. While navigating through his accounts, we reveal the corrupt justice system that the United States upheld in the 1900’s. Just Mercy walks readers through various court cases involving racial discrimination, childhood trauma, and misunderstood convicts. Their stories are important because they shine light on the unjust nature of people in power and help to connect them with larger significance. The book effectively exposes the flaws of our legal system, while also highlighting the underlying issues of power, privilege, and oppression. The ideas in Just Mercy are similar to the ideas in To Kill a Mockingbird because they both …show more content…
“When the Freedom Riders bus traveled through Alabama, they were abandoned by the police. Alone and unprotected, they were violently beaten, and the bus was bombed” (128). Stevenson discusses the Freedom Riders, alluded to the racial intolerance in Alabama. This illustrates the sheer danger Walter was in while facing trial in such a racist state. In the article “Freedom Riders,” the Bill of Rights Institute explains “The first group reached a stop in Anniston, Alabama, where an angry mob of whites armed with guns, bats, and brass knuckles surrounded the bus. Two undercover Alabama Highway Patrol officers on the bus quickly locked the doors, but members of the crowd smashed its windows. Suddenly, a member of the crowd hurled flaming rags into the bus, and it exploded into flames. The riders climbed out through the windows and the doors, barely escaping with their lives” (BRI). This source highlights the true devastation that occurred during the Freedom Riders campaign through Alabama. The connection between the book and the real world is important because it symbolizes ideological oppression and how it can be transferred to

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