Just Mercy: A Story Of Justice And Redemption By Bryan Stevenson

“Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption” is a captivating narration of the impact of empathy and the human spirit. Author Bryan Stevenson works tirelessly to help provide relief for death row inmates who were wrongly condemned, poorly defended, or left to die in America’s overgrowing prison system. He not only offered these people legal advice, but also showed his clients compassion and mercy, which many of them had not previously experienced. This is mostly evident in one specific passage in his story: “There is a strength, a power even, in understanding brokenness, because embracing our brokenness creates a need and desire for mercy, and perhaps a corresponding need to show mercy. When you experience mercy, you learn things that are …show more content…
In this day in age, our world can be a very cold, ruthless place where the light of mercy shines very faintly. Growing throughout adolescence, we are all molded by the world in which we live every day. Injustice and prejudice are more commonplace in our lives than that of the pursuit of what is right and respect. Only through even attempting to learn and respect one another, then we can hope to pursue true humanity and peace. One of the main themes from author Stevenson’s narrative emphasizes the need for empathy and compassion for others, even those who many believe do not deserve it. Living as a teenager has eerily similar circumstances. We have the need to feel accepted by our peers and wanted by others. Living in this day in age, I myself have lived through this and this story has captured my feelings in the form of the feelings of death-row inmates. I have never been in legal trouble, nor have I been on death row, but I have felt a connection with the clients with whom Mr. Stevenson has represented. One of his clients that I felt I had a personal relation with was Walter McMillan. Mr. McMillan had been racially profiled and wrongfully accused by his community of a murder he did not commit. After his exoneration, Mr. McMillan identified that this fiasco caused him to lose his loved ones, six years of his life, and permanents psychological and emotional …show more content…
I had known what divorce was even at a young age because I can recall others in my family going through the process, and saw this as a generally amicable procedure. What I saw, and what I experienced was completely different. I remember as a child my parents arguing constantly, the yelling, and crying. After their divorce was finally settled, I lived with my dad and my mother had a nervous breakdown, and soon moved three hours away after. I believed that once the divorce was settled, my life would return to some sense of normalcy. It was very hard to establish what was right and wrong from my parents’ marriage due to the fact that I felt I was trying to be manipulated to some extent and forced to take a side. Throughout my childhood, I felt that I was letting someone down and that I was not making the right decision. This process continued until my latter years of junior-high school when my mother finally moved back and my parents tried to make amends for the damage that was caused over the