This #1 New York Times Bestseller explores many of Stevenson’s earlier cases and his experience as a young, African American lawyer and social justice activist practicing in Montgomery, Alabama. “The true measure of our character is how we treat the poor, the disfavored, the accused, the incarcerated, and the condemned,” Stevenson ’81 writes in his book, Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption. He found himself both troubled and disturbed by this verdict, which seemed to represent an unbalanced interplay between justice and mercy. In one of his early cases, Stevenson worked with a man sentenced to death row for a murder lacking substantial condemning evidence. His focus was on the pursuit of a law degree and the burning passion to make a difference as a human rights lawyer.įresh out of Harvard Law, Stevenson found himself faced with an overwhelming task: navigating the intricate web of the United States Criminal Justice system. As he said goodbye to his time at Eastern University, political science graduate Bryan Stevenson ’81 never dreamed that the next generation of Eastern students would be reading his New York Times Bestseller in their classes, let alone grabbing popcorn and watching a special screening of his book-turned-movie.

Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson