#2 in Biography & memoir
Just Mercy
- 352
- Pages
- about 6 h
- Reading time
- NYT bestseller · 42 weeks on the list, peaked at #1
- NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work, Nonfiction
- ALA Notable Books for Adults
- Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Nonfiction
- Dayton Literary Peace Prize for Non-Fiction
- Carla Furstenberg Cohen Literary Prize for Nonfiction
- The Stowe Prize for Writing to Advance Social Justice
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Our view
“Just Mercy” is a lawyer’s account of the American justice system that leaves readers shaken and, against the odds, hopeful. Bryan Stevenson alternates the fight to overturn one man’s wrongful conviction with other cases, among them children sentenced to life, and the pairing keeps the argument concrete. Some readers describe it as deeply sad and hard to put aside; others say it reminds them why the law matters.
The view of the BookRank editors, written from readers’ ratings and comments. It does not affect the score or the book’s place in a ranking.
About the book
Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption (2014) is a memoir by American attorney Bryan Stevenson that documents his career defending disadvantaged clients. The book, focusing on injustices in the United States judicial system, alternates chapters between documenting Stevenson's efforts to overturn the wrongful conviction of Walter McMillian and his work on other cases, including children who receive life sentences, and other poor or marginalized clients.
Where the score comes from
The sources average 9.3 across 321 ratings — not yet many, so the reader vote carries 69% of the weight and the rest pulls toward the Biography & memoir average of 8.1. That is how 8.9 comes out.
| Source | Average | Ratings | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open Library | 8.5 | 26 | 8% |
| Hardcover | 9.4 | 295 | 92% |
Frequently asked
How long is Just Mercy?
It has 352 pages — longer than 63% of the ranked books in Biography & memoir.
In this book
Themes this book shares with others — each leads to the best books on it.
If you liked this
Same shelf — Biography & memoir — with scores between 8.7 and 9.0, closest to this book.
