Book Review | Book Chatter

Just Mercy
By Bryan Stevenson
Spiegel & Grau, 9780812984965, August 2015, 368pp.

The Short of It:

Haven’t seen the movie yet but the book will be one that I remember for a long, long time.

The Rest of It:

A long time ago, I was listening to a podcast and one of the people being interviewed mentioned Just Mercy as a book she would never forget. I immediately made a note to read it and then decided to pitch it for my book club to discuss. But then there was a school shooting and the meeting had to be rescheduled. Sad, but true.

So it should come as no surprise that Just Mercy is scheduled for this month’s discussion, right smack in the middle of a pandemic. I knew enough about the book to know that the topic is a heavy one. Bryan Stevenson’s fight to address Capital Punishment and how it affects minorities, the poverty stricken, and even young children, did not seem like a topic I could handle during quarantine but I didn’t want to postpone the discussion again so I dug in.

Very glad I did.

This is a book that everyone needs to read. Young, old, in school, out of school. I was expecting a very depressing read but this memoir, to my surprise, was not depressing at all. I found it to be full of hope. Stevenson’s passion for his clients and the way he often went above and beyond what is expected of a lawyer lifted me up in a way that I wasn’t expecting. Honestly, Stevenson is a form of superhero I can get behind. He is the Executive Director of the Equal Justice Initiative and even that sounds formidable and it is.

His memoir covers many cases and challenges but centers around one particular client, Walter McMillan. McMillian had a solid alibi for his whereabouts the day a young woman was killed but it didn’t matter because the town needed a suspect and so the accusations stacked against Walter. How? Corruption, racism, people not wanting to be wrong.

When they say some people wear capes, I agree. Some do. Checkout Stevenson’s TED Talk and you’ll see what I mean.

Source: Borrowed
Disclosure: This post contains Indiebound affiliate links.

Then She Was Gone
By Lisa Jewell
Atria Books, 9781501154652, November 2018, 384pp.

The Short of It:

One minute Ellie is there, the next minute she is gone and the wake of her disappearance leaves a family changed forever.

The Rest of It:

The Mack family, fairly happy and close knit as far as families go is forced to learn how to live without their oldest daughter. Ellie, the golden girl. The perfect daughter whose light and personality resonates with just about everyone she meets, doesn’t come home from school one day and her parents and family are left to pick up the pieces.

Laurel, can’t quite put her finger on why she thinks Ellie is still alive but as the years go by and nothing new is discovered, the case goes cold. As a mother, can you really let go without any real closure?

The Mack family is affected by Ellie’s disappearance in many ways. A sister, who lives a very secret life and can’t find ways to be close to Laurel like Ellie was. An ex-husband who was a good man, but had to move on with his life. A son who distances himself from the family as soon as he’s able, and then Laurel, who tries desperately to hang on to hope, but quickly realizes that it’s okay for her to find happiness too.

Until a new development is discovered in the case.

I really enjoyed this book. It was a fast read but I felt for these characters. The author did a really good job of presenting all the conflicts and keeping the story fresh. I felt Laurel’s pain over her daughter’s disappearance but I also felt her need for happiness. The story came together in a good way too. Not too predictable or over the top.

I’ve read one other Jewell book and I know she has many others. I am happy to have found an author I can keep reading for awhile.

Source: Purchased
Disclosure: This post contains Indiebound affiliate links.

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