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Quick answer: If you read Just Mercy, read Michelle Alexander's The New Jim Crow, Paul Butler's Chokehold, Gilbert King's Devil in the Grove and Jill Leovy's Ghettoside. All expose how law, race and poverty shape justice in America.
Bryan Stevenson's 2014 book tells the story of his work as a lawyer defending death-row prisoners and the poor, centred on Walter McMillian, an innocent man sentenced to death in Alabama. It is moving, angry and hopeful. The books below offer related accounts of justice, race and the courts.
Table of Contents
Quick Picks at a Glance
| Book | Author | Ages | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| The New Jim Crow | Michelle Alexander | Adult | mass incarceration |
| Chokehold | Paul Butler | Adult | policing Black men |
| Devil in the Grove | Gilbert King | Adult | Thurgood Marshall |
| Ghettoside | Jill Leovy | Adult | unsolved murders |
| Locking Up Our Own | James Forman Jr. | Adult | Black leaders and policing |
| Between the World and Me | Ta-Nehisi Coates | Adult | letter to a son |
| Gideon's Trumpet | Anthony Lewis | Adult | right to counsel |
| The Innocent Man | John Grisham | Adult | wrongful conviction |
| Actual Innocence | Barry Scheck, Peter Neufeld and Jim Dwyer | Adult | wrongful convictions |
| Evicted | Matthew Desmond | Adult | housing and poverty |
| To Kill a Mockingbird | Harper Lee | All ages | classic of conscience |
| A Time to Kill | John Grisham | Adult | emotional courtroom |
| Know My Name | Chanel Miller | Adult | survivor memoir |
| The Warmth of Other Suns | Isabel Wilkerson | Adult | Great Migration |
| Slavery by Another Name | Douglas A. Blackmon | Adult | forced labour after emancipation |
1. The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander
Alexander argues that mass incarceration works as a system of racial control. Influential.
Best for: mass incarceration.
2. Chokehold by Paul Butler
Butler argues that the justice system is designed to control Black men. Direct.
Best for: policing Black men.
3. Devil in the Grove by Gilbert King
Marshall defends four Black men falsely accused in Florida in 1949. Pulitzer-winning.
Best for: Thurgood Marshall.
4. Ghettoside by Jill Leovy
A journalist follows detectives in South Los Angeles. Humane and eye-opening.
Best for: unsolved murders.
5. Locking Up Our Own by James Forman Jr.
Forman explores how Black communities supported tough crime policies. Pulitzer-winning.
Best for: Black leaders and policing.
6. Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates
Coates writes to his son about being Black in America. Poetic and urgent.
Best for: letter to a son.
7. Gideon's Trumpet by Anthony Lewis
The story of the case that guaranteed lawyers for the poor. Clear and classic.
Best for: right to counsel.
8. The Innocent Man by John Grisham
Grisham's only non-fiction book about a wrongfully convicted man in Oklahoma. Gripping.
Best for: wrongful conviction.
9. Actual Innocence by Barry Scheck, Peter Neufeld and Jim Dwyer
The Innocence Project founders describe cases of wrongful convictions. Powerful.
Best for: wrongful convictions.
10. Evicted by Matthew Desmond
Desmond follows families in Milwaukee as they struggle to stay housed. Powerful and fair.
Best for: housing and poverty.
11. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Scout watches her father defend a Black man in 1930s Alabama. Timeless.
Best for: classic of conscience.
12. A Time to Kill by John Grisham
A lawyer defends a father who killed his daughter's attackers. Gripping.
Best for: emotional courtroom.
13. Know My Name by Chanel Miller
Miller reclaims her story after a sexual assault case. Powerful and lyrical.
Best for: survivor memoir.
14. The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson
Wilkerson tells the story of Black Americans who left the South. Moving.
Best for: Great Migration.
15. Slavery by Another Name by Douglas A. Blackmon
Blackmon reveals how forced labour continued after the Civil War. Powerful.
Best for: forced labour after emancipation.
How to Choose
For more on mass incarceration choose The New Jim Crow, Chokehold or Locking Up Our Own. For historic cases pick Devil in the Grove or Gideon's Trumpet. For murder and policing read Ghettoside. For wrongful convictions try The Innocent Man or Actual Innocence. For fiction read To Kill a Mockingbird or A Time to Kill. Just Mercy is personal and powerful, so these picks suit readers who want to understand the system. Just Mercy was adapted as a 2019 film starring Michael B. Jordan and Jamie Foxx, and Stevenson's Equal Justice Initiative also created the National Memorial for Peace and Justice in Montgomery, Alabama, which many readers visit.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is Just Mercy about?
Bryan Stevenson's work defending death-row prisoners, especially Walter McMillian.
Who wrote it?
Bryan Stevenson.
When was it published?
2014.
Is there a film?
Yes, a 2019 film.
Is the case true?
Yes, Walter McMillian was exonerated in 1993.
Is it a hard read?
The subject is hard, but the writing is clear.
Is there a young readers edition?
Yes, Just Mercy (Adapted for Young Adults).
What should I read next?
Try The New Jim Crow or Devil in the Grove.
Which book here is best for unsolved murders?
Try Ghettoside by Jill Leovy, which suits readers looking for unsolved murders.
Which book here is best for right to counsel?
Try Gideon's Trumpet by Anthony Lewis, which suits readers looking for right to counsel.
Which book here is best for housing and poverty?
Try Evicted by Matthew Desmond, which suits readers looking for housing and poverty.
Which book here is best for survivor memoir?
Try Know My Name by Chanel Miller, which suits readers looking for survivor memoir.
Which book here is best for policing Black men?
Try Chokehold by Paul Butler, which suits readers looking for policing Black men.