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jessatt's review against another edition
4.0
John Grisham did a great job with his first foray into non-fiction. This is an extremely compelling story about the justice system, the death penalty, mental illness and the sacrifices that we make for family. For anyone who is on the fence about the death penalty, I would recommend checking this out. It certainly solidified my beliefs.
kwest_books's review against another edition
3.0
I have been a fan of Grisham and the synopsis of the book sounded interesting. I was intrigued by this account of two men from Ada, OK who were tried and convicted of murder on the flimsiest evidence. One was sentenced to death. Ron Williamson, who struggled with mental illness, continued to proclaim his innocence. Gave me a lot of food for though, particularly concerning our justice system and capital punishment.
marcia's review against another edition
4.0
This is an important book in that it looks at how mental illness is sometimes treated by our justice system. Kind of horrifying at times along the way.
happypilgrim's review against another edition
there's been a murder ... let's spend multiple chapters flashing back and covering someone's unsuccessful minor league baseball career in depth? to be fair I realized I went into this expecting fiction and it's nonfiction. so maybe there is a purpose, I just am not sure why I am spending so long reading about the ups and downs of a baseball career.
meredithbook's review against another edition
5.0
At first, I was not sure what to think of Grisham's non-fiction books. However, as I read through it, it taught me look about the downfalls in the US's criminal justice system. I clearly saw many of the discrepancies when outlined through each of the trials. On top of that, we got insight into several cases and some of what life was like on death row. In sum, I learned a lot about an issue I hadn't thought about much before
sherylsheehan's review against another edition
4.0
Reads like fiction. Hard to believe the justice system could treat someone so unfairly. Also hard to read the ups and downs of this man's life- alcohol, drugs, mental illness, sobriety, depression, etc.
j_laws_tagg's review against another edition
5.0
This book will make you mad. Also check out the documentary The Thin Blue Line
bogdanbl's review against another edition
4.0
Not the easiest book in the world to read, despite the author. However, a book you can learn a lot from. It's absolutely shocking to see how people not doing their job properly can affect other people's lives.
And it also proves that Johnson Grisham is capable of much more than (good) legal thrillers.
And it also proves that Johnson Grisham is capable of much more than (good) legal thrillers.