Just Mercy (Adapted for Young Adults): A True Story of the Fight for Justice

Just Mercy: A True Story of the Fight for Justice (2018) is a memoir by respected activist and civil rights lawyer Bryan Stevenson, adapted for young adults from Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption. The memoir is a powerful account of Bryan Stevenson’s experiences as a young lawyer working for the Southern Prisoners Defense Committee and his nonprofit law center, the Equal Justice Initiative. During this time, he represents clients facing injustice in the legal system, including prisoners on death row and people given life sentences as children. Threaded throughout this narrative is the case of Walter McMillian, wrongfully convicted of murder and sentenced to death. Just Mercy was named a notable book by Time, the New York Times Book Review, the Washington Post, and the American Library Association, and won several awards, including the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction and Nonfiction. A film adaptation starring Michael B. Jordan came out in 2019.

This study guide uses the paperback edition of Just Mercy: A True Story of the Fight for Justice, published in 2018 by Ember, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books.