The Innocent Man

As I've mentioned before, for my birthday, Kyoko and Bahman gave me John Grisham's first true crime book called The Innocent Man. I was about two-thirds of the way through it, then for the last week or so I haven't read it at all, not because I wasn't liking it, I just didn't feel like reading. (Probably has something to do with all the proof-reading I'm doing right now for work). I decided I wanted to finish the book before we went to Las Vegas (20 more sleeps!) because I don't like taking hardcover books in my carry-on (too heavy) and because I was two-thirds of the way through it so there was no reason I couldn't finish it within 20 days.

I had about 120 pages left, and I started reading at about 10:30 last night. I could not put it down. At about 12:30, I finished the book, then I cried. Second book in a row. I just felt a lump in my throat and an emptiness in my heart. The book focuses not so much on the murder (it's not a gory book) but more on the injustices that occur in our justice system, or more precisely, the American justice system as we don't have capital punishment. What this man endured for 14 years on death row was reprehensible, especially being denied the mental health care that he so desperately and obviously required. In the end, however, the justice system did prevail, and in addition to the judge and lawyers who participated in the habeas corpus appeal, I believe Barry Scheck and all the people who work for the Innocence Project are heroes, and my belief that the death penalty is wrong, wrong, wrong was affirmed by this book.