2022 Winter Reading List: Justice and injustice

Catherine Belles: This is an autobiography of Stevenson’s journey of discovery. The road to justice is rough, but his and a team of lawyers’ persistent and honest work save one life. And then two. And then … more. I found it life-changing.

Emily Harting: This book chronicles Stevenson’s founding of EJI – the Equal Justice Initiative – a nonprofit committed to ending American mass incarceration and excessive punishment. It tells the story of Walter McMillian, a Black man sentenced to die for the murder of a white woman that he didn’t commit. In so doing, it draws stark parallels between this country’s history of lynching and use of the death penalty and calls into high relief that in the US, justice exists only for the rich, not for the poor. I defy anyone to read this book and come away unchanged, or unmotivated to join Stevenson in his quest.

Ann Abernethy: An excellent book by an admirable and compassionate human being. Everyone should know who Bryan Stevenson is!

Goodreads summary and reviews

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Margaret Theobald of Exeter, N.H.: This beautifully written novel is fiction based on fact. Justice, or more sadly, the lack thereof, is an underlying theme in this story, which moves from the present to pre-Civil War South and back again in the story of the greatest racehorse of all time and his trainer, a slave working to buy his freedom.

If you enjoy history, animals, science, art, or just a wonderfully written book, read this. It will move you in so many ways: joy about what has changed and despair over what has not.

Celeste High of Nashua, N.H.: The plot of the story revolves around a horse, his life, the life of those directly and indirectly involved in his care, and the people who come across his legacy. It is a story that goes back and forth in time and shows that as much as things change, they stay the same.

I loved this book. Exceptional characters, storytelling, and history make this book easy to read and a joy as well.

Carole Rein of Beverly, Mass.: Historical fiction that combines multiple threads: horse racing during the 1800s, current news topics, feminism, and racism. This unusual combination of topics is presented in a compelling way that fully captures the reader’s attention, surprising us when a current news item appears to be connected to historical events.

I enjoyed it because of the eye-opening, seamless blending of history with today’s events.

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Steven Murphy of Charlestown, Mass.: Set primarily in Boston, the book follows two men in the years following WWI. One Black and one a white Irish cop. The book showcases a lot of injustices: white vs. Black, poor vs. rich, and the randomness of life. It also shows how people work to overcome and live with these injustices and build a life for themselves and their loved ones. The book covers a lot of the events of those times. I was left with the feeling that while much has changed since then, there is still a lot that hasn’t.

I found it to be a great read with characters I could really relate to both good and bad. Plus, the fact that it is set mostly in Boston made it extra enjoyable. This is a book that I would not mind seeing a sequel to.

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Ed. note: The next entries are in response to the recommendation from Steven Murphy of Charlestown, Mass. (see above), who liked “The Given Day” by Dennis Lehane so much that he wished there were a sequel.

That prompted an e-mail from Mike Polis of Bethesda, Md.: “I agree with Steven Murphy’s recommendation of Dennis Lehane’s ‘The Given Day,’” he wrote. “He mentioned that he would like to read any sequels. Indeed, there are two … which both deal with the Coughlin family and are very good on their own. They would also fit your justice/injustice category for winter reading.”

I asked Mike to send me some quick synopses of the books so I could include them. Here they are:

This follows Joe Coughlin, the youngest son of a Boston police captain, through Boston to Florida and Cuba among organized crime syndicates and corrupt police officers during Prohibition. It received the Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Novel in 2013.

Goodreads

This continues the story of Joe Coughlin, now a respected businessman in Tampa, serving as a go-between for society and the crime syndicate. However, the past is never truly in the past.

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Maxine Pincott of Westminster, Mass.: In 1989, communist regimes were falling throughout Europe, but Romania was not one of them. Cristian Florescu, a 17-year-old high school student, desires to become a writer. His country, under the severe, evil, communist, authoritarian dictatorship of Nicolae Ceausescu, is not a country where one can easily become a writer, especially if one wants to undermine the Communist regime to give the common Romanian populace a voice in their destiny.

In an atmosphere where it is not safe to confide in anyone — one never knows for sure who is an informer, including your own family — Cristian has to make a decision. He was forced to become an informant, subsequent to someone informing upon him. Should he betray his family and friends, or can he outwit the tyrannical arm of the Ceausescu government?

The surprising political twists and turns in Cristian’s journey draw some important parallels to our country, especially in relation to loss of personal liberties due to local stringent laws and subsequent court decisions. We can learn from history if we permit ourselves to read about it.

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Terry Esvelt of Waban, Mass.: This is an historical fiction book about Iva Toguri, who became well-known to American troops in the Pacific theater of World War II as the radio announcer Tokyo Rose. She was born and grew up in Los Angeles, but had the back luck to be sent to Japan in 1941 to visit her sick aunt. During the war, she was forced by the Japanese government to work as one of the many English-speaking announcers on Radio Tokyo, playing popular tunes and reading news announcements. Though no single person was actually known by the moniker Tokyo Rose, upon her return to America she was wrongfully labeled as the radio voice of Japanese propaganda and was arrested for treason.

The book aptly describes the corruption of our criminal justice system orchestrated at the highest levels of the Justice Department, with the support of the White House during the Truman and Eisenhower administrations, in manipulating the justice system to gain a conviction. Her guilty verdict was obtained by coerced and false testimony, rulings of a racist judge, and overseen by a Justice Department desperate to convict someone for spreading Japanese lies over the radio with an American accent during the war. Mike Weedall’s book sadly describes an America gone astray.

I liked the book because it illustrates all too well the trap that we can fall into when we allow prejudice to color our thinking and warp our judicial system. It’s a well-written, compelling story that forces you to think about whether our current policies are equally susceptible to injustices.

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Betsy Orcutt of Hingham, Mass.: A visual trip to the Maine vacation homes of the entitled. The book highlights the many shades of injustice in society. Also, the wickedness of turning away from injustice when the actions are clearly exposed. A wonderful visual adventure to the summer of a select group of people.

This book gave me thought as to nonaction to an injustice, of having the privilege to turn away.

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Karen Shepard of Arlington, Mass.: This book involves both justice and injustice as it focuses on American racism in the medical and legal fields. Ruth is an African American labor and delivery nurse who is confronted with racism on her job, in her daily life, and in her community. The parents of a newborn have demanded that Ruth be barred from caring for their infant because they are white supremacists. To Ruth’s shock and dismay, the hospital administration complies with the parents’ request.

When there is an emergency, Ruth is the only one available to care for the newborn, who dies, despite Ruth’s attempts to save the infant. Ruth is charged with murder and stands trial, which becomes a media sensation. There are many surprises and intriguing moments in store for the reader.

Jodi Picoult’s novel is well-written, thought-provoking, and fast-paced. It is suspenseful with several fascinating plot twists and a compelling court case, all of which explore the pervasive racism in both the medical and legal professions. Also, I was captivated by this novel’s title, “Small Great Things,” because it reminds me of Dr. Martin Luther King’s quote: “I can do small things in a great way.”

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Patti Christopher of Bayville, N.J.: A WWII pilot, a law student before the war, is captured in Germany and called on to defend a Black POW accused of murdering a white POW.

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Laura Furman of Albuquerque, N.M.: The story of Earl Stovall, a dreamy and naive small-town boy incarcerated for 40 years for a murder he did not commit. Steeped in the music and atmosphere of the 1970s, “I Am the Light of This World” is a gritty, gripping, and gorgeously written story of loss, redemption, and the power of the imagination.

I loved the book because it is beautiful, full of feeling, and spellbinding — and it made me think.

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Valerie Ventura of Hampton, N.H.: This novel traces three generations of women beginning with Joan, her mother, and sister fleeing Memphis to escape her father’s violence. This is also where her grandfather was lynched days after becoming Memphis’ first black detective. The novel looks at what is passed down In our families and country, including police brutality and justice, powerlessness and freedom, forgiveness, faith and doubt, sacrifice and love.

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Harry Bryan of Leicester, N.C.: Nominated for the 2022 Man Booker prize, “The Trees” begins when two detectives from the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation are sent to the town of Money, Mississippi to investigate the murders of two men with family ties to the famous lynching of Emmett Till. The facts surrounding the murders are bizarre, to say the least, and more deaths quickly follow, as the two detectives, later joined by a woman from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, follow the clues. Before they can solve the crimes, the entire story turns in another, unexpected direction, so that the novel defies genre categorization.

I liked this book primarily because it is one of the funniest novels I can remember reading, while its subject matter is so vicious and horrific as almost to defy description. Brilliant writing, perfectly accessible to any reader, hilarious and haunting.

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Virginia Goncalo of Wellfleet, Mass.: This Young Adult book is the sequel to “Dear Martin.” Friends Quan and Justyce have had tough lives in which abuse is common. Quan is isolated in the hood, wondering how he can help Mama, baby bro, and ill sis. Justyce is in Yale Law school. They are brought together when Quan gets caught in a shooting at a Huey Newton-like leader’s party. Quan yearns for help — from Ma or a teacher or even this new leader-like friend who Quan thinks is giving him protection.

Justyce, upon receiving a letter from Quan in prison, vows to help Quan “matter,” to see that the world gets to see what Quan has to offer. Justyce unravels the mistreatment of Quan by white police and the coercion of a confession. Two Black friends praying, begging for the justice that Mandela speaks of — grateful for each other.

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Deborah B. Hill of Bloomington, Ind.: This is both a coming-of-age story and a road trip book. (I didn’t even know The Lincoln Highway existed!!!). Set in the 1950s, the story is told by several characters. The good guys prevail, the bad guys get their just desserts (there’s your justice!) and the ones in-between find their way, too. At times it’s a laugh-out-loud story; other times it’s scary. A good read over all!

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Gail King of Saratoga Springs, N.Y.: Set in a small community in Louisiana in the late 1940s, it is the story of a young black man, Jefferson, who is convicted of murder and sentenced to death, and Grant, a young teacher who recently has returned to his hometown. At the urging of his aunt and Jefferson’s godmother, Grant visits Jefferson in his jail cell, hoping to instill a sense of dignity in Jefferson before his death.

More than 20 years ago, I used this novel while teaching a class of high school juniors. I have never felt more satisfied that I provided young people with, perhaps, a new way to view the issue of racial injustice than I did with that book. When we finished the novel, I wasn’t the only one in tears.

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Nalini Haynes of Melbourne, Australia: “The Change” is about three women who, having reached menopause, develop supernatural abilities – the hot flushes of menopause become Jo’s superpower – and seek justice for women. They find the bodies of murdered teenagers. It’s a bit of a whodunit before they deal out justice.

However, the opening chapter begins with the male president of the homeowners association unsuccessfully trying to bully and victimize one of the women. It is hilarious.

Other incidents scattered throughout the book bring much needed humour to alleviate otherwise serious subject matter.

I don’t usually re-read books these days. However, I read the paper copy, reviewed it, interviewed the author, then bought the audiobook. I’ve listened to the audiobook twice already. This is unprecedented for me.

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Kate Danaher of Bonita Springs, Fla.: A page-turning, thought-provoking thriller, “The Cloud” is a compelling journey into a futuristic world of virtual reality, surveillance tech, and authoritarian politics. The protagonist, a troubled VR programmer with a tragic past, is snared into working for the corrupt Cloud corporate regime. When he realizes the extent of its horror, he knows he must find a way to overthrow it. The task is daunting, considering the power of The Cloud and two powerful women pulling him in opposite directions.

The book pulses throughout with suspense, sex, and life-threatening danger. At the same time, it asks eternal questions about the endless human battles between freedom and suppression, enlightenment and blindness, justice and injustice.

I liked this book because although set in the future, it is uncomfortably plausible. The characters are well-developed, the descriptions are riveting, the plot is tight, and against enormous odds, the human spirit prevails.

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Helen Giambro of Quincy, Mass.: After stealing bread to feed his starving family, Jean Valjean is prosecuted, persecuted, and, despite business success and numerous acts of altruism, hounded for decades by the criminal justice system. There are many digressions in the book that introduce characters who serve to illustrate the excesses and deprivations of each strata of society at the time.

Published in 1862, it is still relevant for its portrayal of the lingering stigma of those damned forever by one bad decision.

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Michele Hudak of Maynard, Mass.: Civil Townsend is a Black woman who grew up in Alabama with her doctor father and her artist mother. When she graduates from nursing school, she gets a job in an Alabama clinic in order to help her community. She becomes enmeshed in the family of two young, impoverished Black girls who are patients of the clinic, and soon becomes aware of the mistreatment of poor Black families. Civil takes a stand, trying to find justice for the family. Although this is a work of fiction, it is based on true events.

This book was raw and eye-opening. I am a white woman who grew up in the Northeast, sheltered from such inequities. As an adult working in health care in the 21st century, I’m becoming more and more aware of healthcare inequities and mistreatment of people of color, as well as people in the LGBTQ+ community. We, as a society, need to do better.

Barbara Vinocur of Traverse City, Mich.: A riveting novel based on true events. It’s about a Black RN in post-segregation Alabama working in a federally funded family planning clinic who discovers terrible injustices done to poor Black women and girls. And she does something about it.

I liked this book very much because I learned something. The story has stayed with me long after I finished the last page.

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Ginny McNamara of Dublin, Ireland: It is 1985 in Ireland. Unemployment is rampant, but Bill Furlong has a job delivering coal. He is a good, decent man. An ordinary family man, father of daughters, and sometimes dreamer of what might have been.

One day he delivers coal to the local convent at the edge of town. Something he sees there is deeply disturbing. He knows in his heart that it is deeply unjust. Will he act upon what he sees, or “look away” as many of the townspeople have done?

Claire Keegan’s short, 100-page novel is a beautifully written and tender story of quiet heroism.

I liked this story because even today, the effects of these type of Magdalen laundry convents in Ireland are still being felt, and those working for justice for the women involved need to be recognized.

Claire Keegan’s other book, “Foster,” has been made into a film called “An Cailín Ciúin” (“The Quiet Girl”), which will be Ireland’s entry in this year’s Oscars.

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Kathy Bible of Tallahassee, Fla.: It’s about a Black professional concert violinist and his music career, including all the many injustices he suffers as a Black man in the classical music world. I read a lot, and this was one of the very best books I read last year. I can’t wait for Mr. Slocumb’s next book. The author is a classical violinist himself, so he knows what he is writing about.

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David Vossbrink of Sunnyvale, Calif.: This is a quintessential story about the bizarre and grimly humorous labyrinth of “justice systems” and the impossibility of finding justice. “The Trial” follows the misadventures of Josef K, his arrest by unknown thugs for unknown crimes (everyone is guilty of something), and his despair at never finding a fair hearing.

This is the source of the term “Kafkaesque” that has come to describe the failures of our modern bureaucracies to serve, whether in our courts, for social welfare, in the Congress, or at the border. I found “The Trial” to be a timeless and chilling reminder that too many of our public systems don’t really care about the lives of people, and in fact are designed to be cruel.

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Carrie Hennessy of Englewood, Col.: This is at the top of my list. A true story of a man wrongly convicted and sentenced to death for murder, and how he and the other accused in this case (who was sentenced to life in prison) ultimately were exonerated and freed. This story grabbed my attention and stirred up a newfound outrage at the many injustices in our justice system and of course one of many reasons why the death penalty is wrong. It is compelling and, of course, being by John Grisham (his only nonfiction book I believe) it is very readable. This book should be required reading for anyone who still thinks our prosecutors, courts, and prisons are not in need of great reform.

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Anne Price of Mattapoisett, Mass.: In this novella, Melville’s “handsome sailor” seeks better work on a whaling ship and encounters bullying, cruelty, and cowardice. Young Budd ultimately is charged with a crime, and his trial at sea reveals flaws inherent in the “justice” of capital punishment. A haunting work.

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Dorothy Colcord of Belfast, Maine: This story is about Dennis Dechaine, a man who has spent more than 35 years in a Maine prison for a murder that the author believes he didn’t commit. The story describes a demonstrably flawed police investigation, a flagrantly unfair trial, and the suppression of evidence that would have cleared Dennis of the charges. The state of Maine continues to refuse Dennis’ appeal for a retrial. Dennis has maintained his innocence throughout this lifelong nightmare of a man who has been wrongfully convicted of a horrendous crime.

I liked this true story because it describes how easily a well-intentioned search for justice can go awry when the search for a guilty party supersedes the search for the truth.

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Marsha Hicks of Marysville, Wash.: You wouldn’t think that a book about a class-action lawsuit against a federal agency would make for fascinating reading, but Sarah Vogel’s story has plenty of drama, interesting characters and dishonest officials. And the fact that, when she began the fight, she was a single mom who had never even pleaded a case before a judge just makes the outcome that much sweeter. (The suit was brought against the Farmer’s Home Administration in 1983, and is known as Coleman v. Block.)

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Mary E. Anderson of Centerville: This is a heart-wrenching memoir of Aarti Shahani and her family who immigrated to the United States to find their American dream; the justice system in our country that took it away and the daughter’s fight to get it back. The daughter and author is an NPR correspondent. The Shahani family immigrated from India to the United States in the 1980s. Her memoir illustrates the severe problems of our immigration system, which is even worse today. The story illustrates how so much needs to be done and how slow is the progress.

Should be read by all to help us really understand what individuals experience as new immigrants coming to America.

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Jim Martin of Springfield, Vt.: This will likely be an outlier. On its surface, the story is about a protagonist investigating the disappearance of her half-brother — while at the same time trying to get her groove back. But tucked toward the end of this very enjoyable mystery is a description of the horrors that human trafficking wreaks.

As someone who has worked for a global anti-trafficking agency for the last 15 years, I have read pretty extensively on the subject. There is plenty of good and helpful nonfiction out there, but in my experience, fiction on the subject of trafficking almost always misses the mark — often by sensationalizing a horrific subject that needs no exaggeration, or by objectifying survivors, or by simply being poorly executed.

Like all of Foley’s books, “The Paris Apartment” is immensely readable. But in the midst of this one, I was quite surprised to find a representation of human trafficking that seemed quite true to my experience. It’s not sensationalized; it’s not even very in-depth. But it lays out some of the power dynamics and economic subterfuge that conspire to keep this form of oppression both hidden from sight and lucrative for the criminals who perpetrate it. By no means is the book about human trafficking, but if what readers seek is a clear description of one version of the crime, “The Paris Apartment” might be a way to get it in the midst of an enjoyable read.

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MLearner: This is a compelling WWII novel that depicts US race relations at that time. I could not put it down!

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Rena Mirkin of Chestnut Hill, Mass.: This is the story of the painstaking preparation for and trial of the KKK men who bombed the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham in 1963, killing four little girls.

It brought to life the segregationist mindset of the South in the early 60s and the vicious fight against integration by many, especially members of the KKK who would stop at nothing. I appreciated the insights, the legal pieces that lead to deeper understanding, and the honest analysis of the mindset of the perpetrators as well as the dignity and loss of the victims and their families. It humanized the history.

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Emily Shamieh of Jamaica Plain, Mass.: Twelve-year-old Bird Gardner’s Asian mother “disappears” during a time in America when Asian Americans are suspect under the PACT (Preserving American Culture and Traditions) Act. Bird’s father, an Anglo former professor who now works in a college library shelving books, refuses to talk about Bird’s mother or to let him talk about her.

As Bird sets out to find his mother, he learns about books in libraries that have been removed from the shelves and “pulped,” rather than burned and about children who have been taken from parents accused of violating PACT.

To say more will reveal more than I should.While Celeste Ng’s character writes poetry, her own prose is poetic. I had to read every word (no skimming here); to do otherwise would be an injustice to this book about injustice.

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Kathy Kirby: Brand-new nonfiction about cases in which the Brady rule is ignored and exculpatory evidence held by the prosecution is not shared with defendants’ counsel.

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Vanessa Johnson-Hall of Amesbury, Mass.: One of the most powerful books I’ve ever read about systemic racism and how it feeds cycles of addiction and poverty. And yet such love shines from and between the family chronicled in this incredible piece of journalism.

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Teresa M. Hanafin can be reached at teresa.hanafin@globe.com. Follow her @BostonTeresa.