The Confession by John Grisham
Overview - This is a book I read back in 2014 and shortly upon starting it I could not put it down. I checked it out at the library in Mint Hill, NC and during my hours of study which increased as I looked for a job out of college; I would sit and be enthralled by the writing on the page. The totality of the story took me up and down and every way around. The emotion and drama of the story really lifted off the page. Introduced to John Grisham in previous years this title really put my admiration for his work into the love column. With every passing day I sat with the attorney of the book and the wrongly accused convict in a Texas prison cell on death row. The young athlete whom saw it hard to see his mother and brothers held on until a break in his case revealed the real killer. Unfortunately, it was too late. The governor could not administer the pardon and the family of the wrongfully accused lost a part of themselves when the syringe was unloaded into the arm of Dante; sending his cries for justice to sleep forever more. But outside the walled prison where whites called for his death and the blacks pleaded his innocence, a tension in the attorney of the case would not rest. He worked to prove the new found suspect and eventual real killer was brought to justice. After the community in Texas sighed a deep breath for Dante, but tirelessly working was the attorney who fought for justice. Fighting for an outcome which wouldn’t matter to half the state and would only infuriate the other half. Never the less he worked and proved the real killer to be guilty. The state of Texas honored the attorney and rightfully exonerated post humorously Dante for the crime of murder. The story had a proud end with the state officially apologizing though the mother of the cheerleader did not. Great story with some great lessons.
Theme – Fighting for justice when all hope is lost and giving reassurance to a family in need.
Biggest takeaway- The biggest takeaway from this book was the scene where the young boy was to be put to death by the state. Half the room looked on with intrigue in hopeful execution of a murder the other half looked on with hearts filled with sadness cracking as the life they loved was laid on the gurney with arms strapped in preparation for his eternal exit. With sadness eyes and much grief for his life which would only last a few more moments he looked out into the small room with the two-families seated and with a lodged throat said, “it wasn’t me, I didn’t do it”. The long wait for this eventual day had plagued the boys mind since his false arrest and now as he laid on the gurney, he knew it was all over. The young lawyer looked on in disbelief at a justice system which had failed another black life vowing to reconcile the experience.
Overall Satisfaction – 9.2/10 – Great book great read. Interesting characters with great character development my number one favorite of John Grisham’s novels.
Comments on the Author – This was one of the first books I read of John Grisham’s and it was completely captivating. I read this for four-hour increments as the story came to its conclusion, I was in stillness as I read this book and I felt I was in the heat of Texas with the attorney, investigator, the victim and the accuser’s family. This became an instant classic in my book. And John Grisham became a frequently turned to author.
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