Dismantling Racism -Book Review of Framed
As supporters of Dismantling Racism and the Catholic Mobilizing Network – the organization that works to end the death penalty in the United States, it was intriguing to see that the authors of Framed, John Grisham and Jim McCloskey, had teamed up. McCloskey is the Founder of Centurian Ministries, the first Innocence group, named after the Centurian who stood at the foot of the Cross and proclaimed, “This man is innocent.”
Framed is NOT a novel. It offers a heart-wrenching look at the injustice faced by the victims of the United States criminal justice system. “In ten stories, mostly of men, they expose what leads to wrongful convictions in the first place, and the racism, misconduct, flawed testimony, and the corrupt court system that can make them so hard to reverse.”
More than this, the authors insert the reader into the lives of those wrongly found guilty and their families and friends. It is infuriating to see their struggle, as they are often maltreated in prison, forced to wait years for a court to review a quest for clemency or habeas corpus, or a governor who refuses to stay an execution when he has proof of innocence on his desk.
So why read it? Read it because the protagonists are real people, and their stories are ”told with page-turning suspense as only John Grisham can deliver. Framed is the story of overcoming adversity when the battle already seems lost, and the deck is stacked against you.” Framed is a story that will not let you go until you have responded to that request to do what only you can do to help the situation.
Quotes are taken from a Good Reads book review.
