The Innocent Man by John Grisham | Teen Ink

The Innocent Man by John Grisham

February 8, 2009
By Mackenzie Brock BRONZE, Plano, Texas
Mackenzie Brock BRONZE, Plano, Texas
1 article 0 photos 0 comments

The Innocent Man by John Grisham is a life changing experience to read because of the attachment you develop with the innocent suspect, Ron Williamson. This book is based on the unfairness in the judicial system of a small town and it describes how corrupt police officers can be when they charge innocent people with crimes that end their lives. Grisham starts out with the life story of mentally ill, ex-baseball star, Ron Williamson who struggles to remain emotionally stable while pursuing jail and death row.

Some strengths that Grisham touches on are how he organizes his novel with each chapter explaining a different part of Ron's life. He gives details of what Ron experienced that shaped him into the man turned out to be after prison. He is good at capturing the audience into wondering what Ron will do next because he slowly does become so incompetent. Grisham also allowed the reader to share emotion with the family of Ron because as a reader, it doesn't sound easy to have to see someone you love go through what Ron did, especially when you know he's innocent.

Some weaknesses I noticed in The Innocent Man were the explanations of how the legal system works. Later in the book when Grisham talks about all the trials Ron faced and all the different legal terms used, I found it boring and not intriguing. Although the point of this book was to show the wrong-doings in the judicial system, Grisham took it too far by dwelling on the court process while throwing in too many names and people to remember. While this was occurring in the book I found myself not focused like in the beginning when I was so captivated by his writing style.


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