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The Innocent Man |  | Author: John Grisham
Publisher: Dell
Category: Book
List Price: $7.99
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Seller: atlanta-book-company
Rating:  612 reviews
Sales Rank: 20407
Media: Mass Market Paperback
Edition: First
Pages: 448
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.5
Dimensions (in): 6.9 x 4.3 x 1.4
ISBN: 0440243831
Dewey Decimal Number: 345.76602523
EAN: 9780440243830
ASIN: 0440243831
Publication Date: November 20, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
In the town of Ada, Oklahoma, Ron Williamson was going to be the next Mickey Mantle. But on his way to the big leagues, Ron stumbled, his dreams broken by drinking, drugs, and women. Then, on a winter night in 1982, not far from Ron's home, a young cocktail waitress named Debra Sue Carter was savagely murdered. The investigation lead nowhere. Until, on the flimsiest evidence, it lead to Ron Williamson. The washed-up small-town hero was charged, tried, and sentenced to death-in a trial littered with lying witnesses and tainted evidence that would shatter a man's already broken life . . . and let a true killer go free.
Amazon.com Review
John Grisham tackles nonfiction for the first time with The Innocent Man, a true tale about murder and injustice in a small town (that reads like one of his own bestselling novels). The Innocent Man chronicles the story of Ron Williamson, how he was arrested and charged with a crime he did not commit, how his case was (mis)handled and how an innocent man was sent to death row. Grisham's first work of nonfiction is shocking, disturbing, and enthralling--a must read for fiction and nonfiction fans. We had the opportunity to talk with John Grisham about the case and the book, read his responses below. --Daphne Durham
20 Second Interview: A Few Words with John Grisham
 Q: After almost two decades of writing fiction, what compelled you to write non-fiction, particularly investigative journalism?
A: I was never tempted to write non-fiction, primarily because it's too much work. However, obviously, I love a good legal thriller, and the story of Ron Williamson has all the elements of a great suspenseful story.
Q: Why this case?
A: Ron Williamson and I are about the same age and we both grew up in small towns in the south. We both dreamed of being major league baseball players. Ron had the talent, I did not. When he left a small town in 1971 to pursue his dreams of major league glory, many thought he would be the next Mickey Mantle, the next great one from the state of Oklahoma. The story of Ron ending up on Death Row and almost being executed for a murder he did not commit was simply too good to pass up.
Q: How did you go about your research?
A: I started with his family. Ron is survived by two sisters who took care of him for most of his life. They gave me complete access to the family records, photographs, Ron's mental health records, and so on. There was also a truckload of trial transcripts, depositions, appeals, etc., that took about 18 months to organize and review. Many of the characters in the story are still alive and I traveled to Oklahoma countless times to interview them.
Q: Did your training as a lawyer help you?
A: Very much so. It enabled me to understand the legal issues involved in Ron's trial and his appeals. It also allowed me, as it always does, to be able to speak the language with lawyers and judges.
Q: Throughout your book you mention, The Dreams of Ada: A True Story of Murder, Obsession, and a Small Town. How did you come across that book, and how did it impact your writing The Innocent Man?
A: Several of the people in Oklahoma I met mentioned The Dreams of Ada to me, and I read it early on in the process. It is an astounding book, a great example of true crime writing, and I relied upon it heavily during my research. Robert Mayer, the author, was completely cooperative, and kept meticulous notes from his research 20 years earlier. Many of the same characters are involved in his story and mine.
Q: You take on some pretty controversial and heated topics in your book--the death penalty, prisoners rights, DNA analysis, police conduct, and more--were any of your own beliefs challenged by this story and its outcome?
A: None were challenged, but my eyes were open to the world of wrongful convictions. Even as a former criminal defense attorney, I had never spent much time worrying about wrongful convictions. But, unfortunately, they happen all the time in this country, and with increasing frequency.
Q: So many of the key players in this case are either still in office or practicing attorneys. Many family members and friends still live in the same small town. How do you think The Innocent Man will impact this community and other small rural towns as they struggle with the realities of the justice system?
A: Exonerations seem to be happening weekly. And with each one of them, the question is asked--how can an innocent man be convicted and kept in prison for 20 years? My book is the story of only one man, but it is a good example of how things can go terribly wrong with our judicial system. I have no idea how the book will be received in the small town of Ada, Oklahoma, or any other town.
Q: What do you hope your readers will take away from The Innocent Man?
A: A better understanding of how innocent people can be convicted, and a greater concern for the need to reimburse and rehabilitate innocent men after they have been released.
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Showing reviews 1-5 of 612
The justice system goes sour... August 30, 2010
Denise Escamilla Ortiz (Mexico City, Mexico)
I have never read any of John Grisham's books, so I really have nothing to compare this book with. As far as I know this is his first nonfiction book, and I think he made a good job. I got this book for my birthday last year. I don't think it's a book I would have bought myself, but I don't regret getting it or reading it. I read it in 5 straight days. The most terrifying thing about this book is that it's a true story. It's really indignant to see how the arrogance, stubbornness and sloppy work of the police and some prosecutors can get innocent people convicted. And even worst, get sent to the death row.
Justice is supposed to be blind, not stupid. But at certain times it's really scary how the scale can be tipped based on people's prejudices, beliefs, egos and level of stupidity. I'm not a lawyer, but the evidence or rather lack of it was so overwhelming that it's inconceivable that this two people, Ronnald Williamson and Dennis Fritz got convicted based on mere speculation, suppositions and nonsense logic. None got fair trials, and Ron Williamson didn't get a fair treatment according to his mental state. They neglected his mental health and even got a kick out of it in prison.
The forensic science still has its flaws and is limited in some things, but it's still a blessing for some suspects. Some can count on it to save their asses of being wrongfully convicted based on the presumptions and dislikes of police and prosecutors alike. Some people just happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, or they just do things that look bad but aren't necessarily so. So, if you have the stomach to dive into the twisted word of injustice, and the cruelty of some prison's warders, go ahead and read this book. For me it was a page turner, but it might not be for everyone else. It is heart breaking to read about the life of this tormented soul, Ron Williamson, and the tragedy his life was due to mental illness. It is a very sad book, but an interesting one no less.
 The hubris of power August 30, 2010
M. Nader
There is no way of getting round the anger at the police and the corrections officers that builds while reading this true story. The overwhelming notion that prevails after the last page is yes: absolute power corrupts absolutely but what humans can do to eachother with only limited power is astonishing and heartbreaking. The police who convinced (or maybe they just thought he could've been the one and that was enough) themselves that the man was guilty had enough power over him and the investigative process to accept evidence that even a lay person would argue was dubious. But that was enough for the police who needed to arrest somebody, anybody: the truth, the oath of their office was irrelevant.
There seems to be something missing in training of the police force - they need to understand that arrests aren't quotas on a factory line. They need to be taught ethics, otherewise we end up with the hubris of one criminal element with power enforcing the laws against defencless citizens.
Well written - still angry.
Excellent Novel! August 29, 2010
Tiberius (Alpha Santeria)
This book was extremely fascinating! Great characters that set up a terrific story. You get a background of the "Innocent Man" Ron Williamson and you follow his life as he found guilty of a crime that he didn't commit.
Ron Williamson is the best baseball player in the county and one of the best in the state. He sets out to make it in the bigs only to have dreams of the Major Leagues and his life shattered and he is unable to stop it. As his life starts falling completely out of control it leads him to drugs and causes him to become pyschological unstable so when a murder in a small town that leaves a lot of questions and not a lot of answers he becomes a prime suspect. However, due to shotty investigative work and an unreliable eye witness he becomes more than just a suspect he becomes the defendant.
John Grisham tells this story beautifully and while it is certainly a little different than his usual work, it still provides the same amount of entertainment.
This book reads like fiction August 28, 2010
Indian Prairie Public Library (Darien, IL)
This is John Grisham's only nonfiction book and proves he can still write a good story. This well-researched book tells the gripping story of Ron Williamson, ex-baseball hero of Ada, Oklahoma, and how injustice lands him on death row and on the brink of being put to death. This book reads like fiction.
 Who Done It? August 27, 2010
Richard H. Williams
I found this book boring and repetitive, unlike Grisham's fictional works. Near the very beginning I concluded that Debbie
Carter's killer was Glen Gore. Of course, my method of prosecution might not hold up in a formal courtroom procedure. If anyone other than John Grisham had submitted this manuscript for publication, it would have been rejected.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 612
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