The Innocent Man: Murder and Injustice in a Small Town

The Innocent Man: Murder and Injustice in a Small TownJohn Grisham's first work of nonfiction, an exploration of small town justice gone terribly awry, is his most extraordinary legal thriller yet. In the major league draft of 1971, the first player chosen from the State of Oklahoma was Ron Williamson. When he signed with the Oakland A's, he said goodbye to his hometown of Ada and left to pursue his dreams of big league glory. Six years later he was back, his dreams broken by a bad arm and bad habits

John Grisham's first work of nonfiction, an exploration of small town justice gone terribly awry, is his most extraordinary legal thriller yet.

In the major league draft of 1971, the first player chosen from the State of Oklahoma was Ron Williamson. When he signed with the Oakland A's, he said goodbye to his hometown of Ada and left to pursue his dreams of big league glory.

Six years later he was back, his dreams broken by a bad arm and bad habits--drinking, drugs, and women. He began to show signs of mental illness. Unable to keep a job, he moved in with his mother and slept twenty hours a day on her sofa.

In 1982, a 21-year-old cocktail waitress in Ada named Debra Sue Carter was raped and murdered, and for five years the police could not solve the crime. For reasons that were never clear, they suspected Ron Williamson and his friend Dennis Fritz. The two were finally arrested in 1987 and charged with capital murder.

With no physical evidence, the prosecution's case was built on junk science and the testimony of jailhouse snitches and convicts. Dennis Fritz was found guilty and given a life sentence. Ron Williamson was sent to death row.

If you believe that in America you are innocent until proven guilty, this book will shock you. If you believe in the death penalty, this book will disturb you. If you believe the criminal justice system is fair, this book will infuriate you.

Binding Type: Hardcover
Publisher: Doubleday Books
Published: 10/10/2006
ISBN: 9780385517232
Pages: 368
Weight: 1.48lbs
Size: 9.44h x 6.48w x 1.23d
Award: Oklahoma Book Award - Finalist

Review Citations: Library Journal Prepub Alert 06/01/2006 pg. 90
Entertainment Weekly 10/13/2006 pg. 134
Time 10/16/2006 pg. 68
People Weekly 10/23/2006 pg. 53

Accelerated Reader Quiz #/Name: 111257 / Innocent Man: Murder and Injustice in a Small Town
Reading Level: 8.1 / Interest Level: Upper Grade / Point Value: 20