A Time to Kill by Josh Grisham

"Make friends with fear, Lucien always said, because it will not go away, and it will destroy you if left uncontrolled."

I'm a long time fan of the film, just reading the book for the first time.

The story takes place in rural, 1980s Mississippi, where two men brutally assault a ten year old girl. Her father, Carl Lee Hailey, believes they'll get away with it because his daughter is black while the perpetrators are white... and he seeks revenge. Jake Brigance is a criminal lawyer who is called to represent Mr. Hailey and defend him from the ultimate punishment: death.

I've never been to Mississippi so I can't say as to whether or not the public racial tensions depicted in this book are entertainingly cliche or disturbingly spot on. Segregation legally ended, but in the hearts of the citizens of Clanton, it ended too soon. White on Black on White crimes invite protests, Klansmen, excessive use of the N-word, more violence, and the National Guard... It also illustrates weaknesses in the American Justice System that we are still dealing with today in the real world. Judges, lawyers, witnesses, and juries can all be manipulated by the desire for personal gain; re-election, money, or sense of safety. Which, forget Carl Lee, is bad for anyone ever convicted of a crime.

I will say in comparison to the movie; I'd say Jake is more or less the same. He's the picture of white, male entitlement. Possessing the arrogance of someone a little too used to getting his way. Carl Lee is portrayed as down right politically-incorrectly dumb. I do believe education is a problem, was then and still is now, but he believes wholeheartedly he's innocent of wrong doing and doesn't appear to understand why everyone is making a fuss. He's actually more likable in the movie on the basis of: nobody is that uneducated. He's black and poor, but he's not a caveman! Although the KKK might disagree... Truth be told, the Klan might have been decent character witnesses.

Grand Wizard: "He's not human because he's black!"

Jake Brigance: "I call for a mistrial! If my client isn't human, can he legally be charged with a crime?"

I liked this book even as I make fun of it, I swear I did.

I will say: Empathy and the lack thereof. It's why the book is good. Black vs. White. Republican vs. Democrat. Judges against Lawyers, and Lawyers against Juries. Nobody can empathize with each other. Not until the very end... and even then it's out of desperation. We're going to feel because it's our only way out. Empathy is also why the story is kind of weak in some places. These characters talk and do, but don't feel. The closest thing to an emotion is Jake being afraid to tell his wife the house burned down.

I liked the movie better, but the book's okay.

Review originally posted January 1, 2019 on GoodReads.

3 Stars