The Innocent Man

This is the very first book that I have read by John Grisham and since then I bought all of his books.

I have read almost all of Grisham's books, so I was interested in this book simply as another Grisham novel. Then I read a description of the book, and realized that it is actually non-fiction. The story line still seemed interesting, so I ended up reading it. I had a few days off work, so I started reading it expecting to use it to fill up some inactive parts of the day. Instead I spent most of the next day-and-a-half reading, and I could hardly put the book down.
This book isn't quite as exciting as Grisham's novels, but it is still very interesting. It doesn't take you very long to get into the story, and by the time Ron was put on trial, I was starting to get moody and upset because of what I was reading. I have to say that much of the book is actually somewhat depressing with the depiction of the "authorities" and their underhanded work. Of course, the whole book is biased in favor of Ron's innocence, so the evidence could be somewhat biased and misrepresented, but overall, I think Grisham tried to present the facts fairly.

One of the main reasons that I did not give this book a 5-star rating is because of it's style. I'm not sure if it could be helped, considering it's non-fiction stance, but it was somewhat dry and boring throughout, and just enough drama to keep you fascinated.
Another reason for the 4-star rating is because of the inclusion of the Ward/Fontenot(sp?) issue. It is an important inclusion due to it being the first "dream confession", yet Grisham followed Ward to Death Row (he was there part of the time Williamson was there), but then he dropped the issue and barely made another reference to that issue for the rest of the book. Grisham did put a link to a website for further information about that case in the ending author's note, but in my opinion he should have spent either less time or more time writing about that case. As it was, it started out as an important issue, then it completely dropped out of sight.

Overall, I did enjoy this book, and I think it is a very important book. Few people think about the possibility of an innocent person being convicted. Of course, the advances in DNA evidence helps reduce the risk of convicting an innocent person, but it is still an important issue to be informed about. I highly recommend that people read this book.

Really interesting book. Scary too, because it's a true story. It could happen to any of us.

This is the first non-fiction book that I have ever tried to read. Kudos to John Grisham for learning about this story and for writing it. I have always heard of people going to prison for crimes that they did not commit, but have never known anyone. This story will make you open your eyes.

This novel is based on Ron Williamson, baseball hero in the small town of Ada, Ok. Ada had high hopes that their hero would be taken to the top in baseball. However, in his twenties, Williamson becomes a drunk and loses all hope of living as a major league baseball player.

Williamson starts living off of family and friends. He is unjustly arrested for the murder of a local girl and most townspeople believe that Ron did it. His family sticks by him, but it was very difficult for them.

Time happens and Ron remains in jail, on death row - for a crime that he did not commit. Ron develops a mental illness.

If you have never heard of this case, then I suggest that everyone reads this novel. I was shocked to find out that this really happened and had never heard of this before. I will not ruin the ending to the book, which is obvious if you pick up the book and read it. However, the life long struggle of Ron is worth reading about and it makes you think twice how your actions can lead you in the wrong direction in life. I pray that the Williamson family has found closure on the matter and that they have found peace. Sad, sad story. Pure injustice!

This book started out in the town of Ada where Ron Williamson was to be the next Mickey Mantle. He played all through his young career and became good enough to become a professional baseball player. He then left his small town to make his dreams come true and soon he signed with the Oakland A's. He returned to his hometown a couple of years later because he fell into the bad habits of alcohol and drug use. He couldn't maintain a job anymore and ended up moving back home with his mother.

In 1982, a waitress named Debbie Carter was murdered. The police were clueless of who the killer was, but they suspected Ron Williamson and his friend Dennis Fritz. Then the two were charged with capital murder and were sentenced to the death penalty.

In my opinion, the truth about the criminal justice system in America will shock you.

John Grisham did a great job in writing his first non-fiction book. This story was a page turner from the beginning to the end.