Just Pursuit. A mini review.

Just Pursuit: A Black Prosecutor’s Fight for Fairness

By Laura Coates

Rating: 5/5 Stairs

Which starts like this

The pursuit of justice creates injustice.
Before I became a prosecutor, I never imagined that could be true. I thought that the job would be an uncomplicated act of patriotism and that justice was what happened when a person was fairly tried and convicted for their crime.
Just Pursuit

A formal Federal Prosecutor, Ms. Coates shares sixteen different stories from her time with the United States Department of Justice. These sixteen stories shed light on the justice system, each examines how sometimes what is deemed as just is not always right.

The stories she shares are powerful, and sometimes difficult to read. The stories are all different, focusing on different pieces of the prosecution cycle. Defendants in court. Victims in court. Witnesses. Interrogating suspects. Determining evidence to push for a trial. Sometimes it’s the process that ultimately is unjust. Sometimes it’s the bias of the judge. Each example is unique.

This is an important read. It doesn’t provide answers, just real life narratives that invite the reader to reflect on real-life examples she encountered in our justice system. Ms. Coates reflects throughout on her personal role in each case. It’s a book I didn’t open and read cover to cover, but I read one story at a time and let each sit with me for a while before picking the book up again to continue on.

Recommended for anyone interested in social justice, the justice system, or true crime.

Many thanks to NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book for review.