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Binding: Mass Market Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 345.76602523
EAN: 9780440243830
Edition: First
ISBN: 0440243831
Label: Dell
Manufacturer: Dell
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 448
Publication Date: November 20, 2007
Publisher: Dell
Release Date: November 20, 2007
Studio: Dell
Features:- ISBN13: 9780440243830
- Condition: NEW
- Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
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Editorial Review:
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.
Average Rating: 
Rating:  -
I think one of the things I missed most about this book was the John Grisham charm. He still added his touches to the story, but you could tell it wasn't his story.
Still, I am shocked and saddened at what happened in this story. Not only the inhumane treatment that Ron suffered at the hands of the guards at McAlester, but just in general that he and Dennis sat in jail and on Death Row for almost twelve years before they were proven innocent. I was outraged everytime I saw Bill Peterson's ... Read More
Rating: -
The Innocent Man is John Grisham's first venture into non-fiction, and it is not clear that he really understands the difference between fiction and non-fiction. All in all, it is a good book. I can see how Grisham was attracted to Williamson's story, a small town Oklahoma star baseball athlete who washed out in the low minors and then went into freefall.
Williamson spent years on death row convicted of rape and murder, finally exonerated by DNA evidence and set free, living a few years until ... Read More
Rating: -
Debbie Carter-killed 12/82.
Ada PD & OSBI sloppy police work.
District attorney-Bill Peterson-denied
Williamson justice.
The state prison- poor health care as Ron
went slowly insane.
Jude Frank Seay-justice granted.
Ronald Keith Williamson- 2/3/53 to 12/4/04
mental patient, druggie, drunk, strong survivor,
wrongly convicted in 1988 & exonerated 4/15/99.
****
Grisham says if you believe in innocent until ... Read More
Rating:  -
The important story, well told as you would expect from Mr. Grisham, warrants five stars. The writer's all too obvious agenda and bias are only worth one star.
If you read this book, be sure to also read district attorney Bill Peterson's account of the same events at [...]: it is as well written and valuable as The Innocent Man, and brings to harsh light many of the faults of the book.
Rating:  -
This was a great book as it was based on a true story. It was an eye opener to how people with mental illness need to get diagnosed without stigma. In the end there is hope.
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