To Be Innocent or Not To Be by Valeria Aguilera Avila

During the 1980’s, an injustice occurred when an innocent man was to spend a life in prison. The Innocent Man, a historical legal drama based on a true story, is written as a non-fiction book by John Grisham. This book is about a man wrongly accused of murder and the obstacles two detectives faced in order to prove him guilty. Against the law, two detectives named Dennis Smith and Gary Rogers accused Ron Williamson of contributing to the assassination of Debbie Carter. Beginning with the murder, Ron was pressured and interrogated until he confessed to a crime he did not commit. He was psychologically unstable for some point of his life, from rehab facilities, which made him vulnerable and an “easy target” for the police department. Ron pleaded for his innocence and was sentenced to death.

            Overall, this book deserves four out of five stars. It began with a background of Ron Williamson and was thoroughly developed for a connection with the reader. Towards the end, it gives a new perspective into what happens during a case and what steps are made during a murder trial, which is an intriguing topic to read about. Throughout this non-fictional story, there were some vague parts where it became dull which made it a four out of five, but as a whole the book created a well-structured story. This book is directed for about ages 15 and up, as well as those who are interested in crime based books because it has clear content and has a variety of interpretation of the justice system in America. I recommend reading The Innocent Man because you gain knowledge about law work and a murder investigation including a compelling story about the life of Ron Williamson.