Reissue: Read about a lawyer fighting against an unfair justice system

A Knock at Midnight — Brittany K. Barnett

Hello, readers, and welcome to all new subscribers! I am starting a new(ish) job this week — I’ve been working there part-time but was recently brought on full-time! So I’m rerunning a recommendation from a year ago, which many people may not have seen. It’s a compelling memoir about one woman’s fight to confront too-harsh sentences for first-time drug offenders who were in the wrong place at the wrong time.

I also have an essay featured in the short-run newsletter Meet Cute Missives, all about rom-coms and all things romance!

A New Generation of Romance Writers are Putting Fat Characters on the Page

Let me know in the comments what you’re reading this week!

What to Read This Week

A Knock at Midnight by Brittany K. Barnett

What It’s About

Brittany Barnett is a well-respected and incredible corporate attorney. But when she comes across the case of Sharanda Jones while in law school, working toward her dream, she realizes her own life could have easily taken a very different turn. Sharanda, like so many Black Americans, was tried and convicted during the war on drugs during the 1990s and early 2000s, where sentencing was harsh and irreversible, no matter the crime. By saying the wrong thing to the wrong person one time, she was given up in a list of names — the police offered to reduce sentences for every name given over to authorities, no matter if they were actually involved in drug trafficking or not — and sentenced to life imprisonment. It was her first and only criminal offense. She had no chance of parole.

Brittany knew all too well how easy it was to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, having had an incredibly similar story to Sharanda’s growing up, and even having to visit her own mother in jail, who was arrested and convicted on drug charges.

Sharanda’s case was not the only one like this, and the further Brittany dug, the more she realized how unfair, unjust, and corrupt the system was, especially as the years went by and laws passed to change mandatory sentencing laws — they just didn’t change retroactively. Now, thousands of people were incarcerated under laws and sentences they would never have received today. Yet they still weren’t free. They were separated from their families — for life — for minor, first-time, nonviolent drug convictions, sometimes harsher sentences than those who were in prison for rape and assault.

Brittany’s story is incredible as she tells, from her own perspective, her experience becoming a lawyer and fighting to free Sharanda and others just like her, going all the way to the president of the United States to do so. Even though she was up against almost insurmountable odds, she did not give up in fighting for what was right and fair.

Why You Should Read It

I remember D.A.R.E. as a kid and being told that if we so much hear the word “drugs” we should tell a grown-up, because our life could be screwed up forever. I grew up thinking that anyone who was in the vicinity of them was a bad guy, not realizing that some kids and teens weren’t given a choice.

I’ve been thinking a lot about rights and freedom lately, as I suspect many people have. While it’s undoubtedly one of the scariest times I can remember, for many people of color, they’ve been experiencing this for decades. It’s important to remember they’ve been fighting against unfair systems for generations, and it’s important for white people to educate ourselves about this injustice. This is an excellent place to start in learning about the crack epidemic and who exactly the war on drugs affected.

Misc.

The first quarter of the year is over, and for me, that means a quick look at what I’ve been reading. I keep a detailed spreadsheet of my reads throughout the year — I started with Book Riot’s spreadsheet about 5 years ago, and have slowly adapted it into my own, with this year being the first I built from scratch!

I personally like my spreadsheet because I can track different stats that another website can’t give me, like the percentage of books I’m reading by authors of color, or how many books I’m reading from my own collection vs. library books. It also pleases my Enneagram 1 brain so much and is fun!

Here’s my January–March totals, and I love seeing the difference in habits. I was shocked at how many books I read in March! Are there any other stats you would like to see in the future? I love talking about my reading spreadsheet!

More Books

Can’t get enough, or looking for a different recommendation? Browse the archives, or check out some popular past recommendations: 

• Read about the dark history of an Oregon desert town and the ghosts that haunt it

• Read about a historical family inheritance that comes with a catch

• Read about a mom who accidentally pretends to be a famous author

I also love hearing from readers! Let me know what kinds of books you’re looking for that you’d like to see featured, or send in your most recent five-star read (or two) and get a recommendation just for you. You might be featured in an upcoming newsletter! Reply to this email to get in touch!

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