A Nonfiction Recount Of Ada, Oklahoma By John Grisham

John Grisham’s opinions about the legal proceedings and laws in Ada, Oklahoma are clearly implied, even directly stated in some cases, in his nonfiction recount of Ron Williamson’s trial. He wanted to inform the general public of a tragic case of awful police work, prosecution, and a blatant disregard for the constitutional rights of average people. However, his true purpose was to convince his audience that there needs to be changes in the way high-profile cases are dealt with and that the death penalty must be repealed.

Although this is a nonfiction text, Grisham inserts sarcastic comments and is very meticulous about his placement of facts to undermine the work of the police and legal workers who were assigned this case. For example, in his chapter about the history and administration of the death penalty in Oklahoma, he inserts the comment, “…Oklahoma prefers to keep the

He inserts “random” tidbits of information about Glen Gore on the night of Carter’s murder that lead the reader to believe that his is the true murderer, “...years would pass before the Ada police finally took samples from Glen Gore, the last person seen with Debbie Carter before her murder” (15). Anyone who has heard a crime story knows that the aside from a spouse, the top suspect in a disappearance or murder is the last person seen with the victim. Grisham points out the unprofessional actions of the Ada police through his placement of the facts of the case. By doing this, he is suggesting what the police should have been doing rather than following fake leads and going after people who clearly had no involvement. In keeping with what W.E.B. DuBois stated, “Thus all art is propaganda and ever must be, despite the wailing of the purists… I do not care a damn for any art that is not used for propaganda”, The Innocent Man is a persuasive piece disguised as a nonfiction