A Knock at Midnight: A Story of Hope, Justice, and Freedom

When I went to law school in 19(mumble mumble) I thought I was going to be a justice warrior. My first summer I worked on criminal appeals. My first matter was an appeal of a 20-life sentence for a drug dealer who had, with a couple friends, kidnapped the younger siblings of a rival, (a 14 year old boy and a 9 year old girl), taken them to the machine room that is on the roof of every high rise building in the projects, tied them up, repeatedly raped the 9 year-old girl while they made her brother watch, stabbing him non-mortally every time he made a sound - over 40 stab wounds in total. There was no question this had happened. There were witnesses to the kids being taken and they risked their lives to testify. The boy testified as show more well, and he knew well the people who had done this. The bad news is that I found several issues that might constitute reversible error. In fact, 3 years after my painful stint as a summer justice warrior the sentence was overturned. I knew immediately after finishing my summer I could not do that again and so I turned my hand to making sure that your Hello Kitty purses were cheaply manufactured, the nameplates bearing the makers' trademarks were affixed to your elevators and escalators, and that if you had a purple pill you would know it was the brand name product and not a generic equivalent. But just because I was a whiny weakling does not mean that I ever lost my respect, nay veneration, for the people who do the hard work of seeing justice done in our deeply flawed and stunningly racist justice system in America. Having said that, there is not much else to say other than Brittany Barnnett is a fucking hero. Luckily she is a fuckng hero who writes really well. She tells her story and the stories of her clients. 7 of whom she got out of jail free, with grace and restraint and builds empathy on every page. She even made me respect Kim Kardashian and Diddy, who are helping her fight and win the good fight. People should know how many people are still serving life sentences for selling a gram or two of crack. The law has changed because at some point everyone realized the constitutional and ethical shortfalls for the absurd and spectacularly racist war on drugs, That does not, however, help the people who were thrown away during those years since the abolition of those laws had no retroactive effect. BTW, we can hate Reagan for this, and I do, but as much or more of the blame goes to the Clinton DOJ. This is an important book because it tells a story most white people have not heard and also because it connects us all to the work being done by Bennett and others (including Kim Kardashian) to change this story. I urge everyone to read A Knock at Midnight, and to consider a donation to The Buried Alive Project which you can learn more about here https://www.buriedaliveproject.org/. show less

This is an incredibly beautifully written account of the author’s extraordinary life and her commitment to working for people our society has just thrown away. Her work fighting for individuals tragically caught up in the flawed and failed War of Drugs and the insane rush to lock up as many people as possible is inspiring and humbling. I highly recommend this book to inspire and enrage the reader. Celebrate the wins of the author and her clients. Be infuriated at what the system has done to them and inspired by the faith they have that things will turn out for the better.

A Knock at Midnight by Brittany K. Barnett is a 2020 Crown publishing group publication.

A Compulsory and eye-opening memoir!

Brittany K. Barnett writes a compelling memoir chronicling her journey to combat injustice. She had her own personal hurdles to jump over, but her experiences prepared her to accept her true calling.

Brittany Barnett’s personal experiences aided her when she began digging around in the criminal legal process. Her own mother had a serious drug addiction and spent two years in prison. But, when Brittany begins to look closely at the case of Sharanda Jones, it becomes obvious the punishment far exceeded the crime.

From there, Brittany, in her determination to help Jones, is met with a massive brick wall, show more disappointments and setbacks. Eventually, with her options running out, she turns to the Obama Administration’s clemency initiative for help.

Sharanda’s case is the not the only case Brittany worked on. In fact, she is so dedicated to the cause, and the need so great, for someone like her to champion for people serving life sentences for lesser, non-violent drug offenses, she eventually left the corporate world to dedicate herself to fighting injustice.

While the draconian sentences, the criminal legal process, and mass incarceration could easily break one’s spirit, Brittany’s Pro-Bono work is focused on the victories, on the promise of hope. While she certainly gives readers an up close and personal view at the system’s failures, outlining its flaws passionately, she doesn't veer off into preachy pulpit pounding, and shows respect for those forced to work within the system as it is.

The balance between sharing her personal life and professional life is perhaps too intertwined for one to get a better read on Brittany as a private citizen, which is too bad, as she strikes me as a person one might want to get to know better.

Other than this one small regret, I highly recommend this book. It is education, heartbreaking, inspirational and hopeful! show less

A Knock at Midnight ended up being a timely and insightful book that is part memoir and part a deep dive into the flaws of our judicial system in America, particularly for people of color.

Currently, racism in our country often hides under the surface through systemic injustices that are not always easy to see at first glance. A place these systemic injustices are incredibly prevalent is in our American justice system. Author Brittany Barnett sought to make changes after seeing the harsh prison sentencing her own mother faced for possession of drugs as a black woman. This inhumane incarceration had devastating emotional effects on Barnett and her family.

Ultimately, Barnett took these life-changing childhood experiences and worked towards show more helping other families as she pursued her goal of attaining her own law degree to advocate for change. She shares her personal stories of what drug addiction looked like in her own family, and also how our country responded during Reagan's "war on drugs" in the 1980s which disproportionately affected people of color with much harsher sentencing for minor felonies.

Barnett became a crusader for change and A Knock at Midnight shares the fights she took on with her own clients in the quest to find justice, showing just how powerful even one voice can be. Barnett is a survivor and her own resiliency not only helped shape her own life but so many others along the way.

Through her own pro-bono work and her non-profits The Buried Alive Project and G.E.M, Girls Embracing Mothers, Barnett has made an impact on so many. This book is compelling, eye-opening, and shows the power of just one person, in the fight for social justice and long-lasting change.

Thank you to Crown Publishing for a gifted copy in change for my honest review. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own. You can read this and other book reviews at gentehbookworm.com show less

Another amazing social justice book, very much like Bryan Stevenson's Just Mercy. From an early age, Brittany Barnett was much too familiar with the ravaging effects on a family of drug dependency, specifically her mother's problem, who was incarcerated. Assured by her grandparents that she could accomplish great things, Brittany went to law school in Texas, and had friends and acquaintances ask her for legal advice long before graduation. While managing school or a law career first at a local firm and subsequently with a international Japanese trading company, Brittany decided to spend her spare time (or sacrificing sleep) to help victims of poor governmental drug policy. Specifically, the 100:1 punishment for crack versus powder show more cocaine, which clearly and disproportionately impacted the poor and people of color communities. There are several heart-wrenching stories of people sent to jail for small possession crimes, ratted out by major drug dealers in return for lighter sentences, several with exemplary records in prison with life sentences. Brittany worked tirelessly and got seven people released with clemency from President Obama, and has found her life's calling. Recommended reading for all. show less

This is an exceptional book. It is exceptionally written, beautifully narrated, and about exceptional people.

Brittany K. Barnett is a successful accountant who has overcome some issues in her own history but through love, support and belief is truly thriving in her field as well as at a law student about to practice corporate law.

The course of Brittany's life is altered and enhanced by a law school class when she learns of Sharanda Jones. Sharanda, a young mother, when she received a life in the war on drugs. With emphasis on Sharanda we learn of other prisoners serving draconian terms.

I highly recommend this book. It's eye opening and much work is still needed.

This book highlights the very real harm that unjust sentencing laws do, not only to the black people that are burdened with ridiculous sentences but also to their families and communities. I read an advanced copy of this on Edelweiss.