LOVE & JUSTICE

Inspirational account of a WNBA star and a wrongfully convicted prisoner striving for freedom and falling in love along the way.

This unique synthesis of sports memoir, romance, and social reporting affectingly captures the journeys of the authors. In their succinct conclusion, they write, “Twenty-three isn’t just a number on a basketball jersey but it is also the number of years it took to free a blameless juvenile.” The alternating narrative structure captures both of their voices as their young lives sharply digress. Raised by a loving but overwhelmed grandmother, Jonathan had drifted into small-time drug dealing as a teenager when, out of nowhere, he was charged in a violent home invasion and convicted at a trial where his alibi witnesses didn’t testify and exculpatory evidence was withheld. Upon arriving at Missouri State Prison in 1999, he notes, “I held out hope that someone would realize they had made a big mistake sending me to this hellhole.” Meanwhile, Maya grew up with the encouragement of her single mother (“We were a team”) and extended family as her athletic prowess became apparent. “Basketball,” she writes, “was perfect for me because there is never a down moment: You’re either on offense or defense.” While being recruited by top college teams, she also met Jonathan through her godparents, and she “grew to realize just how real and tragic Jonathan’s situation was.” Maya thoughtfully reflects on her meteoric career, starting with the University of Connecticut Huskies’ 90-game winning streak, through being the No. 1 pick in the 2011 WNBA draft, the first female Jordan brand ambassador, playing internationally, and other triumphs. As the authors recount, their romance blossomed organically, as touchingly revealed by letters and poems, even as Johnathan’s legal appeal gathered momentum, leading to the bittersweet triumph of his release, followed by marriage and parenthood. The book, often moving yet occasionally hampered by slow, repetitive writing, features a foreword by Bryan Stevenson.

A largely engaging tale of love, faith, and dedication.