Robert Whitlow: A Time to Stand

By Kelly Bridgewater

Adisa Johnson, a young African-American attorney, is living her dream of practicing law with a prestigious firm in downtown Atlanta. Then a split-second mistake changes the course of her career.

Left with no other options, Adisa returns to her hometown where a few days earlier a white police officer shot an unarmed black teen who is now lying comatose in the hospital.
Adisa is itching to jump into the fight as a special prosecutor, but feels pulled to do what she considers unthinkable—defend the officer.

As the court case unfolds, everyone in the small community must confront their own prejudices. Caught in the middle, Adisa also tries to chart her way along a path complicated by her budding relationship with a charismatic young preacher who leads the local movement demanding the police officer answer for his crime.

This highly relevant and gripping novel challenges us to ask what it means to forgive while seeking justice and to pursue reconciliation while loving others as ourselves.

From Amazon

My Thoughts:

I haven't read a lot of John Grisham or Robert Whitlow, but on the cover of Whitlow's latest book A Time to Stand, there is a recommended from the Library Journal that fans of John Grisham will like this book. Not being a fan of either book, I knew what I was getting into. With Whitlow's book, it usually centers around a lawyer or two and takes place in a courtroom. With A Time to Stand, this proved true.

The world of the lawyer and the courtroom really comes through in Whitlow's newest book. I really enjoyed learning about the background work of a lawyer. All the research they have to. How many appeals and times they could appear before a judge before the actual court hearing. The inside look into the lawyer profession made me want to take a closer look at the lawyer world.

The plot for A Time to Stand could have been about any of the numerous police shootings in the nightly news. This has been a hot topic for quite a while now. It is all most of us hear about. Whitlow probably received the idea while watching a news broadcast, but I can be totally wrong about that too. I don't know Whitlow.

The story is told from the point of view of the lawyer, Adisa Johnson, and the police officer, Luke Nelson. I never once got confused on whose perspective I was in. I enjoyed getting to know Luke as a person. This put a name, a background, and the feelings of the cop who was being dragged into the limelight front and center for me. I loved seeing him interact with his wife and daughter. He was a nice guy who happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. Now his life could be ruined because of the mistake. As for Adisa, I really liked how Whitlow made her go into the opposite side's world and show how they feel too. Even had Adisa struggle if she should represent the cop or fight against him. It made her more realistic. As for the plot twist, which you have to read the book to find out, I knew before it was told to us. I had a feeling early on that was what happened. No surprise for me.

The story is ultimately about forgiveness. Can we, as the human race, move on from these horrific actions and learn to forgive? Or we going to allow these issues to divide our country once again? I like how the element of forgiveness came from the most unlikely character in the story. I didn't see that happening, but I really liked it. This was a wonderful story that I enjoyed spending time with.

Overall, A Time to Stand by Robert Whitlow is a great and timely story about forgiveness that America desperately needs. I enjoyed the look into the lawyer and the cop's life and seeing what a struggle they had to go through. I believe fans of Whitlow's other books, Rachel Dylan, and Cara 

Putnam would enjoy this novel.

I received a complimentary copy of A Time to Stand by Robert Whitlow from Thomas Nelson Publishing, but the opinions stated are all my own.

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars