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Loading... A Civil Action (1995)by Jonathan Harr
None. a frustrating story. WE HATE THE JUDGE! (  )  mahallett | Jun 15, 2011 |  Second time around for this book, but it is such a wonderful example of how to tell a compelling story! (  ) Asperula | May 29, 2011 | KF228 .A7 H37 1996 (VJH) Farella | Mar 29, 2011 | 1998 katiemertz | Nov 21, 2009 | One of my best nonfiction is A Civil Action by Jonathan Harr. This book presents a real life courtroom drama pitting one aspiring lawyer against a coterie of company lawyers. The case is about the accountability of two large companies who dumped toxic wastes that contaminated the water source of the nearby community. It led to the deaths of children who became sick with cancer after exposure to said pollution. The ensuing protracted legal battle was very frustrating, nail-biting, dramatic, suspenseful, and engaging. It’s like a Grisham only with a better material, superior characterization, and moral grit. I cannot fully describe the book’s impact on me at the time I read it. I just remember that it made me both angry and hopeful. Angry about the extent to which powerful people will do everything to get around environmental laws, hopeful that there are decent people who will dedicate their lives to pursue environmental justice at all cost. Perhaps you have seen the movie starring John Travolta? Avoid it. ( )2  Rise | Nov 20, 2009 | no reviews | add a review
Amazon.com Amazon.com Review (ISBN 0679772677, Paperback)In America, when somebody does you wrong, you take 'em to court. W. R. Grace and Beatrice Foods had been dumping a cancer-causing industrial solvent into the water table of Woburn, Massachusetts, for years; in 1981, the families of eight leukemia victims sued. However, A Civil Action demonstrates powerfully that--even with the families' hotshot lawyers and the evidence on their side--justice is elusive, particularly when it involves malfeasance by megacorporations. Much of the legal infighting can cause the eyes to glaze. But the story is saved by great characters: the flawed, flamboyant Jan Schlichtmann and his group of bulldogs for the prosecution; Jerome Facher, the enigmatic lawyer for Beatrice, who proves to be more than a match; John J. Riley, the duplicitous, porcine tannery owner; and a host of others. It's impossible not to feel the drama of this methodical book, impossible not to grieve for the parents who lost children, and impossible not to share Schlichtmann's desperation as he runs out of money. A Civil Action reads like one long advertisement for a few well-placed Molotov cocktails. (But that wouldn't make for a very long book, now would it?)(retrieved from Amazon Thu, 14 Apr 2011 09:48:12 -0400) In this true story of an epic courtroom showdown, two of the nation's largest corporations stand accused of causing the deaths of children. Representing the bereaved parents, the unlikeliest of heroes emerges: a young, flamboyant Porsche-driving lawyer who hopes to win millions of dollars and ends up nearly losing everything, including his sanity. A searing, compelling tale of a legal system gone awry--one in which greed and power fight an unending struggle against justice--A Civil Action is also the story of how one determined man can ultimately make a difference. With an unstoppable narrative power, it is an unforgettable reading experience.… (more) |
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