Trials Books

I purchased this Rachel Carson biography from the Ideas on Trial series for my 11 year old daughter after she had read and enjoyed another book from the series. This is a wonderful book that tells Rachel Carson's story from her nature walks with her mother as a young girl through to the publication of her world-altering book Silent Spring. The book is well paced for its audience and manages to remain engaging through to the end. In addition to the story of Rachel Carson, the reader learns about the conservation movement and other things through supplemental information contained in text boxes interspersed throughout the narrative. The result is as complete an understanding of Carson and the world that shaped her into the person she was as one could find in a book for this level. Highly recommended.

Bill Perri's book looks at priesthood from a different
angle, he sees the stresses and strains on a priest or minister
today but powerfully points out the solutions.
bill has long experience as a psychologist and spiritual director
and has helped many priests find peace and productive lives
in the ministry, his insights would help any priest or Bishop
to understand the priest they now live with and work with.
I would give this book 4 ****, its great.
james barry
chaplain
lutheran general hospital ,chicago

Most of you who have come across this work have probably read the Hornblower series, Rifleman Dodd, The Captain from Connecticut, etc. I recently started looking for some of the more obscure or hard to find works by C.S. Forester and this was one of them. This is the story of a World War I officer -- Charles Randall -- and his experiences in life ranging from the Great War, his wife (and her questionable morals), his success as an inventor and more. This work has the feel of a traditional fiction novel written in Forester's classic style. If you are looking for another naval story by Forester this is not for you, but if you like Forester overall and want to see how wide his range was then give this one a try.

A wonderful story of sacrifice and faith. Gripping. Very well written. Good history also. You delevop a deeper appreciation for the pioneers and what they were determined to go through to establish freedom to worship God in a time of persecution.

I purchased a cheap paperback from a local second hand book store on a whim and I was pleasantly surprised. Though may seem a bit passe given the collapse of the reigning Communist regime, the transcription of the 3 day trial of 8 protesters of the 1968 invasion of Czechoslovakia is truly absorbing. Old style Soviet justice is apparent from beginning to end as we truly see how the deck was stacked against these people. Those working in the legal profession, predominately attorney's will find the saga gripping and full of despair.

A very well articulated book, the author, not on trial herself as she was declared legally insane amazingly got ahold of these transcripts and were subsequently submitted to the West. Should have been translated into a play or movie.

Does anyone know if author Gorbanevskaya is alive today and if so where living? This book is a must own, a historical, under-rated sleeper.

"This impressive work, in the same league as Richard Kluger's Simple Justice, not only emphasizes the decision itself but wisely focuses on the internal working of the High Court and the all-important, often controversial nature of constitutional interpretation. This fine analysis is recommended for all libraries."
-- Library Journal

"A tremendously interesting and highly readable documentary history. This work will serve as a seminal source for those interested in the development, strategies, documents, and inner Court workings that resulted in the landmark Brown decision. At the same time, it will serve for the novice as a comprehensive guide to the judicial process much as Anthony Lewis' Gideon's Trumpet (1964) served for another generation. Whitman's analysis and commentary are first-rate and make this book an important one in the field of civil rights and the judicial process."
-- Choice

The authors have done a fantastic job of abbreviating the court process and have developed a thorough guide to the courts. I highly recommend this to anyone interested in self-representation in personal matters.

In "Representing O.J.; editor Gregg Barak makes use of meta-analysis to present a broad spectrum of views and commentary pertaining to the controversial "not guilty" verdict in the O.J. Simpson trial. Supported by contributed accounts, the editor paints a very disturbing picture of the African-American people's plight under the country's justice system. Also of particular interest is the role that the mass communications media is described as playing in the orchestration of periodic themes of violence that tend to depict members of racial minorities as having a monopoly on crime. Frenzied coverage of O.J. Simpson himself, Mike Tyson, Clarence Thomas and the dismissed Afro-American male juror whose crime was to look at a non-black female juror is presented as indicative of suck bias, and that's not all.

According to Barak and Co; themes such as the foregoing also have the effect of perpetuating the hegemonic order. As one contributor puts it, it is by means of legal fictions that the ruling class often criminalizes, manipulates, and otherwise controls political opponents and "uppity niggers" sic. He adds that occasional disorder actually serves to provide the ruling class with an excuse to tighten its grip on society by enacting harsher penal laws for society's so-called protection.

With regard to the "not guilty" verdict, the prevailing view seems to be that, that was a mere fluke since the factors that combined to influence it are non-existent in the majority of cases where Blacks fall foul of the law. Not everybody can afford the high legal fees that went into the Simpson defence and therefore they end up having to plea-bargain. The system was never meat to work for the African-American and therefore it would be naïve for anyone of them to believe that now it does. The book is surely an eye opener to anyone interested in the legal system and its impact on certain sectors of American society.

This is a rarity among English-language books on the subject: an examination of the posthumous appeal of Joan of Arc's case after the war. The book contains extensive excerpts from the testimony given by witnesses during the appeal, similar to "Joan of Arc By Herself and Her Witnesses" except focusing on the Rehabilitation testimony. These accounts from people who knew Joan bring the subject to life in a way that no other format can.

I read Reuban's Trial and couldn't put it down until I finished reading it. Its a story about a family that faces a holocaust,and it makes one realize that the same thing could happen to anyone. I especially enjoyed the parts about the soldiers in battle, and the street people with their struggles. This is a book I recommend because it shows the struggle of mankind against the forces of evil