by Jonathan Harr
from Thorndike Pr
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Editorial ReviewNonfictionLarge Print Edition*A New York Times Bestseller*Rated Best Book of the Year by Entertainment Weekly*Soon to be a Disney movieA page-turner. So rich and vivid that it becomes a good deal more than a simple, interesting case study. New York TimesTwo of the nations largest corporations stood accused of the deaths of children in the small town of Woburn, Massachusetts in the sort of case that rings alarms in corporate boardrooms all across America. In an epic nine-year struggle, powerful and well-connected business interests were confronted. Jan Schlichtmann was the young, idealistic lawyer who sacrificed everything home, friends, and reputation not for money, but for what he believed to be the truth. Every element of great drama--tragic deaths, titanic greed, a flawed hero--already existed in Jonathan Harr's A Civil Action. John Shea's reading provides the finishing touch: a great voice. Shea, an Obie Award-winning stage actor, is probably best known for his roles in a handful of films in the '80s, including Missing and Windy City. His smooth, disciplined reading guides us through some of the book's heavy traffic--lots of medical information, many characters with complex backgrounds, multiple carcinogenic chemicals--without for a second allowing us to get lost in those details. We never forget we're heading toward one of modern journalism's great clashes of good and evil, and even if we know in advance which side wins, the narrative path to that conclusion is always riveting. (Running time: 4 hours, 4 cassettes) --Lou Schuler
Customer Reviews:
- Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0
- better than the movie
I'm a law student who read the book for a Civil Procedure class. The book was a little longer than it needed to be perhaps, but it included a lot of great personalities and a compelling litigation story. Not courtroom drama, but the entire drama surrounding a huge suit from start to finish. It's an especially great look at a lot of the rules behind trials (that's why we read it for class) and yet still accessible for someone with no background in law. This author is quite good; one of my favorite books is... more info
- In search of the Truth!
Jonathan Harr has written a classic true story which if you were a person who reads novels would embrace it as a great novel. However, it was not fiction and it really did happen. Jan Schelichmann was the lawyer who made it happen. His relentless attack on W. R. Grace and their army of lawyers are a thing of legend.
What happened in Woburn Massachusetts in the late 1960's and into the 1970's was the contamination of the water supply. Hence the people in that town suffered from the cancers caused by... more info
- Marvellous look at the judicial system
'A Civil Action' is the story of a monster legal battle that spanned the 1980s; the fact that it is a true story makes the book all the more compelling. Harr ties together questions of the integrity of the judicial system, attorney ethics, and environmental responsibility with seamless prose. It's truly a pleasure, if not addictive, to read (I devoured it in a day and a half, despite its large page count), and though it lags a little around the middle with the long descriptions of litigation and procedure,... more info
- Easy Read
I had to read this book for an environmental law class. I wasn't thrilled being forced to read it but I have to admit, it was an easy read and easy to understand book. The case was gripping and frustrating for those involved in the real-life story. I had to make a timeline of events that took place throughout the book for class and I was able to do that with the information the author provided. I still have not watched the movie but I learned a great deal about this case by reading this book. Anyone... more info
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