A Civil Action

Author - Jonathan Harr ... [Goo?] [Posters]

This Paperback Book item from Vintage was reviewed on 13-Oct-2008.

Search ISBN:0679772677 offer from Abebooks or used books from Alibris. A Civil Action Reference Book. Classifications : General AAS Law New & Used Textbooks Custom Stores Specialty Stores Books General AAS Political Science Social Sciences New & Used Textbooks Custom Stores Specialty Stores Books General AAS Social Sci . Click the following link to view the cover of A Civil Action.

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1) Paperback Book A Civil Action by Vintage. A Civil Action is an exceptional legal story, very well written, and compelling for many reasons. How an environmental contaminant impacts the community in an almost imperceptible way, how an intuitive mother notices the leukemia cluster in children in the neighborhood and has a sense of the environmental cause long in advance of the medical or environmental protection community, how the families come together in their pain and loss and struggle to discover what caused their families´ leukemias and health problems, all of these are compelling, but the legal story has the reader so engrossed, that you need to read another 50-100 pages before bedtime! There were some scenes, usually involving Jan Schlictmann and the most despairing moments of the case, where I laughed like I haven´t laughed in years, mostly due to the author capturing so well the despair, irony and humor of the moment. After finishing the book, I marveled at how well written this story is from the inside perspective. This is a brilliant book and an exceptional story.¤

2) Paperback Book A Civil Action by Vintage. 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 the enterprises such as W. R. Grace and these people wanted justice. In conclusion these companies were indeed guilty. This action did indeed effect the people of Woburn MA..
However the very essence of the story is that Schelichmann expended every dollar and energy to defend the people who were wronged in their sufferings and deaths. These people came to represent the collateral damage of what big business did to a small town. In the end Schelichmann finally won. But at what price. In the end everything that represents a proper ending did happen. However at what cost? This was a well written book that does deserve its Five Stars.
¤

3) Paperback Book A Civil Action by Vintage. ´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, I, having always loved courtroom thrillers like ´Witness for the Prosecution´ and ´Twelve Angry Men´, found those parts enjoyable as well.

´A Civil Action´ is both depressing and inspiring: while I found myself echoing Jan Schlichtmann´s desire to strangle Judge Skinner, the book actually made me enthusiastic for carrying out the civic duty of serving as a juror -- or even going to law school myself! -- and helping justice be served better than it was for the people of Woburn.¤

4) Paperback Book A Civil Action by Vintage. 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 interested in environmental pollution or environmental law or just the lives of ordinary people impacted by chemical pollution in their own homes would enjoy reading this book. It was a surprising "must read" and one I would have missed had it not been an assignment for school. Glad I didn´t miss out!

Leilani
¤

5) Paperback Book A Civil Action by Vintage. A Civil Action 502 pgs.
by Jonathan Harr
Review by SpeekNDaTruuf


What happens when two of the nation´s largest companies are brought to court? All hell breaks loose... and it is into the depths of hell that we traverse in Jonathan Harr´s nonfictional court drama A Civil Action.

1960s. The age of youth, the age of revolution, and, yes, the age of cover-ups and
conspiracies. In the small town of Woburn, Massachussettes, two companies, W.R. Grace, a chemical plant, and the J. J. Riley Tannery, a division of Beatrice Foods, are polluting the town´s water supplies, commonly referred to as Wells G and H. As a result, a leukemia cluster develops, taking with it the lives of several small children and middle-aged adults.

1980s. The age of selfishness, the age of self interests. Jan Schlichtmann, a prosecutor at the top of his game, along with his cohorts, have decided to represent the plaintiffs in the Woburn environmental crisis. But they soon find out how greed, how hopes of fortune and fame, can cause those at the top to fall.

There were several aspects of this novel that I loved. One, for instance, was the number of significant characters. Usually, a book has a hero, and it focuses on that one person throughout the entire novel. A Civil Action, however, does not. Yes, it has a main character, but to me, the other characters´ interaction with the main character allows readers the ability to actually like the protagonist. I found myself often rooting for Jan Schlichtmann. And I wasn´t just rooting for him because he was the "hero." Although he has the title, we see him slipping into what I like to call "nervous breakdown" mode during this novel, and it´s not often that we see a main character as fleshed out as Jan. We see his highs, his lows... we hear about his hopes and dreams, and we watch them as they crumble around him. From what I have gathered, he is a good man, albeit only a character in a novel that I have just read.

Another aspect that I loved about A Civil Action was Harr´s inclusion of the average reader into the world of legal procedures. Now, as a fan of TNT´s Law & Order, I like to think that I am up-to-date on the matter of criminal procedures. But Harr showed me just how much I had to learn (and subsequently, how much more I need to learn). Readers are rewarded with insight into both the prosecutorial and defense procedures, and even though I was rooting for Schlichtmann, I couldn´t help but somewhat admire Facher (one of the defense attorneys for Beatrice Foods). I will not lie, though; I hated Judge Skinner!


Of course there´s more, but I might end up giving away half of the novel by detailing everything that I liked in this book. So, that being written, I have decided to reward Harr with FOUR STARS for A Civil Action. But don´t let my review speak for the novel. Here´s what others thought:

#1 National Bestseller
Winner -- National Book Critics Circle Award for Nonfiction
Cleveland Plain Dealer: "The legal thriller of the decade."

Here´s something else you may want to check out:
"A Civil Action", the movie, starring John Travolta, is now out on DVD. It came on one of the premium stations tonight, and I watched it for the first time. Although it wasn´t as detailed as the book (most movies never are), it was actually worth watching. It was good to put faces to the characters I´ve read about. I think you should check it out also. It didn´t get my 4 stars, but it did receive 3 from the "t.v. people."¤

6) Paperback Book A Civil Action by Vintage. "The legal thriller of the decade." --Cleveland Plain Dealer

Now a Major Motion Picture!

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.¤

7) Paperback Book A Civil Action by Vintage. 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?)¤

Page Updated: Robert N. Goolsby, 10-Nov-2008, 06797726779780679772675, 920-900-300-290-770-670-030-8

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