"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.
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?)
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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