编辑推荐
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?)
内容简介
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.
作者简介
Jonathan Harr lives and works in Northampton, Massachusetts,
where he has taught nonfiction writing at Smith College. He is a
former staff writer at New England Monthly and has written
for The New Yorker and The New York Times
Magazine.
Harr spent nine years researching and writing A Civil
Action, which was published in 1995, subsequently nominated for
a National Book Award, and awarded the National Book Critics Circle
Award.