From Publishers Weekly
Harvard professor and prolific author Dershowitz takes readers on a tour through some of the most celebrated-and intriguing-cases in the U.S. during the past 300 years. He begins with the most famous case in American colonial history-the Salem witch trial, which resulted in the deaths of 19 people-and continues through the current day, with the not yet decided case of the 9/11 detainees at Guantánamo Bay. Many of the 60 or so cases are famous (the Dred Scott decision, the Rosenberg trial), but others have been forgotten. Not surprisingly, the number of cases increase as he approaches recent history, and while there are some scandalous cases from the past, the majority of headline-grabbers, such as the O.J. Simpson trial and the Jean Harris-Scarsdale Diet doctor murder, are contemporary cases. Although the book has a cursory feel at times (each case runs only about six pages), Dershowitz displays a keen sense of history to go along with his knowledge of the law: he features cases that highlight changes in American history, and he misses little. He follows a simple format: listing the basic facts of the case, then offering his critique. Regarding the current Supreme Court, for example, he says he is "angry" that in the Bush-Gore decision, the court "took it upon itself to elect anyone at all." Those curious about the history of law will find this primer a good place to start. Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.


Book Description
Renowned attorney and bestselling author Alan M. Dershowitz reveals how notable trials throughout our history have helped to shape our nation. The Boston Massacre. The Dred Scott decision. The Chicago Seven. O.J. Simpson. These are some of the trials that have both shaped and fascinated American society since our nation began. Alan M. Dershowitz, who has been either a lawyer, consultant, or commentator on some of the most celebrated cases of the 1970s, 80s, and 90s, highlights the trials he believes to be the most significant in our history, and discusses how they were central to the development of America's political and social structure. Offering insights into the human condition, these trials serve as a historical document, chronicling the struggles and passions of their time. Ultimately, AMERICA ON TRIAL reveals what America--and in turn, Americans--are truly about.


Download Description
Was Clarence Darrow a hero or a jury tamperer? Was the ""evolution"" taught in the Scopes ""monkey"" trial really disguised racism? Did the Nuremberg trials free more Nazi war criminals than they convicted? Was Mike Tyson really guilty of rape? Great trials not only make great headlines, but also hold the keys to the passions and struggles of their times. In this fascinating and provocative survey, renowned defense attorney and bestselling author Alan M. Dershowitz aims a startlingly fresh spotlight on many of the most significant (and still controversial) cases in our nation's history, from the Salem witch trials to the ""witch-hunting"" trials of the McCarthy era.from the impeachment of Andrew Johnson to that of Bill Clinton.from the Dred Scott decision to Brown v. Board of Education.from Sacco and Vanzetti to the Rosenbergs.from the Lindbergh kidnapping to the McMartin day care scandal.from Lizzie Borden to Jean Harris...from the Nuremberg defendants to the detainees in Guantanamo Bay. And he reexamines the high-profile trials of recent decades in which he himself participated: the Pentagon Papers, the Chicago Seven, Claus von Bulow, O.J. Simpson, Mike Tyson, and Bush v. Gore. Through his eyes, we begin to understand how these trials-with their drama and profound legal implications-tell us much about where we as a nation have been, and where we are going. With both the authority of a preeminent legal scholar and the iconoclasm of a celebrated courtroom strategist, he shows how our constitutionally guaranteed rights are often flouted by even the highest courts of law. Defending these rights, sharing his unique insider perspective, and offering insights into both the human condition and the evolution of America through these trials, Alan M. Dershowitz once again is certain to arouse debate and controversy. Ultimately, AMERICA ON TRIAL goes far beyond the legal. It reveals what America-and, in turn, Americans-are truly about."


About the Author
Alan M. Dershowitz teaches at Harvard Law School and lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Renowned attorney and bestselling author Alan M. Dershowitz reveals how notable trials throughout our history have helped to shape our nation.

The Boston Massacre. The Dred Scott decision. The Chicago Seven. O.J. Simpson. These are some of the trials that have both shaped and fascinated American society since our nation began. Alan M. Dershowitz, who has been either a lawyer, consultant, or commentator on some of the most celebrated cases of the 1970s, 80s, and 90s, highlights the trials he believes to be the most significant in our history, and discusses how they were central to the development of America's political and social structure. Offering insights into the human condition, these trials serve as a historical document, chronicling the struggles and passions of their time. Ultimately, AMERICA ON TRIAL reveals what America—and in turn, Americans—are truly about.

Author Biography: Alan M. Dershowitz teaches at Harvard Law School and lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

SYNOPSIS

One might wonder how the trial of Mike Tyson or Lizzie Borden "transformed our nation" as opposed to other cases included by Dershowitz (law, Harvard U.), such as the Brown vs. Board of Education or Bush vs. Gore, but the reasoning behind the selection becomes clearer when he notes that the "basic criterion is passion" (i.e. a reflection of the passion of the times, arousing the passion of Americans, etc.). Basing his narratives of 64 American trials on the actual transcripts from the courtroom, he describes such cases as the trials of John Peter Zenger, Aaron Burr, Sacco and Vanzetti, Leopold and Loeb, the Rosenbergs, American Indian Movement activists, Bernhard Goetz, and John DeLorean. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

Harvard law professor Dershowitz discusses several dozen cases that he believes provide insight into the transformation of the country and its legal system from the colonial period to the present. As the broad historical sweep of the project suggests, he is forced to compromise by simplifying events that are, by their nature, complex. Consequently, readers familiar with these legal cases will find many of his conclusions one-dimensional. The following observation, drawn from the prologue, gives a sense of how rudimentary the historical treatment often is: "The American colonists were generally familiar with the stories of the Bible." Although Dershowitz claims to have read more trial transcripts than any other living lawyer, his recounting of the legal proceedings is remarkably lackluster. The whole enterprise has more than a little scent of student research about it, supplemented by observations that those familiar with the author's various hobbyhorses willrecognize: his contempt for Justices Scalia and Thomas, whom he implies would have voted to uphold slavery had they participated in the Dred Scott decision; his own self-aggrandizement as he offers critiques of other lawyers, such as Clarence Darrow and Robert Bennett; and his love for the clich masked as insight "[T]he acquittal of a guilty murderer may also constitute a miscarriage of justice." While the book reminds readers of many interesting cases that have lapsed into relative obscurity, it is not the place to look for their elucidation. Agent, Helen Rees. (May) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

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