A Civil Action

Rating:
Summary: Incredible
Review: I read this book as part of an Environmental and Energy Isues class in college. However, this book was no textbook. It reads like a John Grisham novel: fast, exciting and well written, and yet is actually a true story. Jan Schlichtman is a fascinating character that is examined in-depth to the extent that you truly feel like you know him and you have experienced the whole ordeal alongside him.

Rating:
Summary: I stayed up till 4am trying to finish book
Review: This book was too good for my own good. Like most legal thrillers that I have read, this book is centered around a courtroom case. Unlike most legal thrillers there was no flashy pants Tom Cruise/Mitch McDeere type guy - this book is based on real people who you really care about. I highly recommend this book, just try and pace yourself when you read it.

Rating:
Summary: The cost of justice
Review: After being hearing that my flight would be delayed and I would be stranded in an airport for over four hours, I used the last of the remaining money in my wallet to purchase A Civil Action. One day later, every page had been read. It was a book that read like fiction, but always in the front of my mind was that it was, in fact, true. As one of the future lawyers of America, I can honestly say that nothing I have ever seen or read has made me want to become a lawyer so much and at the same time made me not want to become a lawyer. The grittiness of Schlichtmann and his true desire for justice to be served was inspiring and compelling, but his imminent defeat at the hands of money, corruption, and greed brought tears to the eyes and a pain to the heart. It was a dose of reality that certainly made me think twice about our system of justice. For all those who live under the impression that America is fair, read A Civil Action.

Rating:
Summary: accurate description of complex litigation
Review: As a former plaintiffs' class action lawyer, I found this book to be the best written and most accurate description of the daily ups and downs of complex litigation. I had difficulty putting this book down and didn't want the story to end. The description of the trial in front of a federal judge was right on point. I highly recommend this book for anyone acquainted with litigation lawyers.

Rating:
Summary: I couldn't put this book down.
Review: A Civil Action grabs you from the first page and doesn't let go. For some reason, I felt like I had to read just one more section, just one more chapter, before I put it down. I felt Jan's frustration everytime he lost a motion and I felt the sadness of the families losing their children, one by one, to a disease with unexplainable origins. I am sharing this book with friends.

Rating:
Summary: An important book and a real page-turner!!
Review: I really loved this book. It got me hooked from the beginning until the end. I found it wonderfully told, depicting the people in it so incredibly vivid, and unfolding a case both tragic and compelling - a true story that reveals the disregard of toxic dumping & of getting those culpable to own up. The judge in the book is particularly disturbing in his rulings, and the ending, I found, very depressing. I kept hoping that Schlichtman and his firm would get for the leukemia families what they so aptly deserved. Thumbs up to Jonathan Haar for writing such an important & rich book. I truly enjoyed the imperfect but nonstop fighter hero, Schlichtman, and I look forward to his portrayal by John Travolta in the upcoming movie.

Rating:
Summary: A civil Action puts you in the middle of the action.
Review: From page one I could not put this book down. After reading most of the books on legal pursuits I would have to say this is the best. Instead of watching the story, I was living the story. If you could read only one book...make it A Civil Action.

Rating:
Summary: Hard to put down; lost 1 star due to disappointing ending
Review: With the movie coming out, I wanted to read the book first. Non-fiction accounts can be difficult to read, but this was more like a fictional story. The book was hard to put down, and I couldn't wait for the end. However, I felt the ending was disappointing; the story seemed to just fall off a literary cliff. The book was very worth reading--suspenseful, funny at times--a great look at trial action and the difficulties of finding truly unbiased members in a workable but often fallible court system. Enjoyable and recommended, but I hope that the movie version has better results than the true story!

Rating:
Summary: Harrowing True Saga of Pollution and the Search for Justice
Review: Jonathan Harr spent ten years on this account of how a newly-minted attorney (Jan Schlichtmann) took on Beatrice Foods and W. R Grace on behalf on multiple victims of polluted town water. Brilliantly written, it is a true story of death, greed, dedication, and justice.

Rating:
Summary: A very captivating and moving story of corporate abuse
Review: Jonathan Harr presents the story of the Woburn case in a very compelling way. His writing is very clear and one can't help but read 100 pages in one sitting.