Portraits of Guilt

Rating:
Summary: Not So Easy to Please
Review: I am an English professor and I tend to me very hard on authors, always looking for some way to correct. What was interesting about this book, was the story transported me out of my professor mode and into that of an extremely absorbed reader, walking by the side of this author through her amazing trials and tribulations. For that, I give it the highest marks. Boylan made me forget my own profession and instead took me on an eye opening journey deep inside of hers. I learned so much from "Portraits of Guilt" and would recommend it to others with vigor.

Rating:
Summary: Oprah Inspired
Review: We found this author's article in Oprah Magazine and so trust Oprah to provide us with strong woman characters that we decided to order this book as a club. Nine of the ten of us have already given it to friends and family to read. It is unusually written, fast paced and flows beautifully, but what I loved was the authenticity. It felt like I was reading a work of fiction because it reads like a well written novel, yet I was learning all about real life national cases along the way. Put simply, I felt it was an excellent use of my rare discretionary time.

Rating:
Summary: Reluctantly Recruited
Review: I resisted this choice of book for our July selection. I detest "cop stories" and thought this would be one. It's not. It is more like the anti-cop story. It is the story of courage, of an outsider taking on a cause. In the end of the book, (don't cheat) you find out what drives the central character and it is a turn that will break your heart. But the good she does in channeling her own pain is what will inspire you to do something grand with your own.

Rating:
Summary: At the risk of being redundant
Review: Sign me on. I give it a five star rating. This book has many stories inside, but the general theme is right over wrong, strength over weakness, honesty over deception, good over evil. The writer creates a compelling story by blending and weaving the tales of true cases into a singular format using her own story as the thread. The result is seemless and captivating.

Rating:
Summary: Aint easy being green
Review: I am a surgeon and a member of the RTR book club. As a woman in an essentially male dominated profession, I had to fight my way through medical school for acceptance and excell more than most men to be included in the ranks as an ordinary peer. The character in this non-fiction book spoke to me for her never ending battle in the in-house political realm of her work, just to be able to do her job. She has done it well is hailed now for her accomplishments, but she struggled every step of her career. I related to this story deeply and wanted to cheer out loud for her relentless pursuit of justice. Bravo! Excellent story.

Rating:
Summary: Favorite book of the year
Review: Hello again from our book club. Yes, we have decided to all submit reviews for Portraits of Guilt. After seeing it in Oprah, we decided to try this book about this unusual career to open our minds to different ways of life, but we found a woman who fights seemingly all alone, when others have been injured. So we want to speak out for her! She is a real inspiration. The book is well written, a pleasurable read and opens your eyes to what is really behind the walls of "justice.:

Rating:
Summary: Inspiring and authentic
Review: This author writes from the heart. She has paid a huge price for her dedication to fighting for justice. I looked at her on the cover and had my doubts that anyone so beautiful could offer much inside, and I was so wrong. Boylan writes with candor, not trying to impress or be "writerly" but trying to tell a story that needs to be told. It is why I buy books. As a club, it is our favorite book so far of this year.

Rating:
Summary: Second the motion!
Review: I also am from the right to read book club. We loved this book! We found that each of us related to it differently. I related to it as a mother and could place myself in a position of needing someone like the main character Jeanne Boylan, to come in and fight for me at my weakest moment. This book is compelling, honest and makes you want to get out and do more with your life.

Rating:
Summary: Right to Read Book Club Choice
Review: We are a book club of ten professional people. We learned of this book through Oprah Magazine in June of 2003 and found the subject interesting. But upon reading her biography, we found much more. It is rare to find woman of such depth and integrity in real life. As a first for our club, all ten of us agree and endorse this book, this author and offer thanks for the way she lives her life.

Rating:
Summary: Very weak
Review: This could have been an interesting book if the author had focused on the important stuff. The interview process she uses should have been fleshed out more. Instead we get lots of info on her flying around the country. There's more focus on "Inside Edition" and the like profiling her and the break-up of her marriage. This is a me, me, me-all about ME book. Very disappointing because it just misses the mark.