Rating: 
Summary: Read it before you exercise your free speech rights
Review: A lawyer friend who specializes in Constitutional Law recommended this book because I had told him how I had been expressing my point of view on Internet media like Yahoo! financial message boards. Before I read "Be Careful Who You SLAPP" I had no idea how much trouble you can get into simply by calling some company executive a liar or saying that they are fat. But according to the Federal and California judges in this book it doesn't seem to matter if what is said is true or not and the worst part is you can get sued and lose even if they haven't been damaged!
Delfino and Day's book is a real eye opener and for anyone and I mean anyone thinking themselves anonymous on the Internet or considering voicing their opinion about big business. Before you "post" the watch words here are read this book first and don't do it second!
Rating: 
Summary: Be careful what you read
Review: Discrimination in the work-place is unfortunately not a new phenomenan, but this most revealing book raises it to a new level. In "Be Careful Who You SLAPP" the authors detail a highly-visible California court case using testimony to demonstrate an unabashed misuse of stockholder resources by an unscrupulous mix of rich white executives. Blatantly disregarding company policies, the corporate evil-doers go so far as to use hidden surveillance cameras to watch their employees and customers go to the bathroom. I kid you not! Notwithstanding a mountain of evidence, the authors portray our failed legal system as unable or perhaps unwilling to stop Varian and corrupt billion dollar companies like them from abusing the civil liberties of America's common folk. The case is still pending and so the verdict awaits us all.
Rating:
Summary: SLAPP, domestic terrorism in America
Review: I'm no lawyer but if this book is truly representative of the goings on in today's American courts then we are in serious trouble. Delfino and Day are two scientists who do an extraordinary job of showing how a SLAPP, a civil lawsuit brought on by a rich corporation trying to hide its dirty laundry can easily destroy an American family. Their true life story is a tragedy for all concerned yet Delfino and Day bring several outrageously dysfunctional characters to life and create moments of laughter throughout that makes it an easy read. Each of 14 chapters is cleverly named and appropriately ascribed to a particular aspect of the case some of course more interesting than others but always well documented. SLAPP You SILLY, may favorite chapter, replays how another Jew turned Christian judge, turned what was supposed to be a jury trial into something out of the Spanish Inquisition hoping it seems that Delfino and Day would violate his illegal court order against further whistleblowing and land themselves in jail for contempt. The book ends with Delfino and Day whose very lives have been threatened still awaiting an appellate court decision that is certain to eventually make law that should protect us all from having to relive their SLAPP suit experience. You heard it here first: don't be surprised if this book is made into a dark comedy with Vince D'Onofrio playing the Varian executive with the gastrointestinal problem.
Rating:
Summary: I really enjoyed reading this book!
Review: It's a frightening fact-filled story by a couple of relatively unknown corporate whistleblowers that makes you feel sorry for anyone working at a company like Varian and Orrick. I simply can't believe to what lengths these corporate bullies will go to cover up a hostile work environment and try to hide gross mismanagement and at the highest levels. Thanks to Delfino and Day we now have this most disturbing tale of corporate corruption and judicial malfeasance that is certain to make you think twice about doing something as simple as using a company restroom.
Absolutely fascinating reading.
Rating:
Summary: Heard about it on KKUP radio
Review: Ordinarily I avoid books from small press but this casebound book from MoBeta is real quality. But what turned me on more than anything is the tomato red dust jacket with the four pictures on the back. The sheer audacity of the authors to display photographs of the major "terrorists" with the word "Guilty!" atop and below each picture is eye catching. With your mouth hanging open you ask yourself, "Man, can they do that?" The answer has got to be yes because I got the book in front of me. Besides the authors make a great argument for their case with some of the most outrageous behavior I have ever heard going on in, you guessed it, a California corporation. It is no wonder the company tried to censor the authors even before their book was published. There is no doubt that this book is hard to put down once you get past the first chapter and is definitely recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Court testimony, meticulous accounting & pride
Review: SLAPP is an acronym that stands for Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation. Be Careful Who You SLAPP is the true-life story of Michelangelo Delfino and Mary E. Day, two people who resisted the unjust lawsuit that Varian (a Fortune 500 company), brought against its critics for the personal gain of the corporate executives. Court testimony, meticulous accounting, pride, determination, and a strong test of wills comprise this involving read. SLAPP lawsuits have become a standard tool in a business or corporation's attempts to silence public and consumer criticism and perpetuate unethical (and even criminal) corporate behavior. Be Careful Who You SLAPP is a timely contribution to what has become an increasingly oppressive social issue.
Rating:
Summary: Vanity press, thy name is Delfino
Review: The authors want you to think David v. Goliath. Erin Brockovich v. PG&E. Karen Silkwood v. Kerr McGee. But although this is indeed a story of underdogs fighting for their rights, the moral shading is not quite black and white. And indeed, it's the shades of gray that make this real-life tale a fascinating one indeed.
The role of underdogs is played by Michelangelo Delfino and Mary Day, two research engineers fired after extended careers with high-tech equipment manufacturer Varian Corporation. When Varian's lawyer-heavies obtain a restraining order blocking Delfino from posting critical (and at times insulting) messages on Yahoo's financial message board, all hell breaks loose. Rather than buckling under the assault, Delfino and Day fight back, criticizing and insulting Varian and its exeutives all the more, devoting themselves with tenacity to their legal case, and even sacrificing their personal assets (including their houses) to underwrite the ever-ballooning fees of their attorneys.
Although Delfino and Day are both listed as authors, this is mainly Delfino's story penned by him in the first person. Day is his ever-loyal partner. One wonders at times whether her loyalty is slightly misplaced, since even by his own account, Delfino is no angel. His spin is always self-righteous, his postings are often crass and juvenile. And though he mocks the idea that anyone at Varian should have any legitimate reason to be afraid of him, one wonders. In the opening pages of the book, Delfino relates a previous incident in which "my inadvertent violation of a previous TRO [temporary restraining order] caused me to spend a night in jail." That conflict involved Delfino's "soon to be ex-wife" rather than an employer, but it suggests a man somewhat less than Gandhian in the realm of interpersonal relationships. According to Delfino, that incident ended with a two-hour standoff in which "no less than six male police officers" occupied his house before arresting him "in full view of my children."
Delfino's self-admitted history hangs over the story like a cloud, but it does make things twice as interesting as they would be if Delfino were a proven saint. On the one hand, one can't help but admire the underdog--in this case two ordinary people with the moxie to take on a big company like Varian. Delfino and Day are smart, energetic, and resourceful. And they have fun when they fight. In contrast, the corporate executives and attorneys arrayed against them seem bloated, passionless, and utterly without humor. Varian comes off like the United States fighting the Vietnam War under LBJ, bogged down in a conflict against a smaller but feistier adversary.
On the other hand, one can't avoid the nagging question: given Delfino's own apparent self-admitted domestic history, was Varian's seemingly overbearing use of a restraining order at least partly motivated by a legitimate desire to protect its employees?
This, of course, is the nature of reality. Real people don't live pretty, perfect lives. Often bright people do stupid things. And sometimes, it is people whose behavior may at times offend or even scare others who force us all to confront the question of whether we really do want to live in a free country, with all that implies, or in something less.
Rating: 
Summary: Truth is more interesting than fiction
Review: The authors want you to think David v. Goliath. Erin Brockovich v. PG&E. Karen Silkwood v. Kerr McGee. But although this is indeed a story of underdogs fighting for their rights, the moral shading is not quite black and white. And indeed, it's the shades of gray that make this real-life tale a fascinating one indeed.
The role of underdogs is played by Michelangelo Delfino and Mary Day, two research engineers fired after extended careers with high-tech equipment manufacturer Varian Corporation. When Varian's lawyer-heavies obtain a restraining order blocking Delfino from posting critical (and at times insulting) messages on Yahoo's financial message board, all hell breaks loose. Rather than buckling under the assault, Delfino and Day fight back, criticizing and insulting Varian and its exeutives all the more, devoting themselves with tenacity to their legal case, and even sacrificing their personal assets (including their houses) to underwrite the ever-ballooning fees of their attorneys.
Although Delfino and Day are both listed as authors, this is mainly Delfino's story penned by him in the first person. Day is his ever-loyal partner. One wonders at times whether her loyalty is slightly misplaced, since even by his own account, Delfino is no angel. His spin is always self-righteous, his postings are often crass and juvenile. And though he mocks the idea that anyone at Varian should have any legitimate reason to be afraid of him, one wonders. In the opening pages of the book, Delfino relates a previous incident in which "my inadvertent violation of a previous TRO [temporary restraining order] caused me to spend a night in jail." That conflict involved Delfino's "soon to be ex-wife" rather than an employer, but it suggests a man somewhat less than Gandhian in the realm of interpersonal relationships. According to Delfino, that incident ended with a two-hour standoff in which "no less than six male police officers" occupied his house before arresting him "in full view of my children."
Delfino's self-admitted history hangs over the story like a cloud, but it does make things twice as interesting as they would be if Delfino were a proven saint. On the one hand, one can't help but admire the underdog--in this case two ordinary people with the moxie to take on a big company like Varian. Delfino and Day are smart, energetic, and resourceful. And they have fun when they fight. In contrast, the corporate executives and attorneys arrayed against them seem bloated, passionless, and utterly without humor. Varian comes off like the United States fighting the Vietnam War under LBJ, bogged down in a conflict against a smaller but feistier adversary.
On the other hand, one can't avoid the nagging question: given Delfino's own apparent self-admitted domestic history, was Varian's seemingly overbearing use of a restraining order at least partly motivated by a legitimate desire to protect its employees?
This, of course, is the nature of reality. Real people don't live pretty, perfect lives. Often bright people do stupid things. And sometimes, it is people whose behavior may at times offend or even scare others who force us all to confront the question of whether we really do want to live in a free country, with all that implies, or in something less.
Rating:
Summary: Vanity press, thy name is Delfino
Review: There's no question regarding the aggressive and insidious use of SLAPP lawsuits by corporations. On that issue, this book succeeds in scaring the reader adequately. As regards the quality of writing, the flow, the clarity, this is a tough read. The inserted copies of emails are formatted in a manner making them difficult to discern the author. Plus Delfino's admitted use of aliases requires a program to figure out who is writing about whom. Copies of transcripts of depositions run on at length to which you forget what the author was trying to demonstrate. It certainly adds filler, but does not necessarily add clarity or understanding. At times you just want the author to get to the point. This was published by the corporation set up by Delfino and Day after their firing/resignation from Varian, so should not be considered an objective analysis, rather it is their side of the story. The writing is begging for an editor, but since it was self published, I would not imagine that was done. Could someone please provide Mr. Delfino with a lesson the use of the subjective "I" and the objective "me?" He, like many, feel that random use of "I" makes one sound intelligent. Wrong! This incessant misuse of pronouns indicates a general sloppiness in writing, absent editing, and detracts from the book. In fact, it would be interesting to have this book rewritten by a professional and edited by a professional. I think it would be even more powerful. As published, it comes off as the rantings of an employee from hell. So you end up with two sets of unappealing characters, the Varian corporate jerks, and the employee you never want to show up in your office. When you dislike both sides equally, you have to work to gather the real
merit of the book, which is the threat of a major corporation choosing you to be its next target. But, honestly, I kept saying to myself, "I am so glad this guy didn't work for me."
Rating:
Summary: Be careful what you read
Review: This book is a discussion, at times long-winded, that is centered around a free speech court case pitting former employees against their employer. It wasn't long before I realized that the overall viewpoint of this tome was slanted towards the former employees, due to the "victim" theme that permeates from chapter to chapter. It's a shame their efforts fell short, because this is a unique case that deserves to be heard. However, in the end I felt I only heard one side of the story, and was left wanting to hear the other. Had the authors presented a more balanced reporting of the situation, I might have considered a higher recommendation. That was not the case, so I could only give it two stars for effort, and nothing more.
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