Tragic Indifference : One Man's Battle with the Auto Industry over the Dangers of SUVs

Rating:
Summary: Tragically, a True American Horror Story
Review: After reading the first 13 pages, your blood starts to boil. By the time one finishes this scathing 342 page book the reader wants to throw the book against the wall, or better, against the heads of company executives who deliberately make terrible, killing and maiming products.

"Tragic Indifference" documents, step by step, tragic, tear-inducing tale of indifference by Ford Motor Company and Firestone tires. Penenberg's book has been purchased for a film, not surprisingly because in a sense, it is a remake of the classic 1991 film "Class Action" which goes over the same grounds -- a car manufacturer indifferent to the death and disability of its riders.The more things changes...Only this is not fiction; every word is true.

Here the case is one car company, Ford and one tire company, Firestone, who make an ugly pair as they conspire (for purely economic reasons) to build an unsafe car and tires to match. They refuse to redress their errors because it is cheaper to pay the hidden-to-the-public legal settlements filed by those who have been killed or maimed, or permanently crippled. Out of sight, out of mind. Except it becomes open to the public when a reporter as tenacious as Penenberg, matches his writing talents with his investigative skills.

By the time you finish Penenberg's book, you will never purchase a Ford automobile or allow a Firestone tire on your car. You will reconsider the car you drive, and the tires you've purchased no matter the make or model.

There is more to this story -- the story of deliberate government indifference with a mindset bent on protecting corporate malfeasance. There are agencies created to protect the consumer, agencies who fail in every instance, to do just that. Penenberg points out how there is no limit to what corporate campaign funds can purchase. And the legislators whose only job is to protect their killing corporate fundraisers.

There are the personal injury attorneys. Here, we have a tiny body of lawyers who -- let's use the the worst kind of epithet -- ambulance chasers -- a term which by any measure of humanity should be a badge of honor. Who protects the poor, the unsophisticated from the ravages of a company who deliberately builds unsafe products? Are the poor less worthy, less entitled to justice? Is their pain and disbility less worthy because they are poor? The tort reform legislation always wandering around legislative halls is merely a product of companies who do not want to be detered or held liable for their killing and maiming products. The trial lawyers Penenberg writes about are true American heros, and it is wonderful that we can know them through this book.

And there will be the tears the reader will shed when reading that part of the settlement demanded by one woman crippled by the deliberately unsafe Ford car insists as part of her settlement that Ford attorneys come to her hospital bedside and apologize in person.The attorneys, of course, will be able to walk out after they finished. The woman will occupy a hospital bed for the rest of her unnaturally, shortened life. Penenberg forces the reader to consider -- how many millions of dollars make an equitable willing exchange for a life lost or being permantently crippled? How much for your arm? How much to live in a bed, unable to move your arms or legs? How much for your life?

Those are the questions "Tragic Indifference" forces you to contemplate.

Rating:
Summary: Great overview of a disturbing scandal
Review: Anyone who has been intrigued and disgusted by the corporate scandals of the past few years will love this book. Though it reads like a novel, it's based on hard facts and a ton of research, including interviews with all the people inside the scandal. What most set this book apart for me was the human part of the story. It follows Donna Bailey, a woman who was rendered quadriplegic by a Ford rollover. Most of the books out there tell you the facts, but this one gives it a heart. Donna's story is so tragic, it makes you hate the corporations even more. Not only did she fight back when she was on the brink of death, she refused to settle for anything less than a personal apology from Ford and a settlement that would cover her medical bills and more for the rest of her life. Her lawyer was amazing as well, paying for her expenses out of his pocket while the case was going through court. The book makes some of the characters so heroic as to seem a little one-sided, but it's a small price to pay for such a comprehensive study of the Ford/Firestone scandal all in one place. I couldn't put this book down, and I'd wholeheartedly recommend it.

Rating:
Summary: Best non-fiction account since A Civil Action
Review: I found Tragic Indifference to be a gripping and eye-opening account of corporate greed let loose by the deregulation of America's automotive industry. Author Penenberg, a rare example of the near extinct breed of the "investigative journalist" paints a harrowing picture of the utter lack of safety in the design of Ford's SUVs, and the company's shocking disregard for human life. Every person driving an SUV needs to read this book for their own safety and that of their families. I agree wholeheartedly with the review in "Mother Jones": "This gripping account of the Ford-Firestone debacle has all the elements of a Hollywood legal thriller - so it's no surprise that a film adaptation starring Michael Douglas is already in the works. The Victim, Donna Baily, is a single mother who became a quadriplegic after an SUV crash. Her lawyer, Tab Turner, is an affable cruisader, part Abicis Finch part Ralph Nader. Ford and Firestone meanwhile, implausibly deny any responsibilty until the bitter end. The little guy wins, of course, Bailey get $27 million in legal settlements and forces Ford lawyers to visit her at her hospital bed and apologize..."
Carmen Kordas, New York City, USA

Rating:
Summary: truly good reporting, terrifying subject!
Review: I truly believe this book should be added to the social history books that have helped make the average person more aware of some of the horrific injustices that occur, (especially when the government is in charge of "overseeing" a specific industry). This book immediately brought to mind Upton Sinclair's "The Jungle", Ralph Nadar's "Unsafe at Any Speed" and Eric Schlosser's "Fast Food Nation" - It makes you realize that if it wasn't for those authors and others - so much of what is happening in this country would go unnoticed.

Since I don't want to be redundent, I won't repeat what all the other positive reviews have been saying, you can read those for yourself (and yes- it is a page turner!), but I wanted to mention that one of the more striking things about this horrendous story of corporate greed is that you realize that as an individual you can make a difference. In addition to the really great lawyers who are out there working on the publics' behalf (if it wasn't for stories like this - you may not even realize that there are some great lawyers out there - thank you Tab Turner), you have to remember it takes a lot of courage to become a company whistleblower, putting yourself, family, friends let alone your future livelyhood on the line - in order to stand up for something you believe in. It's unfortunate that more of these people who stand up for what they believe in, are not supported and held in high esteem as heroes as I believe they should be (thank you Alan Hogan, Joan Claybrook, Sean Kane and others that were part of this story).

America's love affair with "bigger is better" and the constant need to "upsize" so many things in our life is put to shame by a story like this. I can't believe that anyone who reads this book would continue to drive their SUV's for "safety reasons," although I'm sure plenty of people will.
I highly recommend this book as the "must read" story of this year. Even if you are not a car enthusiast (and I'm not) I believe if you have the chance to read a few pages, you will be hooked to the very end. Thank you Adam Pennenberg (and his publishing team) for bringing this story back into the public's consciousness, it's one that anyone whose life comes in contact with the auto industry (if you drive a car, or even if you are just a passenger in a vehicle) should read!

Rating:
Summary: Riveting, and a GREAT read
Review: If you liked "Erin Brockovich" or "A Civil Action" you'll LOVE this book. It moves quickly yet still takes the time to explain how Ford engineers and Firestone managers cut corners to enhance profits. It's amazing now - I see older Explorers on the road and it scares the hell out of me. And as parents buy new vehicles - they give these high-mileage Explorers to their kids to drive, without even realizing how much danger there is. The story is truly inspiring.

Rating:
Summary: Passionate telling of the Explorer rollover issue
Review: It is heart rending to read about the lives torn apart in these horrible accidents. Mr. Penenberg writes effectively and persuasively about the pain, loss, and struggle of those injured and also the pain and struggle of their loved ones. However, his emotional style, while effective in producing sympathetic emotions, in the end undermines the case he is trying to make. Not that the case is necessarily wrong. It is just that he does not really prove it beyond an emotional conviction.

He does not use his journalistic detachment to let both sides speak and let the preponderance of the evidence fall where it may. He wants to convince us that Ford is wrong (and I am not saying they are or aren't) and that the lawyers are good. A couple of examples about the lawyers: Early in the book he introduces Tab Turner has having a private jet, but not a flashy one - the author calls it a Plymouth with wings. A few pages later he reveals it to be a Cessna Citation. This is a very nice jet and Turner is a very very rich man who for all his protestations of not caring about fees gathers them by the truckload. And it isn't until the second half of the book that we are shown the fighting over fees and the skullduggery in getting the client to unwittingly sign a new contingency fee arrangement without her healthy caregivers around. It is sickening.

But we all love our own lawyers when they help and protect us (as we should), and we think the other guy's lawyers are scum (unless they lose). That is the way it goes. And friends eventually become targets of suits in the name of justice. Again, it is hard to take, but it happens.

I believe that the book would have been stronger if he would have actually presented both sides of this issue fairly and completely. While the emotions of the case would then be a bit more confused, the reader would be better equipped to make a fair and clearer judgment about the case rather than the one the author wants you to make.

We all despise corporate decisions that expose people to death and injury to save a few dollars or because of carelessness and callous disregard. But we also despise attorneys making huge fees from tragically injured clients and stepping on endless numbers of people, justice, and truth to claim those fees. It isn't that this is a bad book. Rather, it could have been stronger by being more objective. Almost certainly, Ford and Firestone would not have been very forthcoming for interviews. However, when I was reading I kept hoping for more complete information about the accidents from multiple perspectives. The book is worth reading if you are interested in this story, but I could have used less direction from the author on how I was supposed to feel and more information about the facts - not just the defense lawyers' arguments.

Rating:
Summary: Passionate telling of the Explorer rollover issue
Review: It is heart rending to read about the lives torn apart in these horrible accidents. Mr. Penenberg writes effectively and persuasively about the pain, loss, and struggle of those injured and also the pain and struggle of their loved ones. However, his emotional style, while effective in producing sympathetic emotions, in the end undermines the case he is trying to make. Not that the case is necessarily wrong. It is just that he does not really prove it beyond an emotional conviction.

He does not use his journalistic detachment to let both sides speak and let the preponderance of the evidence fall where it may. He wants to convince us that Ford is wrong (and I am not saying they are or aren't) and that the lawyers are good. A couple of examples about the lawyers: Early in the book he introduces Tab Turner has having a private jet, but not a flashy one - the author calls it a Plymouth with wings. A few pages later he reveals it to be a Cessna Citation. This is a very nice jet and Turner is a very very rich man who for all his protestations of not caring about fees gathers them by the truckload. And it isn't until the second half of the book that we are shown the fighting over fees and the skullduggery in getting the client to unwittingly sign a new contingency fee arrangement without her healthy caregivers around. It is sickening.

But we all love our own lawyers when they help and protect us (as we should), and we think the other guy's lawyers are scum (unless they lose). That is the way it goes. And friends eventually become targets of suits in the name of justice. Again, it is hard to take, but it happens.

I believe that the book would have been stronger if he would have actually presented both sides of this issue fairly and completely. While the emotions of the case would then be a bit more confused, the reader would be better equipped to make a fair and clearer judgment about the case rather than the one the author wants you to make.

We all despise corporate decisions that expose people to death and injury to save a few dollars or because of carelessness and callous disregard. But we also despise attorneys making huge fees from tragically injured clients and stepping on endless numbers of people, justice, and truth to claim those fees. It isn't that this is a bad book. Rather, it could have been stronger by being more objective. Almost certainly, Ford and Firestone would not have been very forthcoming for interviews. However, when I was reading I kept hoping for more complete information about the accidents from multiple perspectives. The book is worth reading if you are interested in this story, but I could have used less direction from the author on how I was supposed to feel and more information about the facts - not just the defense lawyers' arguments.

Rating:
Summary: an excellent account
Review: Penenberg's account of Ford and Firestone and the battle to illuminate their malfeasance is driven by a transparent passion for justice. It is impossible not to become angered by the equally transparent desire of both corporations to put profits ahead of the wellbeing of the people who were killed or maimed by their products. It's not a new story in that regard, but this one is told so well, with such thorough research and excellent writing, that it ranks with the best of the genre. This is a fine fine book.