Rating: ![5 stars](http://www.reviewfocus.com/images/stars-5-0.gif) Summary: Twenty Years Of Innocence Review: "Here comes the story of the Hurricane, the man the authorities came to blame, for something that he never done, put in a prison cell, but one time he could have been the champion of the world"- Bob Dylan in his song "Hurricane". This song was written in support of a man named Rubin "Hurricane" Carter who Dylan believed to be innocent of a conviction of triple murder. Carter, a professional boxer at the peak of his career, who happened to be in his hometown of Paterson, New Jersey at the time was pulled over by the cops while driving down the road with an old high school acquaintance, John Artis. Carter who has had many run-ins with the cops before, most often because he was a black man in a white man's society, did not know the reason he was brought to the police department this time. They accused him and John Artis of triple murder. The two of them had received three life sentences each for a crime that they did not even commit. They had many appeals which usually never favored him. The journey of this man is amazing, and to find out how the story ends get the book. I know that you think that you can predict the ending from this, but let me assure you that your idea is far from the truth.This book is easily one of my favorite novels of all time. The whole idea of the story is crazy all in itself, but the fact that it actually happened makes the book that much better. Hurricane, being such a fantastic book reads very quickly and there is not one paragraph anywhere that is not either inspiring or filled with wit and humor. For these reasons I definitely recommend this book to anyone at all.
Rating: ![4 stars](http://www.reviewfocus.com/images/stars-4-0.gif) Summary: Amazing Story Review: ..superbly written, gives a disturbing glimpse of our criminal justice system. warning: may cause you to review your position on a variety of social/legal issues. foremost,this book gives an astonishing account of the human spirit,there are many hero's in this one. read it!
Rating: ![2 stars](http://www.reviewfocus.com/images/stars-2-0.gif) Summary: Not at all what I expected.... having seen the movie Review: After having been moved to tears by the movie "Hurricane", wherein Denzel Washington portrayed the long-suffering, wrongly accused, beaten down Rubin Carter, I fully expected to be further moved by this book. It was not to be! In fact, this book pointed out the much less glamorous and hard side of Mr. Carter. The movie romanticized a person the book reveals to have been a rather unloveable, sometimes mean, ugly human being. I came to love Mr. Washington's version of Hurricane Carter, I can only fear the one in this book. Did your mama ever tell you, "I don't know what you did but I know you did something." Did you get spankings for things you may not have done, only to know that you really had done something even worse? Well, I think Mr. Carter served time for a crime he didn't commit, but in all probability deserved to serve time for crimes not discovered by the authorities.
Rating: ![4 stars](http://www.reviewfocus.com/images/stars-4-0.gif) Summary: Powerful story; good book. Review: After seeing the movie, I read this book and it filled in a lot of missing pieces. (what happened to the different players, who were the cops responsible in NJ, did Rubin and the Canadian lady have anything more than a friendship, what happened to Lazarus ...etc). I couldnt put the book down and found the story even more disconcerting in book form than the movie; since actual names and people were portrayed (in the movie for instance the changed the evil cops name...). In the book there is also an update (since the movie) to what has happened to Rubin et al, although, curiously, no mention of the movie itself.
Rating: ![5 stars](http://www.reviewfocus.com/images/stars-5-0.gif) Summary: The Amazing Story Of A Man Review: An amazing book of a man who was considered a triple racist murderer for 22 years. He spent countless hours in court trying to clear his name. This amazing book recounts a story of tragedy, and punishment. "Hurricane" recounts Rubin Carters story in great detail, leaving out nothing. It is a gripping book, a real life thriller. He never accepted the prison, and his fate. This could be what saved his life, and cleared his name. I highly recommend this book.
Rating: ![5 stars](http://www.reviewfocus.com/images/stars-5-0.gif) Summary: The Real Story Behind the Movie Review: As a lawyer and an African American I vaguely remember the story of Rubin Carter but did not follow it closely. When the movie came out I read the reviews with great interest. The reviews all said that the movie did not give the full story and it's obvious that you can't cram a whole life time and years of legal battling into a two hour movie. When I saw the movie I was intrigued by the story and ordered the book. I found the book well written, with excellent details. It tells the real story and gives the details of the legal battle in a reable form that is understandable by any reader. You get to know Rubin Carter by reading this book in a way that could never happen in the movies. It's well worth reading, although the story itself is a sad commentary on the rights of African Americans.
Rating: ![5 stars](http://www.reviewfocus.com/images/stars-5-0.gif) Summary: What If You're Standing B y the Sixteenth Round Review: Hurricane takes you deep into an unbelievable world of a corrupt justice system and a boxer fighting his greatest battle of all behind bars. Hirsch allows the facts to drive the story but his eloquent writing brings the scenes to life creating both an emotional and visual experience.
Rating: ![1 stars](http://www.reviewfocus.com/images/stars-1-0.gif) Summary: Here comes the lie of the Hurricane Review: Hurricane: Intriguing Hollywood story; oppression of the black man; total fricking lie. Rueben "Hurricane Carter" was a scum-bag, plain and simple. Granted, I too was intrigued by the movie which left with with an hunger for more knowledge on the subject. I buy this book. I read this book non-stop until I arrive at the part where the prosecutor handling one of his appeals tells Rueben that he will be set free, from prison, if he takes and passes a lie detector test. Rueben "Hurricane" Carter refuses this on principle! If i am innocent and i am offered release, from federal prison, upon satisfactory completion of a test, I would be falling over my feet trying to get there. But not the Hurricane, a life-long criminal refused a test based on 'principle'. I then turned to secondary sources to squish these evil thoughts i am having like "This story is a big fricking lie." I found myself at http://graphicwitness.com and staring at a mountain of inconsistencies. The afformentioned web-site is where all of this information comes from. RUEBEN "HURRICANE" CARTER WAS NEVER SET FREE BECAUSE OF NEW EVIDENCE, HE WAS SET FREE BECAUSE OF A PROCEDURAL ERROR. Ahh, i will not bore you with all of the other details that scumbag-Carter left out of his made for hollywood story. Feel free to go to this site.
Rating: ![5 stars](http://www.reviewfocus.com/images/stars-5-0.gif) Summary: Inspiration from the Least Likely Sources Review: I bought this book and read it in one day. I literally could not put it down. The story of Rubin Carter, who began his early adulthood as a violent predator in the ring, learned an ever-increasing lesson about power, injustice, and ultimately, humility. This is the predator's tale of learning what it feels like to be the hunted one, and is one man's journey to self-actualization, albeit at the hands of an inhuman society. While the movie gave a semi-authentic account of the legal transpirations, it gave very little detail as to the actual dynamics of the Canadian commune, particularly as to Rubin himself once he had gained his freedom. This book fills that void, particularly as to Rubin's relationship with Lisa and her domination of all in the group. What stands out in my mind is Skeet McClure's statement to Rubin about his relationship with the group -- "You've traded one prison for another." This book is dynamic, moving, and unforgettable.
Rating: ![5 stars](http://www.reviewfocus.com/images/stars-5-0.gif) Summary: Riveting story of personal transformation Review: I bought this book because I heard Rubin Hurricane Carter interviewed on NPR radio. In fact, I listened to the interview twice, I was so enthralled with the human spirit and wisdom that came through over the airwaves. Now that I'm reading the book, I'm even more taken with this man's journey. The book does not portray Carter as some kind of idol but as a many-sided human being who refused to be dominated and ultimately triumphed over his circumstances. Philosophically, the book gives me much to think about, and it's a riveting read, one of the best books I've read in the last few years (and I read about 400 books a year!).
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