« December, 2006 »
The Innocent Man 
by John Grisham (2007)
read: 9 December 2006
rating: [+]
category: non-fiction
I was up until 2:30 AM last night finishing this book. That should tell you all you need to know about my opinion of it. However, the book is too important to leave at that. The Innocent Man is Grisham’s first non-fiction book. If you didn’t know this was a true story you would never believe it. If Grisham had released this as fiction the critics probably would have panned it as too unbelievable a story. Unfortunately, it is all true. The small town of Ada, OK really did put two innocent people on death row, one of them chronically mental ill. His state appointed attorney was past his prime, and was blind, literally. There was no evidence to convict the two, so the state manufactured some with junk science and jailhouse snitches willing to say anything for a break on their sentences. There was a real prime suspect, but since he was busy selling drugs to the cops, they weren’t real interested in pursing him. The story takes a real dark turn when Ron Williamson gets to death row. Granted, prison should not be a pleasant place, but we as Americans should be well above refusing proper medical care to prisoners. Even as criminals they have some basic human rights. Not to mention all those in prison that aren’t really criminals. I fear that number is far higher than most of us want to believe. A side story in the book is Tommy Ward and Karl Fontenot. They were convicted and sentenced to life in the same small town after a confession that can only be viewed as extracted via mental torture. They are still in jail to this day. I don’t think there is any doubt that they are innocent. This is not one of Grisham’s lighthearted legal romps. This book is dark and depressing. There is no happy ending in freedom after 9 years on death row and 20+ years of mental illness. No government that can do this sort of stuff to its own citizens can be trusted with the power of life and death. Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. What power is more absolute than state sanctioned murder? Also, I gained a whole new respect for Barry Scheck. I only knew him previously as part of OJ’s defense team. However, he was instrumental in overturning this travesty of justice, and his organization The Innocence Project continues to work to free wrongly convicted persons. One more takeaway from the book. If you are ever brought in for questioning by the police, you don’t give them your fucking name until you have an attorney present. Yes, 99% of police officers in this country are upstanding people with your best interests in mind. Unfortunately, you never know when you are dealing with the 1%, and 1/100 is not good odds on your freedom, or your life.
The Android’s Dream
by John Scalzi (2007)
read: 6 December 2006
rating: [+]
category: scifi & fantasy
What if a ill timed fart started an international incident that could lead to the destruction of the earth? John Scalzi answers that question in his brilliant new book, The Android’s Dream. It is sort of a spy chase thriller, set in a future in which the US is a bottom feeder in the galactic equivalent of the UN. It’s exciting, and funny. There are more than a couple of LOL moments, and plenty of pop culture references too. There is a certain Hitcher’s Guide vibe to it, although the story does not get quite as ridiculous as H2G2. The ending actually makes sense in this book. It’s highly recommended.
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