A Rush to Injustice by Nader Baydoun and R. Stephanie Good

This book is a recounting of the debacle that was the Duke Lacrosse rape case done by a Duke alum; both authors are attorneys also. I picked this one up at the Eagles Mere bookstore, and it was a perfectly quick read that was a bit of a break from some of the longer novels that I've been reading. I thought the book was well-researched, and the authors were careful to give validity to their criticisms of Nifong and the rape investigation itself using quotes from local attorneys, the accused boys, and the case documents that have been made public. I tend to be rather skeptical when it comes to popular recountings of popular cases, but I thought the authors did a pretty good job. Still, this book is anything but sympathetic to the officials dealing with this case. Often, the authors would include their own opinions and feelings about the case, both at the time of the announcements and in hindsight. Some people may be interested in this, but I got frustrated at times; I'd much rather have the authors tell the story without including their own opinions. It made it seem like much more of an "attack" style book, rather than a book about the case itself.

One thing that I thought the authors did a fantastic job on is the inclusion of primary sources: the newspaper editorials, letters to the editors, court proceedings, court documents, and public statements by the entire lacrosse team, Coach K, and the accused boys and their attorneys. I think it made the story much more lively...the stereotypical idea of "showing and not telling" what happened that made the whole investigation seem like such a sham. I definitely learned some things from these documents that I hadn't known before, in particular, the tendency of some of the Duke faculty to speak against the boys and college sports in general, before all the facts became public knowledge. Ultimately, the accused boys were vindicated since a NC official has publicly declared them "innocent" and the D.A. involved in the case has been brought up on ethics violations as a result of the case. Still, it remains an important event in popular understanding of college sports, college towns, race, gender and, on a more legal scale, the justice system. Hopefully, the very public downfall of this case will help prevent such a thing from occurring again.

Up next: I've been wavering between Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre and Jose Saramago's History of the Siege of Lisbon. I think I may go the way of Saramago just because it's a love story, which seems particularly appropriate for a good summer poolside read. We'll see how it goes.