"Until Proven Innocent/Political Correctness and the Shameful Injustices of the Duke Lacrosse Rape Case" [is] a devastating indictment of the culture, on campus and off, that supported Nifong during his handling of the case and enabled his election last November, even when fair-minded people recognized his wrongful prosecution.
There's no need to repeat the familiar violations of legal procedures and professional ethics that led to Nifong's disbarment and brief jail sentence for contempt of court.
More revealing to readers will be the authors' accounting of what the Durham council doesn't want the public to know about police officers' complicity. It explains why the city is apparently so willing to negotiate with attorneys for Evans, Seligmann and Finnerty who are threatening a multimillion-dollar lawsuit.
Taylor and Johnson detail Nifong's successful effort to win political backing among Durham's black leaders, a motivating factor for the DA to charge after indictments even without credible evidence to justify the allegations.
Even more alarming, as documented by the authors, was the behavior of radical Duke faculty members, mostly drawn from race, gender and class studies programs, for whom accusations that privileged white, male athletes raped a poor black woman confirmed preconceived notions about power, exploitation and injustice. Instead of sifting facts from lies or allowing due process, they joined the chorus of condemnation and hatred, from which Nifong drew moral validation. Duke President Richard Brodhead and his lieutenants weren't much better, in Taylor and Johnson's view.
There are good guys in their book, as well: Duke Law Professor James Coleman, an African American and expert in legal ethics and innocence issues, who spoke out early for truth; the N.C. State Bar, which effectively knocked Nifong off the case; N.C. Attorney General Roy Cooper, who ultimately declared the defendants innocent and the charges a fabrication; the defense attorneys, whose extraordinary efforts uncovered critical evidence Nifong tried to hide; and Evans, Seligmann, Finnerty, their coaches, teammates and families, who endured a terrible ordeal with perseverance and dignity.
"Until Proven Innocent" should be on reading lists at Duke and throughout Durham, but it may be the last thing people there want to talk about.
Read the entire column here.
14 comments:
Excellent review - Durham and Duke for that matter can no longer try to ignore this situation especially when the reviews are so close to home.
Your book sets the record straight, but more importantly becomes a history lesson of shame and mute witness to what was done to the Lax players in the name of political correctness and racism. Both Durham and Duke will forever live in shame.
¡ Muy excellente !
Very nice and positive review.
B&N has UPI shipping one to two weeks out. So I guess those other printings take a little while. B&N is usually much faster than Amazon at getting books to me - I have a membership there which is why they are my preferred bookstore.
KC,
Do you get any breakdowns of how the book is selling by region? Just wondered if the locals are buying it or avoiding it.
Another nice review. I thought the last sentence was especially worthwhile.
KC,
Aside from the loo-zah who dinged you at Amazon (after pretty much admitting that he did NOT actually read the book!!) have you had any bad or tepid reviews?
Are your publishers trying to schedule more television/radio appearances for you and Stuart - hopefully sooner rather than later given your schedule - now that a second and third printing have been ordered?
I am amused to see that Cash claims to be writing his own book correcting mistakes made by KC. Why do I get the feeling that book will be good for a chuckle?
I had to chuckle when I thought of how "Mayor Bill Bell and leaders from the Chamber of Commerce, etc." must have squirmed when asked about the Hoax during their trip to "talk up" Durham's image. Did they do a Captain Renault imitation? "We're shocked, shocked!" Doug Clark nailed the Durham attitude with his excellent review. Based on the excerpt, I am really looking forward to the NYT review this Sunday too!
2:45 -- Will it be published by Forthcoming Press?
2:53 I don't know, but I hear the gang of 88 are already judging it the best book about the scandal. No confirmation on the rumor it will be mandatory reading in all their classes.
2:53
"Will it be published by Forthcoming Press?"
Yes, and Professor Lubiano will be a coauthor.
Actually, Cash and Lubiano had a title for their book...
... and then they discovered that someone better than them had already used "It's Not About The Truth".
I had words with our local B&N retailer who now was UPI in the True Crime section. True Crime?
Arrrggghhhh....
the 12:47 from the previous post is right up there with CGM. I would say get a grip but obviously they wouldn't know what to do with one once they had gotten it.
As B&N has "lead the way" in NC, what more can be expected? How aboutswatting the vermin at Durm off the face of the map? If I have my way, it will become Wonderland--and Drum leaves empty-handed,
Get the money guys--from everyone involved. and I mean everyone!!
Post a Comment