America on Trial: Inside the Legal Battles That Transformed Our Nation

• Was Clarence Darrow a hero or a jury tamperer?
• Was the "evolution" taught in the Scopes "monkey" trial really disguised racism?
• Did the Nuremberg trials free more Nazi war criminals than they convicted?
• Was Mike Tyson really guilty of rape?

Great trials not only make great headlines, but also hold the keys to the passions and struggles of their times. In this fascinating and provocative survey, renowned defense attorney and bestselling author Alan M. Dershowitz aims a startlingly fresh spotlight on many of the most significant (and still controversial) cases in our nation's history, from the Salem witch trials to the "witch-hunting" trials of the McCarthy era...from the impeachment of Andrew Johnson to that of Bill Clinton?from the Dred Scott decision to Brown v. Board of Education...from Sacco and Vanzetti to the Rosenbergs...from the Lindbergh kidnapping to the McMartin day care scandal?from Lizzie Borden to Jean Harris...from the Nuremberg defendants to the detainees in Guantanamo Bay. And he reexamines the high-profile trials of recent decades in which he himself participated: the Pentagon Papers, the Chicago Seven, Claus von Bulow, O.J. Simpson, Mike Tyson, and Bush v. Gore.

Through his eyes, we begin to understand how these trials — with their drama and profound legal implications — tell us much about where we as a nation have been, and where we are going. With both the authority of a preeminent legal scholar and the iconoclasm of a celebrated courtroom strategist, he shows how our constitutionally guaranteed rights are often flouted by even the highest courts of law. Defending these rights, sharing his unique insider perspective, and offering insights into both the human condition and the evolution of America through these trials, Alan M. Dershowitz once again is certain to arouse debate and controversy.

Ultimately, America on Trial goes far beyond the legal. It reveals what America — and, in turn, Americans — are truly about.

"Harvard professor and prolific author Dershowitz takes readers on a tour through some of the most celebrated — and intriguing — cases in the U.S. during the past 300 years. He begins with the most famous case in American colonial history — the Salem witch trial, which resulted in the deaths of 19 people — and continues through the current day, with the not yet decided case of the 9/11 detainees at Guantnamo Bay. Many of the 60 or so cases are famous (the Dred Scott decision, the Rosenberg trial), but others have been forgotten. Not surprisingly, the number of cases increases as he approaches recent history, and while there are some scandalous cases from the past, the majority of headline-grabbers, such as the O.J. Simpson trial and the Jean Harris — Scarsdale Diet doctor murder, are contemporary cases. Although the book has a cursory feel at times (each case runs only about six pages), Dershowitz displays a keen sense of history to go along with his knowledge of the law: he features cases that highlight changes in American history, and he misses little. He follows a simple format: listing the basic facts of the case, then offering his critique. Regarding the current Supreme Court, for example, he says he is 'angry' that in the Bush-Gore decision, the court 'took it upon itself to elect anyone at all.' Those curious about the history of law will find this primer a good place to start. Agent, Helen Rees. (May 14)" Publishers Weekly (Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information, Inc.)

"Dershowitz deftly explains his legal positions and does an excellent job of separating myth from reality in American legal cases. Highly recommended." Library Journal

"A brilliant and insightful depiction of America's greatest legal controversies....To read America on Trial is to be entertained and enlightened by one of America's foremost thinkers, and to understand that-for better or worse — we are all creatures of the law." Richard North Patterson

"Whatever Alan Dershowitz writes is worth reading." Elie Wiesel, Nobel Prize winner

"The nation's most peripatetic civil liberties lawyer and one of its most distinguished defenders of individual rights." Newsweek

One might wonder how the trial of Mike Tyson or Lizzie Borden "transformed our nation" as opposed to other cases included by Dershowitz (law, Harvard U.), such as the or , but the reasoning behind the selection becomes clearer when he notes that the "basic criterion is passion" (i.e. a reflection of the passion of the times, arousing the passion of Americans, etc.). Basing his narratives of 64 American trials on the actual transcripts from the courtroom, he describes such cases as the trials of John Peter Zenger, Aaron Burr, Sacco and Vanzetti, Leopold and Loeb, the Rosenbergs, American Indian Movement activists, Bernhard Goetz, and John DeLorean.
Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Renowned attorney and bestselling author Dershowitz reveals how notable trials throughout our history have helped shape our nation.

The renowned attorney examines several of the most controversial and sensational court trials of the past thirty years, offering insight into how they have shaped present-day politics and society.