A Civil Action by Jonathan Harr

A Civil Action

Paperback – Bargain Price, August 27, 1996

Jonathan Harr

Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group · Paperback · August 27, 1996

#1 NATIONAL BESTSELLER • NATIONAL BOOK CRITICS CIRCLE AWARD WINNER • The true story of one man so determined to take down two of the nation's largest corporations accused of killing children from water contamination that he risks losing everything.

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Who it’s for
A court-centered story with enough procedural grit to entertain and enough civic weight to keep discussion.
Genres
Courts & Judicial System, True Crime, Environmental Policy
Published
Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, August 27, 1996

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About this book

#1 NATIONAL BESTSELLER • NATIONAL BOOK CRITICS CIRCLE AWARD WINNER • The true story of one man so determined to take down two of the nation's largest corporations accused of killing children from water contamination that he risks losing everything.

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"The legal thriller of the decade." —Cleveland Plain Dealer Described as “a page-turner filled with greed, duplicity, heartache, and bare-knuckle legal brinksmanship" by The New York Times, A Civil Action is the searing, compelling tale of a legal system gone awry—one in which greed and power fight an unending struggle against justice. Yet it is also the story of how one man can ultimately make a difference. Representing the bereaved parents, the unlikeliest of heroes emerges: a young, flamboyant Porsche-driving lawyer who hopes to win millions of dollars and ends up nearly losing everything, including his sanity. With an unstoppable narrative power reminiscent of Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood, A Civil Action is an unforgettable reading experience that will leave the reader both shocked and enlightened. A Civil Action was made into a movie starring John Travolta and Robert Duvall.

Courtroom Pressure

A court-centered story with enough procedural grit to entertain and enough civic weight to keep discussion.

Come here for

  • courtroom pressure, civic fallout
  • a book-club-ready legal tangle

Expect

  • steady legal suspense
  • institutional friction, not tidy resolutions

Where it sits

Courts & Judicial System45%
Environmental Policy31%
True Crime30%

Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.

Publisher categories

  • Lawyers & Judges
  • Environmental Policy
  • White-Collar Crime
Authors
Jonathan Harr
Publisher
Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
Published
August 27, 1996
Format
Paperback
Reading lane
Lawyers & Judges