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A Civil Action
A Civil Action
Author: Jonathan Harr
Two of the nation's largest corporations stand accused of causing the deaths of children. 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. — A Civil Action is the searing, compel...  more »
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ISBN-13: 9780394563497
ISBN-10: 0394563492
Publication Date: 8/29/1995
Pages: 500
Rating:
  • Currently 3.9/5 Stars.
 17

3.9 stars, based on 17 ratings
Publisher: Random House
Book Type: Hardcover
Other Versions: Paperback, Audio Cassette
Reviews: Member | Amazon | Write a Review

Top Member Book Reviews

reviewed A Civil Action on + 26 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 4
The scariest part about this book is that it is real, it is close to home, and it could be happening anywhere. Not only could be, but is happening all around the world today. A true wake-up call from our complacency, but written in a riveting story style that keeps you turning pages to see what happens next.
Iluvgoldens avatar reviewed A Civil Action on + 104 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
Awesome book, much better than the movie. A true story of an epic courtroom showdown. Two of the nation's largest corporations stand accused of causing the deaths of children. 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.
reviewed A Civil Action on + 27 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
Non-fiction story of a Massachusetts lawyer who brought suit against two giants of industry to get compensation for his clients who suffered from cancer due to polluted drinking water. One of the first of such cases. Fascinating story of how he risked all he had to bring these people to justice - and the people he did it for. A very, very good read.
reviewed A Civil Action on + 8 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
A true story of the legal system gone awry-. Two corporations accused of causing the deaths of children are the cause take up by a young lawyer who hopes to win. He ends up nearly losing all worldly goods and wonders about his sanity
Read All 48 Book Reviews of "A Civil Action"

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reviewed A Civil Action on + 7 more book reviews
True story about a small New England town, versus big business pollution. This is not a hardcover book, but it is a softcover!
reviewed A Civil Action on + 62 more book reviews
from the book jacket: "A Civil Action takes the reader deep into the inner workings of the law, to a place where few other books have ventured. It brilliantly dramatizes the way the legal system is geared to resolving cases--between contenders of unequal power--rather than seeking truth or justice. It also shows the tragic absurdity of leaving it to the victims, the weakest group, to investigate the cause of a disaster affecting the whole community. The author was given unprecedented access to every meeting, strategy session, and financial record. Most important of all, the main characters gave the author access to their private lives, to their hopes and fears. From this comes a mesmerizing book that reads like a novel, a chronicle of a modern-day odyssey."
reviewed A Civil Action on + 151 more book reviews
Serious inquiry into the Woburn toxic waste case and its origins. Fascinating esp for those people interested in how to make environmental change.
reviewed A Civil Action on + 368 more book reviews
A true story about a big environmental pollution case, the lawyer that almost went crazy prosecuting it, and the sad ending. A story of how sometimes a case can be a depressing dose of reality.
reviewed A Civil Action on + 3 more book reviews
Loved this book. It reads like a novel but you hold your breath for the outcome because everything in it is true.
reviewed A Civil Action on
This book is everything people say about it - fascinating, engrossing, and a page turner! I did not want to put it down, and at 500+ pages, that's saying something. Lawyers and nonlawyers alike will enjoy this read!


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