PUBLISHER'S NOTE: In the roughly 10 years since I began publishing The Charles Smith Blog some of the issues I have explored - as well as some of the cases I have been following - have become the subject matter of books. This prompted me recently - as I searched anxiously for ways of keeping me occupied during the languid summer hours - other than sitting on the patio, drinking a cool glass of white wine, and reading the latest Steven King - it occurred to me that a book review series based in my previous posts from the outset of the Blog would be just what the pathologist ordered. I would invite my readers to offer me their own suggestions for inclusion by email to hlevy15@gmail.com. Have a great summer.
Harold Levy: Publisher. The Charles Smith Blog.
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STORY: "Five books you should read, now that you’ve watched Making A Murderer and have no idea what to do," by Laura Marsh, published by The New Republic. (Laura Marsh is the literary editor of the New Republic. She has written for the New York Review of Books, Dissent, Bookforum, The Times Literary Supplement and Literary Review. Previously she was an editor at the New York Review of Books,)
GIST: "1. The Innocent Killer: A True Story of a Wrongful Conviction and its Astonishing Aftermath by Michael Griesbach is a true crime book about Steven Avery’s case, which looks ultimately frustrating to read after watching Moira Demos and Laura Ricciardi’s documentary series. Written by a Manitowoc county prosecutor, the book tells what was until recently the prevailing story about Steven Avery: that of a man wrongfully convicted for rape, who went on to commit murder. Although the book was controversial for being “overly critical of the authorities” when it came out, Griesbach argues that “the authorities got it right this time.”
2. Essentials Of The Reid Technique: Criminal Interrogation and Confessions by Fred E. Inbau, John E. Reid, Joseph P. Buckley, Brian C. Jayne. This
manual describes the interview method widely used by police in the
United States—a method that is thought to be particularly effective at
“extracting the truth from those who are often unwilling to provide
it.” In 2012, the president of John E. Reid and Associates posted a document
responding to defense expert Richard Leo’s criticisms of the way the
technique was used to elicit a confession from Brendan Dassey. Douglas
Starr’s 2013 New Yorker article
on police interrogation reports that Saul Kassin, a legal
scholar widely regarded as a leading expert on false confessions,
“believes that the Reid Technique is inherently coercive.”
3. Worse than the Devil: Anarchists, Clarence Darrow, and Justice in a Time of Terror Paperback by Dean A. Strang. One half of Steven Avery’s defense team wrote his own true crime book about anarchists and a miscarriage of justice that took place in Wisconsin in 1917.
4. False Justice: Eight Myths That Convict the Innocent by Jim Petro and Nancy Petro is listed as recommended reading by the Innocence Project. It presents in detail the many assumptions at work in the justice system, which can lead to a wrongful conviction.
5. The Innocents by Taryn Simon is a powerful selection of portraits of men who were wrongfully convicted of serious crimes and later exonerated by DNA evidence. The mugshot-style photographs are accompanied by commentary from Barry Scheck and Peter Neufeld, the lawyers who founded the Innocence Project.
The entire story can be read at the link belowL
3. Worse than the Devil: Anarchists, Clarence Darrow, and Justice in a Time of Terror Paperback by Dean A. Strang. One half of Steven Avery’s defense team wrote his own true crime book about anarchists and a miscarriage of justice that took place in Wisconsin in 1917.
4. False Justice: Eight Myths That Convict the Innocent by Jim Petro and Nancy Petro is listed as recommended reading by the Innocence Project. It presents in detail the many assumptions at work in the justice system, which can lead to a wrongful conviction.
5. The Innocents by Taryn Simon is a powerful selection of portraits of men who were wrongfully convicted of serious crimes and later exonerated by DNA evidence. The mugshot-style photographs are accompanied by commentary from Barry Scheck and Peter Neufeld, the lawyers who founded the Innocence Project.
The entire story can be read at the link belowL
PUBLISHER'S NOTE: I am monitoring this case/issue. Keep your eye on the Charles Smith Blog for reports on developments. The Toronto Star, my previous employer for more than twenty incredible years, has put considerable effort into exposing the harm caused by Dr. Charles Smith and his protectors - and into pushing for reform of Ontario's forensic pediatric pathology system. The Star has a "topic" section which focuses on recent stories related to Dr. Charles Smith. It can be found at: http://www.thestar.com/topic/
