I'm a law student who read the book for a Civil Procedure class. The book was a little longer than it needed to be perhaps, but it included a lot of great personalities and a compelling litigation story. Not courtroom drama, but the entire drama surrounding a huge suit from start to finish. It's an especially great look at a lot of the rules behind trials (that's why we read it for class) and yet still accessible for someone with no background in law. This author is quite good; one of my favorite books is also by him, The Lost Painting.

A Civil Action is an exceptional legal story, very well written, and compelling for many reasons. How an environmental contaminant impacts the community in an almost imperceptible way, how an intuitive mother notices the leukemia cluster in children in the neighborhood and has a sense of the environmental cause long in advance of the medical or environmental protection community, how the families come together in their pain and loss and struggle to discover what caused their families' leukemias and health problems, all of these are compelling, but the legal story has the reader so engrossed, that you need to read another 50-100 pages before bedtime! There were some scenes, usually involving Jan Schlictmann and the most despairing moments of the case, where I laughed like I haven't laughed in years, mostly due to the author capturing so well the despair, irony and humor of the moment. After finishing the book, I marveled at how well written this story is from the inside perspective. This is a brilliant book and an exceptional story.

Jonathan Harr has written a classic true story which if you were a person who reads novels would embrace it as a great novel. However, it was not fiction and it really did happen. Jan Schelichmann was the lawyer who made it happen. His relentless attack on W. R. Grace and their army of lawyers are a thing of legend.
What happened in Woburn Massachusetts in the late 1960's and into the 1970's was the contamination of the water supply. Hence the people in that town suffered from the cancers caused by the enterprises such as W. R. Grace and these people wanted justice. In conclusion these companies were indeed guilty. This action did indeed effect the people of Woburn MA..
However the very essence of the story is that Schelichmann expended every dollar and energy to defend the people who were wronged in their sufferings and deaths. These people came to represent the collateral damage of what big business did to a small town. In the end Schelichmann finally won. But at what price. In the end everything that represents a proper ending did happen. However at what cost? This was a well written book that does deserve its Five Stars.

Jonathan Harr has written a classic true story which if you were a person who reads novels would embrace it as a great action novel. However, it was not fiction and it really did happen.. Jan Schelichmann was the lawyer who made it happen. His relentless attack on W. R. Grace and their army of lawyer are a thing s of legend.
What happened in Woburn Massachusetts in the late 1960's and into the 1970's was the contamination of the water supply. Hence the people in that town suffering from the cancers caused by the enterprises such as W. R. Grace wanted justice. In conclusion they were indeed guilty.. This action did indeed effect the people of Woburn MA..
However the very essence of the story is that Schelichmann expended every dollar and energy to defend the people who were wronged in their sufferings and deaths, these to represent the collateral damage of what big business did to a small town. In the end Schelichmann finally won. But at what price. In the end everything of material value was won. Five Stars, no problem!!!!!!!!!!!

'A Civil Action' is the story of a monster legal battle that spanned the 1980s; the fact that it is a true story makes the book all the more compelling. Harr ties together questions of the integrity of the judicial system, attorney ethics, and environmental responsibility with seamless prose. It's truly a pleasure, if not addictive, to read (I devoured it in a day and a half, despite its large page count), and though it lags a little around the middle with the long descriptions of litigation and procedure, I, having always loved courtroom thrillers like 'Witness for the Prosecution' and 'Twelve Angry Men', found those parts enjoyable as well.

'A Civil Action' is both depressing and inspiring: while I found myself echoing Jan Schlichtmann's desire to strangle Judge Skinner, the book actually made me enthusiastic for carrying out the civic duty of serving as a juror -- or even going to law school myself! -- and helping justice be served better than it was for the people of Woburn.

I had to read this book for an environmental law class. I wasn't thrilled being forced to read it but I have to admit, it was an easy read and easy to understand book. The case was gripping and frustrating for those involved in the real-life story. I had to make a timeline of events that took place throughout the book for class and I was able to do that with the information the author provided. I still have not watched the movie but I learned a great deal about this case by reading this book. Anyone interested in environmental pollution or environmental law or just the lives of ordinary people impacted by chemical pollution in their own homes would enjoy reading this book. It was a surprising "must read" and one I would have missed had it not been an assignment for school. Glad I didn't miss out!

Leilani

A Civil Action 502 pgs.
by Jonathan Harr
Review by SpeekNDaTruuf


What happens when two of the nation's largest companies are brought to court? All hell breaks loose... and it is into the depths of hell that we traverse in Jonathan Harr's nonfictional court drama A Civil Action.

1960s. The age of youth, the age of revolution, and, yes, the age of cover-ups and
conspiracies. In the small town of Woburn, Massachussettes, two companies, W.R. Grace, a chemical plant, and the J. J. Riley Tannery, a division of Beatrice Foods, are polluting the town's water supplies, commonly referred to as Wells G and H. As a result, a leukemia cluster develops, taking with it the lives of several small children and middle-aged adults.

1980s. The age of selfishness, the age of self interests. Jan Schlichtmann, a prosecutor at the top of his game, along with his cohorts, have decided to represent the plaintiffs in the Woburn environmental crisis. But they soon find out how greed, how hopes of fortune and fame, can cause those at the top to fall.

There were several aspects of this novel that I loved. One, for instance, was the number of significant characters. Usually, a book has a hero, and it focuses on that one person throughout the entire novel. A Civil Action, however, does not. Yes, it has a main character, but to me, the other characters' interaction with the main character allows readers the ability to actually like the protagonist. I found myself often rooting for Jan Schlichtmann. And I wasn't just rooting for him because he was the "hero." Although he has the title, we see him slipping into what I like to call "nervous breakdown" mode during this novel, and it's not often that we see a main character as fleshed out as Jan. We see his highs, his lows... we hear about his hopes and dreams, and we watch them as they crumble around him. From what I have gathered, he is a good man, albeit only a character in a novel that I have just read.

Another aspect that I loved about A Civil Action was Harr's inclusion of the average reader into the world of legal procedures. Now, as a fan of TNT's Law & Order, I like to think that I am up-to-date on the matter of criminal procedures. But Harr showed me just how much I had to learn (and subsequently, how much more I need to learn). Readers are rewarded with insight into both the prosecutorial and defense procedures, and even though I was rooting for Schlichtmann, I couldn't help but somewhat admire Facher (one of the defense attorneys for Beatrice Foods). I will not lie, though; I hated Judge Skinner!


Of course there's more, but I might end up giving away half of the novel by detailing everything that I liked in this book. So, that being written, I have decided to reward Harr with FOUR STARS for A Civil Action. But don't let my review speak for the novel. Here's what others thought:

#1 National Bestseller
Winner -- National Book Critics Circle Award for Nonfiction
Cleveland Plain Dealer: "The legal thriller of the decade."

Here's something else you may want to check out:
"A Civil Action", the movie, starring John Travolta, is now out on DVD. It came on one of the premium stations tonight, and I watched it for the first time. Although it wasn't as detailed as the book (most movies never are), it was actually worth watching. It was good to put faces to the characters I've read about. I think you should check it out also. It didn't get my 4 stars, but it did receive 3 from the "t.v. people."

I tried getting into this book--I really did but it's almost
500 pages long and each page reads like 2 pages. There are
a million details, all of which are given equal importance,
along with many, many characters. After reading 50 pages,
I felt my brain numb. I knew that if I had stuck with it,
it would have taken me FOREVER to finish it. Seriously.

At first glance, you can tell that the author put a LOT of
effort into the book but that doesn't mean that the story is
great. Maybe it is a really good book for someone who has
LOTS of time on their hands. I, for one, am skipping the
rest of the book and probably will just rent in the movie.

I'm giving the author three stars for his effort but I
can't recommend this one.

This is the best book written about a lawsuit and is a terrific teaching tool. The author had unparalleled access to the lawyers, mostly the plaintiffs' lawyer who, somewhat questionably from an ethics standpoint, allowed a journalist to witness client meetings and strategy sessions. While some of the reviewers criticize Harr for pro-plaintiff bias because of this, Harr simply played the hand he was dealt. The defense lawyers were not about to grant that level of access. In addition, Harr does, after the trial, become close to the lead defense lawyer, the curmudgeonly Facher. This allows him to relate a useful defense perspective.

The book takes the reader from the environmental contamination of the 1950s - 1970s, through pre-litigation investigation in the early 1980s, through extensive pretrial proceedings, and then all the way throught the 1986 jury trial. Thereafter, Harr tells the post-trial story, including settlement, appeal, and government initiated proceedings that ultimately resolve the environmental clean-up issue. In short, one can experience nearly every aspect of a civil action in a highly readable narrative.

Harr is a sensitive observer who can key on strengths of the civil justice system that includes the ability to bring the powerful to account before a jury of ordinary citizens (the apotheosis of democracy, as the plaintiffs' lawyers' consulting Harvard professor says -- the law is America's "civil religion"). And he is terrific at highlighting the essential weaknesses and failings of the system. This, Harr captures in two unforgettable quotes. The first is from Schlictmann, the plaintiff's lawyer, who rues how hard it is "to do good and do well" at the same time. That, in a nutshell, captures the skewing effect that the profit motive and money have on the civil litigation process. And then there is this priceless quote from Facher, the defense lawyer: "The truth? The truth is at the bottom of a bottomless pit." The liberal discovery rules and the right of cross examination are supposed to be tools uniquely well-suited for ferreting out the truth. But the ruinous expense and confusion of the process; the foibles of the attorneys, judges, and witnesses; and the profit motive of the attorneys all combine to wreak havoc and to leave one wondering if the truth really does emerge from this process.

In the end, I take a more optimistic point of view than a number of the other reviewers. The families get compensated for the toxic tort caused by the environmenal contamination (at a minimum the families suffered from solvent poisoning that caused provable damage even if it is a stretch to prove that leukemia was caused by TCE to a reasonable medical certainty); the government finally gets off its butt, helped by the work done by Schlictimann, and forces the defendants to clean up the mess; and other companies get the message from this case and from the CERCLA legislation passed in 1980 that environmental clean up and better environmental policies are now a cost of doing business. So the system works to a large degree, though it does a poor job, or no job at all, in alleviating the pain and alienation experienced by the harmed families and community.

Perhaps the best quality of the book is its compelling portrayal of Schlictmann and Facher -- both of whom are attractive and admirable in some ways while at the same time being quite flawed and tragic. The book is about human nature as much as it is about the civil justice system, and is the kind of nonfiction novel that would have made Truman Capote and Norman Mailer proud.

This is a truly great book.

I read this book in a couple of days when I picked it up at random and it inspired me. The novel's main character Jay Schlictman was a man driven at all costs and willing to risk everything to bring justice into the world. The tale of a small New England community's struggle against the negligence of Corporate America and a few individuals is sobering. It makes one want to drink bottled water.

This book was a real page turner and it also laid bare some of the short comings of the justice system in this country with regards to corporate litigation. Schlictman becomes a Robin Hood type character, out to avenge the poor from the gluttony of greed and neglect. He also displays a reckless abandon and conviction which is wound up into the idealism of youth. In the end he nearly losses everything including his sanity-the way the story moves along is incredible and the reader feels the frustration.

I liked the book ten times better than the movie. I still get turned off by Travolta sometimes, remembering him dancing around underneath the mirror ball in a white suite with a spoon around his neck in the late 70's; maybe they should have called Richard Gere or better yet, Denzell Washington.

This is a page turner so, beware, if you pick this one up you may not want to put it down.

I read this book in a couple of days when I picked it up at random and it inspired me. The novel's main character Jay Schlictman was a man driven at all costs and willing to risk everything to bring justice into the world. The tale of a small New England community's struggle against the negligence of Corporate America and a few individuals is sobering. It makes one want to drink bottled water.

This book was a real page turner and it also laid bare some of the short comings of the justice system in this country with regards to corporate litigation. Schlictman becomes a Robin Hood type character, out to avenge the poor from the gluttony of greed and neglect. He also displays a reckless abandon and conviction which is wound up into the idealism of youth. I liked the book ten times better than the movie. I still get turned off by Travolta sometimes, remembering him dancing around underneath the mirror ball in a white suite with a spoon around his neck in the late 70's; maybe they should have called Richard Gere or better yet, Denzell Washington. Beware, if you pick this one up you may not want to put it down.

We ride the roller coaster that attorney Jan Schlictmann is on in pursuit of justice for the families of Woburn Massachsetts who sue a megacorporation because they developed leukimia from unknowingly living in an area contaminated by toxic pollution.

I particularly liked this book because it is the best account of what it is like to be civil trial attorney handling large cases. The book has deservedly one numerous accolades. Not only is the book a page turner, but is gives those thinking of entering law school a look into the often very messy business of being a lawyer. Can a case really last years and years and years? Is the truth really that hard to discover for your client? Do lawyers really have to do go through all of this? A must read for anyone thinking about law school. Even if you have no connection to the law, you will find this book is one of the best you will ever read.

First, I don't think this book is for everyone. I think the difference between this book and those written by someone like John Grisham illustrates the reason. Although Grisham's books are also mediocre literature, the nuances of his books aren't lost on the average reader. The things that give Grisham's books there suspense are easy for nearly everyone to understand; a book like The Firm is a case in point. Conversely, the suspense and frustrations which are inherent in "A Civil Action" are the products of rules of civil procedure which the average reader simply won't understand. For those not voiced in such legal themes at least on an elementary level the source of the suspense must be taken at the author's word.

To be sure, the true story captured in this book is compelling; contamination of a city's water supply and the likeliness that the contamination caused a whole litany of health problems for that city's residents is a story that will do more than peak your interest. However, the guts of this book focuses mostly on the head lawyer for the victims. Jan Schlichtmann isn't exactly the type of character you find yourself rooting for (he's arrogant, greedy, and loves the spotlight). Further, this book focuses mostly on how Schlichtmann managed to screw up. The most emotion-invoking feature of the book is the ever present conflict between Schlichtmann and Judge Skinner. Again, this conflict is imbedded with underlying legal themes which makes the story not completely approachable.

I was torn between giving this book three or four stars. For the law students out there it will probable be an enjoyable read. However, I think this book deserves three stars in the end. As popular literature it is okay; nothing to write home about. Further, in keeping with the modern style, the author presents his readers with nothing virtuous to take home with them... no idea, or principle, or thought that will inspire the readers in the course of their lives. Perhaps I shouldn't expect as much, and particularly not from a piece of popular fiction such as this. Nevertheless, there are too many other good books out there. Take this one on a plane with you; if you don't finish it by the time your trip ends don't worry about it.

ISBN 0679772677 - A true story, A Civil Action is the story of several families in Woburn, Massachusetts, who find their children - and themselves - suffering health problems apparently caused by the dumping of chemicals by two companies. The Riley Tannery (a subsidiary of Beatrice Foods) and W.R. Grace are accused of negligently, even knowingly, contaminating the groundwater in east Woburn by dumping toxins. Young children are the first and most obvious group to become sick, dying of leukemia in numbers that defy statistics. Their case is handed off from firm to firm until it finds a home in the heart of personal injury lawyer Jan Schilchtmann.



Told repeatedly that the case is bound to become a money-sucking wreck, Jan pours everything he's got into winning it, driving himself to bankruptcy and his law firm to the brink and beyond. As one of early the "ambulance chasers", Jan's used to settling most cases before they wind up in court, but he somehow manages to avoid every good opportunity to get out with his shirt still on. Facing off against high-priced lawyers who have very deep pockets behind them, he and his firm stand little chance of winning even a portion of what their clients want - and what they want is more apology than cash.



Author Harr followed Schlichtmann and his team for a good portion of the story, and I felt a bit sorry for the author. It seems glaringly obvious where the fault lies (which, quite honestly, could be because of the way Harr wrote it), and the outcome seems inevitable: Grace and Beatrice will end up forking over large amounts of cash to the families and have to admit wrongdoing. When it doesn't go that way, Harr's probably too far invested in the story to put it aside. I say this because the books seems to be building to the obvious conclusion... and then sort of peters out, ending with a whimper. A fascinating, and appalling, story that really does not make a good "story" - but is so well researched and told that it rises above the strangely incomplete ending.



Because it IS a true story, the reader should assume that there are two sides to most stories but several people come out looking like they deserve their own little corner of hell. Judge Skinner, for what seems like flagrant disinterest in the law OR common sense; Anne Anderson and the Zona family, for making it about money when they swore it wasn't and the sheer nerve of suing a guy who has taken on a case for them that no one else wanted to touch and lost everything in the process. There are others, and the case seems to be still alive in some ways, with reviewers posting strange diatribes about people who weren't even mentioned in the book (Ken Grant, for one).



Worth reading, but the suggestion that you should read it like a novel, which I've seen in other reviews, might leave you vaguely disappointed - this is real life, and the fairytale ending that a novel would have doesn't exist.



This copy includes a 1996 Afterword, which does help make up a little bit for the ending which, as I said, seems to just peter out.

ISBN 0679772677 - A true story, A Civil Action is the story of several families in Woburn, Massachusetts, who find their children - and themselves - suffering health problems apparently caused by the dumping of chemicals by two companies. The Riley Tannery (a subsidiary of Beatrice Foods) and W.R. Grace are accused of negligently, even knowingly, contaminating the groundwater in east Woburn by dumping toxins. Young children are the first and most obvious group to become sick, dying of leukemia in numbers that defy statistics. Their case is handed off from firm to firm until it finds a home in the heart of personal injury lawyer Jan Schilchtmann.

Told repeatedly that the case is bound to become a money-sucking wreck, Jan pours everything he's got into winning it, driving himself to bankruptcy and his law firm to the brink and beyond. As one of early the "ambulance chasers", Jan's used to settling most cases before they wind up in court, but he somehow manages to avoid every good opportunity to get out with his shirt still on. Facing off against high-priced lawyers who have very deep pockets behind them, he and his firm stand little chance of winning even a portion of what their clients want - and what they want is more apology than cash.

Author Harr followed Schlichtmann and his team for a good portion of the story, and I felt a bit sorry for the author. It seems glaringly obvious where the fault lies (which, quite honestly, could be because of the way Harr wrote it), and the outcome seems inevitable: Grace and Beatrice will end up forking over large amounts of cash to the families and have to admit wrongdoing. When it doesn't go that way, Harr's probably too far invested in the story to put it aside. I say this because the books seems to be building to the obvious conclusion... and then sort of peters out, ending with a whimper. A fascinating, and appalling, story that really does not make a good "story" - but is so well researched and told that it rises above the strangely incomplete ending.

Because it IS a true story, the reader should assume that there are two sides to most stories but several people come out looking like they deserve their own little corner of hell. Judge Skinner, for what seems like flagrant disinterest in the law OR common sense; Anne Anderson and the Zona family, for making it about money when they swore it wasn't and the sheer nerve of suing a guy who has taken on a case for them that no one else wanted to touch and lost everything in the process. There are others, and the case seems to be still alive in some ways, with reviewers posting strange diatribes about people who weren't even mentioned in the book (Ken Grant, for one).

Worth reading, but the suggestion that you should read it like a novel, which I've seen in other reviews, might leave you vaguely disappointed - this is real life, and the fairytale ending that a novel would have doesn't exist.

This copy includes a 1996 Afterword, which does help make up a little bit for the ending which, as I said, seems to just peter out.

I wanted to order the DVD of Civil Action but due to my inattention, I guess, I somehow got a book instead. I ordered and received 2 other DVDs with no problem, but somehow this came as a book. I wasn't ordering any books. It would cost as much to return it as I paid for it so I just ate $11.00. I think Amazon tries to be TOO helpful in suggesting additional items.

Was required by a law class to read this...but actually found it very enjoyable and easy to read. It flows like a fictional novel.

Was required by a law class to read this...but actually found it very enjoyable and easy to read. It flows like a fictional novel.

A Civil Action is a legal thriller born of profound human tragedy. Without a doubt, A Civil Action is compelling and sets up a good case scenario where ordinary folks are caught up between tragedy and justice. The behind-the-scene look at the law, its players, and victims revealed some sad truths about the practice of law in the face of obvious corporate wrongdoing.

A Civil Action is a legal thriller born of profound human tragedy. Without a doubt, A Civil Action is compelling and sets up a good case scenario where ordinary folks are caught up between tragedy and justice. The behind-the-scene look at the law, its players, and victims revealed some sad truths about the practice of law in the face of obvious corporate wrongdoing.

I am not a lawyer, I am not in law school, but I do have interest in the law and legal issues. I've seen the movie one or two times, but the book is WAAAAAY better. The movie is barely a summary of what the book contains.

The story itself it quite good and kept me turning pages. I've also read the Buffalo Creek Disaster and I think this one is a little better, although I highly recommend Buffalo Creek as well.

I am not a lawyer, I am not in law school, but I do have interest in the law and legal issues. I've seen the movie one or two times, but the book is WAAAAAY better. The movie is barely a summary of what the book contains.

The story itself it quite good and kept me turning pages. I've also read the Buffalo Creek Disaster and I think this one is a little better, although I highly recommend Buffalo Creek as well.

Is this book, a worthwhile read, an attempt to close the book on shady goings-on in Woburn of the 1960s? Were some children in this case treated for leukemia using cutting edge techniques of the day,such as bone marrow transplants, and some of those children survived only to be tormented because of their unexpected survival?

Could a man named Ken Grant who lived in Woburn back in the 1960s be one of the oldest surviving bone marrow transplant recipients in the country and have been targeted for destruction because of it? Back in 1980-82 another man appeared in the area who used Grant's information to go AWOL from the army and such.The man appeared about the time Grant's older brother was also in the military. On close examination the older brother has acted to hurt the younger as too perhaps the other going by the same name.

Has Grant been designated for destruction simply for surviving a procedure administered to him as an infant under false pretenses?

Is the fallout between the forces in the Whitey Bulger case a reflection of the forces which clashed in Woburn and surrounding areas of the 1960s?

This is a necessary book which does a public service by highlighting the repercussions of poor environmental stewardship. It does not, however, indicate the extent of a broader mystery behind the events in Woburn and Middlesex county itself, respectively.
There is a man named Ken Grant who has been progressively and systematically destroyed and destabilized since this book came out, which coincides with Whitey Bulger's disappearance and the ensuing fallout on his former friends, family and associates.
When this book came out, Grant's medical records began disappearing (hospitals mentioned in this book), he was fired from his job with WR Grace as a safety and environmental professional and shuffled among companies that were or are clients of Omnitech International, a "litigation preparation" firm. In addition his car was tampered with in similar fashion to Eddie Moiano, a target of the FBI mentioned in the Whitey Bulger case. In the ensuing years since Bulger has disappeared, a number of friends/acquaintances which Grant respected and appreciated began acting hostile. The result of this book and Bulger's disappearance is the seemingly orchestrated destruction of the finances,career,social and romantic goals of the individual seemingly by a consortium of handlers who are all linked to him but from his perspective unknown to each other. When this book came out AND Bulger disappeared, a careful system of destroying the individual while making them disappear and cutting off lines of communication between that person and people closest to him by destruction of established relationships has become apparent.. Why this is necessary,especially to one who was an in infant when these events transpired in neighborhoods in which he lived is a mystery unto itself worthy of exploration. Why one man can be held accountable for events in which he was a toddler is something to delve into!
And why, for example, when this book came out were the microfilm records of the leading local newspaper not indexed and had whole general articles clipped or withheld from the microfilm copying process?
Grant was eventually forced into homelessness and bankruptcy, perhaps worse even than Schlictmann, one of the primaries in this book.
Was there a link between officials of the Woburn court and players and events in the Bulger controversy?
Has the truth been classified and this book is an attempt to sweep away what really happened and bring closure to as yet many unanswered questions?
Did parties who might have felt responsible "make it up" to the local population by development which led to lower property taxes?
Why were local welfare records deemed "inauditable"?
Why was the Schlicter Act not brought in, an outcrop of union busting where public safety was involved in a 1940s railroad strike?

Insanely detailed. The author shadowed Mr. Schlichtmann throughout the entire course of the case, giving the reader unprecedented insight into what goes on behind the scenes during litigation. I can see why law classes use the book. A must read for anyone going into law school.

Insanely detailed. The author shadowed Mr. Schlichtmann throughout the entire course of the case, giving the reader unprecedented insight into what goes on behind the scenes during litigation. I can see why law classes use the book. A must read for anyone going into law school.

This is a riveting look at one of the biggest - and some say most infamous - environmental lawsuits involving illegal dumping and the community health problems that resulted. Beatrice Foods and W. R. Grace were accused of illegally dumping toxic (and carcinogenic) chemicals that eventually found their way into the water supply of Woburn, Massachusetts. The citizens of Woburn first noticed foul-tasting water, and later saw increased health problems including several cases of childhood leukemia. Enter attorney Jan Schlichtmann to sue for the stricken residents. But good lawyers and a righteous cause don't guarantee victory, not when the judge makes questionable rulings, and not when your scientific evidence falls short of iron-clad. There's also no easy victory when your powerful corporate opponents have excellent representation from famed defense attorney Jerome Facher.

Author Jonathan Harr does a superb job detailing the legal strategies, tactics, and outcomes - including questionable tactics, and likely deceit and malfeasance. Readers see that planning and budgeting can be as vital to a lawsuit as legal research, and that major suits take an emotional toll on many of the participants.

This readable narrative should be of keen interest to prospective law students, people in the legal industry, and persons with an interest in the environment or courtroom drama. A CIVIL ACTION was turned into a pretty good 1998 film starring John Travolta and Robert Duvall.

In reading this one might wonder if the United States and perhaps the whole world is vastly polluted beyond public pronouncement. Was the premise of the "Lost in Space" television series ahead of its time in denoting a dying planet?

A reader might also question what any employee and specifically a person in an environmental,health and safety role might do if confronted with a company dumping knowingly harmful chemicals in the backlot. If such an employee went to OSHA or EPA for example, would such agencies protect them and would they be able to get employment as a result of trying to stop it? Don't goverment officials often have to pursue a private career and could a conflict of interest ensue if they are put in a position to enforce against prospective employers? And if former high level government officials are serving on the Boards of such companies, what retaliation might occur if an employee takes action after all internal efforts have failed?

Perhaps the most important aspect of this case is that it shows a group of families, following suit of those previously led by attorney Michael Gatta, trying to establish what happened,why and who was responsible.

Most people believe that if they are harmed by a wealthy corporation or person, a personal injury lawyer will take up their cause and win them a fortune. It's almost a parallel to the belief that you could hit the jackpot in the lottery, even thought the odds are astronomically against it. A Civil Action will cure many people of their belief in civil actions as a way to secure timely redress. Well, there's still the lottery!

More significantly, A Civil Action gives you a Shakespearean look at how demanding litigation takes a toll on all of the participants. I found myself fascinated by the psychology of wanting to win at virtually any cost and how that dynamic plays out among the lawyers, judge and parties. There's also lots of plain old human sin -- lying, cheating, and deliberately misleading. What kind of a life do you have in such a situation? I doubt if you'll read about one you'd exchange for . . . no matter how much money is involved.

I urge you not to get bogged down in the facts and the legal issues. That may cause you to miss the drama. Think of this as a novel, and you'll gain more from it.

Mr. Harr had remarkable access to the extended elements of this famous case and shares what he learned in restrained, but oh so revealing, fashion.

I have met three of the primary characters in the book, and I can attest that Mr. Harr caught them just as I perceive them. That's rare. Usually, if I read about someone I've met, I cannot recognize them from the writing. Mr. Harr is exceptionally talented in this regard.

Your child contracts leukemia. Pretty soon, you find out that other children in your part of town have the same disease. That doesn't cure the heartache, but it does give you other shoulders to lean on. From that deep pain, you begin to want to do something. Could it be that someone did something wrong? That's the impetus that pushed this case forward.

From there, the issue becomes a plaything of the attorneys where egos and money rule. You'll think you are reading about petty tyrants in their castles during the Middle Ages as they sally forth in suits of armor to joust and jab at one another.

But then, the case begins to bog down. What is truth? What can be proven? You find yourself facing some of the most basic questions about how we know anything.

The book ultimately becomes like the Thrilla in Manila as heavyweights sock each other remorselessly . . . but none go down. The drama is compelling because it's real. I wouldn't enjoy a novel that said these things because it would seem too extreme to be real.

I stayed up late three nights in a row to finish the book. It's great!

I do hope that Mr. Harr will revisit this case and write a sequel at some point in the future.

Was JFK killed because of his sponsorship of this area for a NASA space center and the USS Thresher disaster which may have been the result of sabotage in the fight for various bases to remain open in the wake of defense cuts?

...pretty much describes what went on here. One person superficially uninvolved in this case became the target of substantial scrutiny when this book came out, as if there is a connection between him and this case. Here's what happened and you decide if something is shaky with this case:
1)Man was called for job interviews in which the interviewer inevitably brought up this book and what he thought about the case in general. Each time, no job was offered and in many cases the interviewer became completely unreachable following the interview.
2) At an interview with Videoserver, the man was videotaped. At Cognos, a writing sample and bogus exam to get such a sample was administered by a woman who may have been a government employee and not a personnel official with that company.At Cerulean, the man was called out for 3 interviews and suddenly became unknown to the company on showing for the third interview while the manager who called it could not be located. At White Mountain Pines software which offered CUCME programs which could be used for messaging or chat,the man was photographed in a chair in the lobby by a camera mounted halfway down in front of the reception desk and aimed at the seat he was told to take. Again, no one knew why he was there when he showed up for an interview after a phone call the afternoon before.
3) The man was fired from Grace when Harr's book came out and could only get work with companies which Grace did business with or were mutual clients of Omnitech International,which Grace has been a client of.

This is a story of a small group of families who tried to get answers as to what exactly happened in Woburn, however, some background is needed:
In the 1960s Woburn was lobbied aggressively as a site for a NASA research center involving President Kennedy and with the Mayor at the time(Mayor Gilgun) chairing a committee called the "NASA for Woburn" committee. Another Woburn resident,Carl Roessler, chaired the "Save our shipyard" committee, representing the 3000 Boston Navy yard workers. Woburn lies in Middlesex county, which also contained Somerville, a key city for Howie Winters and Buddy Mclean.Roessler was president of Trans-Sonic, an enigmatic company which sold flow measurement equipment. The Boston Navy yard lied in Boston, near where the Bernie Mclaughlin hailed from. In Wilmington,AVCO worked on Voyager while on one border lay a NIKE missile site. Two towns over RCA worked on the Apollo project. At one focal point in its history,Woburn was at the hub of an economy in turmoil, as space budgets increased to a corresponding military decrease.The USDA, NASA,U.S. Dept. of Health and Human services and more converged on the area. Boston Edison approved the site for development and Woburn was approved prior to a physical survey of the land. NASA fell through and was broken into 2 parts: 1) the future Johnson Space Center,and 2) Draper Labs.In the Whitey Bulger case, Agents Morris,Condon,Rico,Connelly hail from Middlesex county. Frank Salemme,Sonny Mercurio and others also hailed from there.As the Bulger case broiled, Agent Barry Mawn, a Woburn native, was brought in- much like Teddy Roosevelt in Cuba.And in the 1960s, a small group of families did bring up issues about the water under Michael Gatta, a local attorney.
Source? Daily newspapers from 1961-1971.

I saw the movie and remember reading about some of the background of the law suit involving WR Grace and Beatrice Foods. The audio tape is a bit of a shock. It provides a blow-by-blow account of the holding action conducted by these two companies and how, contrary to the movie, they eventually outlasted Schlickmann. It is a sad story but a facinating one. I was sad, and a little bit angry that the crooks got away with it. This is an excellent listen for a long drive.

Is this book a way of wrapping up a controversy or what? It is interesting but there is so much more here!!! Look at this and decide for yourself!

1) Whitey Bulger's brother has as an attorney the same man whose firm employed Jan Schlictmann, in this book. Additionally, the names of principles being smeared in the case largely hail from the same county as Woburn: John Connelly,Robert Morris,Dennis Condon,Frank Salemme, H.Paul Rico,Sonny Mercurio,etc. Consider that the Bulger case fomented in sync with the appearance of this book!

2) Did the entrenched military-industrial complex feel that JFK was boosting space while dunking military budgets? As bases were being reviewed for closure, a small group of workmen appeared at the Portsmouth Naval yard from the Boston Navy Yard just before work was completed and the USS Thresher sank. Later testimony was said to have alleged 20% of the back-pressure relief valves were installed backwards, which could have caused the sub to explode/implode. Could JFK's pro-peace, pro-space economy shifting have caused a scramble to save a local base at any cost? Also,JFK was personally involved in authorizing Woburn as a future NASA site in the region of the polluted land.

3)How many WR Grace employees who did not pollute and may even have aggressively tried to prevent this were fired or lost substantial savings as the company tanked in the wake of this book? In the aftermath of this case,how would companies like Beatrice and Grace feel about conscientious employees? What protections do such individuals have from such entities as EPA or OSHA,if any?

4) Was one individual involved with a major company in this book told to help with a software development program and in fact was enrolled in a study with Omnitech International and shuffled between participating companies in the experiment and always traceable by government agencies represented in those companies?

This book was a captivating read. I loved the intimacy with which the author presented the characters.
The story was intense in how many families were effected detrimentally by the pollutants, and as a reader you got to know each character, love them or hate them. The characters were painted in full color. I loved the descriptions of court attire=personality type.
It was informational, educational and interesting while being a page turning fast read.
Makes for a winning combination to me!

A man who lived in Woburn during the earliest leukemia cases and worked for Grace when this book was about to be released became the target of much harassment following a newspaper story featuring his search for his unknown father. The boy had been bounced around in state child care and had a family history that had been kept from him which no one, even at the highest state levels, could approve for release to him.What state records that did become accessible revealed was heavy redaction and sanitation. Prior to Harr's book, the man had written an autobiographical account also made into a movie script in which his life as a sick youngster in the area was mentioned. The man lived in the same areas the children affected at the same time period, was treated at the same hospitals, wore a patten bottom brace and had been diagnosed with "aseptic necrosis of the femoral head". When the man went for a paternity test with the alleged father, minimal residual leukemia cells may have been detected after PCR techniques had been used. There has been some speculation that this sick boy was also linked in some way to a principal in the Whitey Bulger case. A facilitor of the script with possible ties to both former Governor Cellucci and former Agent John Connelly unknown to the man forwarded the script and then its odyssey is tenuous at best.Was this man tied to the Bulger case in some way and did the FBI overtly,covertly, or individuals with ties to it regionally act to suppress the works?

This covers the quest of 8 families to discover the source of a tragedy in Woburn,Massachusetts,located in Middlesex County. It does not,however, address the controversial history of Woburn prior to this case and whether or not NASA detected polluted land in Woburn and eventually withdrew its bid for what became the Houston space center there.
In addition, there are neighborhoods not mentioned in the book affected, such as by Revere Rd. There are also individuals affected grossly by Harr's book who have never been given a chance to find out what is going on. Here is one example:
A man now in his early forties who lived in Woburn when the earliest cases emerged. This man was treated at most if not all the hospitals mentioned in this book. The man was treated in upstate New York for a condition in which no diagnosis was listed in the medical record nor family history listed.The man is said to have received one of the first bone marrow transplants as part of a government experiment and later told he had Perthe's disease as a cover. This man also had a Patten bottom brace, rare uric acid levels and later exhibited progressive pigmented purpura-- all 3 things associated with early childhood leukemia symptoms and treatment. The boy also had aseptic necrosis of the femoral head.
When Harr's book came out, 1 official from NSA and 1 from the CIA served on WR Grace's Board. Prior to this the now man was informed he was to be monitored indefinitely by one or both of these agencies. At about this time also the man had a local newspaper story run about his search for his father as an abandoned orphan. Within 6 months of this time, Whitey Bulger fled and the man became the target of long term continual financial,career and other destruction. The man had worked as a safety and environmental professional for Grace Corp. with no knowledge of his family history.Grace had quickly fired him when this book came out. Since Harr's book, this man has been kept at poverty level and at times homeless. The medical records all but disappeared. What can be so big that a person's life must be destroyed? Could the boy have been linked to someone in the Bulger case and was the boy some pawn in this other case?

This book is about two tragedies -- one is the account of a flagrant act of pollution by a major corporation that caused death and suffering; the other is the story of a lawyer who fought with literally his last ounce of resources to right this egregious and unspeakable wrong, and failed. The book is both heartbreaking and yet inspirational, because the families who suffered and the attorney who failed both were (and are) fine people who tried to redress a monstrous injustice. It is also a story told with great skill by Jonathan Harr, a non-fiction account that reads like a great novel, filled with wonderful characterizations and deep feeling.

But stay away from the movie!

Who knew that a story that revolves around document discovery and settlement negotiations could be such a page-turner? But, that's what it is. Jonathan Harr tells the compelling story of the (thanks to this book perhaps) famous Woburn Massachusetts environmental dumping case from the perspective of the plaintiffs' attorney, Jan Schlichtmann. Harr takes the reader through every high and low that Schlichtmann experiences over the period of several years that he worked on this case. Every law student should read this book (and probably will). There's a lot to learn about discovery, civil procedure, and tort law, among other things. As is usually the case, you should skip the movie and read this book.

I had hoped that there would be more details on the epidemiological fieldwork that was associated with this investigation, but there was not too much of interest in that respect. Nevertheless I enjoyed the read, and it really made me think about our legal system and corporate responsibility. The author does a good job of bringing the characters to life, and I could empathize with many of them. Overall I found the story to be pretty disallusioning and sometimes depressing, but well worth the time I spent reading it.

1) Did anything from the space program or other related to space interests crash in the woods of Woburn on property later deemed polluted and which brought interest by NASA and the federal government to the area in 1963-64 also involving President John F. Kennedy?

2)Was John F. Kennedy going to make an announcement regarding circumstances in Woburn at Dealey Plaza before he was shot?

3) Why would WR Grace have former officials of the federal government on its board while Harr wrote and later released his book?

4)Did an economic civil war over federal funds brew between clashing space versus miltary interests which had national scope but major local impacts in the area?

5) Were any of the poor kids affected by the pollution enrolled in government-sponsored studies of various cutting edge leukemia treatments with some of the kids being lost and then later covered up due to the friction between health insurers and the Justice Department over cost feasibility of such treatments?

6) Were any of the kids from poor backgrounds related to principals in the Whitey Bulger case and was treatment of any kid or family members contingent on government service as informants?

7) Why was the Slichter Act not brought into play when the dumping in the area went on?

8) Were local residents deliberately exposed to contaminated water to cover up a much bigger event?

9) Was cutting edge chip implant technology used under mask of dental work by some of the treating hospitals mentioned in this book to track experimental treatment subjects?

10) What was Trans-Sonic corp., of which the chair of the "Save oru Shipyard Committee" was its head and a Woburn resident and did any of its products end up in the USS Thresher prior to its fateful journey?

'A Civil Action' is right up there with 'Frankenstein' and 'Invisible Man' as some of the worst books I have ever read. Although the first 100 pages or so are indeed interesting, the plot from there on stays the same. If you have to read this for an assignment, as I have, I would suggest that you do yourself a favor and read the Cliffnotes.

A great book. The movie was terrible and did the book an injustice. After reading this book, you will have a love of lawyers.

This book focuses on a specific point in local history but excludes the economic friction caused by NASA's interest in Woburn, the finding of a "mystery object" abandoned in a north Woburn garage( which happened to be highly radioactive)and does not discuss the impact on others unknown to the public but whose very lives in some cases have been altered for the worst because of it.
One individual worked for Grace and was quickly fired when this book came out. The individual had written their own autobiographical account in which early years in Woburn were included, describing his own struggles as a crippled,sick child confined to a hospital bed for two years with no family history and no diagnosis on entering or leaving the hospital.Only AFTER this was a diagnosis rendered. The boy was treated at most of the hospitals listed herein when the very earliest kids were treated and lived in precisely the neighborhoods where the polluted wells were and whose mother may have been involved in a 1960s citizen's lawsuit sponsored by Michael Gatta to reveal the Woburn water controversy.
While at Grace the man was involved with a software development program to help companies manage and control their chemicals. Following his sudden termination with Grace,the man appeared to become the target for a major campaign to discredit him and to make him unemployable.Around this time Omnitech International, a mysterious entity, was testing a new database for tracking in the construction and medical fields- both fields in which this person was employed and employed at those 2 companies which were also clients of Omnitech- a "litigation preparation service";an audit trail of the individual might reveal linkage between that individual's circumstances and software implementations at successive employers linked all to him.
The man,concerned about the complexity and tensions surrounding Woburn of the 1960s, wrote a letter to President Clinton suggesting a solution and to clarify some of its history.The letter was forwarded to the EPA for consideration,as Woburn is a Superfund site.This same man also took steps to stop a small branch office of a company renting space in the industrial park created over the polluted area from disposing semiconductor industry chemical waste in the backlot prior to any Hazard Communications law. For stopping this, the man was forced to resign.

Harr's nonfiction tale of the Woburn case was an engaging way to explore legal strategy and some of the laws of civil procedure. My purpose for reading it was to learn about legal strategy from actual examples that went beyond substantive arguments about the facts of the case. This book did not disappoint. Perhaps the most brutal fact about legal strategy was the importance of money - namely, to fund the expensive discovery stage (i.e., when evidence is gathered) of the lawsuit.

While I did find myself rooting for the plaintiff's attorney, the protagonist of the story, Jan Schlichtmann, I was impressed with Harr's ability to portray the defense counsel in a humane light. The fact that Harr does not lionize Schlichtmann nor demonize his legal opponents (Facher, Cheeseman, Keating) demonstrates why Harr was the recipient of an award for outstanding investigative reporting. In addition to offering a non-romanticized view of an emotionally wrenching situation, Harr succeeds in telling a spellbinding tale. And it is the hard-to-put-down element of this book that, I believe, won it the National Book Critics Circle Award in 1995. It is not a short story (500pgs), but the book held my interest and the painstaking narrative of legal details was packaged in as appetizing form as possible.

Harr does not read like Grisham. If you want Grisham's fast-moving plot then stick with Grisham. If you're interested in taking a look at the brutal details and legal chess moves that occur in litigation, then you may enjoy Harr.

Lastly, I disagree with reviewers who accused Harr of failing to flesh out his characters. Since the book is nonfiction Harr cannot take the sort of omniscient perspective available to a Grisham, but he does a fine job of getting inside the character's heads nonetheless.

I found this on a friend's 'moving back to the States' sale. It was moldy, but sounded interesting. It was only after reading the first twenty pages that I realized I had seen the movie based on this account. It had been years since I had seen the movie and had trouble remembering the closure so I pressed on.

The account has all the drama and thrill of a Grisham novel or Hollywood thriller, but it certainly lacks the Hollywood happy ending! The author does a fabulous job of presenting a glimpse into the depth of this case, without burdening the reader with every minuscule detail. I found myself alternately amazed and disgusted at the inner workings or our judicial system, especially that which revolves around our lawyers. This work presents them as they are talented, obnoxious, determined, proud, intelligent, cocky and greedy. Certainly I walked away with a strange mixture of respect and disgust toward lawyers.

Mr. Harr's account of the events allow you to walk in the shoes of these lawyers as the move through the long and painful process of going against big business. I found myself wishing that some of the men involved would simply humble them selves and admit their wrong with integrity. Yet instead in the face of obvious wrong doing cowardly hid behind millions (and billions) of dollars and lawyers, refusing to see to pain and death they had caused. I think it is for this reason when I finished the book I felt depressed and a renewed sense of man's depravity.

The book is an engaging and quick read. Its almost 500 pages flew by in record speed for me. I suggest this as a great reality check to all the Grisham readers out there. I give it 4 out 5 stars for it's well written and gripping account of real life events.

A local man living in the Woburn area at the time Harr was writing this book began doind research at the Woburn library. Not long after,plainclothes often sinister looking men began appearing and looking over his shoulder at his microfilm research offering no explanation. Later a bizarre series of events unfolded in the man's life eventually leading to a series of internet postings in a desperate plea for help. These postings appeared to trigger an investigation into the man.

Why would basic research using publicly available resources trigger an investigation into a library patron?