The Innocent Man

A word of caution : If you believe that in America you are innocent until proven guilty, this book will shock you. If you believe in the death penalty, this book will disturb you. If you believe that the justice system is fair, this book will infuriate you. I didn't even know this was non-fiction when I bought it. It disturbed me to an extent that I thought of not finishing the book - something that I never do.

Eleven years after their arrest for the rape/murder of Debbie Carter, Ron Williamson and Dennis Fritz were exonerated using DNA testing. Not only did the testing prove that Williamson and Fritz were not involved, but that the one "eyewitness" was the actual killer. Their entire conviction hinged on the testimony of the actual killer and snitches looking for a deal to get less time in prison.

Ron Williamson spent 11 years on death row and never once change his story of innocence. He nearly went out of his mind in jail, having already had severe mental disorders prior to his arrest. During his trial not one person - not the prosecution, the judge, nor Williamson's own lawyer - raised the questions of his competency to stand trial despite a 10-year history of psychological problems ranging from manic depression to schizophrenia.

In The Innocent Man, John Grisham tells Williamson's story in a way that's understandable by the common man. He brings up a number of questions the detectives, judge, prosecutor and jurors should have been asking before convicting Williamson and Fritz. In addition, he gives a detailed account of two other men arrested by the same detectives and tried in the same court. Both were also found guilty and are innocent, but they are still behind bars (www.wardandfontenot.com).

Grisham, with his famous name and storytelling abilities, is bringing awareness to an issue that few acknowledge - the justice system isn't always just. Their story is one that most of us would like to believe never happens anywhere. Unfortunately, as Grisham proves in The Innocent Man, it probably happens much more often than we know. And in India, it happens a lot. We see it in movies all the time. All it takes is the right combination of incompetent policemen, investigators, expert witnesses, prosecutors and judges to make it possible. Ron Williamson and Dennis Fritz had years stolen from them and their lives were largely ruined by the very people charged with protecting the public welfare.

Unexpectedly, this book gave me reason to question the death penalty. I have to wonder how many innocent men are put to death each year all over the world. At the same time I have to believe that the science used today to convict killers is more accurate than in previous decades. It really made me appreciate what a huge discovery DNA has been. Unfortunately though, DNA testing can often be expensive. 

Grisham tells the Fritz and Williamson story in a very straightforward way. There is no attempt to “novelize” what happened through the use of extensively recreated dialogue or by speaking from the points-of-view of its main characters. That does make for some rather dry reading at times but the details resulting from Grisham’s research makes his straight reporting of the facts a fascinating one.

I highly recommend this book to anyone concerned about the legal system. It gives some great tips on what to do when being wrongly accused of something. Be warned - if you are someone who believe in fair justice, then the injustice of it may stay with you forever. In the author's notes, Grisham says, "Not in my most creative moment could I conjure up a story as rich and layered as Ron's." Nor as unbelievable. But here it is, a true story of injustice and the problems with the justice system, not just in the United States of America, but around the world.

‘The Afghan’ – a book review and more.

Frederick Forsyth has always been one among my favourite authors. I greatly enjoy his books and consider him the father and master of the modern spy thriller. I don't get to read his works so often as I would be lost in the works of Ken Follet, John Grisham, Arthur Hailey and so on, but not necessarily in the same order. So, when I saw a copy of the 'The Afghan', I snapped up a copy very eagerly.

Forsyth’s books are somewhat of an acquired taste. Some people have a hard time getting past the highly detailed descriptions of geography, social and political situations, historical references and all those foreign names. I find these fascinating and have no problem with these attributes in his novels. In fact the meticulous research of relevant topics and sweeping descriptions of far away places bring a gritty reality to his stories. His roots in war journalism have always been on display in his writings, and ‘The Afghan’ is no different.

Forsyth’s novels are based on real world issues and concerns. From the constant wars in Africa in ‘The Dogs of War’ to the impact of the impending oil crisis in ‘The Negotiator’ to political assassination in the classic ‘The Day of the Jackal’, Forsyth has always mixed the real with a little fictional “what if this happened?” to create plausible situations and consequences. In ‘The Afghan’, Forsyth takes on the very relevant issue of terrorism and Islamic extremism. True to his past books, Forsyth has obviously spent some time researching his topic. He paints a very disturbing but somewhat clinical picture of the manipulation of the Islamic faith by those with their own agenda to create the kind of hatred we seem to witness daily on the news. He takes pains to point out that true Islam does not advocate the killing of innocent people, among other teachings that are being conveniently ignored by terrorists who preach total intolerance of anything not within their ‘faith’. It also briefly examines the past 9/11 world of intelligence gathering, and how that horrific event changed how nations work together in an effort to not allow it to be repeated. A very compelling and relevant world in which to stage his story. Sadly he does not dig too deeply into the roots of terrorism and it’s twisting of Islam, but merely glances at it to establish the base of his tale.

In ‘The Afghan’, British and American intelligence hear whispers about a major operation by the terrorist organization Al-Qaeda, but can discover no details other than there is something in the works, it’s big and it’s on the horizon. Forsyth’s “What If?” scenario is this: “What if we could plant a spy in the midst of Al-Qaeda?” By a unique set of circumstances, British army colonel Mike Martin is capable of looking, speaking and passing as an Afghanistan native and is planted to take the place of a trusted former Taliban commander who has been a prisoner at Guantanamo Bay for five years. Arrangements are made for this man’s trial, and extradition to Afghanistan. Before which Martin replaces him and his “escape’ is orchestrated once in Afghanistan, allowing Martin to enter the middle east in his new identity and seek to discover details of the secret terrorist plan. A promising premise that does not live up to it’s potential for one big, unforgivable reason.

Now, I have few rules about books. Most deal with giving me either characters I care about or a story plot that keeps me interested (preferably both) so I want to turn the page and see what happens next. Beyond that I can forgive a lot. There is, however, one rule I absolutely have for any book that expects me to believe it takes place in the real world… there can only be one total suspension of disbelief. In other words, one situation arising that is implausible or improbable is acceptable, but not two or more. Not if the author intends me to regard the book as a real world possibility as opposed to pure fantasy. Forsyth soundly breaks this rule at least twice, and more if you count the fallout from the second incident. The fact that, unbeknownst to his employers, Mike Martin knows the man he is to replace from an encounter earlier in his life, and that encounter proves pivotal to his passing as the man later is so astronomically against the odds as to be almost impossible. That’s the one I can forgive. However the circumstances of the replaced man’s escape from an extreme remote CIA hideaway and the outrageous events that extend his freedom are so improbable as to be totally unbelievable. Winning the lottery is more likely that what we are presented with at his point in the book. Without revealing any further spoilers, this unfortunate part of the plot had me literally rolling my eyes. It smacks of the author wanting to find a way to set the prisoner free to add tension to the story and taking a lazy, easy and convenient path for that to happen with no regard for it’s believability. In a book of this genre, it’s a flaw that sticks out like a sore thumb, and is hard to get past. When this event took place, it distracted me from the rest of the story, and I never recovered. That was a shame, for although the story is a very quick read it is full of the Forsyth touches and methods that make his writing so enjoyable… interwoven storylines that act like fuses, all burning towards the same disaster if allowed to continue.

The book has a particular reference to my home state which took me by shock. It is not the reality that is contained in that paragraph that shook me, but the time it was written. Let me quote from the book - "Captain Montalban knew vaguely that most of India is Hindu but he had no idea that there are also a hundred and fifty million Muslims. He was not aware that the radicalization of Indian Muslims has been just as vigorous as in Pakistan, or that Kerala, once the hotbed of Communism, has been particularly receptive territory for Islamist extremism".

Off late, Kerala has been the venue of many SIMI camps and the Police in the state are still searching for those concerned, with few arrests. Forsyth published this book in 2006 and by my best guess, he would have came upon this information in 2005. A well known British author had this information in 2005. Should we believe that the Govt. of India or for that matter the Govt. in Kerala were unaware of the same? Or did they turn a blind eye to the information? May be I should do a bit of research on the same and publish another post.

Don't miss out on this one. It throws more light on "why they do, what they do".

The Runaway Jury

A couple of years back, I had the habit of buying a book every month. With time, the habit went down the drain, but reading has not. I read a min of two books every month and am somewhat proud to say that whatever linguistic skills I have acquired, are the result of my reading habits. Before I started blogging, I would finish reading a book and would jolt down my impressions in my diary. These days, I publish my notes in my blog. Yes, its my blog. I am free to write about anything that comes to my mind.

Till date, I haven't read many hard cover books. My choice has always been the paperbacks. A paperback can  be a great diversion from life, and this has always proved true where I am concerned. 'The Runaway Jury' by Grisham was one of the bestsellers and if my knowledge is correct, the story was adopted to make a movie.

The plot unwinds: A jury is selected in Mississippi to hear the case of a widow whose husband died of lung cancer. On this jury are all manner of average citizens, except that one juror, Nicholas, a law school dropout, has managed to penetrate county records, get a fictitious name added to the jury roll, and then have that non-person be selected to hear the case. The tobacco industry goes to great lengths to influence the jury, even outright bribing a few jurors. There's no dramatic cross-examination; no heart wrenching testimony. 

For once, lawyers play a small role in Grisham's tale. Instead, the focus is on Rankin Fitch and his nemesis, Marlee, who also happens to be Nicholas' girlfriend. Marlee and Nicholas have hatched a plot to get even with the tobacco industry. Fitch is the guy behind the scenes, a master manipulator with unlimited funds from Big Tobacco, and he will do anything to win. He is not one of the lawyers, but this is his eighth tobacco trial and he has never lost. The cat-and-mouse game played between Nicholas, Marlee and Fitch over the direction of the jury quickly becomes hair-raising as the stakes inch ever higher.

I am not going to give away the rest of the story. Grab a copy and read for yourselves. You wouldn't regret it.

The book best illustrates jury tampering,  the conduct of a jury which cannot follow instructions and the obsession of the tobacco companies to stay rich. At times, we get the feeling that those who head the tobacco companies would prefer death than to accept a defeat in the trial.

I have no practical experience with a Jury.  Jury tampering in the form of purchased votes as Grisham illustrates here is perhaps only one. A less prominent theme in 'The Runaway Jury', but one which nonetheless plays a major role in any big trial is the influence of the media; a community saturated by one-sided publicity about a trial is unlikely to yield a fair and impartial Jury. Additionally, the conduct of the attorneys can be a factor in influencing a jury's verdict. (The Jury system is not practice in India, and my knowledge on the system comes out of reading.)

As usual with Grisham, the writing is no more than workmanlike, the characterizations are alternatively thin and too broad, but all is redeemed by his patented combination of expertise and narrative drive. What makes The Runaway Jury his most rewarding novel to date is that it is fully enlisted in an issue of substance, in which arguments of genuine pith are hammered out and resolved in a manner that is both intellectually and emotionally satisfying. It's a thriller for people who love and like to think.

P.S I Love You

Habits seldom die. I have this habit of finishing the book I am reading and then moving to the next, even if it takes me years to finish the book am reading. In short, I do not touch another book, without finishing the one I am reading. This is why it took me so long to read "P.S. I love you", gifted by my fiancée.

I am not the kind of person whom you could describe as reader of emotional novels. However, this particular novel by Cecilia Ahern had me glued to the pages. Its story and characters touched my heart and at times I found myself sighing.

"P.S I Love you", is a tale about loss, those who are left behind and how they cope after a death. The story hovers around Holly and Gerry, a young Irish couple. Holly couldn't live without her husband Gerry, until the day she had to. They were the kind of young couple who could finish each other's sentences. When Gerry succumbs to a terminal illness and dies, 30-year-old Holly is set adrift, unable to pick up the pieces. But with the help of a series of letters her husband left her before he died and a little nudging from an eccentric assortment of family and friends, she learns to laugh, overcome her fears, and discover a world she never knew existed.

Gerry calls it the list of things to do. It started off as a joke. Holly and Gerry "fight" over who should turn off the bedroom light. Gerry jokes asking, "What will you do when I'm gone?" She replies saying her new husband will do it. It's then Gerry says he's going to make her a list of things to do/not to do. #1 being, turn off the light. #2, watch out for the bed post. (Because the light is now off and she can't see as she makes her way back to bed.)

The letters were sent by Gerry to Holly's parent's home where he thought the package would be safe until Holly is ready to receive them. She receives the letters in sealed envelopes, one for each month, instructing her of tasks she must complete each month. Though some of the letters sound silly, they have a purpose. They help Holly move on with her life.

We watch Holly do her best to move on with her life. She has her good days and she has her bad. When her best friend, Denise announces she's getting married and her other best friend Sharon, announce she's pregnant on the same day, Holly is genuinely happy for them. But she has those feelings of loneliness, hurt and being left behind.

I really liked this book. It made me laugh, it made me sad, and it made me misty eyed. It made me think what I would do in Gerry's shoes. I am not writing anything further on the book. I liked it; it’s up to you to find out if you do....

Many Lives, Many Masters

I just finished reading "Many Lives, Many Masters" by Dr. Brian Weiss. Usually, I do not read non-fiction, as it bores me. It took me three months to read this particular book and to understand the implications; I had to re-read many of the chapters.

This book is about past lives and past life regression methods. I am not sure how many of us believe in past lives. Believe me, you will not only love reading it, but you will also understand the depth of the phenomenon called "LIFE".

There is a reason for everything. Perhaps at the moment that an event occurs we have neither the insight nor the foresight to comprehend the reason, but with time and patience, it will come to light. There could be a reason why I chose to read the book, which is not yet revealed to me.

MLMM cannot be considered to be in the class of just an ordinary book. The author, through his mind blowing research and findings, has transcended the man made boundaries of time & spirituality and entered the realm of super subconsciousness, where this life time passes in the blink of an eye. Experiencing the unexplained is phenomenon close only to the self. It cannot be told or described, but only be felt. This book is step one.

MLMM is the true story of a psychiatrist and his ’extraordinarily attractive’ young patient who worked as a lab technician in his hospital, the Past Life Therapy that changed both of their worlds. I would not want to reveal the plot in detail to any of you who’ve not read it. Because I’ve tried it on a few people and I ended up making them dislike the book even before they had read it…

Before I go any further, let me warn everyone- you need to be in a completely accepting frame of mind to let the book influence you in the right spirit. If you’re the perennially sceptical person that most people are proud to be, then kindly keep away from this book. Because you will end up not benefiting from it and will probably go around telling others your opinion of it (which might hinder their views on the book). Anyway, the sole point is that you must be in a mental setting so that the book can take you on a long journey and you’ll surely come out of it looking a lot better, trust me.

What is so amazing about MLMM is that Dr. Weiss doesn’t attempt to preach his learning’s or force his beliefs on the reader. Instead, he chooses to simply narrate his experiences to them which is still better because the event and truths in the story are really powerful and can move anyone who cares to believe them. The book is not for those who wish to read it like any other book and then forget all about it. It is meant to be understood and lived.

Then again, the subject of the book is no more a fresh one since it’s been taken and retaken by millions of the “self help” authors round the globe. But all I have to say is that this one strikes more strongly because of the fact that a fellow human being is narrating his experiences and not giving lessons on how to live and how to behave.

Some may ask whether the story is true? How can you be sure that this is non-fiction? To those who ask such questions, I have a counter question. "Have you ever heard of an old fashioned Indian guy called Patanjali?" The concept of Past Life Therapy is as old as Patanjali’s Yoga Darshan which was written around the 4th century BC. He talks about the soul (CHITTA) being burdened with the impressions or samskaras of karmas from previous births. This was at a time, when other civilizations were just developing.

We Indians (known as Snake charmers across the world) know such things from our birth. Unfortunately, we need the certification from west to accept the theory of re-incarnation and Past Life Therapy. There is another book called "Bhagavadgita" which tells you that your soul leaves this body and accepts another body just as you shed old clothes to wear fresh ones.

Past life regression is an accepted practice in the west. We are now slowly accepting that one has to heal the mind also along with the body. Many Lives Many Masters is an excellent book which helps us to understand ourselves better and to find a direction and purpose in life.

I am sure that who ever read the book would be moved and changed to a nice human being because that is what we are supposed to do. My life has changed after I picked up this book and there is no looking back.

And as Dr. Weiss says “I also feel responsible for my actions, the negative as well as lofty. I know there will be a price to pay. What goes around truly does come around." Surely this book is going to change many lives. Read on.... Those who haven’t read it have missed something important in life.