From Freedom To Slavery: The Rebirth of Tyranny in America [Paperback]

Gerry Spence (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 15, 1996

Never afraid to take on tough cases or tackle difficult issues, here in From Freedom to Slavery Gerry Spence comes at us uncensored, with his passions on fire. In this underground bestseller, which has come to define Spence's political philosophy, he speaks out against the destructive forces in America today-forces of government and corporate tyranny that are robbing us of our freedom-and he warns us that time is running out.

In a dramatic new chapter, presented for the first time in a trade paperback edition, Spence recounts in astonishing detail the government shoot-out at Ruby Ridge and the resulting trial of separatist Randy Weaver, revealing the important lessons we must learn from this tragic case.

Finally, Spence makes the eloquent case that we, as Americans, have delivered our freedoms to new masters: corporate and governmental conglomerates, our biased court system, and the censored media. From Freedom to Slavery is an urgent work that urges us to resist this tyranny, a book that must be read and discussed by all concerned citizens of our troubled land.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Noted Wyoming trial lawyer Spence ( Gunning for Justice ) is a veteran rhetorician, but this "collection for free-floating thoughts about freedom" lacks organization and offers only scattered sustenance. He muses about governmental abuses of power as well as about the tyranny of fear, of poverty, of viewpoint and of work, and makes the dubious point that freedom itself is a form of tyranny: "It requires that we be alive, alert, exquisitely aware of our raw being." A foe of "inherently evil" corporations, Spence proposes an intriguing reform: each corporation should seat ordinary people on its board as "conscience members." He then meanders into imaginary dialogues about the sanctity of the environment, cites Native American wisdom to attack sexism and makes tart observations on corporate control of the media. Spence's chapters sound more like impassioned court statements than well-structured arguments. Photos not seen by PW.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Kirkus Reviews

From virtuoso trial-lawyer Spence, defender of Karen Silkwood and Imelda Marcos: a fiery ``collection of free-floating thoughts about freedom.'' Spence is profoundly uncomfortable with the socioeconomic interdependence caused by our complex economy. Seeing serfdom everywhere in ordinary American life--in employment, religion, the media, home mortgages--he recognizes that freedom is a burden, and that people often enter into imprisoning relationships, jobs, and commitments in order to escape the loneliness and want that accompany unalloyed freedom. In traditional American populist fashion, he denounces corporate America and government bureaucracy each as a ``New King'' that has ruthlessly despoiled the environment while enslaving the people. Spence decries the ``breathing dead''--virtually anyone who cooperates with the materialism of our society, whether as a corporate employee, a homeowner, a consumer, or as a member of the media audience--and he deplores not just external tyrannies but also what he considers tyrannies of mind and soul: TV-generated consumerism and violence (``[We] comport ourselves like lumpen slobs drooling at the trough where we are slopped like anthropomorphic hogs with the vacuous fare corporate America throws at us''; religious traditions (``cages of the mind''); and convention. The author condemns the poverty of much of society, as well as the domination of our national power structure by males, and he proudly displays his own concept of freedom by dubbing himself a ``tree-hugger'' and imagining a dialogue with a trial judge in which Spence argues that trees have rights like human beings. Finally, Spence lyrically celebrates the ``kingdom of the self''--a realm in which, he says, individuals have the power to liberate themselves. Spence--courageous and individualistic in the best American tradition--scores some eloquent points (he's at his most fluent when writing about his beloved American West and its people); but, mostly, he exhorts with the sort of angry rhetoric that might move a jury but that often falls flat on the page. -- Copyright ©1993, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin (April 15, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312143427
• ISBN-13: 978-0312143428
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #319,274 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Gerry Spence has been a trial attorney for more than five decades and proudly represents "the little people." He has fought and won for the family of Karen Silkwood, defended Randy Weaver at Ruby Ridge, and represented hundreds of others in some of the most notable trials of our time. He is the founder of Trial Lawyer's College, a nonprofit school where, pro bono, he teaches attorneys for the people how to present their cases and win against powerful corporate and government interests. He is the author of fifteen books, including The New York Times bestseller How to Argue and Win Every Time, From Freedom to Slavery, Give Me Liberty, and The Making of a Country Lawyer, and is a nationally known television commentator on the famous trials of our time. He lives in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Deconstructing America's False Reality, December 9, 1999

By 

mrgrieves08 (tucson) - See all my reviews

This review is from: From Freedom To Slavery: The Rebirth of Tyranny in America (Paperback)

This is a book that will change your outlook on life in America. It is the plea of one man, crying out against the sytematic infiltration of corporate power and greed into every area of life. In this courageous work, Gerry Spence takes on what he calls, the "oligarchical" power of the corporate world, exposing its manipulation of even our most personal beliefs. On issues from the environment, police brutality, polital corruption and homelessness, to the dominating influence that this power has on the individual level, he leaves no stone unturned in his search for justice in America. Anyone who is interested in the social problems of our country will find this book a great source of knowledge, insight, and even outrage. This book simply asks the reader to look at American society as it is, not as it was taught to many of us in public school, and then think about how these problems can be overcome.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Find out why US corporations do NOT want Gerry to air this, January 17, 2005

By 

Dale Franklin (Houston, TX) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: From Freedom To Slavery: The Rebirth of Tyranny in America (Paperback)

This is my 2nd book by Gerry Spence. I am changing my views & opinions about our so-called "legal system", about lawyers, about political parties. As the song says, "I've quit those days & my redneck ways". Gerry is likely a liberal & I'm a conservative yet I agree with 90% of what he brings out. I prefer learning from someone with real-world experience instead of theoretical academia which I have discovered is out-of-touch with reality in my 56 years: that is; professors commenting on other professors commenting on other professors.

In my time, I've always known something was seriously wrong with our great country but couldn't put my finger on it. Like most folks, I thought it was those "blood sucking parasite politicians". With facts (not opinion) and specific cases (not speculation), Gerry shows this euphoric bubble we are all in -- that we THINK is "democracy". It's not good enough to wrap ourselves in the American flag and say "at least we're better than Angola". We love our constitution and bill-of-rights unfortunately now, America is not "of, for, & by the people" except on 4th of July and during election time.

Like a cruise missile that homes in on its target, Gerry clearly pinpoints the issues, draws contrasts, and offers solutions (which we thought were just "political").

Okay, we have GROWN UP and we're big boys & girls: we need to also WISE UP and stop trashing folks because we disagree with them 10% of the time. The only person you will be in agreement with 100% is yourself - and I've discovered that people's "assumer" is wrong 90% of the time.

This book is of mature subject so if you're seeking "rainbows in the sky & children singing in the fields", then go look at the Sunday comic section.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Compelling reading that will challenge many beliefs, April 24, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: From Freedom To Slavery: The Rebirth of Tyranny in America (Paperback)

Mr. Spence states eloquently that the biggest threat to our freedom comes from our willingness as a people to accept limits, laws and controls that provide us with the illusion of safety when in reality they should terrify us. This is an important book. Like another reviewer, I bought copies for friends.