Customer Reviews

Hurricane: The Miraculous Journey of Rubin Carter

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

This is a wonderfully crafted book about one of the most insidious evils with which we still struggle, about 2 men who had their lives taken from them, and extraordinary people who made freedom for Mr. Carter their full time passion.

The quote of this review is still pathetically true; the statement refers to "we are looking for two Negroes". This story is not unique; it's tempting to say it's not unusual, but that would be letting the cynics win, and Mr. Carter never allowed that to infect him. And many of the historical clichés just won't work with this story.

Racism in the South or Deep South? no, New Jersey.

Southern Klan? no, Northeast Yankees.

Takes place before The Civil Rights Acts, before we were supposed to be evolving as people and citizens? no, Mr. Carter gained his freedom when he finally was legally exonerated on February 27, 1988! This was after 2 decades, 140,000 plus pages of documents, several trials, all generated, pursued, and ended only when the State Of New Jersey had no legal options left. Only when the State agreed not to try Mr. Carter a THIRD time, as long as he did not pursue a Civil Suit against the State! After 21 years of the pursuit of 2 men that were suspected, arrested, tried, and convicted for the color of their skin, New Jersey was worried about money!

The Author opens the book with a reference to Mr. Richard Bruno Hauptmann. This man was executed for his alleged killing/kidnapping of the child of Anne and Charles Lindbergh. Mr. Hirsch sets this book up brilliantly by mentioning a man who while most probably involved, was in no way deserving of death, and thought by many to be a victim, to a much lesser degree perhaps, than Mr. Carter. So the book opens with Mr. Carter a few cells down from the electric chair upon which Mr. Hauptman was killed. Wonderfully crafted opening, a clever parallel sketched if not drawn, and the book goes on and never slows until the end.

Mr. Carter is remarkable. The "Canadians" were unique, as were Mr. Carter's lawyers. They never quit until they had won, until the State of New Jersey had run out of options to pursue their case which Judge Sarokin had at various times called; "...insufferably galling. It is akin to plucking a man's eyes out and condemning him because he cannot see. It has consistently been the misconduct of the State, under the color of law, which has frustrated and prolonged its realization" (it, refers to the 2 accused and their case which "have never enjoyed a full, fair and unforced disclosure of the facts to which they have been constitutionally entitled".)

When Mr. Carter's Father died his obituary proclaimed him to be the Father of "a convicted triple murderer".

Mr. John Artis who was the co-defendant of Mr. Carter, is another extremely rare type of human being. In all the years, trials, interrogations, he never, never, ever, cut a deal for himself in exchange for implicating Mr. Carter. Was this Hurricane Carter a life-long friend, a good friend, how about they barely knew each other the night of the crime? Mr. Artis got a ride home that evening. And Mr. Artis was indirectly sentenced to death by The State Of New Jersey's persecutors. He contracted a disease in prison attributable to the conditions he was wrongfully incarcerated for, and that has cost him 6 amputations of digits and toes, and will eventually claim his life. This man would not cut a deal for himself, or harm a man he was a casual acquaintance of, if he was even that.

No one from The State of New Jersey who persecuted these men suffered, no one was punished for what they had done, and asked if an apology was owed, Mr. Belsole of the New Jersey State Attorney General's Office, "believed that amends or apologies would have mocked the criminal justice system". Certainly he and everyone involved with the prosecution/persecution of these men are indeed experts on what mockery, and mockery of justice is.

Mr. Carter's enemies still claim he was released on a technicality, a charge that Leon Friedman, one of Mr. Carter's attorneys, responds to with " It was a technicality - it's called the U.S. Constitution".

As a lawyer and an African American I vaguely remember the story of Rubin Carter but did not follow it closely. When the movie came out I read the reviews with great interest. The reviews all said that the movie did not give the full story and it's obvious that you can't cram a whole life time and years of legal battling into a two hour movie. When I saw the movie I was intrigued by the story and ordered the book. I found the book well written, with excellent details. It tells the real story and gives the details of the legal battle in a reable form that is understandable by any reader. You get to know Rubin Carter by reading this book in a way that could never happen in the movies. It's well worth reading, although the story itself is a sad commentary on the rights of African Americans.

..superbly written, gives a disturbing glimpse of our criminal justice system.

warning: may cause you to review your position on a variety of social/legal issues.

foremost,this book gives an astonishing account of the human spirit,there are many hero's in this one. read it!

I love controversial books so I decided to pick this one up. I was not disappointed! This one makes you sad at times, angry at others (over the travesty that is the American Justice system). If you are interested in the case of Rubin Carter, or even about the mistreatment of blacks in the US, this is worth your time and money.

I bought this book because I heard Rubin Hurricane Carter interviewed on NPR radio. In fact, I listened to the interview twice, I was so enthralled with the human spirit and wisdom that came through over the airwaves. Now that I'm reading the book, I'm even more taken with this man's journey. The book does not portray Carter as some kind of idol but as a many-sided human being who refused to be dominated and ultimately triumphed over his circumstances. Philosophically, the book gives me much to think about, and it's a riveting read, one of the best books I've read in the last few years (and I read about 400 books a year!).

Jim Hirsch gives a gripping and balanced narrative of Rubin Carter's struggles. It's a first rate read. I highly recommend it.

I was fortunate enough to meet Hirsch and Carter recently, and the experience only added to my enjoyment of the book. Rubin Carter is an amazing speaker, and the emotion he exudes cannot properly be described with words. However, Hirsch is able to tell the story of how an angry man, wrongfully imprisoned is now able to look at every day as a gift that should not be wasted.

This is an "authorized" biography, meaning that its subject (boxer Rubin "Hurricane" Carter) cooperated in its production, but that doesn't mean that it's a hagiography. Hirsch produces a book that generates a sense of outrage at the injustice Carter suffered without minimizing Carter's difficult personality.

Carter's story is familiar to many. Accused of triple murder in Paterson, New Jersey, in the late '60s, he was convicted, despite dubious evidence, and imprisoned for nearly 20 years before his conviction was overturned. With the help of Bob Dylan, he became a cause celebre in the mid-'70s, won a new trial, and then, incredibly, saw his conviction upheld, forcing a return to prison, at which point he became nearly a forgotten man.

Nearly forgotten, but not entirely, because of the efforts of an obscure and enigmatic commune in Toronto that championed his cause and worked tirelessly for a decade in the cause of his relief. Hirsch effectively documents Carter's ambivalent relationship with this group, particularly its leader, with whom he became spiritually and romantically involved.

Hirsch chronicles in his book Carter's journey through a legal system that abused him and through his own psyche. He was at times an unreasoning, violent man who battled not only opponents in the ring, but alcoholism, fits of rage and purposeless impulses to battle the system through criminal acts.

Hirsch's thoroughly researched book ultimately sounds a cautionary note. Carter succeeded in his quest for justice, but only with the help of extremely dedicated attorneys and friends. Thousands of hours were expended in battling state power. One wonders how many, without benefit of such resources, have languished in prison, unable to muster the resources to mount a legal counter-offensive.

Hirsch's clean, powerful prose renders an unflinching portrait of a flawed, but brave man. Recommended reading.

After seeing the movie, I read this book and it filled in a lot of missing pieces. (what happened to the different players, who were the cops responsible in NJ, did Rubin and the Canadian lady have anything more than a friendship, what happened to Lazarus ...etc).

I couldnt put the book down and found the story even more disconcerting in book form than the movie; since actual names and people were portrayed (in the movie for instance the changed the evil cops name...).

In the book there is also an update (since the movie) to what has happened to Rubin et al, although, curiously, no mention of the movie itself.

This is an exhaustively detailed account of the life of Rubin "The Hurricane" Carter, told in a compelling, fluid style. Great detail is given not only the the life of Rubin Carter, but of all those persons involved in Mr. Carter's decades long struggle for freedom after having been twice wrongly convicted for a 1966 triple murder. The background detail of places and events provides an impressive depth and understanding of the political undercurrents and feelings of the day. Mr. Carter has strong feelings about the criminal justice system in the United States, and a strong basis for those feelings. Mr. Hirsch's meticulously researched 'hurricane' provides the reader with a well written 'Journey' not only of, but with Rubin Carter.