Outrage: The Story Behind the Tawana Brawley Hoax [Hardcover]

Robert D. Macfadden (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The Tawana Brawley case attracted national attention in 1987 when the black teenager from Wappingers Falls, N.Y., claimed that she had been kidnapped, gang-raped and defiled by white racists, among them law officers. Although subsequent investigation found her story to be a fabrication, a media circus erupted, focusing on charges of racial injustice and the antics of Brawley's legal advisers Al Sharpton, Alton Maddox and C. Vernon Mason. In an impressive expose that distills much new information from scores of interviews, McFadden and a team of fellow New York Times journalists present evidence that Brawley concocted her story, with her mother's complicity, because the teen had been on late-night escapades and feared beatings by her stepfather, a man who had fatally shot his ex-wife. Conveyed in cinematic style, this probe is notable for its fresh revelations and its perspectives on racism, politics and media distortion.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

"The wrap-up article was an esteemed vehicle . . . covering an old story in a larger context." This is how the New York Times reporters/authors defend the fact that their paper didn't cover the case until months after it happened. With its additional background information and its recurring "racial perspective" provided by a kaffee klatsch of blacks at a Brooklyn diner, this account of the Times 's coverage of the case does seem to provide a "larger context" than Mike Taibbi and Anna-Sims Phillips's "Unholy Alliances": Working the Tawana Brawley Story ( LJ 5/15/89). And the reporters did score some major scoops: a first peek at evidence reports that showed many inconsistencies and the truth (appropriately for this case, told secondhand) of how Tawana faked rape to escape her stepfather's wrath. Still, the authors seem to go out of their way to attack Taibbi's tactics at every turn, when his CBS-TV reports were instrumental in toppling the Brawley team. Obviously these authors, perhaps like the rest of the American public, didn't learn the lesson of this case: that the media itself shouldn't be the story. Buy where Taibbi's book proved popular. Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 4/15/90. --Judy Quinn, "Library Journal"
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 408 pages
• Publisher: Bantam; First Edition edition (August 1, 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0553057561
• ISBN-13: 978-0553057560
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.2 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,374,321 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Strong and Informative Narrative, November 23, 2006

By 

K.A.Goldberg (Chicago) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Outrage: The Story Behind the Tawana Brawley Hoax (Hardcover)

This straightforward narrative of the 1987 Tawana Brawley case is worth reading. Tawana made national headlines after she was found half naked, dazed, and smeared with excrement in a New York City suburb. Tawana claimed she'd been raped by several white officers, but her claim was unverified by medical exam. As suspicions grew, she clammed up and let outrageous black activists (led by Al Sharpton) speak for her. These charlatans milked the opportunity, keeping Tawana silent, casting accusations, holding incitement-filled rallies, and attacking all skeptics as dupes, sellouts, or co-conspirators. Readers see how irresponsible media coverage fueled this almost-certain hoax, as did craven government officials unwilling to stand up to race hustling. We also see that a depressing number of people continued to swallow Tawana's con job long after they should have smelled a rat (and after comic Bill Cosby withdrew his cash reward offer). Finally, the authors uncover how Tawana's attempt to deceive a relative snowballed out of control.

The authors are reporters from the New York Times who did their job, spending long hours investigating the case. They show how easy it is to manipulate racial discord, the results of sensation-seeking media (which still labels racial charlatans as "civil rights leaders"), and the dangers that result when people form opinions based on personal bias rather than by a sober look at the facts. Sound like O.J. Simpson? Perhaps the people that should most read this book are journalism students and the many oft-manipulated, sensation-seeking journalists.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An Excellent Investigative Book, December 9, 2000

By 

Dortra - See all my reviews

This review is from: Outrage: The Story Behind the Tawana Brawley Hoax (Hardcover)

1987 in New York, a young black girl named Tawana Brawley was found half nude with racial slurs scrawled on her body. She claimed that she had been gang raped by a group of white men, that included policemen. Naturally not only the city of New York, but the entire country reacted in horror. But the Brawley family along with their advisors Al Sharpton, Alton Maddox, and Vernon Mason, refused to cooperate with police investigators and the DA's office. Brawly's advisors made numerous allegations of police cover ups, corruption in the DA's office, as well as accusing DA Steven Pagones of being directly involved in the alleged assault on Tawana. But as investigations progressed, the validaty of Brawley's claims of rape at the hands of white racists came into question. This is an intriguing and very good investigative look at a case that divided a city and nation along racial lines in the late 1980's.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great history, important book, January 21, 2009

By 

Joseph C. Sweeney (Portland, Maine) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Outrage: The Story Behind the Tawana Brawley Hoax (Hardcover)

It was not that long ago that this case was a national sensation. A troubled teenager invents a fabulous story about abuse, shocking in its depravity, and the media bites into it wholeheartedly. We can all learn from this poor kid, who knew not what was in store for her. Important American history that should be read by one and all.