This is probably the best single text I have ever seen for the practicing physician interested in clinical gastroenterology. The book is practical, clearly written and does not contain a great deal of extraneous material or information of interest only to laboratory scientists. Illustrations and tables are excellent. The text is very up to date. The physiologic descriptions are concise and valuable. All in all a must for any physician who comes in contact with patients who may have digestive diseases.

Why is this book so much more engrossing than Goldman's other biographies (Elvis and John Lennon)? Mainly because both of those subjects had been done thoroughly during their lifetimes; by the time the books came out, most people who cared to read them already knew most of the book's content.

Not so with this epic book on comic Lenny Bruce. He died in 1966 and his personal life was unknown to most, mainly because his act was considered unfit for decent audiences and he was ignored by the media.

Goldman gets much of his material from reporter Lawrence Schiller (indeed, on the cover it sayd, "by Albert Goldman from the journalism of Lawrence Schiller"). The book carefully explores Bruce's youth as Leonard Alfred Schneider, his showbiz-oriented mother and quiet, serious father, and his starnge relationship with his stripper wife Honey. Goldman and Schiller analyze Bruce's comedy and whence it came, believing this was the key to understanding Lenny Bruce himself. The book progresses through Bruce's difficult first years in Manhattan nightclubs, then moves to Los Angeles and, finally, San Francisco, where Bruce became a star. It also deals heavily with the comic's insatiable appetite for IV drugs, his fall from a San Franciscco hotel room and his horrible legal battles, which haunted him till the end of his life.

Be warned: if you are not fascinated by showbiz and the lives of the famous and notorious, this book will bore you senseless. There are absolutely no pictures and the book carefully dissects every aspect of Lenny Bruce's life. Finally, this is a book unlike any bio or showbiz book ever written; it is a peek into a world long gone and well known only to very few.

At the end, I had to shake my head. I saw this life as a waste in the same way as Charlie Parker's. Brilliance and genius subverted by drugs and egomania. The book comes across reasonably unbiased, but Lenny is painted as a martyr but also as the architect of his own demise. This book was a fascinating journey, and many names are dropped along the ride. After the 3/4 point in this book I began to see Lenny as a drug-addicted loser who had a gift for convincing people to do his will. Sounds exactly like Charlie Parker, and there are many parallels to the life of the jazz musician of the same period.
While this book was being written (completed in 1974), Goldman states that Bob Fosse was working on a film based on Lenny's life. I saw the result "Lenny", many years before reading this book, and though an entertaining film, it has little to do with the story told here. the main problem is that it is ultra-condensed, while the book tends to be excessively detailed.
Lenny had a gift, but like many geniuses had not the equivalent gift to manage it. The book does manage to give an impression of the highs and lows of Lenny's life. After reading it I searched for recordings of Lenny Bruce, and managed to find the unedited recording of the Carnegie Hall concert, know to be his most spontaneous and "best" performance. Reading the book put this into perspective. When you listen to Lenny, you may find his humour to be obscure, sort of in-jokes that you don't get right away. His appeal was more to the hip jazz musician crowd, and to them he made total sense. To the rest of the audience, it was the shock value they came for, and this is where his tragic conflict begins to eat his career, trying desperately to prove he wasn't a "dirty" comic. Lenny was not so much a comic, but a revolutionary, who went against the norms and held everything up for criticism. In the post-war era he moved in, this would be a tough apple-pie crowd for him to get on his side. Very intense story. If you were aware of Lenny's work before, the book will interest you. Otherwise it will be a long ride with an inevitable ending for those who mix hard drugs with a fast life.

I bought this book with the original textbook. Although it helped me I think it is not necessary to have it. But if you are enthusiastic economics student you will like it. It broaden your knowledge and helps you to see real impacts of microeconomy into our lives.

In an America fascinated, intrigued and frustrated by its legal system, Lawrence Schiller is one of the countries most knowledgeable and sage observers. He has written about O.J. Simpson, Jon Benet Ramsey and master spy Robert Hannsen. He frequently appears on television talk shows discussing the law and its intricate maneuvers. He is a man who understands and appreciates the operation of the American legal system. In CAPE MAY COURT HOUSE: A Death in the Night, Schiller presents a view of the legal system from a perspective distinctively different from most readers have experienced. The legal system presented in CAPE MAY COURTHOUSE lacks the notoriety and glamour of previous cases that Schiller has examined. The case studied is neither a major crime nor a front-page saga. The absence of these elements, however, does not detract from a fascinating and thought provoking story that will leave readers with many unanswered questions when they reach the end of the book.

CAPE MAY COURT HOUSE refers not to the locale of the litigation that forms the basis for Schiller's narrative. Rather, it is the New Jersey community where Eric and Tracy Thomas reside at the time of Tracy's tragic and soon to be suspicious death. The Thomas family had moved to the community after Eric purchased a medical practice and began his career as a dentist. To the residents of the community, the young doctor and his wife, pregnant with the couple's second child, gave the appearance of the perfect young married family. Tragedy would soon enter their lives when Tracy died after the family's Ford Explorer goes off the road in what appears initially to be a minor accident.

Early investigation of the death of Tracy Thomas implied that her death resulted from the improper inflation of the air bag in the Ford Explorer. The inquiry by the medical examiner determined that improper operation of the bag resulted in Tracy's suffocation. As any observer of the American legal system would expect, this information resulted in a civil lawsuit for wrongful death filed against Ford Motor Company and other defendants. Up to this point in the narrative, the Thomas story does not differ from hundreds of thousands of civil lawsuits filed and ultimately resolved in thousands of law offices and courthouses across America.

Civil litigation commences with a process referred to as discovery. Parties to lawsuits are entitled to investigate the claims of their opponents and are obligated to exchange information concerning the litigation. In many complex cases the discovery process can take several years that are often brutal and financially taxing. This process can often determine the outcome of the litigation. During the discovery phase of the Thomas litigation, evidence came to light suggesting that Tracy Thomas' death was anything but an unfortunate accident. Schiller recounts the detection of this critical information in a neutral and detached manner. Using the legal arguments, strategy and news media accounts as an underpinning, he involves the reader in an attempt to answer questions surrounding the death that occurred on that winter evening in 1997.

CAPE MAY COURT HOUSE lacks the definitive denouement that most readers have grown to expect in actual litigation. There is no jury verdict in either a civil or criminal case to bring closure to the fateful events that led to the death of Tracy Thomas. At the end of this book many questions remain unanswered. As a result, the reader may find himself disappointed. Yet, more often than not, that is the actual outcome of litigation. Many cases end leaving both sides with concerns and unanswered questions. Lawrence Schiller has reported the facts of this case as an observer rather than as an advocate. While he may be uncertain as to what transpired in the village of Cape May Court House, he is more than willing to let the reader come to his own conclusion based upon the information he furnishes. Those individuals who enjoy a real life mystery, unencumbered by emotional baggage, will enjoy reading this book and attempting to solve the unanswered questions in the same manner as those parties involved in the death of Tracy Thomas.

--- Reviewed by Stuart Shiffman

A Ford Explorer rolls off a street and hits a telephone pole. The airbag inflates on impact, killing the driver and her six-month old fetus. The woman's husband, and passenger in the vehicle during the accident, sues Ford Motor Company in a simple product liability case. Right?

Throughout their investigation, Ford's lawyers uncover something far from simple. They uncover a web of deceit spun by the plaintiff revolving around his statements regarding the accident, injuries he may have received from the accident, the state of his relationship with his wife at the time of the accident, and the amount of life insurance he received from his wife's death. Ford's lawyers come to the conclusion that the plaintiff may have been the cause of his wife's death, not the airbag.

This is essentially the true-life story of Lawrence Schiller's "Cape May Court House: A Death in the Night". Having grown up in the area that the events occurred (I went Middle Township HS in Cape May Court House), I had a particular interest in it. When the parties involved mention the area as small town, they are not exaggerating. For Ford to use the defense that their product wasn't responsible for Tracy Thomas's (the woman in question) death because her husband (Dr Eric Thomas) was responsible was as extremely risky one indeed. It was not only risky for Dr Thomas but for Ford also because corporations already have an undeserved reputation for attacking litigants.

There are no firm conclusions drawn from Schiller's work. It should be noted beforehand that the overwhelming bulk of the book is dedicated to Ford's efforts to uncover their truth and Dr Thomas's side is only presented in so far as it was presented in court. The book is decidely unfavorable to Dr Thomas continuosly describing him as unemotional and stony-faced as he sits through depositions regarding his wife's death.

Schiller also unintentionally presents a picture of a very broken legal system. This case never made it to trial yet spent two and a half years winding through and clogging up the court system. Not to mention that the presiding judge kept pushing for a settlement between the parties. I hope I'm not the only who finds it troubling that a judge would do such a thing just to get the case off the docket. Quick settlements is one of the reasons that our court system is overwhelmed by frivolous lawsuits in the first place. Encouraging quicker settlements would only encourage more garbage lawsuits.

In the end, I was satisfied that Ford pursued such a hard line. Defenses like this, when merited, should be vigorously pursued by defendants. Product liability lawsuits harm all Americans by increasing the costs of insurance and reducing corporate profits from litigation expenses. I think most Americans would be shocked to find out exactly how much of the cost of the car they are purchasing is related to the legal costs that auto manufacturers incur just because someone has, what the average person would consider to be, an accident.

Six months pregnant, Tracy Thomas died in an accident in her Ford Explorer on February 9, 1997, when she was suffocated by an over-zealous air-bag. Or was this a products liability accident at all? Tracy's dentist husband, Eric, had Double Indemnity accidental life insurance on her ($400,000 worth.) He had a hot and heavy relationship with his former high school sweetheart, whom he married as soon as her divorce became final after Tracy's "accident." Then Eric got really greedy and sued Ford Motor Corporation, alleging THEY killed Tracy. Ford was not amused and did not "roll over" this time.

Lawrence Schiller, another member of the OJ "True Crime" writers association, has written a fascinating account of the goings-on in around the town of Cape May Court House, New Jersey. Unfortunately, Mr. Schiller eschews photographs a la Joseph Wanbaugh. C'mon guys! Let us SEE the people you are talking about. The "Grandaddy" of the Genre, Truman Capote, added to his bleak tale of the Kansas Clutter family by including pictures of the players, and you should too!

The end of this book is really no end. ...

It's easy to understand why readers may find this book tedious. Schiller's underlying thesis is that the case is not as simple to solve as it may at first seem, and he presents various sides of the story in the spirit of objectivity. However, he often gives peripheral characters far too much attention, as in the case of Jeff Shapiro, a duplicitous reporter from the Globe who redefines opportunism with his behavior. If you have time and patience, you may appreciate the multifaceted nuances of media manipulation and interference (most people are reasonably aware of the media's power and influence). But if you want to stick to the facts of the case, you'll find that Schiller scatters them throughout, being careful not to be conclusive. No matter how you look at the JonBenét murder, even with the details presented in Schiller's book,the preponderance of the evidence points to someone in the house. The book is infuriating because the case itself is infuriating when one considers the following: 1.) the compromising of the crime scene by police officers and others who were unable to follow even the most basic evidence-protecting procedures, 2.) the DA's lack of trial experience and dependence on plea-bargaining, and 3.) the Ramsey's power to insulate themselves through lawyers, privately hired investigators, and a press representative. Instead of a "Perfect Murder," it was a perfect mess, since Alex Hunter, the DA, seemed to be far more concerned with avoiding a trial and shifting his decision-making responsibilities onto others. He even talked freely to the press and Ramsey attorneys, often debunking the honest efforts of the Boulder Police investigators due to personality and political conflicts that should have had no bearing on the case. One gets to see Hunter's side in Schiller's book as well, and it is professionally disgraceful. The "Perfect Town" part of the title is gratuitous, since the American public is no longer shocked by atrocious acts committed in seemingly perfect settings (i.e. Martha Moxley murder). Schiller, in his attempt to be another Norman Mailer, takes 750 pages to be "objective"--and by talking about everything, he almost manages to talk about nothing. Nevertheless, his book may be useful as a background resource, but true crime readers may be rightfully annoyed by his copious, tangential discussions that tend to be irrelevant. I strongly recommend Steve Thomas' book, JonBenét: Inside the Ramsey Murder Investigation. It is clear, concise, and chronological. Moreover, Thomas investigated the case himself and had intimate knowledge of the evidence. Even if one disagrees with Thomas' conclusions, his book is a far more organized and succinct attempt at explaining the difficulties associated with this case.

I first read "Perfect Murder, Perfect Town" when the hardback came out. When the grand jury reached its no-prosecution decision, my reaction was, sadly, "What took you so long?" The JonBenet case was a mess from the git-go and probably few people believe justice will ever be done, at least not the people who take the trouble to read Schiller's well researched and accurate book.

The crime scene was messed up before the little girl's body was even found and things just went spinning out of control. The Boulder police weren't flat-out incompetent, they were just out of their league dealing with this type of murder. Part of the trouble with this case--for us spectators, anyway--was that it was made for trash journalism more than for serious print. The Ramseys are an attractive couple who lived in a nice house in a wealthy neighborhood in a photogenic city and had an adorable little girl who left a legacy of charming videos--grist for TV and tabs. Tragically, children from less privileged backgrounds are killed everyday and we don't hear about it.

But Schiller, a serious journalist, had to contend with an overwhelming mass of details and confusing, often contradictory evidence, not to mention some real prima donna-type egos in the Boulder law-enforcement and legal community. I think he did a very good job in presenting all those details--but I don't deny that at times "Perfect Murder, Perfect Town" is rough going. It just doesn't have that neat, three-act structure of most true-crime accounts, and it probably never will. But you can read this book for an account of how well the system DOESN'T work and draw your own conclusions as to what might have happened that fateful holiday night in 1996.

I have family, with young ones, from Boulder. They left here one day after Christmas, none of us had watched the news, and they came home to the "Jon Benet Ramsey"-media extravaganza. I've been to visit them often. Boulder is a beautiful town. Mostly kind people, from the short time I've ever spent there, they are much friendlier than you would think. This book gave me so much information that I was denied. But, I wouldn't care being denied anything, if it served a purpose. To help catch a killer. What I learned in this book is that Detective Scott Thomas of the Boulder Police Dept. had a problem with keeping vital information secret. This book taught me that you should look at every side, no matter what, and maybe there is no answer. At least not now. And it taught me to remember, everyone, is innocent until proven guilty. This Author worked hard. Give him his dues. Excellent reading - stayed up late!

I didn't follow much of the trial, basically because I didn't care. The tragedy in my mind is that so many of us wasted so many hours following the most boring trial ever.

The man is guilty! PERIOD! Why?

Because on one page of American Tragedy, one member of the defense team wonders how Ronald Goldman's blood was found in OJ's bronco...yet the defense got that suppressed.

There it is ladies and gentleman: guilty as sin. That is one coincidence too many and I don't buy this conspiracy nonsense for a second.

Even if you say Schiller was on OJ's side, including that little tidbit is enough to show some balance.

Another tragedy is that the jury represented 12 of the 24 stupidest Americans ever to have paid taxes. (The other twelve being the Rodney King jurors.)

They confused DNA with Blood Types? C'mon, these morons would have screwed up paint-by-numbers.

I don't understand the reader comments who say this is a pro-OJ book.
This book, by the co-author of OJ's "I Want to Tell You," is a LENGTHY almost-700-page detailed version of how OJ's defense team strategized, fought with each other, and raised reasonable doubt with the jury. This book provides one of the best presentations of the evidence FOR OJ -- what EXACTLY was unreliable about the prosecution's evidence -- and it's not just speculation! The part after page 250 (hardback version) is the more worthwhile than the first exhaustive account of OJ's activities after the murders, before his arrest.
That said, a lot of the book is consumed with repetitive themes. There's a lot more trees than forest; you'll need an overall understanding of the case to "get" this verbose book. And some of the easily-available trees are missing from the book -- it's largely devoid of what the prosecution argued.
Toobin's book is still the best book.
This book is so objective it fails to provide a conclusion. What IS the so-called "American Tragedy" ?? Is it the murders themselves? (Not likely -- there are many murders in the country.) Is it that a guilty man got off? Or that an innocent man was persecuted? The author declines to say. The author does repeatedly bring forth OJ's talent for self-delusion about OJ's OTHER acts toward Nicole, and OJ's skill at deflecting objective inquiries -- leaving open the possibility that OJ actually committed the murders, but OJ himself believes he didn't. OJ was telling his children that he wasn't under arrest, but helping the police find the real killer. As said in other books, it IS possible to "frame a guilty man."

Schiller provides a useful look into the trial which captivated the nation and this reviewer. I was so interested in watching our judicial system handle such a case of national interest. My reaction after seeing all of this was twofold: if a juror, I would support the decision of acquittal, due simply to the fact that the prosecution did not put forward a case that proved beyond reasonable doubt; two, I like all suspect O.J. put the facts of the case as presented did not support this. I continue to be disturbed that many fellow citizens cannot clearly make this distinguishment. Our whole legal system is built on this, innocent "until" proven guilty.

What one thinks is irrelevant. What is relevant is allowable evidence in the court. Schiller gets behind scenes and gives much background info for consideration. Especially does he provide picture of defense and prosecuter teams. Fascinating stuff!

Schiller helps clear some of the smoke away. Cloud of suscpicion still pervades however, and might never be dispersed. Great read as all of Schiller's.

Into the Mirror is deceptively good. My early impression was negative. The choice of fictionalizing the tale was odd, in my opinion. The dialogue was stilted, nerdy, Father-Knows-Bestish. But as I persevered through the book, I finally understood what the author was doing--speaking as Hanssen spoke--and began to appreciate it. In the end, the story resonates strongly.

It's helpful to know what the book isn't before you read it. It is not a detailed analysis of the specific criminal activities of Robert P. Hanssen, master spy. You won't learn the nitty-gritty on what secrets were passed to whom and when. Instead, Into the Mirror is a glimpse into the psyche of Hanssen himself; how he grew up; how he thought; how he wound up as a spy.

Part of the frustration in reading the book was that fictional tales generally require a likeable central character. Hanssen is not, and Schiller--properly--makes no apparent attempt to make him so. Once the reader accepts the notion that the protagonist is a weird, perverted traitor with few redeeming qualities, the reading gets easier.

The fascinating aspect of the story is that the trail leading Hanssen to spy for the Soviets and Russians against the U.S. wasn't littered with the kind of political travesties one would expect. Hanssen wasn't the victim of capitalism gone bad, or Rodney Kingesque mistreatment. His parents weren't ultra-liberals, communists, anti-American, or even particularly political. His father, though overbearing and mildly abusive, was a big-city cop. Hanssen was a converted Catholic who appeared to love his country and excel at his job. He was just your average schlep with a money management problem. This led to his first sale of classified secrets for cash, which quickly led to a near-clinical compulsion to spy for the pure excitement of it.

Into the Mirror reveals a strange man with unquenchable and unsavory sexual tendencies (allowing his best friend to secretly watch him make love to Mrs. Hanssen), and a twisted value system that somehow allowed espionage (which he knew led to the deaths of several men) to coexist with Catholicism. Oddly, we see a man who, but for an errant fork in life's road, could have easily been a patriot and contributing FBI agent. --Christopher Bonn Jonnes, author of Wake Up Dead.

Lawrence Schiller's "Into the Mirror" is a riveting, page-turning expose into the secret life of FBI agent turned spy, Robert P. Hanssen. Hanssen's misdeeds and treason are depicted in a researched and documented book that conveys the dark side of betraying one's country. Schiller attempts to explain Hanssen's duplicity by creating a psychological picture of a very complex individual using literary license in an effective and believable manner. For those who do not want "just the facts" but seek some sort of explanation for Hanssen's betrayal of the USA, Schiller's book is the right stuff.

Schiller portrays Hanssen's life as full of contradictions; from his dogmatic membership in the Catholic society, Opus Dei, to his prurient pornographic pursuits; from his rise in the ranks of the FBI's prestigious counterintelligence squad to his indictment for espionage. Never before has the nation seen a traitor like Robert P. Hanssen gain access to the halls of justice masquerading as a protector of liberty all the while posing as Ramon for his Moscow handlers. We can only hope that it will never happen again.

I read this book in two short sittings finding myself pulled into Schiller's portrayal of Hanssen's clandestine life. You have to feel sorry for Hanssen's family for the pain and disgrace he brought on them, but you will feel no sympathy for Hanssen himself who you learn from the text took up spying to pay off credit card bills and live a more lavish lifestyle. Hanssen will never see in his mirror the face of a patriot.

"Into The Mirror" is the first work written by Lawrence Schiller that I've read. Naturally, I was extremely interested in reading about Robert P Hanssen's life. After all, who wouldn't wonder what kind of a childhood or life Hanssen had lived before/during that of a turncoat spy? When Hanssen's story first broke in the news media, and his position with the FBI that had allowed for his twenty years of spying, I was quite appalled. Who wasn't? Still, like every other American, I soon developed my own opinion. I thought Hanssen spied for the money. After reading Schiller's book, my first impression was right. With his back financially against the wall, Hanssen found an easy way out of his problem. Yet, I kept wondering how this man could sleep at night for twenty years, knowing what he had done. Not only had this traitor put the lives of every American in harm's way by divulging pertinent top-secret information to the Russians, but also the lives of his wife and six children. What a monster! There's no doubt in my mind that Hanssen has to be one very sick and mentally deranged individual. He endured a childhood that was a nightmare. An abusive father who openly flaunted his womanizing in front of his wife and Robert. No doubt, dressed in his policeman's uniform, Hanssen's father considered himself another King Kong. The things Hanssen's father did to him were incomprehensible and unforgettable. Yet Schiller showed in his research that Hanssen grew to manhood with a different outlook about life, marriage and raising children. The author is trying to convince his readers that Hanssen was unfaithful only once to his wife. That may be the case. Who oculd actually know for sure? But after reading the way Hanssen defiled Bonnie with his best friend, Jack, by showing Jack nude pictures of her and allowing Jack to observe what took place in the privacy of their bedroom...well, this is the part that proves Hanssen is mentally deranged. Perhaps he was trying to compare himself and his position to that of James Bond-Agent 007. The job put him above anyone or anything else. He too was another King Kong like his father, while toting his Walther PPK as an FBI agent. But instead of womanizing, which I would think he remembered his father here, he chose pornography. Everything Hanssen did in regard to sex was not normal. My only problem with this book was wondering if Schiller really did believe Hanssen's wife, Bonnie, was so gullible and naive. Surely he knows women better than that. If I found $10,000 in one of my husband's socks, I'd know something was going on. It's hard to beleive Hanssen succeeded for twenty years in giving his wife this kind of a snow job. Otherwise, I think Schiller has done a wonderful job in the research and portraying of Hanssen's life. I can't wait for the mini-series. I enjoy a book that keeps me wanting to turn the page. "Into The Mirrow" kept me turning its pages. I started reading and couldn't put the book down. I plan on recommending this book to my library book review group. And now, I'm going to the library and look for Schiller's book "American Tragedy".