My conversation with Pamela Colloff, author of the gripping new book "Catch the Devil," about a giant loophole she found in our justice system, and how to write in an age of shrinking attention sp
Reading the description of the story I wasn’t shocked to see that Skalnik’s success at sending someone to death row while going free hinged on an alleged crime involving an underage girl. Allegations like these are guaranteed wins for the electeds who run our broken legal system. I’m convinced that nonfiction narratives are the answer to so much that ails us. They humanize and expose the truth of our imperfect human systems and assumptions.
"The Good Girls: An Ordinary Killing" by Sonia Faleiro, about two teenage girls found hanging from a tree in northern India, and the investigations that followed, is an extraordinary book. The research is impressive and the revelations really thought provoking. It uncovers so much about Indian society and the position of women in it. It's as good, or better, than any thriller I've read.
This is incredible—I wish I didn’t have to believe it!!
So, who’s going to sign up to trace prosecutorial jailhouse informant abuses and junk forensics to the for-profit carceral system? With a side of white nationalism as the abuses center on people of color? Because it seems on its face as pro-incarceration/anti-justice as you can get. And who are the most pro-incarceration groups around? Innovations abound when it comes to shoveling humans into these institutions.
Truthfully, I want to watch the trials of the people who’ve *engineered* this bullshit.
In "best narrative nonfiction", I want to throw a plug in for Timothy Egan's *A Fever in the Heartland*
It's a gripping story that highlights the corruption endemic to the 1920's Klan revival while being a story of individual people.
Such a great book! Also his other book, The Worst Hard Time!
Very interesting interview. I admire the long , hard work and dedication required to create a book of narrative non-fiction like this.
Reading the description of the story I wasn’t shocked to see that Skalnik’s success at sending someone to death row while going free hinged on an alleged crime involving an underage girl. Allegations like these are guaranteed wins for the electeds who run our broken legal system. I’m convinced that nonfiction narratives are the answer to so much that ails us. They humanize and expose the truth of our imperfect human systems and assumptions.
"The Good Girls: An Ordinary Killing" by Sonia Faleiro, about two teenage girls found hanging from a tree in northern India, and the investigations that followed, is an extraordinary book. The research is impressive and the revelations really thought provoking. It uncovers so much about Indian society and the position of women in it. It's as good, or better, than any thriller I've read.
SIgn me up for the subway reading project!
Loved the book (listened to the Audible version)!
Thanks so much, Serena!!
This is incredible—I wish I didn’t have to believe it!!
So, who’s going to sign up to trace prosecutorial jailhouse informant abuses and junk forensics to the for-profit carceral system? With a side of white nationalism as the abuses center on people of color? Because it seems on its face as pro-incarceration/anti-justice as you can get. And who are the most pro-incarceration groups around? Innovations abound when it comes to shoveling humans into these institutions.
Truthfully, I want to watch the trials of the people who’ve *engineered* this bullshit.