I wasn’t sure if I was going to count The Innocent Man by John Grisham as far as the 09 Book Challenge goes but after reading it I deceided to count it.

I’ve never read a Grisham book but I must say, I couldn’t tell this was his first time writing non-fiction. I’m actually a little surprised he didn’t stumble into that genre sooner since he was a lawyer but maybe because of that he wanted to be able to escape a little bit in his writings. The book flowed very smoothly and at times it was hard for me to put down. You could tell he did his research about the cases and I believe he was fair to both sides. As fair as you can be to a Prosecuter who had tunnel vision and did whatever it took to put someone behind bars for a murder they didn’t committ. He didn’t sugar coat anything, he portrayed Ron Williamson as a person who had his flaws. He didn’t skip over the fact Ron had mental issues and trouble with the law. He was a man with his demons, before and after the trial and years on Death Row.

Here is a little snippet from Amazon about the book:

Grisham’s first work of nonfiction focuses on the tragedy of Ron Williamson, a baseball hero from a small town in Oklahoma who winds up a dissolute, mentally unstable Major League washout railroaded onto death row for a hometown rape and murder he did not commit. Judging by this author-approved abridgment, Grisham has chosen to present Williamson’s painful story (and that of his equally innocent “co-conspirator,” Dennis Fritz) as straightforward journalism, eschewing the more familiar “nonfiction novel” approach with its reconstructed dialogues and other adjustments for dramatic purpose. This has resulted in a book that, while it includes such intriguing elements as murder, rape, detection and judicial injustice, consists primarily of objective reportage, albeit shaded by the now-proven fact of Williamson’s innocence. He narrates the events leading up to the 1982 rape and murder of a young cocktail waitress with a mixture of suspicion and curiosity, moving on to astonishment at the prosecution’s use of deceit and false testimony to convict Williamson and Fritz and, eventually, elation at the exoneration of the two innocent men.

At the end of the book, I couldn’t get over the fact that not one person, not a Judge or cop or lawyer, involved with the case offered an apology to the men who had lost years on Death Row for a crime they didn’t committ. A crime the denied having anything to do with from day one. Accidents happen, mistakes happen but that doesn’t mean you can’t say sorry. Being able to apologize isn’t a flaw, it’s a strength. Sure, they received a large settlement but that doesn’t change the fact they are still judged and lost 13 years of their lives.

I felt it was a great story and I’m glad it was told. Sometimes I wonder how many people locked up are actually innocent. It seems like every few months you hear about a man being released because of DNA. If you’re looking for a good true story and a non-typical true crime book, this one is for you.

If you’d like to see an interview with Grisham about the book just check out the Amazon page.

I went to Borders the other day and picked up three new books! I had a VISA giftcard and could’ve easily spent the whole $100 in there but I was able to control myself. Two of the books will count towards the 09 Book Challenge but I did end up buying one True Crime related book. I had to. A girl has needs!

You want to know what books I bought? I thought you’d never ask!

I purchased Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story. I believe this will be the next book I read as part of the Challenge. If you don’t know who Dr. Carson is, he’s the director of pediatric neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins University Hospital. Some of you might have seen him on 20/20 or other news shows. Obviously around here he’s all over the television. I’ve been wanting to read this book for awhile and I’m glad I finally picked it up.

The second book I picked up is Black House by Stephen King & Peter Straub. I picked it up based on what I read on the back cover. It’s a pretty thick book and it might take me a little while to finish but we’ll see. Here’s some information from Amazon about the book:

In the seemingly paradisal Wisconsin town of French Landing, small distortions disturb the beauty: a talking crow, an old man obeying strange internal marching orders, a house that is both there and not quite there. And roaming the town is a terrible fiend nicknamed the Fisherman, who is abducting and murdering small children and eating their flesh. The sheriff desperately wants the help of a retired Los Angeles cop, who once collared another serial killer in a neighboring town.

Of course, this is no ordinary policeman, but Jack Sawyer, hero of Stephen King and Peter Straub’s 1984 fantasy The Talisman. At the end of that book, the 13-year-old Jack had completed a grueling journey through an alternate realm called the Territories, found a mysterious talisman, killed a terrible enemy, and saved the life of his mother and her counterpart in the Territories.

I haven’t read The Talisman and hopefully that won’t matter when reading Black House.

The third and final book? The Innocent Man by John Grisham. This is the book that falls into the True Crime area. I’ve heard people talk about this book before and it sounds pretty interesting. Believe it or not I don’t believe I’ve ever read a Grisham book. I’ve seen some movies based on them but I don’t think I’ve had the pleasure of reading one. Better late then never right?

The first book I tackled as part of my 09 Book Challenge was Ghost Ship: The Mysterious True Story of the Mary Celeste and Her Missing Crew by Brian Hicks. Here is a summary from Amazon.com:

On December 4, 1872, a small merchant ship, the Mary Celeste, was discovered floating without a crew. Members of another vessel, the Dei Gratia, boarded her and saw no trace of struggle, no serious weather damage or any other trouble that would have prompted sailors to abandon ship.

I didn’t notice when I bought the book that this mystery started on my birthday. Of course it wasn’t my birthday at the time but whatever. The book started off slow and I agree with a line from the summary that’s not noted above that the book “takes a while to gather emotional momentum.” I’m a person who can be turned off by a slow book. I need excitement, mystery or something from the first few pages. If I don’t get that, the chances that I finish the book are very slim. I wasn’t going to be beaten though. I forced myself through the first few boring chapters and was happy to see the story pick up some speed.

The author did a good job of providing all the information that he could. Some documents had been lost or damaged, obviously there wasn’t anyone to really interview and he had to seperate fact from fiction. He did a great job at doing the latter seeing how there were numerous hoaxes and stories passed around about the Mary Celeste. People claimed to have been on the ship, to have known what happened to the crew. The various stories and theories about what happened ranged from your normal/typical ideas to giant squids and murder. The author disects each story, explaining how it could or couldn’t be possible. In the end, he provides his own theory about what happened to those aboard the ship and it makes complete sense. I’m not going to give it away of course. If you want to know, pick up the book!

In the end I give the book an average rating. I would’ve marked it higher if it had started off a bit faster. It was an interesting read once the book got pass minor details and into the meat of the story. I’m glad I pushed my way through and didn’t give up. I’m not sure it’s a book I’d re-read but I’d recommend it if you’re looking for something a little different and like to learn about Maritime History.

I know what you’re thinking. I’m a reader and this is a simple goal. You’re right. I’m a fast reader and can finish most books in a day. Actually, I can finish most in a few hours. I am adding a twist to this goal though. The books I select for this little reading adventure can’t be True Crime. It might not sound hard but for me it is. It’s the genre I love and enjoy the most but I need to expand. I know, I think I’ve posted about this before but I figure if I make it a challenge I might actually do it.

I’ve been wasting time on Amazon and found a few books that sparked my interest. They include:

Ghost Ship: The Mysterious True Story of the Mary Celeste and Her Missing Crew

The Secret Life of Houdini: The Making of America’s First Superhero

Dexter by Design: A Novel (It’s not true crime.)

The Colts’ Baltimore: A City and Its Love Affair in the 1950s

The Best Game Ever: Giants vs. Colts, 1958, and the Birth of the Modern NFL

I think it’s a nice range of topics. I think the rest of the books though I’ll just pick up at the bookstore. Maybe I’ll take a few hours one day and just look around and see what I find. It’s kinda hard to do that on Amazon when you really have no idea what you’re looking for. I’m going to start with the first book I listed up there but after that I have no clue on what the order will be. I already ordered it and it should be here any day!