A Civil Action -- Jonathan Harr, Paperback

This true story of an epic courtroom showdown, where two of the nation's largest corporations were accused of causing the deaths of children from water contamination, was a #1 national bestseller and winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award.

Described as "a page-turner filled with greed, duplicity, heartache, and bare-knuckle legal brinksmanship by The New York Times, A Civil Action is the searing, compelling tale of a legal system gone awry--one in which greed and power fight an unending struggle against justice. Yet it is also the story of how one man can ultimately make a difference. Representing the bereaved parents, the unlikeliest of heroes emerges: a young, flamboyant Porsche-driving lawyer who hopes to win millions of dollars and ends up nearly losing everything, including his sanity. With an unstoppable narrative power reminiscent of Truman Capote's In Cold Blood, A Civil Action is an unforgettable reading experience that will leave the reader both shocked and enlightened.

A Civil Action was made into a movie starring John Travolta and Robert Duvall.

Author: Jonathan Harr
Publisher: Vintage
Published: 08/27/1996
Pages: 512
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.80lbs
Size: 8.00h x 5.10w x 0.90d
ISBN: 9780679772675

Accelerated Reader:
Reading Level: 7.7
Point Value: 31
Interest Level: Upper Grade
Quiz #/Name: 36554 / Civil Action

Award: National Book Critics Circle Award - Winner

Review Citation(s):
New York Times 09/22/1996 pg. 40
New York Times 12/08/1996 pg. 100
Commonweal 12/07/2001 pg. 25
Discover 08/01/2008 pg. 68
Entertainment Weekly 10/17/2008 pg. 103

About the Author
Jonathan Harr is the author of the national bestseller A Civil Action, winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award for Nonfiction and The Lost Painting, a New York Times bestseller. He is a former staff writer at the New England Monthly and has written for The New Yorker and The New York Times Magazine. He lives and works in Northampton, Massachusetts, where he has taught nonfiction writing at Smith College.