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The Crime of Sheila McGough - by  Janet Malcolm (Paperback) - 1 of 1

The Crime of Sheila McGough - by Janet Malcolm (Paperback)

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About this item

Highlights

  • The Crime of Sheila McGough is Janet Malcolm's brilliant exposé of miscarriage of justice in the case of Sheila McGough, a disbarred lawyer recently released from prison.
  • Author(s): Janet Malcolm
  • 176 Pages
  • Political Science, Law Enforcement

Description



About the Book



Malcolm presents a brilliant expose of the miscarriage of justice in the case of Sheila McGough, a disbarred lawyer recently released from prison after serving two years for collaborating with a client in his fraud.



Book Synopsis



The Crime of Sheila McGough is Janet Malcolm's brilliant exposé of miscarriage of justice in the case of Sheila McGough, a disbarred lawyer recently released from prison. McGough had served 2 1/2 years for collaborating with a client in his fraud, but insisted that she didn't commit any of the 14 felonies she was convicted.

"[N]o other writer tells better stories about the perpetual, the unwinnable, battle between narrative and truth." --The New York Times Book Review

An astonishingly persuasive condemnation of the cupidity of American law and its preference for convincing narrative rather than the truth, this is also a story with an unconventional heroine. McGough is a zealous defense lawyer duped by a white-collar con man; a woman who lives, at the age of 54, with her parents; a journalistic subject who frustrates her interviewer with her maddening literal-mindedness. Spirited, illuminating, delightfully detailed, The Crime of Sheila McGough is both a dazzling work of journalism and a searching meditation on character and the law.



From the Back Cover



In the winter of 1996, Janet Malcolm received a letter from a stranger -- a disbarred lawyer named Sheila McGough, who had recently been released from prison, and who wrote that she had been convicted of crimes she had not committed. Malcolm decided to look into the case, and this book -- a dazzling work of journalism as well as a searching meditation on character, on the law, and on the incompatibility of narrative with truth -- is the product of her growing belief that a miscarriage of justice had taken place.

Sheila McGough was prosecuted and convicted because the government (and then the jury) interpreted her zealous representation of a con-man client named Bob Bailes as collaboration in his fraud. Malcolm's close readings of court records and her interviews with lawyers and businessmen connected with the case give a picture of American law and American cupidity that is startling in its pitiless specificity. And her portrait of Sheila McGough -- "a woman of almost preternatural honesty and decency", as well as maddening literal-mindedness and discursiveness -- brings an unconventional new heroine into vivid being.



Review Quotes




"No portrait of innocence was ever more damning, revealing, and compassionate at once.... Janet Malcolm [is] a formidable reporter." --The Boston Globe

"[A] breathtaking series of insights on the peculiarly treacherous nature of legal narrative.... Janet Malcolm is the most morally illuminating literary journalist in the country." --Slate

Dimensions (Overall): 8.5 Inches (H) x 5.5 Inches (W) x .41 Inches (D)
Weight: .51 Pounds
Suggested Age: 22 Years and Up
Number of Pages: 176
Genre: Political Science
Sub-Genre: Law Enforcement
Publisher: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
Format: Paperback
Author: Janet Malcolm
Language: English
Street Date: February 8, 2000
TCIN: 77026664
UPC: 9780375704598
Item Number (DPCI): 247-28-1390
Origin: Made in the USA or Imported
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Shipping details

Estimated ship dimensions: 0.41 inches length x 5.5 inches width x 8.5 inches height
Estimated ship weight: 0.51 pounds
We regret that this item cannot be shipped to PO Boxes.
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Return details

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Q: How does Malcolm portray Sheila McGough in the book?

submitted by AI Shopping Assistant - 17 days ago
  • A: Malcolm presents McGough as a zealous defense lawyer, depicting her as honest yet caught in a complicated legal situation.

    submitted byAI Shopping Assistant - 17 days ago
    Ai generated

Q: What is the central theme of the book?

submitted by AI Shopping Assistant - 17 days ago
  • A: The book explores the miscarriage of justice in Sheila McGough's case, emphasizing the conflict between narrative and truth in the legal system.

    submitted byAI Shopping Assistant - 17 days ago
    Ai generated

Q: What does Sheila McGough's story reveal about the legal system?

submitted by AI Shopping Assistant - 17 days ago
  • A: Her story highlights the flaws in the American legal system, particularly how narratives can distort the truth.

    submitted byAI Shopping Assistant - 17 days ago
    Ai generated

Q: What significant experience did Sheila McGough undergo?

submitted by AI Shopping Assistant - 17 days ago
  • A: Sheila McGough served two and a half years in prison for crimes she insists she did not commit.

    submitted byAI Shopping Assistant - 17 days ago
    Ai generated

Q: Who is the author of this book?

submitted by AI Shopping Assistant - 17 days ago
  • A: The book is written by Janet Malcolm, known for her incisive journalism and exploration of character.

    submitted byAI Shopping Assistant - 17 days ago
    Ai generated

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