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Closing arguments in the infamous O.J. Simpson trial hadn't even been made when the first O.J. book--the defendant's own, I Want to Tell You--hit the stands, and the ink wasn't even dry on newspaper accounts of the jury's verdict when Johnnie Cochran, Christopher Darden, Mark Fuhrman, members of the Brown and Goldman families, detectives concerned with the case, and even journalists covering the trial hurried into the fray with their own tell-all versions of this latest "trial of the century." So perhaps Marcia Clark, the chief prosecutor in the Simpson case, is a little late to the dance with her offering, Without a Doubt, cowritten with Teresa Carpenter. After all, what more is there to say? Plenty, according to Clark.
In Without a Doubt Clark painstakingly recounts the trial proceedings, from jury selection to final summation, and concludes that nothing could have saved her case, given the prominent role of race in the defense's strategy and the hostile jury who heard it. In Clark's opinion, the prosecution's mountain of evidence should have convicted Simpson 20 times over; that it did not, she says, attests to a judicial system wracked by race and overly impressed by celebrity. Amidst war stories from the trial, Marcia Clark sprinkles plenty of details about her private life before and after O.J., from a teenage rape to her ex-husband's custody suit. Followers of the O.J. case will want to add Without a Doubt to their collection.
Book Description
Without a Doubt is not just a book about a trial. It's a book about a woman. Marcia Clark takes us inside her head and her heart with a story that is both sweeping and deeply personal--and shocking in its honesty. Her voice is raw, disarming, unmistakable. She tells us how a woman, when caught up in an event that galvanized an entire country, rose to that occasion with singular integrity, drive, honesty, and grace. How did she do it, day after day? What was it like, orchestrating the most controversial case of her career in the face of the media's relentless klieg lights? How did she fight her personal battles--those of a working mother balancing a crushing workload and a painful, very public divorce? Who stood by her and who abandoned her? As Clark shares the secrets of her own life, we understand for the first time why she identified so closely with Nicole Brown Simpson, in a way no man ever could. Sparing no one in this unflinching account--least of all herself--Clark speaks frankly about the mesmerizing and controversial personalities in the Simpson case: Lance Ito, Kato Kaelin, Johnnie Cochran, Mark Fuhrman, and Christopher Darden, among others. She also takes on her critics, the "armchair warriors" who scapegoated her after the verdict, and tells us why they were wrong. In a case that tore America apart, and that continues to haunt us as few events in our recent history have, Marcia Clark emerges as the one true heroine, because she stood for justice, fought the good fight, and fought it well.
Also available as a Penguin Audiobook
A bestseller in The New York Times, USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, San Francisco Chronicle, The Boston Globe, The Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Publishers Weekly, and New York Newsday
TV movie rights sold to CBS
Customer Reviews:
WITHOUT A DOUBT...O. J. IS GUILTY..........2006-10-09
Any reasonable person who listened to the evidence at the so-called "trial of the century" knows without out a doubt that O. J. Simpson killed his ex-wife Nicole Brown and Ronald Goldman, the hapless waiter who was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. Anyone who watched the announcement of the verdict and saw the shock and disbelief on O. J. Simpson's own face, as the not guilty verdict was read, would know that even the defendant knew he was guilty.
The prosecution never had much of a chance, because the presiding judge, Lance Ito, was a bumbling idiot who could not control his courtroom and make sound evidentiary rulings. . Instead, Lance Ito allowed his courtroom to become a three-ring circus. As a career prosecutor, I was appalled at the time at what went on in that courtroom, and Lance Ito's courting of the media was reprehensible. It was also clear that he was awed by and enthralled with the celebrity of the defendant appearing before him. One need only look to the civil trial in the matter to see how an effective judge controlled his courtroom. There, Judge Hiroshi Fujisaki made sound rulings on evidentiary matters and remained in control of his courtroom at all times. Consequently, justice was obtained in the civil case.
This tell all, no holds barred book is a well-written, engaging behind-the-scenes account of the "trial of the century". While Ms. Clark does include some personal information about herself, it is in the context of why she became a prosecutor and makes for a more fully fleshed account of how and why she may have acted as she did under the circumstances. She admits to some mistakes, and probably one of the biggest was having been lulled into a false sense of complacency about the competence of the criminalist assigned to the case, rather than going with her gut instinct to get whom she thought would be the best person for the job. Consequently, she was saddled with criminalist Dennis Fung, who for his incompetence in such a high profile case should have been summarily fired thereafter.
As for the defense "Dream Team", having watched their antics on court TV during the course of the trial, it was clear that they were playing to the media for all it was worth, and the media was lapping it up. So much of what the defense did went beyond what was sanctioned by evidentiary rules and the rules of professional conduct that I was both amazed and appalled. That they got away with this kind of behavior was reprehensible. The only one able to call them on it, however, was Judge Lance Ito, and he failed to do so. The blame, therefore, for all the shenanigans that went on during the course of the trial lies squarely on Lance Ito's shoulders. He definitely gets the prize for one of the greatest failures in American jurisprudence.
Still, one cannot forget prosecutor Chris Darden's ill-advised decision in proceeding to have O. .J. try on the bloodied, weathered gloves found at the scene and at his home, rather than waiting for an exact duplicate pair to be delivered by the manufacturer. In light of the fact that the manufacturer had advised the prosecution that the original gloves would have shrunk as much as fifteen percent due to repeated exposure to dampness and extremes of heat and cold, it was downright stupid for Chris Darden to proceed to have the defendant try them on. While Ms. Clark had counseled Chris Darden not to proceed with this demonstration, but rather, to wait for the new duplicate pair, he did so anyway with disastrous results. As the lead prosecutor in the case, however, the fault for this debacle lies squarely with her on this issue, rather than Mr. Darden, because when you are the lead prosecutor, the buck stops with you. Ms. Clark need look no further than herself for this major faux pas and for the ensuing creation of Johnnie Cochran's famous, catchy sound bite, "If the glove doesn't fit, then you must acquit". Never mind that the new, duplicate glove fit O. J. to perfection!
Notwithstanding the glove debacle, the forensic evidence against the defendant was overwhelming, despite the bungling of criminalist Dennis Fung. Unfortunately, the painstaking forensics case put together by the prosecution was lost under the smokescreen set off by the defense. The "Dream Team" played the race card to perfection to a sound bite crazed media that helped create a public frenzy, no doubt aided by the celebrity of the defendant. The defense team's cries of police mis-conduct and the Fuhrmanizing of the trial was a pulp journalist's dream come true. It was also a travesty of justice, as all the hoopla and media distortion masked what the trial was really about, the savage and wanton murders of two innocent human beings. Moreover, while much has been said about this being a crime of passion that the prosecution tried as dispassionately as possible, one must keep in mind that Judge Ito tied the prosecution's hands in large part, while giving the "Dream Team' an unprecedented free rein.
This book will keep courtroom junkies enthralled with its war stories and sneak peak into the "trial of the century". Ms. Clark gives an excellent analysis of what went wrong, and while some of it may be a bit self-serving, she is right on the money for the most part. This is a riveting, page turning account, and she doesn't hold back any punches. Ms. Clark painstakingly goes through the evidence that was presented at the trial, as well as that evidence that Judge Ito, in his infinite wisdom, did not allow the prosecution to present. Anyone who reads this book will be outraged by the obvious miscarriage of justice, as it will be clear as a bell why O. J. Simpson is, without a doubt, guilty of the murders of Nicole Brown and Ronald Goldman.
A No Win Situation - But A Good Book.......2006-07-16
I read four books after the trial. I read the Schiller 1000 page saga, Outrage, the present book and a book on Johnny Cochrane. Each book was different and gives us different insights.
I think it is clear to any reasonable and unbiased thinking person that O.J. did in fact kill Nicole and Ron and it is just as it is clear that Lee Harvey Oswald shot JFK. Also it is clear from the other reviewers that Marcia Clark evokes a certain emotional response that colors their view of the book. If you still think O.J. is innocent then I think that is a personal problem or internal devil that you must deal with but it is not related to reality. As the title says "Without a Doubt" he was guilty.
Johnny made buckets of money as a criminal attorney. Both he and Shapiro could make sums of money in hours that only the rest of us can dream about. Johnny drove a Rolls and Shapiro rubbed elbows with the LA movers and shakers.
Marcia is more like the average citizen, working for the DA's office, probably driving a Chevrolet or Honda. She was a single divorced mother that commutes to work. After the trial she had decided enough was enough, and she wrote the book along with everyone else. And I say good for her! Make a buck or two! Its America.
Now for the book. It is what you might expect. It is the story of her involvement with the trial. It presents some prior background on her life and earlier trials and then goes in detail through the O.J. saga and what it was like from her perspective. I think is a well written book and for the most part entertaining. "Outrage" is a bit more gripping and Schiller's "American Tragedy" longer and more comprehensive. But this book is what we would expect. It deals mainly with her role and it is a solid job. She was basically a civil servant and she was the front "man" facing a raft of America's most famous lawyers including the above mentioned plus F. Lee Bailey. Then to complicate things, the whole mess was presided over by the star blinded Judge Ito. Together they faced essentially 12 black female jurors who loved Johnny and O.J.
Could she win? "Without a Doubt" she could not win, but it was nothing to do with her.
Recommend. 4 stars.
Race Decided This.......2005-06-26
It wouldn't have mattered who prosecuted this case. The jury were never going to convict OJ after the race card was played.
Pretty good account of the trial, and an interesting insight into the author's ordeal in handling such a nightmarish case. She lays into Judge Ito & the cyncical tactics of Cochrane.
You come away doubting that the jury system really delivers justice.
Self Serving and not Informative.......2004-04-18
I have read most of the books written about the O.J. Trial. All have been more about setting forth that particular author's personal/ or political agenda and not about true analysis.
What I fail to find in any of these books is what role did the media play in turning a simple crime of passion into the racial mess that this trial came to symbolize?
This story is simple. Man and woman have a very sick/tormented relationship, where many sick games are played. One day man loses his head and murders woman and the poor guy who comes to her rescue. Man goes to trial. Man goes to jail for a crime of passion. End of story.
Instead the SCLM (So Called Liberal Media) as described in the Eric Alterman's book, "What Liberal Media," enters the picture driven by the almighty dollar and turns this simple crime into the trial of the century simply for the profit margin.
We still trust the media to inform us and they failed miserably as they have done in every important story of our generation. There is no liberal media bias. It's all about the money and polarizing the country to fuel the tragic story of the Simpson case was more important to the Media than actually telling the real story.
They forgot that Nicole and O.J. loved each other and created two very lovely kids together. Race had nothing to do witth it until the media focussed on it.
Marcia Clark lost her case, because she drank the Kool Aid from the media and followed their narrative as opposed to trying the case for what it was a crime of passion.
Excellent and Informative.......2004-02-17
I just finished reading Without a Doubt, couldn't put it down. It is the first book about the Simpson trial that I have been able to read all the way through. It felt truthful and real, there was no exaggeration or grandstanding for effect. If anyone has been involved in the court system at all then they will really appreciate the intensity and importance of this book. Marsha is not self serving or whiny......I enjoyed her honesty about the case and about herself. If she had not written about herself, people would be accusing her of hiding things. I found the book very affirming, as I have been involved in the Victim advocacy system for 13 years and have just left the 'justice' system for work where I can offer my skills without having to be belittled and bashed by the attorneys appointed by the system for the criminals and the abusive parents. Thank you Marsha.
Product Description
The authors of this edition have thoroughly revised and updated the prior work, yet maintained its overall scope, coverage and organization. Highly flexibleindividual teachers can decide what parts of the book to assign. Includes 40 new cases, new material domestic violence and same-sex relationships, and coverage of recent developments such as the Uniform Interstate Family Support Act, the Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act, and the American Law Institute's Principles of the Law of Family Dissolution.
Customer Reviews:
Laughable account of well deserved trial.......2007-10-03
It's amazing how far some people will go to try and convience the world of how Slobodan Milosevic (BALKAN BUTCHER) is innocent. Instead of looking at the cause of Milosevic's trial, the book focuses on SM's faked illness. Milosevic robbed the victims of his numerous crimes of a well deserved justice, by dying a natural death.
This book deserves less than 1 point.
Fascinating account of NATO's show trial of Milosevic.......2007-08-08
John Laughland, author of The tainted source: undemocratic origins of the European Union, has written a brilliant denunciation of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY).
After the counter-revolutions in the Soviet Union and Eastern European, Yugoslavia stayed independent and unwilling to join NATO or the EU. So the USA, Britain and Germany acted to carve Yugoslavia into easily controlled devolved regional statelets. The Yugoslav leadership tried to keep their country independent and united, and to defeat the terrorist secessionists.
So the NATO powers demonised the Yugoslav leadership: Blair lied about Serbian `racial genocide' of Kosovans, but after the war the Chief Prosecutor of the ICTY reported that 2,108 bodies had been found, not enough to constitute genocide.
The NATO powers made the UN Security Council set up the ICTY "for the sole purpose of prosecuting persons responsible for serious violations of international humanitarian law committed in the territory of the former Yugoslavia" (Resolution 827, 25 May 1993). Not `allegedly responsible', but `responsible', assuming all defendants' guilt. Laughland notes that the United Nations Charter grants no power to the Security Council to create a criminal court.
On 24 March 1999, US and British forces started bombing Yugoslavia, without UN authorisation, an illegal aggression. At the height of NATO's assault, on 27 May 1999, the ICTY issued its indictment of Slobodan Miloseviæ for war crimes and crimes against humanity. In February 2002, it started the first criminal trial by an international tribunal of a head of state. The Court's rules and procedures were stacked against the defendant. The four-year trial, the longest criminal trial in history, paraded hundreds of prosecution witnesses, in an unavailing effort to prove Miloseviæ guilty.
During the trial, Miloseviæ became ill. Sick men are not usually tried, but the Court continued the trial and refused Miloseviæ suitable medical treatment, the Prosecution alleging that he was feigning illness. Instead, the Court used his illness as an excuse to take the unprecedented, and therefore illegal, decision to impose a defence lawyer on Miloseviæ, stopping him from defending himself. The trial ended when he died prematurely on 11 March 2006, aged only 64. Did he feign his death too?
NATO claims the right to intervene to `defend human rights' and to respond to `threats', including `ethnic and religious rivalries, territorial disputes, inadequate or failed efforts at reform ... the dissolution of state ... acts of terrorism ... the disruption of the flow of vital resources'. Of course, all these claims are illegal under international law, whose cornerstone is national sovereignty.
The NATO powers, not Slobodan Miloseviæ, committed a war crime by attacking a sovereign country. NATO and its creature Court held a show trial to cover their guilt.
Travesty in Hague.......2007-02-22
This book is definately the best yet to come out on Milosevic's trial in Hague. Although it is short (208 pages for such a long trial), this book is all about facts and substance. It is full of quotes, links and footnotes-it shows the trial, how it went, what was done and all irregularites and bias that was involved ( as i said all this is constantly supported by lots of evidence mostly from trial itself). It also uncovers The Tribunal itself, explains who are the judges, how court was established, who funds it and why....Great, great stuff all together! Oh and yes, the foreword by Ramsey Clark, the Ex-attorney General of USA is extraordinary- it explains in brief the reasons for break up of Yugoslavia, how Germany and later USA did this and it goes all the way to Milosevic's trial and his misterious death in Hague. If you are a lawyer, proffessor, student or just somebody genuinely interested in this topic, do not miss this book...It is a must read!!!
Average customer rating:
- The best available review of UN standards and norms
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The United Nations Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Program: Formulation of Standards and Efforts at Their Implementation (Procedural Aspects of International Law Series)
Roger Stenson Clark
Manufacturer: University of Pennsylvania Press
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Customer Reviews:
The best available review of UN standards and norms.......2000-04-08
I write from the perspective of a former senior officer at the United Nations Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Programme. Professor Clark writes a clear and highly informative review of the activities of the Organization in this field since 1945. Having been a member of the then Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Branch from 1982 to 1994, I was active in the preparations for the 1985 and 1990 UN congresses on this topic, and I am surprised at the enlightening manner Professor Clark has of presenting a complex subject, making it accessible to the lay public. The programme has produced over 40 instruments in the area of crime prevention and criminal justice, which, although not binding in a legal manner, establish moral obligations which a sizable number of countries are unwilling to violate. They constitute the conceptual foundations upon which one day a true international penal law become a reality. This book is the best introduction to the largely unknown efforts of a group of dedicated international civil servants and to the outcome of such efforts. I highly recommend it to anybody who wishes to acquaint him-herself with this corpus of legal thought and reflection.
Book Description
Private-sector collective bargaining in the United States is under siege. Many factors have contributed to this situation, including the development of global markets, a continuing antipathy toward unions by managers, and the declining effectiveness of strikes. This volume examines collective bargaining in eight major industries—airlines, automobile manufacturing, health care, hotels and casinos, newspaper publishing, professional sports, telecommunications, and trucking—to gain insight into the challenges the parties face and how they have responded to those challenges.
The authors suggest that collective bargaining is evolving differently across the industries studied. While the forces constraining bargaining have not abated, changes in the global environment, including new security considerations, may create opportunities for unions. Across the industries, one thing is clear—private-sector collective bargaining is rapidly changing.
Book Description
A comprehensive guide covering the legal responsibilities of owning a horse from the boarding agreement to accidents. A must read for everyone that owns or works with horses.
Customer Reviews:
Very eye opening!.......2006-01-02
This book really opened our eyes about equine liability. We are at the beginning of a long road to building an equestrian facility and this book really helped us get on the right path as far as liability goes. I would recommend this book to ANY horse owner, whether you have a business or just a backyard horse.
An absolute "must-read" for all horse owners.......2003-04-19
Compiled and written by attorney and "backyard horseman" James Clark-Dawe, Equine Liability: What Every Horse Owner Needs To Know deftly addresses legal issues that every horse owner should have a solid grounding in, ranging from the necessity of fencing to avoid problems with loose horses, to a scrutiny of equine liability acts adopted by some states, to practical safety advice for horse riders, to warnings of what horse owners are strictly liable for. Equine Liability is an absolute "must-read" for all horse owners in today's litigious society.
Book Description
This Companion offers a one-volume, alphabetically arranged, encyclopedia introducing the main lines of American law, from the institutions, people, events, and cases to the doctrines and concepts. Produced under the editorship of a board of five noted scholars, headed by Kermit L. Hall, it comprises of approximately 500 entries, each written by an expert in the field. The book targets a broad and diverse audience, one that ranges from students studying comparative (including American) law to lawyers or judges actively involved in the practice of law. In subject matter the books deals with the development of positive, common, and constitutional law in the US (as well as arbitration, mediation, and alternative dispute resolution), and the related institutions that support them. The Companion, stresses concepts more than cases and people as primary subjects, preferring, except for the most iconic cases and the most storied figures of American law, to discuss each within conceptual entries. Although many of the entries must of necessity address technical matters the Companion does not seek to provide a technical analysis of the law, either as a matter of history or current practice. The Companion also goes down some of the lesser known by-ways of American law, such as the role of civil, canon, and international law, avenues that the editor believes are essential for a full exploration of the subject. The Companion takes as its starting point the idea that law is embedded in society, and that to understand American law one must necessarily ask questions about the relationship between it and the social order, now and in the past. The volume assumes that American law, in all its richness and complexity, cannot be understood in isolation, as simply the business of the Supreme Court, or as a list of common law doctrines. Hence, the volume takes seriously issues involving law's role in structuring decisions about governance, the significance of state and local law and legal institutions, and the place of American law in a comparative international perspective. The hope is that such an approach, when coupled with the strong law-and-society emphasis, will make the volume genuinely distinctive, readily accessible to students and professionals, and provide for a meaningful contribution to the literature of American law in its own right.
Customer Reviews:
Useful but has some biased entries............2002-09-20
This tome (*large* volume) contains much interesting and useful material but, unfortunately, a very few of its authors have an ideological axe to grind. A publication of this sort should be aimed at objectivity, and not be a forum for certain "contributors" to propagate their personal sociological/political agendas.
Otherwise, I find this to be a generally worthwhile publication, but do be on your guard. =)
American Law.......2002-08-22
I came by this book while actually looking for something else, and found it to be very informative and useful. Similar to other Oxford companions it is cross-referenced and attempts to be usable to both the legal community as well as ordinary people.
The bookk is centered upon themes in law (common law, constitutional law, environmental law, etc. rather than specific cases, which makes it a bit cumbersome until the reader learns what the book is really meant to provide. If one is looking for specific Supreme Court cases then the companion to the Supreme Court should be consulted. But the point is that other books are out there for specific case histories. This book attempts to pull legal issues together into a single point of reference. True legal scholars will likely feel this book is too brief on specifics, but the lay reader will find it useful in putting perspective on common legal questions of the present.
Book Description
This self-study manual is part of the Certified Professional Secretary (CPS®) Examination Review Series which provides valuable assistance to anyone preparing for the CPS Examination. The Series focuses on key topics test-takers must know in order to pass the exam. It is the only examination preparation series produced in conjunction with the International Association of Administration Professionals (IAAP™). Content is based on the current CPS Examination Review Guide published by the IAAP™. Each chapter contains: An overview; text, in outline form, with examples highlighted in italics; illustrations; review questions in formats similar to those found on the CPS Examination; solutions to review questions--with some explanation of correct answers, where needed, and references to the portion of the outline that explains the answer more fully; term review; glossary at the end of the manual, with references to the chapter where the terms may be found in context. An accompanying Self-study Guide enhances material in the manual. For Administrative professionals preparing for the CPS Examination.
Product Description
This unique lectionary commentary on the Epistle readings in the Revised Common Lectionary helps preachers see how knowledge of first-century Judaism can help them avoid incorporating misunderstandings and stereotypes into their sermons on the letters. Allen and Williamson highlight insights from recent Christian-Jewish dialogue, call attention to the continuities between Judaism and the theology of Paul, and explore how awareness of the Roman occupation can help the preacher understand the Jewish context of the letters. As in Preaching the Gospels without Blaming the Jews, they also suggest how todays preacher can deal with issues or comments in the text that are inappropriate or controversial in todays context.
Customer Reviews:
Laying down the law..........2006-12-09
This book is a follow-up to an earlier volume by Ronald J. Allen and Clark M. Williamson - `Preaching the Gospels without Blaming the Jews.' Like that book, this is also a commentary with an agenda and a context. The agenda is to reduce the not-always-latent tendency toward supersessionism in North American pulpits. This might require some explanation -- supersessionism is a 'big word' not many have encountered. Supersessionism in this context refers to the tendency of looking at Judaism and the Jews of the pre-Christian times as simple prelude and precursors to Christianity -- that the only 'value' of Judaism and studying, tolerating, etc. Jewish texts and ideas is as it relates to (and leads to) Christian texts and ideas. Authors Allen and Williamson (each friends of mine, if truth in advertising is to be maintained) hold that Judaism has an inherent value all its own, as a covenant from God that has not been broken or altered, but indeed is maintained and should be recognised by current and future Christian communities, the power of which often resides in the preaching.
Allen and Williamson give a brief introduction -- they introduce the writings of the New (Second) Testament in ways perhaps unrealised by most. Paul, for example, is often characterised as one who rails against 'the Jews'; we are told that Paul is a Pharisee (by Paul himself, no less), but it is often overlooked that Paul himself never has a disparaging or discouraging word about the Pharisees. By the following generation (when the gospels were written) there were many negative references to Pharisees, but these did not come from Paul himself, and are more likely representative of an internal debate and division among Christians (which at that time would have included many self-identified Jews who did not see Judaism and Christianity as contradictory or mutually exclusive affiliations). In this introduction, Allen and Williamson also discuss the two sets of oral tradition, various ways of reading (and misreading) the text, and ways the churches can look at overall context to recast the lectionary in ways that are not judgemental toward Jews.
As the authors state in the preface, `Far from attacking Judaism, the letter writers typically want Gentile converts to become more Jewish in their attitudes and behaviors. The ancient authors did not envision Christianity as a new religion to supersede Judaism.' Indeed, there were some Gentiles in the ancient world who, upon becoming Christian, would then progress further into becoming Jewish. It is further true that many characterisations of Paul have him as railing against Judaism; `the problem with the anti-Jewish reading of Paul is not only that it distorts and misinterprets Paul, it also distorts and misinterprets Judaism.' One of the key elements in this commentary is to understand that Paul did not set out to start a new religion independent from or superseding Judaism, and that Paul's writing was usually not to fellow Jews about Judaism, but rather about Judaism's relationship to and understanding of the Gentiles.
The actual commentary section follows the Revised Common Lectionary, followed (more or less) by many churches in ecumenical agreement. Allen and Williamson are both academic and ordained professionals within the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) -- however, this is a commentary that will have broad appeal. Just as the CC(DoC) church is one the most committed institutions to ecumenical intention, so too are Allen and Williamson dedicated to this broad approach, preferring to see that which draws us together over that which pulls us apart.
Like the earlier volume, the commentary is very useful. It is not footnote-heavy, jargon-laden, or obtuse and academic as many commentaries can tend to be. This is not a commentary written to impress other scholars, but intended for regular use by 'regular' preachers. To this end, the commentary on each of the Sunday lectionary pieces (three years in the cycle, tied to gospels) as well as some special days (Ash Wednesday, Pentecost, etc.) is but one to one-and-one-half pages long. Each commentary can be read in a five to ten minute span; for the regular preacher concerned with time, this is a real god-send. Best to read this commentary in advance of others, as it will inform the information of the others. It works most of its power through persuasion and gentle direction (a very process oriented approach, indeed). It is likely to repeat familiar information, and provide new ways of thinking at the same time.
The commentary is tied to the lectionary, but not to any particular year or sequence. The preacher or reader interested could pick up the volume at any point (just as I have done) and begin reading and use from the particular Sunday now, and go forward for three years. At the end of this time, preaching (or, for the non-preaching reader, listening) will be transformed. I have used this commentary since the week I received it, and together with the book on the gospels, I find it an invaluable aid.
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In Contempt
Murder In Brentwood
Outrage: The Five Reasons Why O.J. Simpson Got Away With Murder
Nicole Brown Simpson: The Private Diary of a Life Interrupted
Reasonable Doubts: The Criminal Justice System and the O.J. Simpson Case
