Final Resting Place by Jonathan F. Putnam

FINAL RESTING PLACE by Jonathan F. Putnam is a historical mystery with Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas as two of the main characters. In fact, they oppose each other in a murder trial based on actual events from “the highest profile trial of the year in Springfield” where Lincoln (a Whig) defended a Democrat accused of murdering a political rival and Douglas (a Democrat) acted as prosecutor. What makes this mystery especially appealing are the numerous references to the very contentious Illinois election held on August 6, 1838, almost exactly 180 years ago.  It was fascinating to read about the raucous political debates, anonymous and abusive letters to the editor, influential newspaper coverage, and religious revival. Lincoln’s real life friend Joshua Speed narrates this story and comments at one point, “Life in the frontier town had been oriented around three nearly universal public institutions: Politics, Commerce and Liquor.”

Although referring to a slightly later (1850s) period, a recent New York Times article by Jennifer Finney Boylan, “The New Know-Nothings,” draws some intriguing parallels to today’s political partisanship, especially changes in the Republican Party. Putnam, too, mentions this comparison in his historical note: “Those who think the current political moment is beset by unique coarseness and animosity would do well to study the American political environment of the nineteenth century, especially in the Western states such as Illinois.” If you enjoy historical mysteries based on solid research, definitely look for FINAL RESTING PLACE - it is filled with personal anecdotes, courtroom drama and political twists.

Putnam is a Harvard-trained lawyer and amateur Lincoln scholar who has written two other books in this series: These Honored Dead and Perish from the Earth.  Once you have enjoyed those, consider Girl in Disguise and the Seneca Falls Inheritance series, excellent historical mysteries set in the mid-1800s.  

Court Justice by Ed O’Bannon with Michael McCann

COURT JUSTICE by Ed O’Bannon with Michael McCann is subtitled “The Inside Story of My Battle Against the NCAA.” In this non-fiction work, O’Bannon describes his decision to participate in a class action suit and seek compensation for the use of his image after seeing himself and his UCLA teammates portrayed in a video game.  I know that this book, which is written in a simple conversational tone, will interest those students who are passionate about paying student athletes and protecting their rights. For me, COURT JUSTICE is a unique twist on that issue and an appealing read as it details O’Bannon’s efforts to stand on principle and fight for fairness for college athletes. He also includes a section with a dozen recommendations and ideas for reform. In this season of the Olympics and its own rather distorted view of “amateurism,” it seems especially appropriate to spend some time reading and reflecting on COURT JUSTICE.   

Anatomy of Innocence and Racial Profiling

Every year, we have students who study The Innocence Project and wrongful convictions.  They and others will certainly be interested in the soon-to-be-released ANATOMY OF INNOCENCE edited by Laura Caldwell, founder/director of Life After Innocence at Loyola University Chicago School of Law and by and Leslie S. Klinger, best-selling author.  This text features the stories, fascinating in themselves, of 15 exonerated individuals, all written with the help of prominent mystery and thriller writers like Sara Paretsky. For example, Phil Margolin relates the story of Bill Dillon, a Floridian wrongfully convicted of murder who spent more than two and a half decades in prison, only to be released after acting as his own lawyer.

Each chapter seems to focus on an aspect of criminal justice (e.g., arrest, trial, appeal, eventual freedom).  One is written by John Mankiewicz and deals with Jerry Miller, imprisoned in Illinois for a quarter of a century. This chapter points out how corrupt the Chicago police force was, working to convict a man whose palm print and blood type did not match evidence found at the scene. Connections to Chicago are plentiful since other Illinois exonerees like Juan Rivera and David Bates are profiled.  New Trier grad Scott Turow wrote the introduction and ANATOMY OF INNOCENCE also contains a previously unpublished essay by Arthur Miller discussing guilt and innocence.  Starred review from Kirkus.

Just today, a teacher and I also talked with a student about how incarceration rates vary by race. A new book, RACIAL PROFILING by Alison Behnke, deals with that topic and much more. Chapter headings are (1) Prejudice and Privilege; (2) Historic Inequality; (3) Contemporary Inequality; (4) Criminal Justice and Injustice; (5) Counterterrorism and Islamophobia and (6) Calls for Change.  Although only 160 pages, this text contains a glossary, notes, bibliography and sources for further information, including books, documentaries and websites. It will provide a comprehensive entry point for many research projects. RACIAL PROFILING received starred reviews from Kirkus and from School Library Journal who called this book a “mandatory addition to teen collections.”