Hands down: It's Gerald M. Stern's The Scotia Widows: Inside Their Lawsuit Against Big Daddy Coal.
Stern was actually the attorney who represented the "Scotia Widows," fifteen women who lost their husbands (one lost a husband AND a brother) in the Scotia coal mine explosion in Kentucky in 1976. And, in a masterpiece of succinct yet suspenseful legal writing, he tells the story of the accident (which was caused at least partially by faulty venting on the part of the coal mining company), the initial trial, the appeal, and the final settlement that would finally achieve some financial justice for the women.
If you're looking for a completely unbiased account, this is not the one; Stern has some strong feelings about the companies in question (and their "dedication" to the safety of their workers--one of the company's mottoes was "Higher Production--Lower Costs") and at least one judge in front of whom he made his case. If, like me, you feel the vast majority of judges are corrupt bastards, this book will not do anything to correct that assumption.
It's a fantastic book. And it tells one hell of a story in a mere 145 pages.
I won't lie, "best legal book of the year" didn't exactly get me fired up, but the book does look good.
Posted by: Tripp | 21 October 2008 at 04:41 PM
Tripp,
Ha! Okay, it wasn't one of my finer title moments. But it is a very fine book. It's a lot like Jonathan Harr's "A Civil Action," only about 300 pages shorter. Oh, and have you read "A Measure of Endurance: The Unlikely Triumph of Steven Sharp"? Fantastic book, and another one with a hard-fought legal case at the center.
Posted by: Citizen Reader | 21 October 2008 at 05:55 PM
Wow that Steven Sharp book looks good. And since I live in Oregon, I think I would like it all the more.
Posted by: Tripp | 21 October 2008 at 06:14 PM
I am in... Any genre sounds good. I like a little of everything and I nothing else will gain from this experince and grow from it. Will work on suggestions to help kick start this in terms of titles or genres for same.
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