Post #10: The (Original) Verdict is in!

Ok... the verdict is in (As evident in the title of the post).

First, let me give you a background on the case within The Appeal, by John Grisham. Widow Jeannette Baker lost her husband and son to water poisoning. Not so fun... Anyway, she is looking for a settlement from the company who "intentionally" (We don't know the final verdict after the appeal, so quotes need to be used) poisoned the water (which is the Krane Chemical Corporation). The jury, by a decision of 10 to 2, awarded Mrs. Baker with 3 million dollars, and 38 million dollars in punitive damages. That's a whole lot of money. They also decided that Krane corporation was intentional in pouring the water into the water, causing the deaths.

So, here's where the title comes into play. The Krane Corporation, knowing more cases like this are on the way. Mr Trudeau, the boss, is determined to make sure that they win the appeal, or, if worse comes to worse, "'Not one dime of our hard-earned profits will ever get into the hands of those trailer park peasants... If I have to bankrupt it or break it into fifteen pieces, I swear to you on my mother's grave that not one dime of Krane's money will ever be touched by those ignorant people (Grisham 25), ". Mr Trudeau, in my opinion, is kind of inhumane, considering the fact that he is not going to give money to the person WHO LOST HER FAMILY because of his company. That's crazy. And to think, I'm only one chapter in (it's 25 pages, it's long). He is for sure going to appeal, as he officially hasn't yet (though, if he doesn't appeal, the title is very misleading).

By the next post, I hope to (and probably will) finish this book. I hope everyone reading this enjoys this post, no matter where you are!

*For those of you wondering what John Grisham has done, here is a link to his Goodreads page

Post #9: The Appeal, A Preview

Hello internet! I'm back and blogging again! After reading A Long Way Gone, the Sierra Leone Civil War memoir book, as I would describe it, I decided to go back to my favorite genre, legal thrillers.

A couple of years ago, a librarian suggested I start reading this new author, John Grisham, who I had not heard anything about. I read The Runaway Jury, and loved it. it ended up being my book report for the trimester. I read about 10-plus books by Grisham, and loved them all.

So knowing I needed a new book, I saw that The Appeal was on my Goodreads list. I got the book yesterday, and while I've only read a few pages of it, I know this book has the potential to be great in my mind. The novel starts with a jury decision being made, with lawyers somewhat shocked to how abrupt it is: "Could it really be over? After they had waited for an eternity, could it end so suddenly? So abruptly? With just a phone call? (Grisham 5)" Being 5 pages in, we're already in on the action of the original case. I only say original because the book is titled, The Appeal, so you know that, with whatever verdict is, it's going to be appealed, with a possibly different (or same) outcome.

Thank you to those who are reading this. I'll be sure to go into more detail about the book next post. I know I'm going to enjoy this book, like you will be enjoying this post!

Post #8: A Long Way Gone: Connections to the World

Recently, I have been reading the memoir, A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of A Boy Soldier, by Ishmael Beah. This captivating novel takes place in the 1990’s in, during the Sierra Leone civil wars. Ishmael’s journey takes him from his tiny, peaceful village to becoming a child soldier on the front lines of war. Fighting for the government’s army, Ishmael became a brainwashed attacker. His adventure during this horrific time changed his life forever.

Being almost done with this book at the time of this post, I have come to many conclusions about Sierra Leone during this time. This war was, like many, very bloody and impactful on the people of this land. People, when going through tough times, such as this, need others close to them so they can get through the struggle to survive. Without others, these characters would have a difficult time getting by, and can hurt them in the long run. Ishmael’s long journey had its highs and lows, but he hits his lowest when he is by himself, lost in the jungle, with no friends around him and not knowing where his family is, which causes visible personality changes for the time of this story and throughout life.

Science Daily Article

This sources details how survivors of the Sierra Leone Civil War (and people of Georgia after the war with Russia over South Ossetia) reacted in certain “games” that tested their self-reliance and how they “survive” using tokens. Ishmael, early in the novel, is on his own after leaving his family and friends who are displaced somewhere else. He relies on himself to survive, and when he does join a group of boys from the same village, he makes sacrifices willingly in order to raise the group’s chances of surviving. The Science Daily reports backs up these findings with detail on how Sierra Leone War survivors played the “games” because people who identified with each from a given background sacrificed their benefits in order to improve the well being of their partner.

This memoir has been an interesting one. I, personally, did not even know that a civil war even happened in Sierra Leone, and this novel really opened my eyes up to conflicts of the world.  This was a real eye-opener to me. I just really can’t believe that this actually happened… all of this fighting and such… man this was crazy. Tonight, however, I finally get the chance to read the ending to this book. Please have a positive ending!!! Not one that is devastating, like most parts of this book.

Thanks to Joey Deaton for co-writing this blog post with me.