Reviews
"In this important and illuminating work, Steve Bogira shines a blazing new light on America's criminal justice system. This book is filled with one revelatory insight after another about how that system really works. And in his stories about the peoplefrom the judge and the lawyers to the defendantswhose lives come together in a single American courtroom, in a single year, Mr. Bogira shows that he is a masterful reporter not only of our country's criminal justice system but also of human beings caught up in its gears." -Robert A. Caro "Courtroom 302 is a wonderfully vivid portrait of a criminal courtroom in the nation's busiest courthouse, and of the cops and robbers, lawyers, judges, and assorted creatures of the law who arrive there. It makes informative and often moving reading." -Scott Turow "Excellent . . . By focusing on something small-the cases coming before one judge, in a single courtroom-Bogira gets a handle on something large and hard to make sense of: the American way of criminal justice." -Ted Conover, The New York Times Book Review "Brilliant . . . A genuine eye-opener. Bogira supplements his acute observations with meticulous research . . . He has produced a compelling narrative that is often more entertaining than most of the cop shows which are so popular on American television." -The Economist "Gripping . . . Bogira captures the unspoken realities of the criminal justice system . . . Triumphant in its detail." -David Feige, The Washington Post "Stunning . . . What ails our system of criminal justice isn't news . . . What is news is the why of it all. And that's the book's central revelation, which Bogira articulates in prose that's first rate . . . The heart of the book is observation and world-class reportage . . .Statistics are deconstructed back into human beings. We get the smells, sights, and sounds of the big city criminal courts in precise, unforgettable detail . . . Anyone considering working as a prosecutor or a defense attorney must read this book. It's the equivalent of a year in Criminal Court. Those working in the system will find that the book confirms much that they know and offers a lot they probably don't. For the general reader, Bogira shows how the criminal justice system has been smoothly incorporated into the military-industrial complex of a free market on tilt. Regardless of the reason for reading Courtroom 302, one's perceptions of our criminal justice system, and the larger system that created and continues to shape it, will be permanently altered." ---Theodore L. Blumberg, New York Law Journal "A book you must read . . . It captures the reality of criminal justice better than anything I've read." --Charles Peters, Washington Monthly "Powerful and moving . . . Bogira is more than a gifted writer: He's also a disciplined and committed one . . . Bogira is an inspiring reminder of what investigative reporting can and should do to keep our national institutions cleaner and better than they are." -Jonathan Shapiro, Los Angeles Times "Steve Bogira is a brilliant reporter and observer, who also happens to be one masterful storyteller. Courtroom 302 is as honest and gritty as they come, and filled with surprises. It's one of the most important books on America's criminal justice system to come along in years." -Alex Kotlowitz, author of There Are No Children Here "Riveting . . . An immensely important book that exposes how America's criminal justice system really works . . . Its steady stream of powerful insights, "In this important and illuminating work, Steve Bogira shines a blazing new light on America's criminal justice system. This book is filled with one revelatory insight after another about how that system really works. And in his stories about the peoplefrom the judge and the lawyers to the defendantswhose lives come together in a single American courtroom, in a single year, Mr. Bogira shows that he is a masterful reporter not only of our country's criminal justice system but also of human beings caught up in its gears." -Robert A. Caro "Courtroom 302is a wonderfully vivid portrait of a criminal courtroom in the nation's busiest courthouse, and of the cops and robbers, lawyers, judges, and assorted creatures of the law who arrive there. It makes informative and often moving reading." -Scott Turow "Excellent . . . By focusing on something small-the cases coming before one judge, in a single courtroom-Bogira gets a handle on something large and hard to make sense of: the American way of criminal justice." -Ted Conover,The New York Times Book Review "Brilliant . . . A genuine eye-opener. Bogira supplements his acute observations with meticulous research . . . He has produced a compelling narrative that is often more entertaining than most of the cop shows which are so popular on American television." -The Economist "Gripping . . . Bogira captures the unspoken realities of the criminal justice system . . . Triumphant in its detail." -David Feige,The Washington Post "Stunning . . . What ails our system of criminal justice isn't news . . . What is news is the why of it all. And that's the book's central revelation, which Bogira articulates in prose that's first rate . . . The heart of the book is observation and world-class reportage . . .Statistics are deconstructed back into human beings. We get the smells, sights, and sounds of the big city criminal courts in precise, unforgettable detail . . . Anyone considering working as a prosecutor or a defense attorney must read this book. It's the equivalent of a year in Criminal Court. Those working in the system will find that the book confirms much that they know and offers a lot they probably don't. For the general reader, Bogira shows how the criminal justice system has been smoothly incorporated into the military-industrial complex of a free market on tilt. Regardless of the reason for readingCourtroom 302, one's perceptions of our criminal justice system, and the larger system that created and continues to shape it, will be permanently altered." ---Theodore L. Blumberg,New York Law Journal "A book you must read . . . It captures the reality of criminal justice better than anything I've read." --Charles Peters,Washington Monthly "Powerful and moving . . . Bogira is more than a gifted writer: He's also a disciplined and committed one . . . Bogira is an inspiring reminder of what investigative reporting can and should do to keep our national institutions cleaner and better than they are." -Jonathan Shapiro,Los Angeles Times "Steve Bogira is a brilliant reporter and observer, who also happens to be one masterful storyteller.Courtroom 302is as honest and gritty as they come, and filled with surprises. It's one of the most important books on America's criminal justice system to come along in years." -Alex Kotlowitz, author ofThere Are No Children Here "Riveting . . . An immensely important book that exposes how America's criminal justice system really works . . . Its steady stream of powerful insights inevitably, "In this important and illuminating work, Steve Bogira shines a blazing new light on America's criminal justice system. This book is filled with one revelatory insight after another about how that system really works. And in his stories about the peoplefrom the judge and the lawyers to the defendantswhose lives come together in a single American courtroom, in a single year, Mr. Bogira shows that he is a masterful reporter not only of our country's criminal justice system but also of human beings caught up in its gears." Robert A. Caro " Courtroom 302 is a wonderfully vivid portrait of a criminal courtroom in the nation's busiest courthouse, and of the cops and robbers, lawyers, judges, and assorted creatures of the law who arrive there. It makes informative and often moving reading." Scott Turow "Excellent . . . By focusing on something smallthe cases coming before one judge, in a single courtroomBogira gets a handle on something large and hard to make sense of: the American way of criminal justice." Ted Conover, The New York Times Book Review "Brilliant . . . A genuine eye-opener. Bogira supplements his acute observations with meticulous research . . . He has produced a compelling narrative that is often more entertaining than most of the cop shows which are so popular on American television." The Economist "Gripping . . . Bogira captures the unspoken realities of the criminal justice system . . . Triumphant in its detail." David Feige, The Washington Post "Stunning . . . What ails our system of criminal justice isn''t news . . . What is news is the why of it all. And that''s the book''s central revelation, which Bogira articulates in prose that''s first rate . . . The heart of the book is observation and world-class reportage . . .Statistics are deconstructed back into human beings. We get the smells, sights, and sounds of the big city criminal courts in precise, unforgettable detail . . . Anyone considering working as a prosecutor or a defense attorney must read this book. It''s the equivalent of a year in Criminal Court. Those working in the system will find that the book confirms much that they know and offers a lot they probably don''t. For the general reader, Bogira shows how the criminal justice system has been smoothly incorporated into the military-industrial complex of a free market on tilt. Regardless of the reason for reading Courtroom 302 , one''s perceptions of our criminal justice system, and the larger system that created and continues to shape it, will be permanently altered." ---Theodore L. Blumberg, New York Law Journal " A book you must read . . . It captures the reality of criminal justice better than anything I''ve read." --Charles Peters, Washington Monthly "Powerful and moving . . . Bogira is more than a gifted writer: He's also a disciplined and committed one . . . Bogira is an inspiring reminder of what investigative reporting can and should do to keep our national institutions cleaner and better than they are." Jonathan Shapiro, Los Angeles Times "Steve Bogira is a brilliant reporter and observer, who also happens to be one masterful storyteller. Courtroom 302 is as honest and gritty as they come, and filled with surprises. It's one of the most important books on America's criminal justice system to come along in years." Alex Kotlowitz, author of There Are No Children Here "Riveting . . . An immensely important book that exposes how America's criminal justice system really works . . . Its steady stream of powerful insights inevitably apply to every big city court system in the nation." Tom McNamee, Chicago Sun-Times "The view of Am, "In this important and illuminating work, Steve Bogira shines a blazing new light on America's criminal justice system. This book is filled with one revelatory insight after another about how that system really works. And in his stories about the people-from the judge and the lawyers to the defendants-whose lives come together in a single American courtroom, in a single year, Mr. Bogira shows that he is a masterful reporter not only of our country's criminal justice system but also of human beings caught up in its gears." --Robert A. Caro ""Courtroom 302" is a wonderfully vivid portrait of a criminal courtroom in the nation's busiest courthouse, and of the cops and robbers, lawyers, judges, and assorted creatures of the law who arrive there. It makes informative and often moving reading." --Scott Turow "Excellent . . . By focusing on something small--the cases coming before one judge, in a single courtroom--Bogira gets a handle on something large and hard to make sense of: the American way of criminal justice." --Ted Conover, "The New York Times Book Review" "Brilliant . . . A genuine eye-opener. Bogira supplements his acute observations with meticulous research . . . He has produced a compelling narrative that is often more entertaining than most of the cop shows which are so popular on American television." --"The Economist" "Gripping . . . Bogira captures the unspokenrealities of the criminal justice system . . . Triumphant in its detail." --David Feige, "The Washington Post ""Stunning . . . What ails our system of criminal justice isn't news . . . What is news is the why of it all. And that's the book's central revelation, which Bogira articulates in prose that's first rate . . . The heart of the book is observation and world-class reportage . . .Statistics are deconstructed back into human beings. We get the smells, sights, and sounds of the big city criminal courts in precise, unforgettable detail . . . Anyone considering working as a prosecutor or a defense attorney must read this book. It's the equivalent of a year in Criminal Court. Those working in the system will find that the book confirms much that they know and offers a lot they probably don't. For the general reader, Bogira shows how the criminal justice system has been smoothly incorporated into the military-industrial complex of a free market on tilt. Regardless of the reason for reading "Courtroom 302", one's perceptions of our criminal justice system, and the larger system that created and continues to shape it, will be permanently altered." ---Theodore L. Blumberg, "New York Law Journal ""A book you must read . . . It captures the reality of criminal justice better than anything I've read." --Charles Peters, "Washington Monthly" "Powerful and moving . . . Bogira is more than a gifted writer: He's also a disciplined and committed one . . . Bogira is an inspiring reminder of whatinvestigative reporting can and should do to keep our national institutions cleaner and better than they are." --Jonathan Shapiro, "Los Angeles Times" "Steve Bogira is a brilliant reporter and observer, who also happens to be one masterful storyteller. "Courtroom 302" is as honest and gritty as they come, and filled with surprises. It's one of the most important books on America's criminal justice system to come along in years." --Alex Kotlowitz, author of "There Are No Children Here " "Riveting . . . An immensely important book that exposes how America's criminal justice system really works . . . Its steady stream of powerful insights inevitably apply to every big city court system in the nation." --Tom McNamee, "Chicago Sun-Times ""The view of America that this book opens up is disturbing, and also fresh and fascinating. But "Courtroom 302" isn't merely sociological. It's full of human drama, unearthed from the dreary and quotidian by an author with a remarkably fair and open mind." --Tracy Kidder, author of "The Soul of a New Machine" and "
