Description

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In 1967, the black boxer Rubin "Hurricane" Carter and a young acquaintance, John Artis, were wrongly convicted of triple murder by an all-white jury in Paterson, New Jersey. Over the next decade, Carter gradually amassed convincing evidence of his innocence and the vocal support of celebrities from Bob Dylan to Muhammad Ali. He was freed in 1976 pending a new trial, but he lost his appeal -- to the amazement of many -- and landed back in prison.
Carter, bereft, shunned almost all human contact until he received a letter from Lesra Martin, a teenager raised in a Brooklyn ghetto. Against his bitter instincts, Carter agreed to meet with Martin, thus taking the first step on a tortuous path back to the world. Martin introduced him to an enigmatic group of Canadians who helped wage a successful battle to free him. As Carter orchestrated this effort from his cell, he also embarked on a singular intellectual journey, which led ultimately to a freedom more profound than any that could be granted by a legal authority.

About the Author

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JAMES S. HIRSCH is a former reporter for The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, and he is author of ten books, including biographies of Willie Mays and Rubin "Hurricane" Carter.
 

Praise For…

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"Hirsch writes vividly and tells the entire story with economy and grace." Boston Globe

"A riveting, straight-ahead account." Kirkus Reviews

null The Los Angeles Times

"Anyone curious about the persistence of Carter's notoriety ... will find all the answers in [this] exhaustive biography . . . A nearly biblical tale of persecution, punishment and redemption." -- Reviewed by CHARLES KAISER The New York Times

"Hirsch brings an objective historical perspective to the boxer's story. Scrupulously researched and expertly crafted, Hirsch's updated account of Carter's life is both a rich portrait of a complex man and a clear-eyed telling of a remarkable life...Carter's hellish ride through the judicial system and the heroic efforts to free him make for fascinating reading...." Publishers Weekly

"[A] compelling, well-researched and balanced antidote to the Hollywood caricature of Mr. Carter's odyssey...." The Wall Street Journal

"An excellent investigation of the Carter case and his life." Library Journal

"Hirsch gives us an intimate portrait of Carter and the strange Canadian communalists/cultists who, by 1988, had helped him win his ultimate freedom." Newsday

"[A] sturdy, detail-exhausting page-turner that recalls 'A Civil Action.' St. Louis Post-Dispatch

"A riveting story....Hirsch has acquitted his subject well, skillfully recounting the emotional story of a man whose perseverance eventually resulted in his freedom not only from the State of New Jersey, but from the prison he had previously imposed upon himself." Denver Rocky Mountain News —