American Lightning

Starred review from June 9, 2008
In 1911, Iron Workers Union leaders James and Joseph McNamara plea-bargained in exchange for prison sentences instead of death after bombing the offices of the Los Angeles Times
—killing 21 people and wounding many more. The bombing had been part of a bungled assault on some 100 American cities. After the McNamaras went to jail, Clarence Darrow, their defense attorney, wound up indicted for attempting to bribe the jury, but won acquittal after a defense staged by the brilliant Earl Rogers. The McNamaras were investigated by William J. Burns—near legendary former Secret Service agent and proprietor of a detective agency. Surprisingly, Burns’s collaborator in the investigation was silent film director D.W. Griffith. This tangled and fascinating tale is the stuff of novels, and Vanity Fair
contributing editor Blum (The Brigade
) tells it with a novelist’s flair. In an approach reminiscent of Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood,
Blum paints his characters in all their grandeur and tragedy, making them—and their era—come alive. Blum’s prose is tight, his speculations unfailingly sound and his research extensive—all adding up to an absorbing and masterful true crime narrative.

Starred review from November 24, 2008
This fabulous tale by acclaimed investigative journalist Blum relates the events of October 1, 1910, when the Los Angeles Times
building was bombed. America's greatest detective, William J. Burns, hits the scene to investigate and uncovers a massive plot by labor activists who will eventually be defended by Clarence Darrow and documented by legendary filmmaker D.W. Griffith. The story is entertaining and thoroughly engaging tale, and will have film and history buffs clamoring for more. Luckily, John H. Mayer's narration is equally engaging. Mayer reads with an air of old Hollywood: brisk, crisp and always attractive. The result is a true tale that reads like a superbly crafted novel and one that cries out for repeated listens. A Crown hardcover (Reviews, June 9).

June 15, 2008
On October 1, 1910, in the midst of a massive labor dispute, the "Los Angeles Times" building was destroyed in an explosion that left 20 people dead and many more injured. As other, similar bombs were found, it was obvious that this was not a single malicious act but a nationwide conspiracy by members of the national Iron Workers union. The hunt was on for the perpetrators. The ensuing investigation and trial brought in master detective William Burns on one side and famed attorney Clarence Darrow on the other. The trial pitted labor against management and the rich against the working class and brought out unethical behavior in both the prosecution and the defense. Adding to the carnival atmosphere were new developments in California's nascent moving picture industry, as D.W. Griffith was discovering that carefully crafted persuasive films could profoundly effect the emotions of the audience, creating a new medium for reformersand propagandists. Though the ink given to Griffith here is somewhat out of proportion to his relevance to the story, it adds interest to this riveting account of 20th-century homegrown political terrorism. For public and academic libraries. [See Prepub Alert, "LJ" 5/15/08.]Deirdre Bray Root, Middletown P.L., OH

Copyright 2008 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from August 1, 2008
On October 1, 1910, an explosion destroyed the offices of the Los Angeles Times, killing20 workers and injuring many others. Was it the work of the greedy publisher, a despiser of organized labor, in an attempt to collect insurance money for another scheme and frame radical labor, or was it part of a nationwide chain of explosions set by radical Socialists? Whatever the truth, it was a dramatic crossroads of violent dissent between labor and capital in America as each side eyed the other suspiciously. Into the fray stepped famed investigator William J. Burns, enlisted to find the perpetrators, and crusading lawyer Clarence Darrow, who defended a pair of brothers deeply involved in the workers rights movement. Filmmaker D. W. Griffith also had a hand in the debate with films depicting labor hardships. Blum, critically acclaimed author of The Gold of Exodus (1998) and The Brigade (2001), traces the investigation from San Francisco to Wisconsin to Indianapolis to Chicago, then chronicles the trial and its aftermath, building suspense with an astonishing cast of characters in the unfolding drama of the American labor movement. Completely riveting.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2008, American Library Association.)