Little Pink House

In this absorbing audiobook, Maggi-Meg Reed expertly brings alive the many characters involved in Kelo v. City of New London--a case that went to the Supreme Court, expanding the definition of "public use" in ways that shocked the nation. Reed highlights all the drama in Benedict's meticulous research and astute characterizations of those involved. Listeners will hear the voices and perspectives of the angry activists, determined city council members, and anguished homeowners involved in the unfolding story. Reed's crowning accomplishment is her portrayal of Suzette Kelo. Her insights into this unlikely heroine who attempted to defy New London and keep her little pink house make this audiobook particularly compelling. J.C.G. (c) AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine

Starred review from October 13, 2008
Benedict (The Mormon Way of Doing Business
) has taken a complicated court case centered on eminent domain and turned it into a page-turner with a conscience. In 1997, an EMT named Susette Kelo left her husband, bought a cottage and started over in the economically depressed Ft. Trumbull neighborhood of New London, Conn. In February 1998, the New London Development Corporation began trying to muscle the neighborhood into selling homes to make way for a Pfizer research complex. Benedict's passionate account is rife with heroes and villains—he delights in pillorying Kelo's foil, Claire Gaudiani, the president of Connecticut College who lured Pfizer to consider New London. The fight escalated when the city tried exercising eminent domain to seize the homes of Kelo and others who refused to sell, leading to the case, Kelo
v. City of New London
, reaching the Supreme Court in 2005. Raising important questions about the use of economic development as a justification for displacing citizens, this book will leave readers indignant and inspired.