Description
The case of the Central Park Five is being revisited with a new acclaimed Netflix limited series on the subject, When They See Us, directed by Ava DuVernay.
This is the only book that is going to tell you all you need to know about one of the most infamous criminal cases in American history. A trial that, thirty years on, still bears a striking, and unsettling, resemblance to our current political climate in the era of President Donald Trump.
In April 1989, a white woman who came to be known as the 'Central Park jogger' was brutally raped and severely beaten, her body left crumpled in a ravine. Amid the staggering torrent of media coverage and public outcry that ensued, exposing the deep-seated race and class divisions in New York City at the time, five teenagers were quickly apprehended - four black and one Hispanic. All five confessed, were tried and convicted as adults despite no evidence linking them to the victim.
Over a decade later, when DNA tests connected serial rapist Matias Reyes to the crime, the government, law enforcement, social institutions and media of New York were exposed as having undermined the individuals they were designed to protect.
In The Central Park Five, Sarah Burns, who has worked closely with the young men to uncover and document the truth, recounts the ins and outs of this historic case for the first time since their convictions were overturned, telling, at last, the full story of one of America's most legendary miscarriages of justice.
About the Author
Sarah Burns is a writer and documentary filmmaker who first wrote about the Central Park Five as an undergraduate at Yale University. Her films include The Central Park Five, which received many awards and honours, including a Peabody Award, Jackie Robinson, East Lake Meadows: A Public Housing Story, and an upcoming biography of Muhammad Ali for PBS. She lives in Brooklyn, New York.
Reviews
Burns's gripping tale may serve as an allegory for some of the most pressing criminal justice issues of our time. * The New York Times Book Review *
Riveting... An important book. * The Cleveland Plain Dealer *
Gripping from start to finish, The Central Park Five is an unvarnished look at one of the most infamous crimes in New York City history. You may think you know the true story of the Central Park jogger, but you don't. Sarah Burns tells a harrowing story, in which her only allegiance is to the truth. * Kevin Baker, author of Dreamland *
A riveting retrospective. * News Blaze *
This is a controversial and important book, presenting a powerful argument... It demonstrates that our justice system is far from full proof even in the face of alleged confession, eyewitness and forensic evidence. * Alan M. Dershowitz, author of The Trials of Zion *
Remarkable... thought-provoking reportage. * Booklist *
Praise for The Central Park Five documentary
At first discomforting, then enraging, then illuminating. * The New Yorker *
As grim a portrait of the criminal justice system as can be imagined. * Detroit News *
Timeless... It encapsulates an era. * San Francisco Chronicle *
A deeply affecting experience. * The Wall Street Journal *
Measured in tone and outraged in its argument, it is an emotionally stirring, at times crushingly depressing cinematic call to witness. * The New York Times *
A patient, righteous documentary. * Entertainment Weekly *
Book Information
ISBN 9781529358971
Author Sarah Burns
Format Paperback
Page Count 272
Imprint Hodder & Stoughton Ltd
Publisher Hodder & Stoughton
Weight(grams) 202g
Dimensions(mm) 199mm * 129mm * 19mm
This is the only book that is going to tell you all you need to know about one of the most infamous criminal cases in American history. A trial that, thirty years on, still bears a striking, and unsettling, resemblance to our current political climate in the era of President Donald Trump.
In April 1989, a white woman who came to be known as the 'Central Park jogger' was brutally raped and severely beaten, her body left crumpled in a ravine. Amid the staggering torrent of media coverage and public outcry that ensued, exposing the deep-seated race and class divisions in New York City at the time, five teenagers were quickly apprehended - four black and one Hispanic. All five confessed, were tried and convicted as adults despite no evidence linking them to the victim.
Over a decade later, when DNA tests connected serial rapist Matias Reyes to the crime, the government, law enforcement, social institutions and media of New York were exposed as having undermined the individuals they were designed to protect.
In The Central Park Five, Sarah Burns, who has worked closely with the young men to uncover and document the truth, recounts the ins and outs of this historic case for the first time since their convictions were overturned, telling, at last, the full story of one of America's most legendary miscarriages of justice.
About the Author
Sarah Burns is a writer and documentary filmmaker who first wrote about the Central Park Five as an undergraduate at Yale University. Her films include The Central Park Five, which received many awards and honours, including a Peabody Award, Jackie Robinson, East Lake Meadows: A Public Housing Story, and an upcoming biography of Muhammad Ali for PBS. She lives in Brooklyn, New York.
Reviews
Burns's gripping tale may serve as an allegory for some of the most pressing criminal justice issues of our time. * The New York Times Book Review *
Riveting... An important book. * The Cleveland Plain Dealer *
Gripping from start to finish, The Central Park Five is an unvarnished look at one of the most infamous crimes in New York City history. You may think you know the true story of the Central Park jogger, but you don't. Sarah Burns tells a harrowing story, in which her only allegiance is to the truth. * Kevin Baker, author of Dreamland *
A riveting retrospective. * News Blaze *
This is a controversial and important book, presenting a powerful argument... It demonstrates that our justice system is far from full proof even in the face of alleged confession, eyewitness and forensic evidence. * Alan M. Dershowitz, author of The Trials of Zion *
Remarkable... thought-provoking reportage. * Booklist *
Praise for The Central Park Five documentary
At first discomforting, then enraging, then illuminating. * The New Yorker *
As grim a portrait of the criminal justice system as can be imagined. * Detroit News *
Timeless... It encapsulates an era. * San Francisco Chronicle *
A deeply affecting experience. * The Wall Street Journal *
Measured in tone and outraged in its argument, it is an emotionally stirring, at times crushingly depressing cinematic call to witness. * The New York Times *
A patient, righteous documentary. * Entertainment Weekly *
Book Information
ISBN 9781529358971
Author Sarah Burns
Format Paperback
Page Count 272
Imprint Hodder & Stoughton Ltd
Publisher Hodder & Stoughton
Weight(grams) 202g
Dimensions(mm) 199mm * 129mm * 19mm
