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The Mommy Myth: The Idealization of Motherhood and How It Has Under mined Women Susan Douglas, Meredith Michaels Product Details: ISBN: 0060090588 Format: Hardcover, 352pp Pub.
Read a Sample Chapter ABOUT THE BOOK Tragic Indifference: One Man's Battle with the Auto Industry over the Dan gers of SUVs FROM THE PUBLISHER "In February 2000, reports began to surface of an alarming number of roll over cases involving Ford Explorers traveling on Firestone's Wilderness AT tire. As the stories drove a national frenzy of news coverage, no one seemed to know what was causing the devastation. Until one lawyer, who had been campaigning for years to get Ford to acknowledge the dangerous flaws in the design of the Explorer - an engineering flaw greatly exacer bated by the use of Firestone's tires - stepped forward to demand that F ord executives take responsibility for the lethal design of their trucks ." "More than a courtroom drama, Tragic Indifference reveals the web of individual stories beneath the national headlines. Weaving together harr owing depictions of the accidents and their consequences with the storie s of the men and women who labor to police the auto industry and its rec kless cost-cutting, Tragic Indifference will transform the way you view the government, the courts, and the media. Above all, this book shows th e price the public pays in wrecked and mangled lives when companies focu s more on shaving costs than making quality products." "At the center of the story is Tab Turner, a charismatic trial attorney from Arkansas, wh o has made a career out of forcing Ford and other automakers to own up t o their unsafe practices and to admit they knowingly trade human lives f or profit. Given the almost complete lack of government regulation over the auto industry, Turner has become, in essence, the court of last reso rt for victims of callous auto companies." Tragic Indifference also reco unts the struggles of Turner's client Donna Bailey, a single mother and outdoor enthusiast who led troubled teens on backpacking trips, as she f ought back from the brink of death to confront those ultimately responsi ble for her accident. Her case became a benchmark for all others that fo llowed. SYNOPSIS An existing engineering flaw in Ford Explorers was exacerbated by the use of Firestone's Wilderness AT tire, resulting in a national scandal that erupted in the American press in the winter of 2000. Investigative jour nalist Penenberg tells the story of Tab Turner, a trial lawyer who worke d on behalf of paralyzed client Donna Bailey to hold the companies accou ntable in a work that is simultaneously a defense of tort law against it s big business attackers and their political allies and an indictment of the greed of Ford and Firestone. Already an established consumer-rights lawyer, Turner began to focus on Ford Explorers equipped with Firestone Wilderness tires in the mid to late 1990s, when the number of cases in which the tread separated from a tire and resulted in an often fatal rollover accident began to b ecome significant. Penenberg uses Turner's involvement in the case of Do nna Bailey, who was paralyzed in such an accident in Texas in 2000, as t he framework for his book. As Turner investigates further, Penenberg pai nts a picture of an automaker trying to dominate the lucrative SUV marke t despite known stability flaws with its signature model in the class, a nd of a tire manufacturer willing to sacrifice the integrity of its prod ucts in order to fulfill the wishes of its biggest client. The writing a nd structure of the book are somewhat formulaic, as the chief concern is the reportage. Penenberg is also so strident in his tone and puts the c ompanies in such a harsh light that it almost makes one wonder if this i s an accurate portrayal, but he offers extensive endnotes from an array of sources to back up his claims. It's a comprehensive and disturbing bo ok, and perhaps its ultimate validation is that Ford and Firestone, whic h had done business for nearly 100 years, broke ties, and Ford agreed no t only to settle Bailey's case for tens of millions of dollars but also to have executives videotaped at her hospital bedside as they offered co ndolences. Library Journal Following closely on Keith Bradsher's High and Mighty, this latest indict ment of sport utility vehicle (SUV) safety may portend the start of a ne w movement against these popular vehicles based on the threat they pose to the safety of all motorists. Business journalist Penenberg's work foc uses on the Ford/Firestone tire debacle, which was a major news story, a nd the work of an attorney who repeatedly took on two of the most powerf ul corporations in the world. By 2000, more than 200 people had been kil led and hundreds of others injured when the tires on their Ford SUVs fai led and caused a rollover or crash. After the crash statistics became pu blic, Ford attempted to pin blame on Firestone's faulty tires, until Fir estone showed that Ford had forced them to produce a cheaper and more da ngerous tire. The book offers a comprehensive look at a notorious corpor ate scandal and a courtroom drama and investigation that ends in triumph for the many victims. It is not, however, a story that will reduce the popularity of SUVs in this country.
The facts are all there, but the author has take n the time to lay them out artfully and judiciously. Donald Landis, lawyer from Hermosa Beach, CA, December 11, 2003, 5 out of 5 stars wow Another in depth analysis of corporate greed by Penenberg that rips the l id off the death mobiles that Detroit pumps out and puts on America's hi ghways with equally deadly tires. A mazingly, Penenberg makes this confusing trail of corporate cover-up und erstandable and accessible by providing the very human perspective of on e of these death trap's victims and the courageous lawyer who made Ameri ca pay attention to what was going on out there. Also recommended: Actual Innocence Jennifer Giroux, A reviewer, December 11, 2003, 5 out of 5 stars Incredible Read I picked up this book knowing the subject matter would be heavy, however I had no idea that this would be a book that I would not be able to put down until the last page was turned. Adam Penenberg has done what only a great writer, a great author can successful do.... take an enormous amo unt of information and a really difficult subject matter and carefully w eb a story that is compelling, thought provoking, and, in many ways, lif e changing. I think after reading this book one can only be a little mor e skeptical about the motives of the auto industry and where you put you r life in the hands of another. I loved this book, I found it quick, abs orbing, informative, and emotionally touching, and I can only hope that Tragic Indifference receives all of the notoriety and acclaim that it de serves. Joan Crane, a reviewer, December 11, 2003, 5 out of 5 stars Captivating, disturbing, upsetting, UNBELIEVABLE Penenberg's novel, Tragic Indifference, is a wonderfully written FACTUAL account of one woman and one lawyer vs. This novel is the first to tell t he story of Donna Bailey, a woman left paralyzed after suffering severe injuries when the Ford SUV she was riding in rolled. An empowering, info rmative and well-written book-- Penenberg's skills as an investigative j ournalist and author shine in this novel, as he successfully creates a n on-fictional account the corruption in corporate America. Alexandra, person who likes reading the best, December 11, 2003, 5 out of 5 stars You can't put this book down This is the kind of book that reels you in from page 1 and doesn't let yo u go until the very end. It's so utterly grip ping as it takes the reader on an amazing ride from the highway, to the hospital, the boardroom and the courtroom through the vantage point of o ne of Americas top lawyers, Tab Turner. When government regulators fail to step in and enforce safety regulations on the Ford Bronco II and the ever-popular Ford Explorer, Turner steps in fight the good fight. Tab i s portrayed as a brilliant and wise cracking attorney from Arkansas who becomes a one man tour-de-force in taking the auto industry...
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