Jeffrey Toobin is rapidly becoming one of my favorite nonfiction authors: his narrative flows clearly, he has swathes of original research and his analysis is understated but clear. Relatedly, I really liked American Heiress. I'm too young to have a personal memory of the Patty Hearst saga, so like many my age all I knew Patty Hearst was kidnapped, got Stocklholm syndrome, something, something, guest starred in Veronica Mars that one time. The tale as Toobin tells it is more complex.

This is a wide-ranging tale (over 18 months long) that includes the birth and death of the San Francisco counter-culture, the terrorist-style activism unique to the 1970's, tension with the evolving face of feminism, turf wars between the FBI and other branches of government and widespread distrust in the government due to the scandalous actions of the president. Reading through the "best books of the year" in 2018 so many of them are about These Dark Times in America. Toobin reminds us that other Dark Times have come before -- in a lot of ways the 70's were worse because Nixon was without precedent. Anyway, the scene and context are set well by the time Toobin introduces us to Patricia Hearst (who hated being called "Patty.")

Toobin then attempts to recreate all of the events from the formation of the Symbionese Liberation Army -- which he paints as alternatingly bumbling and terrifying -- the kidnapping of Patty Hearst, her involvement in the bank robbery...and then, instead of the story ending there, like I always thought it did, there are months of generally hiding out, followed by all of her SLA captors being killed by the police, Hearst hanging out with the remainder of the SLA who futilely try to send her back to whence she came, a cross country trek, more bank robbing and finally an arrest. Toobin then outlines Hearst's legal strategy and her ultimate conviction and sentencing. All of this, the footnotes make clear, is done on the basis of reams of contemporary notes and interviews. Toobin is meticulous about making clear when any events are at all in doubt.

The story is fascinating in and of itself. Does it speak to something bigger? Well, it ends with a a certain FBI Director Robert Mueller, III sending a pointed letter to then President Clinton arguing that Hearst should not be pardoned because people should be treated the same regardless of their personal wealth or family background. ( )

Even though I was already well aware of how this story would end, I still found the book really interesting, exciting and easy to read. After reading my first Jeffery Toobin book, it definitely wont be my last. Now if only we can keep him from masterbating on Zoom calls with his coworkers we'll be ok. ( )

Even though I was already well aware of how this story would end, I still found the book really interesting, exciting and easy to read. After reading my first Jeffery Toobin book, it definitely wont be my last. Now if only we can keep him from masterbating on Zoom calls with his coworkers we'll be ok. ( )

[a:Jeffrey Toobin|163130|Jeffrey Toobin|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1277421216p2/163130.jpg] certainly does his homework. This is my second read from him, and I found American Heiress to be compelling reading. I was quite young when the Patty Hearst kidnapping occurred, so my recollection of the situation was next to nothing. It's a pretty fascinating story of a wealthy heiress being kidnapped and ultimately acting in concert with her kidnappers on a number of criminal endeavors. The open question that Toobin addresses in this book is "Was Patty Hearst coerced into committing crimes, or did she do them of her own free will?" He makes an excellent case for one side . . .

The book has a lot of detail and really isn't the kind of gripping read that say [b:Helter Skelter: The True Story of the Manson Murders|105992|Helter Skelter The True Story of the Manson Murders|Vincent Bugliosi|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1347694754s/105992.jpg|1077715] is. The characters don't really come to life in the book; it's more like reading an excellent piece of investigative journalism that you might find in a major newspaper. The trial portion is particularly detailed and hence on the slow side. But all in all, I found it to be very interesting in that it seeks to unravel the truth while also providing insights on the time period and these counter culture revolutionary groups. If you have any interest in the case at all, this book is certainly worthwhile reading. ( )

This book reminds people that there were far more divisive eras in American history before the Trump era.

The book casts light on a very scary era of American history. February 1974 was when the kidnapping occurred. People lined up for gasoline in the freezing cold in the wee hours of the morning. The news daily detailed Nixon's march to impeachment and removal. Ultimately he resigned. In short, the world appeared to be spinning out of control. The stock market was midway through it's near-halving in value. The violence of the Symbionese Liberation Army was quite alarming at the time, as nihilism seemed to pervade the fringes of the country.

In hindsight, the kidnappers of Patty Hearst had no real influence or power. That was certainly not known when the headlines blared her kidnapping, the May 1974 bank robbery and the ultimate flaming demise of most of the "army." ( )