1910 Bombing of the LA Times Newspaper

[grladams at teleport.com]

American Lightning : Terror, Mystery, the Birth of Hollywood, and the Crime
of 
Blum, Howard (Author)  
  Pub Date: September 2008  
 Street Date: September 16, 2008 
 Publishers Weekly (Monday , June 09, 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 th"e 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. Burnsnear legendary former Secret
Service agent and proprietor of a detective agency. Surprisingly, Burnss
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 novelists flair.
In an approach reminiscent of Truman Capotes "In Cold Blood, " Blum paints
his characters in all their grandeur and tragedy, making themand their
eracome alive. Blums prose is tight, his speculations unfailingly sound and
his research extensiveall adding up to an absorbing and masterful true
crime narrative. "(Sept.)" Copyright 2008 Reed Business Information. 

Library Journal (Sunday , 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 Reed Business Information. 



Review Quotes:
"This is a wonderful story, with a cast of characters out of a Cecil B.
DeMille epic, told in a style that is lucid, lyrical, even electric.
Narrative history at its very best."
--Joseph J. Ellis, Pulitzer Prize winning author of "Founding Brothers" and
"American Creation" 
"In "American Lightning" Howard Blum brings to life the tragic bombing of
the Los Angeles Times in l910. Writing with narrative verve and
finely-honed detective instincts, Blum fleshes out the real story behind
this hideous act of domestic terrorism. Highly recommended reading!"
--Douglas Brinkley, "New York Times" bestselling author of "The Great
Deluge" and "Tour of Duty" and Professor of History, Rice University 


 
 
 


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