Gear: Murdered by Mumia - Maureen Faulkner & Michael a Smerconish

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Murdered by Mumia - Maureen Faulkner & Michael a Smerconish

The Lyons Press
Category: Book Reviews
Subcategory: True Crime
Price: $24.95
Average Rating:
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(5 Votes)
Description:

Maureen Faulkner's husband, Philadelphia police office Danny Faulkner, was shot between the eyes on a cold December night in 1981. Mumia Abu-Jamal was unanimously convicted of the crime by a racially mixed jury based on: the testimony of several eyewitnesses, his ownership of the murder weapon, matching ballistics, and Abu-Jamal's own confession. After his conviction, however, a national anti-death penalty movement was started to "Free Mumia;" Mike Farrell, Ed Asner, Whoopi Goldberg, and Jesse Jackson rallied on his behalf, and led the charge. For his part, while on death row, Abu-Jamal published several books, delivered radio commentaries, was a college commencement speaker, found himself named an Honorary Citizen of France, and had his defense coffers enhanced by ticket sales from a sold out (16,000-person) concert featuring Rage Against the Machine. Here, from Maureen Faulkner and acclaimed talk show host / journalist Michael Smerconish, is the first book to carefully and definitively lay out the case against Abu-Jamal, and those who've elevated him to the status of political prisoner. Smerconish, a lawyer, has provided pro bono legal counsel to Faulkner for over a decade and knows both the legal intricacies and personal subtleties of the case like no other person. He's personally acquainted himself with the more than five thousand pages of trial transcript. "My reading starkly revealed that Abu-Jamal murdered Danny Faulkner in cold blood and that the case tried in Philadelphia in 1982 bore no resemblance to the one being home-cooked by the Abu-Jamal defense team." As Abu-Jamal's lawyers contemplate their final appeal, Faulkner and Smerconish weave a compelling,never-before-told account of one fateful night and the 25-year-long rewriting of history.

Member Reviews

  • Photo_user_banned_big
    leomemorial, Sat, 19 Jan 2008 01:42:22 UTC.
    1st review

    "This is a harrowing book, told with uncommon grace and dignity. Maureen Faulkner is an incredible woman. The story she tells, of being denied for more than a quarter century the dignity of burying her police officer husband in peace, is even more incredible."

    (Buzz Bissinger - Author of Friday Night Lights)

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  • 100_1937_max30
    ColbertSO, Tue, 17 Jun 2008 21:25:37 UTC.

    Excellent book! This is an amazing lady and an amazing book!

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  • Robertmitchum_max30
    bad_LT, Sun, 13 Jul 2008 15:23:49 UTC.

    Everyone should read this

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  • Lodge_91_max30
    mcl1749, Sun, 09 Nov 2008 02:53:56 UTC.

    The writing was phenominal. Maureen Faulkner and Michael Smerconish both did a fantastic job of telling this story. When I was done reading this book, I felt like a had a connection to both of them. I was also compelled to go on line and read the trial transcripts. I thought just being a Police Officer and having that connection to Danny Faulkner was enough. But reading this book has shown me that that is only the tip of the ice berg. I want to find out what my fellow Officers and I can be doing to help Maureen in her fight for justice and in opening the eyes of everyone who only thinks they know what happened to the husband she lost and the brother many of us never even got to know.

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  • Th_detective_max30
    Retleo, Wed, 24 Jun 2009 04:47:22 UTC.

    Excellent presentation of the story of the death of Philadelphia Police Officer Daniel Faulkner and the 25 years of manipulation of the media, Hollywood and the Judicial System by the murderer, Mamia Abu-Jamal, who became a darling of the Liberal extremists and dragged the appeals of his conviction for the murder of Officer Faulkner to ridiculous heights. A well written book and worth every moment of time that you put into reading it.

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