The Runaway Jury
John Grisham

Ordinarily I wouldn't review a book from an escapist author, even though I read them with enjoyment from time to time. I would categorize Mr. Grisham, also a local resident, as escapist with a tincture of feminist propagandist for spice. This book though, is different in some essential respects from Mr. Grisham's earlier works and in such a way as to make it suitable for inclusion here. As with everything else I have written about, this is a manifestation of modern culture with serious impact.

The book describes a barely fictional trial in which the widow of a victim of lung cancer attempts to get recompense from the tobacco companies. The trial itself is dull, everyone having heard all the arguments a million times, but we sit through it again anyway on the off chance that something new will be said, but mainly because of the wonderful sting being enacted. In fact I wonder if the author didn't rely on "The Sting" for inspiration. This is a sting to end all stings.

The book is not even handed. It does not cast all lawyers as malicious, but it does cast all employees of the tobacco companies in a position of any power as evil and corrupt. So, the book qualifies as propaganda. But, what propaganda! This is a brilliant device if it is as I suspect intended as another tactic in the battle against cigarettes. How could the tobacco companies respond? And what if, as is only too likely, it is made into a motion picture. Will there be any possibility of unbiased jurors remaining? In these days of video tapes and satellite TV, it seems doubtful.

So, is this book an attempt to poison the well, as it were? I don't know, though I note with some suspicion the fact that Mr. Grisham moved to Virginia during the time period I take as having been the development phase for this book. I also note that his reputation around here is compatible with those we take to be among the armies fighting in the war against the evil weed.

But, that is not the main significance here. Expensive as the war on tobacco is, no matter how it goes, it is not a threat to cultural survival. But, what about this idea? How about attacking one's ideological opponents with fiction artfully done, so that it will be consumed for entertainment whatever one's views on the actual battle are? This is not, of course, a new idea. Art has been loaded with ideological messages from the beginning. But, I don't think I can come up with an instance in which that is the prime if not the only motivation for the work. I don't suppose Mr. Grisham needs any more money. He is already as famous and influential as he is ever likely to be. No, I'm sure that he subscribes to the anti-cigarette forces' views, since he is a liberal non smoker, as far as I'm aware. I might have seen him at one time or another with a cigar in his mouth, but never a cigarette.

So, the real issue here is the continued trend to politicization of every feature of our cultural life. This is a real threat to cultural survival due to its tendency to obscure factual reality. Certainly, if it is an attempt to subvert the judicial system, that would qualify as a threat. Precedents are powerful. Since Mr. Grisham is a liberal, with a liberal's high opinion of himself, I doubt that he would participate in a conspiracy such as that. None the less, I wonder if these questions crossed his mind as he wrote this book.

Suppose an author wrote a book following the facts of the O.J. case and portrayed the fictional stand-in for O.J. as a scumball of the worst sort. Also suppose that author had the stature of Mr. Grisham. Could then O.J. have gotten a fair trial? Or at least one as fair as the one he got?

Another point. I went to the trouble of reading the NY Times review of the book. Wholly positive. Grisham's best work. No hint of the propagandistic flavor. These sorts of things lead to conservative suspicion regarding liberal conspiracies including the press. Would a disinterested observer mention it? A Martian? Of course. So it sticks out when a professional reviewer doesn't.

Does this book have anything to do with the apparent collapse of the militant attitude of the tobacco companies up until now?