Blog Archives
Impact On High Profile Criminal Cases
Justice in the Age of Judgment examines the role of media and the public amidst publicized murder trials in recent history. How much research did you undertake for this book, and how much time did it take to put it all together?
We spent several years researching the cases in this book, and as we wrote new events unfolded, including the cases of George Floyd, Kyle Rittenhouse and Ahmaud Arbery, that we felt were relevant and should be included as well
What were some ideas that were important for you to share in this book?
A central focus of the book is how the media, including social media, impact on high profile criminal cases, and how they can influence and promote quick opinions that are often different than the facts as they are presented in a court of law.
What do you hope is one thing readers take away from your book?
That our legal system is worth fighting for, that decisions about guilt or innocence need to be made in a court of law, not in the court of public opinion
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When unscrupulous Italian prosecutors waged an all-out war in the media and courtroom to wrongly convict American exchange student Amanda Knox for a murder she didn’t commit, family and friends turned to renowned Seattle attorney and media legal analyst Anne Bremner to help win her freedom. The case was dubbed the “trial of the decade” and would coincide with the explosion of social media and a new era of trying cases in public as much as the courtroom. While Italian prosecutors, the press, and online lynch mobs convicted Knox in the court of public opinion, Bremner would draw upon her decades in the courtroom and in front of the camera to turn the tide with a new kind of defense in pursuit of justice.
In Justice in the Age of Judgement, Anne Bremner and Doug Bremner take us inside some of the biggest cases of recent times and offer their expert, thought-provoking insights and analysis as our legal system faces unprecedented forces fighting to tip the scales of justice their way. Why couldn’t prosecutors convict O.J. Simpson despite all of the evidence seemingly proving he killed his wife Nicole? Could a jury remain unbiased in the face of overwhelming public pressure in the trial of Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin for the murder of George Floyd? Why was Kyle Rittenhouse exonerated after shooting three people (killing two) with an assault rifle at a violent rally despite widespread media reports seemingly proving his guilt, and national calls for his conviction?
Justice in the Age of Judgement is an unparalleled and unflinching look at the captivating cases tried on Twitter and TV, where the burden of proof and fundamental legal tenet of “innocent until proven guilty” is under assault from the court of public opinion.
It Felt Like A Forbidden Topic
Sarah Burning is an emotional memoir telling of the tragedy that your family endured when your home caught fire and the path to recovering physically and mentally from that night. Why was this an important book for you to write?
I heard bits and pieces of this story starting at an early age, but a lot of it didn’t make sense to me. Of course I knew Neil and Sarah (she was Granny to me, died just before I turned seven). But I didn’t know these other people who were involved. I wanted to ask more, but unfortunately it felt like a forbidden topic. As noted in the Introduction of the book, when I was in college I told my mother that I wanted to talk with Uncle Neil (one of the survivors of that night) and ask him about what happened. She said, “Don’t you dare. Don’t EVER ask that man about that night.” That set off a spark, so to speak, and I knew that one day I would dig into The Fire to find out what really happened, and then write about it as a permanent family record. When I began to research in earnest nearly seven years ago, the details that surfaced convinced me that I had to write the book and tell the tale of what happened to those people that night, and how the three survivors heroically struggled to return to something resembling “normal life”.
I appreciated the candid nature with which you told your story. What was the hardest thing for you to write about?
By far the night of the fire itself was the hardest to write about. I knew I had to make it real and horrifying for the reader, so I got completely caught up in the sights, sounds, smells, and heat of that night. In my mind, I put my mind in a place where I burned with the people as they fought to escape the maelstrom. After writing Chapter Three, the fire itself, I was shaking and crying, and had to walk away from it for several weeks.
What is a common misconception you feel people have about disaster survival?
I think the biggest misconception is that when there is no visible physical trauma, the person is ok. That’s so wrong. Surviving a disaster leaves people scarred deep inside. It’s nothing short of PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder). So I felt it was important to depict Neil’s struggle with his nightmares, depression, and guilt. He bore few physical scars but his inner scars lasted his entire life.
What do you hope is one thing readers take away from your story?
I hope it gives them a feeling of strength and courage in the face of a calamity. I hope they feel that, God forbid, if something awful happens to them, they can draw from the strength of Sarah, Virginia and Neil to keep going, keep striving to regain their life, to keep putting one foot in front of the other.
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On a cold night, in the short span of less than 5 minutes, the Ritter family crossed a threshold from which there was no return. Peaceful slumber in the early morning hours of October 27th, 1959, quickly became madness and horror.
Cruel blue, orange and yellow flames leapt high into the air casting an eerie glow on three blackened and blistered survivors huddled on the ground under a towering oak. Barely visible, save for the ever-present mist emanating from their nostrils as they panted and shivered, they suffered together in a singular wailing cry.
Nearby, barely conscious, broken and bleeding in the bottom of the overgrown and thorny ravine, lay another blackened and burned survivor. Worst of all, among the horrifying remains of the once-proud simple farmhouse, somewhere beneath the blaze and collapsed beams, lay two burning bodies, their screams at last silenced.
How do you continue with life when you’ve lost everything? How do you face each day when you know it means more pain from the burns? How do you get past the guilt, knowing you lived, and others died? How do you silence the echo in your head; the sound of him screaming your name as he burned alive?
After more than 60 years, the story of the survivors is ready to be told…
You’re invited to learn the history of this real-life tragedy, within the pages of Sarah Burning.
Justice in the Age of Judgment
Anne Bremner’s and Doug Bremner’s Justice in the Age of Judgment is a critical examination of the role of media and the public amidst some of the most publicized murder trials in recent history. While Bremner uses the tumultuous trial of Amanda Knox, a young American falsely convicted of murdering her roommate in Italy, as a segue for covering the effects of the media on other well-documented trials involving the likes of O.J. Simpson, Casey Anthony, Susan Cox Powell, and Ahmaud Arbery, her primary focus is the imperfections of the American judicial system.
Bremner does a stellar job at introducing each case in a manner that is accessible to readers while maintaining a modicum of compassion and respect for the wrongfully convicted and victimized. Both authors provide just enough background information on each case that the reader leaves with a fact-based, impartial view of all sides of the subject matter. They manage to keep the tone enthusiastic and conversational enough that the reading experience does not feel cumbersome.
Bremner’s background as both a full-fledged attorney and a front-facing legal analyst gives her a unique lens by which to evaluate these cases. She excels in leading with facts – even when the courts and the public seem to disregard these facts – and encourages readers to examine flaws of contagion bias in a time where misinformation run amok is powerful enough to sway due process. She displays a shrewd understanding that in the digital day and age, the fight for justice involves keeping the facts in the public eye as much as possible so that these facts alone make it to the courts. Moreover, she displays a keen heart for true justice, the ideal that structures her life’s work.
Justice in the Age of Judgement is an accessible, thought-provoking analysis of the judicial system, as evidenced by the cases discussed. This in-depth look at media and law is insightful and educational.
Pages: 280 | ASIN : B07TH9WMHT
The Greatest Basketball Player I Ever Saw
The Greatest Basketball Player I Ever Saw by Dr. Len Bergantino is a touching mix of sports biography and autobiography. It is likely the most unique biography you’ll ever have the pleasure of reading. Doctor Bergantino is an eccentric writer who has already written on various subjects. However, with this book, he has turned his hand to writing a sports biography. The strange part is he has chosen to write it about a sportsman you will never have heard of who died at the tender age of 18.
The book is a biography of Billy Finn, Bergantino’s high school best friend who died in a car crash before he ever had a chance to become famous. Bergantino spends much of the book explaining why he thinks Finn was the best basketball player of all time. Finn’s abilities are described as almost supernatural. This part of the book will likely appeal to anyone interested in basketball or amateur sports.
The book isn’t just about Billy Finn, the sportsman, however. Instead, it is a monument to Finn, Bergantino’s friend. I think this is the part of the book that will really appeal to most readers. Bergantino shares with us, the reader, touching anecdotes of what he and Finn got up to as young men. His love for his childhood friend, even 50 years after his passing, is evident and touching.
Bergantino’s affection for Finn is almost infectious. The book is written in such a way that the reader finds themselves caring about a young man they had never heard of before. Finn’s personality is described as warts and all. The two young men don’t always see eye to eye, and Bergantino doesn’t shy away from this. Even the best of friends annoy each other from time to time.
The book is a short, easy read. Bergantino’s writing is energetic if a bit frantic at times. He is a fan of hyperbole, and some of his claims about Finn may have to be taken with a pinch of salt. The eccentric style is enjoyable for most of the book, but the final chapter, in which he talks about how Finn has been reincarnated, may leave some readers, myself included, feeling a little cold. It feels like this last chapter goes off on a little bit of a tangent.
All in all, The Greatest Basketball Player I Ever Saw is a touching biography of a young man you more than likely have never heard of. But, whether you’re a sports fan or not, the book is mostly a beautiful monument to a man whose best friend still bitterly misses him.
Pages: 81 | ASIN : B0865X1P48
Sarah Burning
Sarah Burning by Tim Ritter is a true story that takes place in the 50s and 60s. It centers around the life of a family who experienced a fire on October 27th, 1959. This memoir shares the horror they endured that dark morning and the aftermath that the survivors faced. This emotional book starts with the aforementioned fire. Then it jumps back in time, sharing some of the back stories of the Ritter family. The introduction hooks the reader as you turn each page, hoping the author didn’t wait until the last chapter to reveal what happened in the fire. Instead, the author shares the story of the Ritter family, their daily life, and their journey as individuals after the deadly fire that altered the rest of their lives.
Although the book describes each character’s inner feelings, it is written using the stylistics of a diary and tells the reader what happened on significant days in the Ritter family. Life back then, although not that long ago, was completely different, and the pace of life is different nowadays too. Reading about the Ritter family gives the reader a welcomed moment to take a step away from all that is busy and technology controlled. This slower pace of life is also reflected in the pacing of the narrative. Information about the event and the family is revealed in a way that allows the readers to fully absorb the situation and grasp at the emotions the family is feeling at the time.
Sarah Burning is the emotional biography of one family and the plight of those that survived this devastating fire. Their gripping story tells of overcoming the loss of those they love, healing from the burns, and learning how to start over when everything is literally left in ashes. This survival story will touch the hearts of readers and leave them with a sense of hope that they can overcome tragedy in life.
Pages: 270 | ASIN : B09GF6NJMN
LITERARY TITAN 