Rating: 
Summary: Very Solid Sharp Book
Review: I Was Like Lazarus I Couldn't put this Book down.I Find This Book to be Very Moving.it captures so many Injustices.it shows how little value was placed on one Man.No Matter who he was or how much Money he made he was still a Black Man.Guilty Sight on Seen.this Book also shows the Loving&Caring way of the Canadians.it's amazing what reading can do for ones mind or the Journey it will take you on.this book is about Freedom.The Canadians Freed Lazarus&the Canadians together with Lazarus Helped free Rubin Carter.the Importance of Reading.if Lazarus had have never read that Book a Great Injustice would have never been solved.
Rating: 
Summary: This Book Isn't Worth Reading
Review: I was really looking forward to reading this book. I wanted to learn about the story of Rubin Carter and the young man who helped to free him from prison. The book does tell the story, but not completely and it strays into political commentary on the American Justice system. Read this book with a critical eye. I would suggest reading the books written by Mr. Carter himself and skip this one. It is poorly written and is not entirely factual or unbiased.
Rating: 
Summary: A Nice Complimentary Read To "The Hurricane"
Review: If you have already completed "Hurricane: The Miraculous Journey Of Rubin Carter" by James S. Hirsch, PLEASE do not let that stop you from reading this book as well. I read the newer book first, and I look forward to finding a copy of "The Sixteenth Round" by Mr. Carter.Friday January 21, 2000, Larry King hosted the following group on his show; Rubin Carter, Lesra Martin, Denzel Washington, Judge Sarokin, Former Talk-Show Host Michael Douglas, and Attorney Gerry Spence. It was a tremendous show, and if you missed it, find out when it will be run again, you will not be disappointed. One of the issues they all agreed upon was that 2 hours of film couldn't tell a life story. I recommend this book on the same theory. I also have seen the movie, and recommend it as well. I wrote extensively on the previous book but there are a couple of points this book noted that ranged from interesting to the pathetic. Lesra's Father was the Lead Singer for the group The Del Vikings when they performed on The Ed Sullivan show many years ago. The "Canadians" at Rubin's request, and with his help, were instrumental in having the case of, Sam Leslie "The Rose", overturned as well. Lesra graduated with honors from The University Of Toronto, went on to earn his Master's Degree, and then his license to practice law in 1997. There have been comments made about the "Canadians" that are less than flattering, and I claim no special knowledge, but some of the facts are these. They brought Lesra along to where he is today, and he certainly worked very hard for all he accomplished. There were 2 additional young people the Canadians helped, Walter a friend of Lesra's, and a young woman from England who had moved to Toronto. They dedicated themselves financially, and a great number of years of their own lives to a man that Lesra discovered in a book. So what faults they may have would have to be rather monumental to seriously detract from what good they have repeatedly done. Lesra had one brother that was murdered, and another that is in and out of jail. Where would they be if the Canadians or someone else had helped them? As to this issue of "Black English"; as offensive as some might find that characterization to be, what about the attempt to teach "Ebonics" in this Country? Gerry Spence recently completed a case where 4 men spent 18 years in prison for a crime they did not commit. One of the men was to be executed, and today January 31, the Governor of Illinois has suspended all executions until reviews are conducted. Gerry Spence got them some walking around money at $9,000,000 each. They will never see that as the appeals courts will knock those numbers to a fraction of what the jury awarded. Rubin Carter and John Artis got $0.00. To be more precise Mr. Carter received just under $3,000.00 almost 10 years after having been wrongfully interred in the Vroom house of horrors. On Larry King's show, Judge Sarokin said the "Habeas Corpus" laws have been changed so that he would not have gotten Mr. Carter's case; and even if he had, it would be overturned, Rubin would still be in prison. After Judge Sarokin made his ruling, New Jersey was not satisfied until they were shot down 14 additional times, in a variety of courts because their case had remained what it always had been, garbage. Pathetic is not strong enough, but it is comforting to know that when asked about the upcoming movie, Sheriff Edwin J. Englehardt kept up the party line of those involved in New Jersey. Some of his pearls of wisdom were/are, Carter was set free "because of a technicality", the fact he was set free was "a disgrace to the system", and the real gems, "If the movie makes any money, the state should charge Carter $77 a day for the 20 years of free room and board he got while in prison", and "If I could do something to destroy the movie, I would". These statements were made within the past year, comforting are they not? We hold these truths to be self-evident, that ALL men are created equal............one of the greatest series of typos ever. Please note the Author of the document to which I refer bought, sold, and settled debts with slaves, as did The Father Of Our Country, as did the majority of those men who signed said document. Don't take my word, look it up. We live in the greatest Country. Greatest and perfect are not the same.
Rating:
Summary: Lazarus and the Hurricane make outstanding team!
Review: Lazarus and the Hurricane will inspire you and make you a believer. This young man was a maraculus person and freed a man that had sat in a jail cell for 20 years for nothing. You must read this story Rubin and Lazarus, they will touch your heart and make you a definate believer that the one that did wrong were the currupt cops that robbed one of the greatest boxers of all time of a championship. Lazarus and the Hurricane (He who has rison from the dead)!
Rating:
Summary: CALM AFTER THE STORM
Review: Rubin Carter's unjust incarceration should shatter all illusions that in the United States of America anyone can get a fair and just trial. Carter's saga certainly proved that justice isn't blind. Carter's case is an in-your-face look at what is deeply wrong with our criminal justice system. Yet it is more than that. There is another side to the story. Lesra, a young black teenager, purchases Carter's biography of what happened. Inspired by this giant, Lesra along with his Canadian guardians take on the quest of proving Carter's innocence. Their love, dedication and commitment prove that even in the worst of times there is hope. This book is the story of that hope unfolding. Upon reading the book, three stories unfold; Lesra's, Rubin Carter's and the Canadians. Of course Carter's story predominates throughout the book while Lesra and the Canadians provide a nice back drop. The fact of the "Canadians" are not mentioned by name gives you a feeling of them being mere objects in the work of freeing Carter. Even Lesra doesn't receive the full attention that he deserves in this intertwining story. Even Carter becomes an enigma. We really don't get to know the man but we are bombarded with information concerning his case. Perhaps other texts will make up for the above defientcies. I feel the most important part was Carter's refusal to allow the prison and criminal justice system to dehumanize them. If anything we learn how dehumanizing this system is in our own country. The greater lesson in the book is no matter how bad things can get there are decent people out there to help. Once you open yourself up to them changes can occur.
Rating: 
Summary: A nice story, but not the whole story
Review: The story of "Lazarus and the Hurricane" is riveting. But only half the story is told. The book describes how Lesra Martin, a young teen from Brooklyn's notorious Bedford-Stuyvesant district, came to live with a group of Canadians in Toronto. But nothing is said about who these Canadians really are and why they live the way they do. Not even their surnames are revealed -- except, of course, for the book's co-authors. The book tells of Rubin Carter's final release and his move to Toronto. But the story ends there. You never read about Carter's turbulent love affair with Lisa Peters (one of the Canadians), a relationship that began when he was still incarcerated. And, needless to say, you never read about Carter's break with the Canadians and why, even to this day, his relationship with them remains precarious. This book can be recommended to those looking for an inspirational, miraculous story. But for those seeking the hard facts about Rubin Carter and the Canadians who were instrumental in securing his release, this is not the book to read. Too much information is (intentionally?) omitted. Fortunately, the gaps have been filled by James Hirsch, whose thoroughly researched work now constitutes the standard critical biography of Rubin Carter.
Rating:
Summary: A nice story, but not the whole story
Review: The story of "Lazarus and the Hurricane" is riveting. But only half the story is told. The book describes how Lesra Martin, a young teen from Brooklyn's notorious Bedford-Stuyvesant district, came to live with a group of Canadians in Toronto. But nothing is said about who these Canadians really are and why they live the way they do. Not even their surnames are revealed -- except, of course, for the book's co-authors. The book tells of Rubin Carter's final release and his move to Toronto. But the story ends there. You never read about Carter's turbulent love affair with Lisa Peters (one of the Canadians), a relationship that began when he was still incarcerated. And, needless to say, you never read about Carter's break with the Canadians and why, even to this day, his relationship with them remains precarious. This book can be recommended to those looking for an inspirational, miraculous story. But for those seeking the hard facts about Rubin Carter and the Canadians who were instrumental in securing his release, this is not the book to read. Too much information is (intentionally?) omitted. Fortunately, the gaps have been filled by James Hirsch, whose thoroughly researched work now constitutes the standard critical biography of Rubin Carter.
Rating:
Summary: An excelent book.
Review: This is a remarkable story, it starts out in the sixties, and takes you through twenty years of injustice to the eighties, and through that time you learn of the corruption of the government to prove its point. Rubin Carter didn't deserve the injustices that he suffered and after his many attempts to prove it, he gave up, just then by chance a young man learns of his heroic and yet sad story and vows to help Rubin. Along with his help the 'Canadians' as they have been named, decide to help Lazarus on his endeavor. They started out as mere acquaintances and ended up to be best friends. This book tells how a tragic event can bring together many people to help two innocent people, and how a stranger off the streets can change the future for them all. This story moved me, I highly recommend this to anyone, I thought this book would be yet another boring book about some no name boxer, but I was wrong, I learned of one of the greatest injustices of the twentieth century. For the young and the old, this book is great.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent read for the analytic.
Review: This is a thinking version of the movie. I expected a re-hash of the story but I found much more. The prose is carefully detailed as well as concise. The Canadians have a very keen eye for the big picture and bring insights by the bundles to the American reader. But the pages flow like a well crafted documentary with its unabashed and straightforward language. If you remember that the Canadians are "life learners", youll understand the direction of this book. If you want a story of a prize fighter, watch the movie. If you want to understand the tribulations of a group of different people who grew to understand, love, and sacrifice for eachother....
Rating:
Summary: Inspirational Story
Review: This story is an inspiration. The idea that good can win over evil. That the poor and uneducated will be taken in and educated and the wrongly accused will be freed is a very nice idea. While I'm sure that many of the gritty details of have been over looked or glossed over, I believe that adds to the inspirational value of the book. Afterall, if this story did not have a happy ending Rubin Carter would still be in jail and we would have all forgotten about him long ago.
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