Promotions - Choice's Outstanding Academic Titles 2017 -

Wanger, lawyer, legal scholar, and Michigan's foremost authority on the death penalty, presents readers with an insightful history of the topic in this compilation of essays and speeches. The author is renowned as an advocate for abolishing the death penalty and has been quite successful in educating legislators and the public about key issues in the contemporary discourse surrounding the death penalty. As a result of his tireless efforts, which span five decades, abolition of the death penalty has spread well beyond Michigan to other parts of the country (Michigan, as the publisher notes, is the only state with such a prohibition in its constitution). His analyses clearly show his commitment to facts and data rather than merely employing an emotional or ideological approach in questioning the state's imposition of capital punishment. The volume offers 40 of the author's essays in chronological order that highlight his life-long attempt to inform and persuade the public and opinion leaders about why this supreme penalty should be rejected. Fighting the Death Penalty is a valuable resource--suitable for both reference and circulating collections--that will significantly aid novice and seasoned scholars researching the controversies of this centuries-old debate.Summing Up: Highly recommended. All libraries. All levels.