Review: American Heiress: The Wild Saga of the Kidnapping, Crimes and Trial of Patty Hearst by Jeffrey Toobin

Title: American Heiress: The Wild Saga of the Kidnapping, Crimes and Trial of Patty Hearst
Author: Jeffrey Toobin
Publisher Doubleday
Publication Date: August 2nd 2016 (first published April 2nd 2016)
Edition: ebook (368 pages)

American Heiress: The Wild Saga of the Kidnapping, Crimes and Trial of Patty Hearst by Jeffrey Toobin

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


American Heiress: The Wild Saga of the Kidnapping, Crimes and Trial of Patty Hearst by Jeffrey Toobin, as is his usual, is an excellent read. It follows the story of Patricia Hearst who was taken from her California apartment, at gun point, on the evening of February 4, 1974, by a group calling itself the Symbionese Liberation Army. The book follows her time with them, her capture and subsequent trial and prison time, as well as some detail about her life after her sentence was commuted by President Carter.

As a teenager, just a few years younger than Patricia Hearst, I was very interested to read this book. I'll leave it to the reader to draw his/her own conclusions about the circumstances and outcome of the kidnapping and trial and whether or not justice was served. Suffice it to say, I was surprised by the details revealed in this work that I was previously unaware of. My opinions have been changed by the reading of this book, and I give the author high marks for his fair and largely un bias presentation. Anyone seeking to learn more about this case and those involved will find this book informative and thought provoking, I believe.