Thursday, May 15, 2008

And now, in a bookstore near you

For forty years, Andy Austin has been Channel 7's courtroom artist. Right now she's madly drawing pictures from the trial of your friend and Rod's, Tony Rezko, but she has covered every important trial in Chicago starting with the infamous Chicago 7 and Judge Julius Hoffman. Now she's written all this up in a book called "Rule 53," so-called because rule 53 is the federal statute that outlaws cameras in the courtroom. How many of us remember Bobby Seale being shackled to his chair? That and other details from the great trials of the last forty years make this a must-have reference for anyone wanting to write about crime in Chicago. We always knew Andy could draw, but she's also a skilled writer who brings out the key dramas in the stories she's telling.

Most of us Outfitters are far from shy about urging our latest tomes on you. One exception to that--our highly literate member, Michael Dymmoch, who supports everyone's work but never brags about her own. So listen up out there: Michael has a new book out, M.I.A. It's tender, it's suspenseful, and it's in a store near you.

2 comments:

Kevin Guilfoile said...

As of this morning I'm exactly halfway through M.I.A. and it's terrific and structurally complex and surprising. In fact I started to ask Michael about it last night at The Outfit panel at the Elmhurst Library and then we got diverted into a discussion of what local Medical Examiner gives the best autopsies. I'm not kidding. You should come to these things.

M.I.A. though. Get it and read it.

Barbara D'Amato said...

You may also not know about the breadth of Dymmoch's writing. THE CYMRY RING involves a Scotland Yard man transported back to Roman Britain!