OK, you cheapskates, I bought the book and just finished reading it. NMNM, you are right -- this book is very much in the vein of the CT, not TL. Here are some points:
1. He criticizes MOM for not being more outspoken about GZ's innocence in the beginning of MOM's representation of GZ. Otherwise, he praises him and especially likes Don West. I think it's very bad strategy to criticize a lawyer who is representing your son for free (so far). I also find this worrisome because the CT has been critical of MOM and it seems to be suggesting that it will be even more so soon.
2. The book doesn't appear to be edited at all and is full of typos and such. Of course, that hurts RZ's credibility.
3. It begins with RZ talking about his boyhood, marrying Gladys, George's growing up, etc. I was struck again by how horrible it was that he, his wife and his mother-in-law had to flee their home soon after he was treated for a heart attack.
4. Any sympathy generated, however, is squandered later when he talks about the lack of coverage of black-on-white crime. Of all people, he should know to be suspicious of what the media initially reports about a crime. I Googled a couple of cases he mentioned, and what was known early on changed later.
5. As you might expect, he strongly praises his son. He considers TM to have been a troubled youth, but doesn't describe him as a "thug" or anything similar.
6. He discusses the Martin Lee Anderson case, which I think is very enlightening about how Ben Crump and others have handled this case.
7. I think he goes too hard on Obama and Holder. Considering the rallies and marches, I think they had to investigate the racial aspect. I haven't seen any evidence that Obama and Crump are particularly close.
8. I found it helpful for him to recount all the misinformation spread by those who think GZ committed murder. But his recounting doesn't have enough citations.
9. Although he accuses some prominent African Americans of racism, he makes it clear that he isn't talking about all AAs, and sort of bends over backwards to cite black people who disagree with the prosecution and who like GZ.
10. His belief that whites are rarely biased against blacks these days will hugely hurt his credibility.
11. Whoever told him that publishing this book was a good idea and whoever read it before publication deserves a dunce cap in the corner.
