Books like Supermob by Gus Russo

Justice lawyer Bryan Stevenson recounts his battle against wrongful convictions, life‑sentence juvenile cases, and systemic bias while seeking reform of America’s criminal justice system.

A memoir of exile and fatherhood, detailing the author’s political awakening amid the Arab-Israeli conflict.

Socio‑researcher Sudhir Venkatesh infiltrates a Chicago crack‑dealing gang, documenting urban poverty and crime from within.

The moving, inspiring memoir of one of the great women of our times, Shirin Ebadi, winner of the 2003 Nobel Peace Prize and advocate for the oppressed, whose spirit has remained strong in the face of political persecution and despite the challenges she has faced raising a family while pursuing her work. Best known in this country as the lawyer working tirelessly on behalf of Canadian photojournalist, Zara Kazemi -- raped, tortured and murdered in Iran -- Dr. Ebadi offers us a vivid picture of the struggles of one woman against the system. The book movingly chronicles her childhood in a loving, untraditional family, her upbringing before the Revolution in 1979 that toppled the Shah, her marriage and her religious faith, as well as her life as a mother and lawyer battling an oppressive regime in the courts while bringing up her girls at home.Outspoken, controversial, Shirin Ebadi is one of the most fascinating women today. She rose quickly to become the first female judge in the country; but when the religious authorities declared women unfit to serve as judges she was demoted to clerk in the courtroom she had once presided over. She eventually fought her way back as a human rights lawyer, defending women and children in politically charged cases that most lawyers were afraid to represent. She has been arrested and been the target of assassination, but through it all has spoken out with quiet bravery on behalf of the victims of injustice and discrimination and become a powerful voice for change, almost universally embraced as a hero.Her memoir is a gripping story -- a must-read for anyone interested in Zara Kazemi's case, in the life of a remarkable woman, or in understanding the political and religious upheaval in our world.From the Hardcover edition.

Eleven Italian Americans were lynched in New Orleans on March 14, 1891, by a mob of upwards of twenty thousand people. They had been called together by the city's political, business, and labor elites a day after a jury acquitted six Italian Americans of the murder of the city's police chief. Those responsible for the lynching proudly took credit for it, but no one was charged or punished for it. The lynching caused a crisis between the President and Congress of the United States, between Washington and Rome. The lynching was used by lobbyists to further the building of an American Navy to achieve American status as a world power, and by nativists to restrict immigration and to repress immigrant populations. It also introduced a sinister word to America: Mafia.

The Mafia Encyclopedia, Third Edition, Carl Sifakis once again provides a fascinating survey of the mob's most influential perpetrators and personalities, including their hangouts and hideaways, their plays for power, their schemes and crimes, and their unique culture and jargon.

Shirin Ebadi recounts the Iranian government’s relentless efforts to silence her human‑rights advocacy and protect her family, revealing how she preserved her spirit and continued fighting for justice.

A question of choice: Sarah Weddington reflects on the landmark case that gave women the right to abortion in the United States for the fortieth anniversary of Roe v. Wade.