The United States of America Versus Theodore John Kaczynski: Ethics, Power and the Invention of the Unabomber
The Unabomber case both captivated and worried Americans, prodded by extensive media coverage of his 17-year-long spree of terrorist "anti-technology" attacks. Few of us were prepared to deal with the likes of a Ted Kaczynski--who he was, what he did, what he believed in and stood for. When Kaczynski emerged from hiding in his absurd shack in the mountains with his piles of anti-technology literature, the image of the unruly bearded man in a bright orange jumpsuit burned into our collective unconscious. We haven't yet been able to shake the sight. Such is Michael Mello's thesis, which he elaborates in this masterful account of the legal side of the Unabomber story. Mello, both an accomplished journalist and a notorious defense attorney (he represented serial killer Ted Bundy), actually spent time as an advisor to the Kaczynski defense team during pretrial proceedings; his perceptions are, he freely admits, skewed toward the defense in this case, particularly in matters of procedure. Yet the book never reads like propaganda. Instead, Mello opens up new lines of inquiry into the manner in which the United States government handled its prosecution of the case. With a biting, trenchant approach, he unfolds layer upon layer of the fascinating case and opens it to public view. He also constructs an eerie parallel between Kaczynski's case and abolitionist John Brown, who was executed by the government in the 19th century after his raid on Harpers Ferry. Is it fair, Mello asks, that we should remember Brown as a civil rights martyr and Kaczynski as a comical, albeit defanged, monster? This is fascinating reading, regardless of whether or not you agree with Mello's take on the case.--Tjames Madison