The Crime of Sheila McGough
20. Janet Malcolm, The Crime of Sheila McGough
In this book, journalist Janet Malcolm purports to tell the true story of the legal troubles of Sheila McGough. McGough was a lawyer who was sued, prosecuted, and disbarred for certain actions she took in connection with one of her clients. Malcolm spoke extensively with McGough herself, and also with the lawyers in the civil and criminal trials, with McGough’s family, and with a few key witnesses from the trials. After her investigation and research, Malcolm concluded that Sheila McGough was unjustly convicted and that the legal system failed her in a monumental way.
I absolutely hated this book. Normally I don’t say that, but I have to make an exception in this case. I spent the entire book being angry at Janet Malcolm; her point of view is so obviously biased that I couldn’t believe a single thing she said. She chose Sheila McGough as her “heroine” and then skewed her entire story to reflect that. The man who started legal proceedings against her became a Snidely Whiplash-esque villain, and all the lawyers were chastised as being either incompetent or downright malicious. I simply didn’t find the story credible, especially because I couldn’t even fathom what the case was supposed to be about - which leads me to believe that Malcolm doesn’t know either. Then there’s the overwritten, pretentious writing style, which was so precious and condescending that I wanted to throw the book across the room. Do not read this book. It really is that bad.