Richard Jewell

And Other Tales of Heroes, Scoundrels, and Renegades

By: Marie Brenner

Narrated by: Marie Brenner

Now a major film from Academy Award–winning director Clint Eastwood—starring Sam Rockwell, Kathy Bates, Jon Hamm, Olivia Wilde, and Paul Walter Hauser!

This collection of captivating profiles from Vanity Fair writer Marie Brenner spans her award-winning career and features larger-than-life figures such as Donald Trump, Roy Cohn, Malala Yousafzai, and Richard Jewell—the security guard whose dramatic heroism at the bombing of the 1996 Olympics made him the FBI’s prime suspect.

Previously published as A Private War, Marie Brenner’s Richard Jewell tells a gripping true story of heroism and injustice. In the early morning hours of July 27, 1996, three pipe bombs exploded at the Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia, killing one person and injuring 111 others. Hundreds more potential casualties were prevented by the vigilance and quick actions of security guard Richard Jewell, who uncovered the bombs and began evacuating the area. But no good deed goes unpunished.

Desperate for a lead, investigators and journalists pursued Jewell as a potential suspect in the case, painting him as an obvious match for the infamous “lone bomber” profile. Accused of being a terrorist and a failed law enforcement officer who craved public recognition for his false heroics, he saw his reputation smeared across headlines and broadcasts nationwide. After a months-long investigation found no evidence against him, the US Attorney finally cleared Jewell’s name. Yet Jewell would not be fully exonerated in the eyes of the public until the actual bomber confessed in 2005, just two years before Jewell’s premature death at the age of forty-four.

In Richard Jewell, veteran journalist Marie Brenner brilliantly chronicles Jewell’s ordeal to share the story of an ordinary man whose life was shattered by a false narrative. This collection also includes Brenner’s classic encounters with Donald Trump, Roy Cohn, Malala Yousafzai, Marie Colvin, and others.

Bait and Switch

Got this after watching the Richard Jewell movie. It was the only interesting chapter in the book.

READ THE REVIEWS!!!

Title lists as Richard Jewell, and other tales of heros, scoundrels and renegades. To be fair, this book was maybe 1/5 about Richard Jewell, 3/5 about ol Donny Trump and 1/5 about Marie Colvin. Very mis-leading. Was ecstatic about this since it is a new movie directed by Clint Eastwood. Not much about Richard Jewell. But, if you are not a fan of Donny you may enjoy this as it talks about his issues being an actual decent human being.