Bill of Wrongs

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Movie/TV Adaptation: None

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In case the title didn’t clue you in, just be aware:  This is not an entirely happy book. 

Bill of Wrongs: The Executive Branch’s Assault Against America’s Fundamental Rights describes the implementation of the Patriot Act of 2001 by George W. Bush’s administration.  Co-authors Molly Ivins and Lou Dubose chronicled instances of actions taken under the Act that courts later ruled violated fundamental provisions of the US Constitution. 

Ivins and Dubose collaborated with a style that avoided being dry and clinical on topics that require considerable detail.  They managed to keep one’s interest while portraying events that can be disheartening and, at times, even agonizing.

This was Ivins’ last book.  In fact, she died before the book was completed.    Unfortunately, the bleak topic prevented Ivins from showcasing the humor that highlighted her earlier books and newspaper columns.  It still shines through a bit, though, in her introduction. 

Whether you always agreed with Ivins, her newspaper columns usually exhibited an optimism in America and its people.  Ultimately, Bill of Wrongs reflects that and may be the general message she and Dubose intended to send.  The good news from this book is that a governing system of checks and balances can work, albeit slowly. 

Now—about 25 years since the passage of the Patriot Act—we seem to be experiencing Round Two of the executive branch’s assault on fundamental rights.  We can only hope those checks built into the system function as well this time.