Why Did I Listen To This Book?
Seems like all of my reviews that I’ve been typing up lately are of past Readathon books and you guys Twelve Angry Men by Reginald Rose is no exception. I actually purchased my copy and listened to it all on the same night. You see, I was online doing some commenting and listening to one audio novella, when I begin chatting with Allison at The Allure Of Books who tells me that I need to download and listen to the exact version of Twelve Angry Men that I am reviewing. You guys, I always take her recommendations seriously so that is EXACTLY what I did.
What’s The Story Here?
Basically there are twelve men who are angry! Hahahaha, kidding, well sort of. Anyways, the men are jurors and so, they are examining evidence trying to decide whether there is enough to put a young Jewish boy on trial for murdering his father. Given the boy’s backgrounds and how he was raised in the projects, the jurors have their minds made up – guilty and they are ready to go home and be done with it. ONLY! There is one juror who stands alone and decides to examine the evidence more closely. He wants to debate and really examine each thing. He has a reasonable doubt you guys, and the jury literally cannot leave until they make their vote. And ugh, this is just a fantastic play about our legal system and why reasonable doubt is important and why we need to look at evidence. Like before you sit there and think gross, a classic, know that there’s so much drama that comes into play with this story. It’s about different men and their different convictions and backgrounds and how that plays into why they would decide guilty or not guilty. Despite the book being old, dated, and you know not quite reflective of modern times, there is something that is essentially timeless about it. Something that is so utterly human – it really delves into something universal – how our biases affect us, even when they shouldn’t.
How Does The Book Compare To The Classic Movie?
Gah! This is so hard to compare. Here’s what I will say, I have only seen the movie twice. I saw it for Participation In Government during my senior year of high school, so years and years ago. And then once I made Tony watch it with me because he had never seen it. I’ve only read the book once — and by that I mean, listened to this audiobook. I will say that the film does capture the feel of the play perfectly. It’s got Henry fuckin’ Fonda, so if you have taste, you know that the movie is legit and well acted. Also, Piglet’s voice is in the movie. I would say both are equally good mediums.
How’s The Narration?
The audiobook that I listened to of Reginald Rose’s Twelve Angry Men is dramatized. The narrators are Dan Castellaneta (famously from The Simpsons), Hector Elizondo, and Armin Shimerman. They are awesome and obviously act their parts quite well. The audiobook is captivating and one that is perfect for a readathon because you just get so into it. Also, at the end there is an interview with the late Reginald Rose’s wife which is kind of fascinating. OH. The audiobook is 1 hour and 50 minutes and produced by LA Theatre Works, it’s super good for readathons, heh heh.
Sum It Up With A GIF:
Stick a knife in the table, we’re done.
Disclosure: Review Copy Purchased With An Audible Credit
Other reviews of Twelve Angry Men by Reginald Rose:
It’s All About Books – “It’s a fun little look into human behavior”
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Haha “Basically there are twelve men who are angry!” I love that. I read this book in high school and I loved it! I think it’s so powerful how one person can change everyone else’s minds. I haven’t watched the movie or listened to the audiobook, but your review definitely makes me want to check out both!
Listening to this was SO fun! (I noticed it was the Audible daily deal today too…)
I almost want to listen to it again, just thinking about it.
BAHAHAHA, I AM CRAUGHING AT THIS COVER.
“Basically there are twelve men who are angry!” <flying in my lolercopter
We watched the film version of this in high school, but I remember like nothing, because that was even my freshman year.
Okay, yeah, I want this. Also, I was really impressed with the other L.A. Theatre Works audiobook I listened to for Raisin in the Sun.