William Ecenbarger's Books

Kids for Cash

Two Judges, Thousands of Children, and a $2.8 Million Kickback Scheme

By: William Ecenbarger

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Kids for Cash

Two Judges, Thousands of Children, and a $2.8 Million Kickback Scheme

By: William Ecenbarger

When thirteen-year-old Matthew appeared in front of Judge Mark Ciavarella for throwing a piece of steak at his mother's boyfriend, he was sentenced to seven weeks at PA Child Care, a private, for-profit juvenile detention center in northeastern Pennsylvania. Angelia was fourteen when she and a friend scrawled "Vote for Michael Jackson" on five stop signs. Charged with vandalism and defacing public property, Angelia was sent by Ciavarella to PA Child Care without her epilepsy medication and suffered a grand mal seizure her second night. Fifteen-year-old Charlie, arrested for unknowingly purchasing a stolen motorbike, was convicted of a felony and sent to PA Child Care for six weeks. Matthew, Angelia, and Charlie are just three children among the thousands who appeared in Ciavarella's courtroom between 2003 and 2008 and were sent away--often with no attorney present and after only cursory hearings--to a detention facility in which, it later came to light, Ciavarella had a personal financial stake. As Kids for Cash reveals, this miscarriage of justice underscores a multitude of problems with our juvenile justice system, which too often criminalizes standard adolescent behavior, treats adolescents more harshly than if they were adults, and denies them their most fundamental constitutional rights. William Ecenbarger, a Pulitzer Prize and George Polk Award-winning investigative journalist who covered the case for the Philadelphia Inquirer, now gives us the first book-length account of this shocking story. In the tradition of true-crime legal thrillers from The Executioner's Song to A Civil Action, Ecenbarger exposes a deeply corrupt and broken system that ruined the lives of many children and ultimately led to the judge's conviction on charges of racketeering, fraud, tax violations, money laundering, extortion, and bribery. Fastidiously researched and utterly propulsive, Kids for Cash takes us deep inside a profoundly flawed legal system, revealing the twisted and haunting realities of America's juvenile justice system.

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Page Count

290

Publisher

The New Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

1595586849

ISBN 13

9781595586841

Pennsylvania Stories--Well Told

By: William Ecenbarger

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Pennsylvania Stories--Well Told

By: William Ecenbarger

With a biting mix of wonder and pride, William Ecenbarger observes that in the quirky state of Pennsylvania, the town of Mauch Chunk changed its name to Jim Thorpe—even though the famous Indian athlete never set foot in it. A former journalist for the Philadelphia Inquirer Magazine, and author of the bestseller Kids for Cash, Ecenbarger has collected a dozen of his fascinating articles showcasing the Keystone State in Pennsylvania Stories—Well Told. He provides a history of the pencil, and considers why the first day of Pennsylvania’s deer hunting season—the world’s largest participatory sporting event—is an unofficial state holiday, closing schools and state offices. Ecenbarger also profiles George “Boom Boom” Zambelli, the internationally renowned pyrotechnic king, and goes driving with Pennsylvania native John Updike in rural Berks County, PA. Other fascinating tales unfold in Pennsylvania Stories, from an inspiring tale of Governor Bob Casey’s double organ transplant, to darker essays on the electric chair and the Ku Klux Klan, to a mile-by-mile appreciation of the Pennsylvania Turnpike. In these weird and wonderful stories, Ecenbarger highlights just what makes Pennsylvania both eccentric and great. His book is a delightfully intriguing read for natives and curious outsiders alike.

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Page Count

246

Publisher

Temple University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

1439914656

ISBN 13

9781439914656

Kids for Cash

Two Judges, Thousands of Children, and a $2.8 Million Kickback Scheme

By: William Ecenbarger

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Kids for Cash

Two Judges, Thousands of Children, and a $2.8 Million Kickback Scheme

By: William Ecenbarger

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290

Publisher

The New Press

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ISBN 10

1595586849

ISBN 13

9781595586841

Jackie and Campy

The Untold Story of Their Rocky Relationship and the Breaking of Baseball's Color Line

By: William C. Kashatus

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Jackie and Campy

The Untold Story of Their Rocky Relationship and the Breaking of Baseball's Color Line

By: William C. Kashatus

As star players for the 1955 World Champion Brooklyn Dodgers, and prior to that as the first black players to be candidates to break professional baseball’s color barrier, Jackie Robinson and Roy Campanella would seem to be natural allies. But the two men were divided by a rivalry going far beyond the personality differences and petty jealousies of competitive teammates. Behind the bitterness were deep and differing beliefs about the fight for civil rights. Robinson, the more aggressive and intense of the two, thought Jim Crow should be attacked head-on; Campanella, more passive and easygoing, believed that ability, not militancy, was the key to racial equality. Drawing on interviews with former players such as Monte Irvin, Hank Aaron, Carl Erskine, and Don Zimmer, Jackie and Campy offers a closer look at these two players and their place in a historical movement torn between active defiance and passive resistance. William C. Kashatus deepens our understanding of these two baseball icons and civil rights pioneers and provides a clearer picture of their time and our own.

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247

Publisher

U of Nebraska Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0803254466

ISBN 13

9780803254466

September Swoon

Richie Allen, the ’64 Phillies, and Racial Integration

By: William C. Kashatus

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September Swoon

Richie Allen, the ’64 Phillies, and Racial Integration

By: William C. Kashatus

Everything seemed to be going the Phillies’ way. Up by 6 1/2 games with just 12 left to play in the 1964 season, they appeared to have clinched their first pennant in more than a decade. Outfielder Johnny Callison narrowly missed being the National League MVP. Third baseman Richie Allen was Rookie of the Year. But the "Fightin’ Phils" didn’t make it to the postseason—they lost 10 straight and finished a game behind the St. Louis Cardinals. Besides engineering the greatest collapse of any team in major league baseball history, the ’64 Phillies had another, more important distinction: they were Philadelphia’s first truly integrated baseball team. In September Swoon William Kashatus tells the dramatic story—both on the field and off the field—of the Phillies’ bittersweet season of 1964. More than any other team in Philadelphia’s sports history, the ’64 Phillies saddled the city with a reputation for being a "loser." Even when victory seemed assured, Philadelphia found a way to lose. Unfortunately, the collapse, dubbed the "September swoon," was the beginning of a self-destructive skid in both team play and racial integration, for the very things that made the players unique threatened to tear the team apart. An antagonistic press and contentious fans blamed Richie Allen, the Phillies’ first black superstar, for the team’s losing ways, accusing him of dividing the team along racial lines. Allen manipulated the resulting controversy in the hopes that he would be traded, but in the process he managed to further fray already tenuous race relations. Based on personal interviews, player biographies, and newspaper accounts, September Swoon brings to life a season and a team that got so many Philadelphians, both black and white, to care deeply and passionately about the game at a turbulent period in the city’s—and our nation’s—history. The hometown fans reveled in their triumphs and cried in their defeat, because they saw in them a reflection of themselves. The ’64 Phillies not only won over the loyalties of a racially divided city, but gave Philadelphians a reason to dream—of a pennant, of a contender, and of a City of Brotherly Love.

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Page Count

276

Publisher

Penn State Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0271045167

ISBN 13

9780271045160

As American as Shoofly Pie

The Foodlore and Fakelore of Pennsylvania Dutch Cuisine

By: William Woys Weaver

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As American as Shoofly Pie

The Foodlore and Fakelore of Pennsylvania Dutch Cuisine

By: William Woys Weaver

When visitors travel to Pennsylvania Dutch Country, they are encouraged to consume the local culture by way of "regional specialties" such as cream-filled whoopie pies and deep-fried fritters of every variety. Yet many of the dishes and confections visitors have come to expect from the region did not emerge from Pennsylvania Dutch culture but from expectations fabricated by local-color novels or the tourist industry. At the same time, other less celebrated (and rather more delicious) dishes, such as sauerkraut and stuffed pork stomach, have been enjoyed in Pennsylvania Dutch homes across various localities and economic strata for decades. Celebrated food historian and cookbook writer William Woys Weaver delves deeply into the history of Pennsylvania Dutch cuisine to sort fact from fiction in the foodlore of this culture. Through interviews with contemporary Pennsylvania Dutch cooks and extensive research into cookbooks and archives, As American as Shoofly Pie offers a comprehensive and counterintuitive cultural history of Pennsylvania Dutch cuisine, its roots and regional characteristics, its communities and class divisions, and, above all, its evolution into a uniquely American style of cookery. Weaver traces the origins of Pennsylvania Dutch cuisine as far back as the first German settlements in America and follows them forward as New Dutch Cuisine continues to evolve and respond to contemporary food concerns. His detailed and affectionate chapters present a rich and diverse portrait of a living culinary practice—widely varied among different religious sects and localized communities, rich and poor, rural and urban—that complicates common notions of authenticity. Because there's no better way to understand food culture than to practice it, As American as Shoofly Pie's cultural history is accompanied by dozens of recipes, drawn from exacting research, kitchen-tested, and adapted to modern cooking conventions. From soup to Schnitz, these dishes lay the table with a multitude of regional tastes and stories. Hockt eich hie mit uns, un esst eich satt—Sit down with us and eat yourselves full!

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Page Count

327

Publisher

University of Pennsylvania Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0812207718

ISBN 13

9780812207712

Almost a Dynasty

The Rise and Fall of the 1980 Phillies

By: William C. Kashatus

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Almost a Dynasty

The Rise and Fall of the 1980 Phillies

By: William C. Kashatus

Almost A Dynasty details the rise and fall of the World Champion 1980 Phillies. Based on personal interviews, newspaper accounts, and the keen insight of a veteran baseball writer, the book convincingly explains how a losing team was finally able to win its first world championship.

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Page Count

392

Publisher

University of Pennsylvania Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0812240367

ISBN 13

9780812240368

Crime and Criminal Justice in American Society

Second Edition

By: Randall G. Shelden,William B. Brown,Karen S. Miller,Randal B. Fritzler

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Crime and Criminal Justice in American Society

Second Edition

By: Randall G. Shelden,William B. Brown,Karen S. Miller,Randal B. Fritzler

Today’s headlines vividly illustrate the importance of understanding aspects of the criminal justice system too often ignored. While the second edition of Crime and Criminal Justice in American Society includes the most recent statistics on the police, courts, and corrections, its provocative, current examples also spur critical thinking about justice in the United States. The authors offer an alternative interpretation of criminal justice rarely presented in traditional textbooks or by the media. They encourage readers to examine their beliefs about crime, punishment, and the law. Discussions in the chapters about how African Americans, Hispanics, whites, women, juveniles, the rich, and the poor experience crime and the criminal justice system contribute context for understanding different viewpoints. The poor and minorities are the most likely to be caught in the net of criminal justice—but inequities have consequences for everyone. Reflection on various perspectives provides helpful input for assessing attitudes and for becoming actively involved with issues that have significant consequences. Eighteen thoroughly revised chapters present historical backgrounds, theories, and emerging issues. New to the second edition is a chapter on veterans involved in the criminal justice system. Affordable, succinct, and engaging, this textbook presents the key concepts of the criminal justice system at less than half the cost of many competing textbooks.

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Page Count

496

Publisher

Waveland Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

1478630140

ISBN 13

9781478630142

Work, Fight, Or Play Ball

How Bethlehem Steel Helped Baseball's Stars Avoid World War I

By: William Ecenbarger

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Work, Fight, Or Play Ball

How Bethlehem Steel Helped Baseball's Stars Avoid World War I

By: William Ecenbarger

This book describes the formation, operation, and reception of the Bethlehem Steel company's baseball leagues. It introduces the choices faced by baseball players in response to the Work or Fight order during World War I. It explores the intersections between baseball and the US War efforts at home and abroad"--

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234

Publisher

Temple University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

1439925178

ISBN 13

9781439925171

The Forgotten Man and Other Essays

By: William Graham Sumner

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The Forgotten Man and Other Essays

By: William Graham Sumner

Though his writings are not spoken of as frequently as they once were, William G. Sumner was a prominent voice in the laissez-faire economic and social philosophies of the late 19th century. This 1919 volume collects some of his most significant essays and lectures, including: . "Protectionism, the -Ism which Teaches that Waste Makes Wealth" (1885) . "What is Free Trade?" (1886) . "Prosperity Strangled by Gold" (1896) . "The Delusion of the Debtors" (1896) . "The Philosophy of Strikes" (1883) . "Trusts and Trade-Unions" (1888) . "Shall Americans Own Ships?" (1881) . "The Science of Sociology" (1882) . and others. Students of modern politics continue to find fascinating parallels-and intriguing disconnects-with 21st-century realities in Sumner's work. American academic and author WILLIAM GRAHAM SUMNER (1840-1910) was an influential professor of sociology and politics at Yale College and president of the American Sociological Association from 1908 to 1909. He wrote numerous and varied books including Andrew Jackson as a Public Man (1882), What Social Classes Owe to Each Other (1883), and Folkways (1906).

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Page Count

569

Publisher

Cosimo, Inc.

Published Date

ISBN 10

1602068232

ISBN 13

9781602068230

Book's by William Ecenbarger

Kids for Cash

Kids for Cash

Pennsylvania Stories--Well Told

Pennsylvania Stories--Well Told

Kids for Cash

Kids for Cash

Jackie and Campy

Jackie and Campy

September Swoon

September Swoon

As American as Shoofly Pie

As American as Shoofly Pie

Almost a Dynasty

Almost a Dynasty

Crime and Criminal Justice in American Society

Crime and Criminal Justice in American Society

Work, Fight, Or Play Ball

Work, Fight, Or Play Ball

The Forgotten Man and Other Essays

The Forgotten Man and Other Essays

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