A National Bestseller
From New Yorker staff writer and bestselling author of The Nine
and The Run of His Life: The People v. O. J. Simpson, the definitive
account of the kidnapping and trial that defined an insane era in
American history
On February 4, 1974, Patty Hearst, a sophomore in college and heiress to
the Hearst Family fortune, was kidnapped by a ragtag group of
self-styled revolutionaries calling itself the Symbonese Liberation
Army. The weird turns that followed in this already sensational take are
truly astonishing--the Hearst family tried to secure Patty's release by
feeding the people of Oakland and San Francisco for free; bank security
cameras captured "Tania" wielding a machine gun during a roberry; the
LAPD engaged in the largest police shoot-out in American history; the
first breaking news event was broadcast live on telelvision stations
across the country; and then there was Patty's circuslike trial, filled
with theatrical courtroom confrontations and a dramatic last-minute
reversal, after which the term "Stockholm syndrome" entered the lexicon.
Ultimately, the saga highlighted a decade in which America seemed to be
suffering a collective nervous breakdown. American Heiress portrays
the electrifying lunacy of the time and the toxic mic of sex, politics,
and violence that swept up Patty Hearst and captivated the nation.
