Review: 'Twelve Angry Men' by Reginald Rose

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

'Twelve Angry Men' by Reginald Rose, 73 pages - Instagram @c_reads_books

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Twelve Angry Men by Reginald Rose tells the story of twelve jurors, faced with the task of deciding the fate of a teenage boy accused of murdering his father. If the jury finds him innocent, he will be free, but if the jury finds him guilty, he will face the electric chair. In a jury that must come to a unanimous decision, Juror Eight is the only holdout in an 11-1 guilty vote. Unwilling to immediately sentence the boy to death, Juror Eight is determined to get the other jurors to look at the facts without the lens of their personal biases. Arguing and debating for hours on end, the jury knows that one boy’s fate hangs in the balance.

I really loved this book. When I saw it in the plays section at Barnes & Noble, I was immediately reminded of watching the movie version in middle school, and knew I had to buy it. Although I absolutely loved the movie, the book was (of course) better. The story Rose tells is intensely gripping and revealing. In such a short length, this play truly reveals both the best and worst forms of not only the twelve men, but the U.S. legal system and humanity at large. I found it impossible to put the book down, just as I had found it impossible to look away from the movie. I only hope that sometime soon I can see the play actually performed live (fingers crossed). Overall, I absolutely loved this play, and would recommend it to anyone and everyone!