Outrage: The Story Behind the Tawana Brawley Hoax

It was not that long ago that this case was a national sensation. A troubled teenager invents a fabulous story about abuse, shocking in its depravity, and the media bites into it wholeheartedly. We can all learn from this poor kid, who knew not what was in store for her. Important American history that should be read by one and all.

This straightforward narrative of the 1987 Tawana Brawley case is worth reading. Tawana made national headlines after she was found half naked, dazed, and smeared with excrement in a New York City suburb. Tawana claimed she'd been raped by several white officers, but her claim was unverified by medical exam. As suspicions grew, she clammed up and let outrageous black activists (led by Al Sharpton) speak for her. These charlatans milked the opportunity, keeping Tawana silent, casting accusations, holding incitement-filled rallies, and attacking all skeptics as dupes, sellouts, or co-conspirators. Readers see how irresponsible media coverage fueled this almost-certain hoax, as did craven government officials unwilling to stand up to race hustling. We also see that a depressing number of people continued to swallow Tawana's con job long after they should have smelled a rat (and after comic Bill Cosby withdrew his cash reward offer). Finally, the authors uncover how Tawana's attempt to deceive a relative snowballed out of control. The authors are reporters from the New York Times who did their job, spending long hours investigating the case. They show how easy it is to manipulate racial discord, the results of sensation-seeking media (which still labels racial charlatans as "civil rights leaders"), and the dangers that result when people form opinions based on personal bias rather than by a sober look at the facts. Sound like O.J. Simpson? Perhaps the people that should most read this book are journalism students and the many oft-manipulated, sensation-seeking journalists.

1987 in New York, a young black girl named Tawana Brawley was found half nude with racial slurs scrawled on her body. She claimed that she had been gang raped by a group of white men, that included policemen. Naturally not only the city of New York, but the entire country reacted in horror. But the Brawley family along with their advisors Al Sharpton, Alton Maddox, and Vernon Mason, refused to cooperate with police investigators and the DA's office. Brawly's advisors made numerous allegations of police cover ups, corruption in the DA's office, as well as accusing DA Steven Pagones of being directly involved in the alleged assault on Tawana. But as investigations progressed, the validaty of Brawley's claims of rape at the hands of white racists came into question. This is an intriguing and very good investigative look at a case that divided a city and nation along racial lines in the late 1980's.