Review: Don’t miss ‘The Poisoner’s Handbook’

WHERE TO SEE ‘THE POISONER’S HANDBOOK’—Visit PBS’s webpage for this documentary to learn more about its background and viewing options. PBS provides links to local listings. Since this is a well-researched documentary, the PBS website also offers educational resources. There’s even a step-by-step curriculum for science teachers to reproduce some of the then-groundbreaking lab techniques used by New York City’s first scientifically trained medical examiner and his staff.

You also could opt to purchase the DVD from Amazon, titled American Experience: Poisoner’s Handbook. Eventually the film will reach Netflix. Your local library may choose to stock a copy.

WHY YOU SHOULD SEE THIS FILM

REVIEW by ReadTheSpirit Editor David Crumm

Why should people of faith care about a bone-chilling documentary on the early history of forensic sciences in criminal investigations? Why should you help us to highly recommend this PBS American Experience debut to your friends, small group, congregation and community?

First, we all should promote this film because it’s flat-out fascinating. The two-hour documentary takes us back to the dawn of real-life CSI—the birth of modern homicide investigation and the spawn of thousands of hours of prime-time TV dramas. So, the first reason to see this PBS offering is: You’ll enjoy it!

Second, by the end of this two hours, the real pioneering triumph of the film’s two main characters will become crystal clear: They proved to New York City and then to the entire nation that government must play a crucial role in scientifically investigating the vast array of potentially poisonous substances coming into our world—and protecting all of us, including the most vulnerable, from dangerous vultures. Most religious groups around the world hold human rights—caring for and protecting the vulnerable—as a sacred mission. The Poisoner’s Handbook is the true story of two men who fought against almost impossible odds to establish the government’s role in the science-based protection of public health.

Given the wall-to-wall prime-time status of CSI-style shows, you’ll be startled to discover that—before the arrival Dr. Charles Norris and his right-hand researcher Dr. Alexander Gettler—poisoners regularly got away with murder. There was no way to catch them. In 1922, 237 men and women died of fatal gunshots in New York City, but researchers believe nearly 1,000 died of poisoning!

The producers of this documentary have organized the two hours like a series of mini-CSI tales—all true stories. They begin with this new scientific team’s most puzzling early case, the 1922 death of an elderly couple in what appeared to be “a locked-door mystery.” I won’t spoil the suspense by revealing what they found.

Just as in the TV dramas, there’s even a recurring character, a woman accused multiple times over the years of what amounted to serial murders. And, yes, just like the TV series today, these early scientists head into the laboratory over and over again. Sometimes, they must devise new tests. Occasionally, they must exhume a body and look more deeply into the human remains.

In the second half of the film, Norris and Gettler tackle huge public-health issues. Viewing this in 2014, you’re likely to be startled by the official government position on what amounts to massive crimes against vulnerable people. Officials in New York City and Washington D.C. felt that these threats weren’t a part of their responsibilities, until Norris and Gettler joined the campaign to change their minds.

You’ll have a whole lot to talk about after watching The Poisoner’s Handbook. Bravo to PBS and The American Experience for kicking off 2014 with such a landmark film.

(Originally published at readthespirit.com, an on line magazine covering religion, spirituality, values and interfaith and cross-cultural issues.)

VeggieTales reminds kids of Chrisian reason for the season

Either you’re a VeggieTales family—or you’re not. That’s certainly true, after more than 40 original Veggie Tales videos and a host of other TV shows featuring these big-eyed, big-hearted vegetables. This year, VeggieTales is celebrating the 20th anniversary of its first direct-to-DVD film, Where’s God When I’m S-Scared?

Most families know what to expect: Lots of colorful vegetables bouncing around on their rear ends (everyone knows that vegetables don’t have legs!), singing silly songs in high-pitched voices (hey, millions love it when the Muppets do it, right?)—and drawing biblical lessons at every turn of the plot (they’re such universal Christian lessons that it’s hard to imagine any denominational friction).

What’s new in the 43rd VeggieTales?

The producers have convinced the bearded old “Si” from the super popular Duck Dynasty TV series to appear as the on-screen Narrator in VeggieTales: Merry Larry and the True Light of Christmas. Overall, he’s an odd casting choice—certainly not as memorable as Burl Ives as the Snowman/Narrator in the original TV special, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.

The bearded Narrator aside, Merry Larry and the True Light of Christmas is a pitch-perfect slice of VeggieTales silliness. Sure, the jokes are puns worthy of groans—the Veggies themselves are in on the joke. After about the third “turnip” joke in this new movie, even the turnips are groaning. Sure, the songs verge on nonsensical, but they’re called Silly Songs.

In this new tale, the conflict turns on which is more important for Christmas: Glitzy lights at a shopping mall—or the love of God as shown in Jesus’ birth? It’s hardly a “spoiler” to tell you: Jesus wins.

One of the sung refains starts:

“Oh, Christmas shines most bright and true.
“When you give the love God gave to you.”

The Silly Song in the middle of the video is about Larry managing to completely cover himself in Christmas wrapping paper. The refrain:

“Somehow when I was packin’
“I got caught up in all the wrappin’”

No, it’s neither Cole Porter nor Elton John—but I defy you not to start tapping your toe halfway through the Silly Song.

Have you got children—or an entire family—on your holiday gift list that would enjoy such high-spirited, goofy fun? Click on the image with today’s story and visit the movie’s Amazon page.

REVIEWED BY ReadTheSpirit EDITOR DAVID CRUMM.

6 truths you’ll discover from infamous ‘War of the Worlds’

REVIEW OF PBS DOCUMENTARY
ON ORSON WELLES’ ‘WAR OF THE WORLDS’

By DAVID CRUMM, Editor of ReadTheSpirit

“I think suits should be filed against Mr. Welles and the Columbia Broadcasting System for their wrongdoing! Welles’ performance on the radio was a clear demonstration of his inhuman instincts and his fiendish joy in causing distress and suffering all over the country. He is a carbuncle on the rump of degenerate theatrical performers and he should make amends for his consummate act of assininity.”
Judge A. G. Kennedy, Union, South Carolina

AS WE approach Halloween, we also approach the 75th anniversary of the infamous War of the Worlds radio broadcast orchestrated by Orson Wells on October 30, 1938. If we recall anything about that incident, we may smile at the panic Welles and his Mercury Theater on the Air caused across the U.S. that night and conclude: Oh, that was all about “the stupidity of the masses!” In fact, in 1938, one woman actually drew that conclusion in response to the radio drama.

Well, I’m urging you to tune in for an hour of PBS’s American Experience documentary series on Tuesday night—and you will discover that there’s a lot more we need to know about that celebrated broadcast. (Learn more about the PBS documentary: Here is the American Experience home page for War of the Worlds.)

Among the many lessons we learn in this fascinating hour-long film:

“SURFING” IS NOT NEW: We tend to think of Americans’ split-second attention span for media as something new. In fact, as this new film demonstrates, radio-station surfing in 1938 caused the biggest damage among terrified listeners. Those dial-spinners missed the opening credits that clearly identified the radio drama. Instead, they dropped into the midst of a terrifying broadcast without that crucial information about the fictional nature of the production.

FEAR BUILDS ON FEAR: President Franklin Roosevelt was correct in his judgment that, “We have nothing to fear but fear itself.” One reason the radio broadcast had such a dramatic impact was that Americans had been conditioned to expect terrifying news: from stories about the 1929 stock market crash, through shocking headlines about banks going out of business, breaking news bulletins about natural disasters and, by 1938, “the drumbeat of war” in Europe. Many listeners who dropped into the middle of the War of the Worlds later reported that they thought it was a news broadcast about German forces attacking in the U.S.

BAD SCIENCE BUILDS ON ITSELF: These days, we understand the power of bad scientific reports—ranging from poorly conducted research to politically motivated scientific claims. These claims can sway millions of Americans and result in either bad policies or delays in taking positive actions. Well, as this documentary shows: Countless Americans had seen scientific and even governmental reports in the 1930s concluding that Mars did, indeed, have a living population. Stories about Martian landings seemed natural to many listeners.

HYSTERIA SPREADS IN A VISCERAL WAY: Panic can become so overwhelming that it tricks our senses. Earlier in the 1930s, researchers found men and women across one region of Virginia reporting—over a year-long period—attacks of toxic gas being pumped into their homes. In fact, researchers documented, this was entirely a case of mass hysteria. Of course, many other incidents of mass panic have been documented over the past century. Welles’ production ranks among the first major examples of a media-driven panic. It was so effective that many Americans experienced it on a visceral level. As in the case of the Virginia “toxic gassings,” many radio listeners swore they could smell the black smoke produced in the Martian attack.

CONGRESS IS SILLY: No, craziness didn’t break out in Congress with the advent of the Tea Party. Congressional leaders have been silly for a long, long time. The Congressional response to the radio broadcast was ridiculous—and, thankfully for Welles and CBS, eventually faded away.

APOLOGY IS POWERFUL: In the end, Orson Welles called it one of his greatest public performances. The documentary shows how masterfully Welles threw himself onto the mercy of the American people after the broadcast. Beyond the art in his public appearance, there also was a sincere apology. And, in the end, that may be the most important lesson in that brush with the War of the Worlds.

(This review is originally published at readthespirit.com, an online magazine covering religion, spirituality, values and interfaith and cross-cultural issues.)

King, the March, the Dream: PBS debuts must-see ‘March’ (and more)

THE PBS NETWORK is offering terrific opportunities to reflect on the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the 1963 March on Washington and the famous “I Have a Dream” speech.

FIRST—BE SURE TO TUNE IN: PBS provides this interactive web page to help viewers sort out local listings. Remember that PBS showtimes may vary widely. Focus on the evening of Tuesday, August 27, the 50th anniversary of the 1963 March on Washington. Most PBS stations will air an hour-long White House Concert featuring Natalie Cole, Bob Dylan, Jennifer Hudson, John Legend, John Mellencamp, Smokey Robinson, Seal, the Blind Boys of Alabama and the Howard University Choir. The crescendo of that evening on most PBS stations is a new hour-long documentary—The March.

REVIEW of The March
by Read The Spirit Editor David Crumm

The March, narrated by Denzel Washington, includes powerful scenes: Certainly, King himself, plus a wide array of men and women involved in the March. Joan Baez, Harry Belafonte, Marlon Brando and Diahann Carroll were among the famous media figures who took part on that summer day in 1963. So, there are many celebrities who help to tell this dramatic story.

Having reviewed The March before its broadcast, ReadTheSpirit can highly recommend the documentary. Producers of the film include such top names as Robert Redford and Harry Belafonte’s daughter Gina Belafonte. With such steady hands behind the film, The March does not make the mistake of turning this 1963 milestone into a nostalgic snapshot of pop stars. Viewers who know their civil rights history will be pleased to see A. Philip Randolph (1889-1979)—”universally recognized as the dean of the civil rights movement”—introduced as a part of this epic story. We also meet Bayard Rustin (1912-1987) as a key—and, as it turned out, a controversial—figure in this phase of the civil rights movement. As the story unfolds, we also are reminded of the strong challenge to the Kennedy administration that this march represented.

In other words, the story is accurately—and movingly—told.

King first appears in the film’s opening sequence—as we see footage of various buses and other vehicles on the move toward Washington. We sense the excitement of the people who dared to gather. In these opening moments, King appears on screen explaining how difficult it was to tell his daughter that she could not go to play in an amusement park that she heard other children were planning to visit. “To attempt to explain a system like the unjust and evil system of segregation to a 6 year old child is a very difficult thing,” King says.

Of course, that is the human level on which millions of Americans began to truly understand the evils of segregation. Americans saw bigots attacking innocent men, women and young people with clubs, dogs and fire hoses. The nightly TV news broadcast in millions of American living rooms showed these horrific scenes, as veteran TV correspondent Roger Mudd explains in The March. Watching violence unleashed on men, women and even on children helped to turn the tide toward civil rights.

As the film unfolds—yes, we do get to see clips of Joan Baez’s stirring songs, both solo and with Bob Dylan. Yes, we do see Harry Belafonte working his organizational magic among celebrities. We see Burt Lancaster dramatically unfurl a long and billowing petition for change in America.

But, we also see the complex and suspenseful behind-the-scenes challenges. We learn that U.S. Rep. John Lewis, the last living speaker who took the stage at the March, almost derailed the whole event that day in 1963. Some lines in an advance copy of Lewis’s talk were considered so explosive that several key speakers threatened to bolt in the middle of that historic event. Of course, all of us know what happened—the March ran its course until finally King could unleash his Dream. Even Oprah Winfrey shows up to help narrate the drama of that now-so-famous speech.

“It was the first time that most Americans had ever heard a complete King speech,” the film’s narrator tells us. And, what a speech it was! Even if you can rattle off the words by heart, don’t miss this documentary that tells the story of how it all happened—and how America changed, as a result.

ALSO—CHECK OUT THE WEB-BASED SERIES:
PBS The MARCH@50

The highly respected young filmmaker Shukree Tilghman developed this Web-based series for PBS. In an online landing page for The March@50, PBS describes the Web-based project this way:

“Fifty years after the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, has America delivered on the marchers’ demands for Jobs, Freedom, Equal Education and Voting Rights? In the documentary Web series The March@50, filmmaker Shukree Hassan Tilghman explores this question with a critical eye. Each short episode in the series examines a theme of the 1963 March on Washington through a contemporary lens. These short documentaries look at how far we’ve come and how far we still have to go to address the major issues of the Civil Rights Era all these decades later.”

NOTE ON PHOTOS: Many photos from the civil rights era are held in private collections and archives. In covering the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington in 1963, ReadTheSpirit has chosen to publish primarily photographs from the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), which is “our own” national archive of materials for public use.

CARE TO READ MORE?

EXPLORE THE HISTORIC MILESTONE: Stephanie Fenton’s Holidays & Festivals column reports on major religious holidays and cultural milestones—including this in-depth look at the way Americans are remembering the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington.

READ THE COMIC BOOK: There’s no kidding in this comic book! As our story explains, it’s the true story of the civil rights movement—leading to the March on Washington—as told by U.S. Rep. John Lewis, the last remaining speaker who addressed the crowd on the Mall 50 years ago.

(This film review and coverage of PBS broadcasts was originally published at readthespirit.com, an online journal covering religion, spirituality and interfaith and cross-cultural issues.)

PBS debuts BBC landmark film on ‘Life of Muhammad’

Reporting and Review By DAVID CRUMM
Editor of ReadTheSpirit online magazine

When the British television network, BBC Two, unveiled its three-hour series, The Life of Muhammad, in 2011, British journalists and top Muslim leaders were invited to a special preview screening. They were met by network executives crowing about this historic event: They called it the first full history of Muhammad’s life produced for “Western TV.”

However, their claim was debatable. Millions of Americans already were familiar with the PBS network’s 2002 documentary Muhammad: Legacy of a Prophet. That two-hour PBS documentary has subsequently been shown in countless schools, congregations and small groups nationwide—and around the world. The BBC officials were claiming that their three hours were so exclusively focused on Muhammad’s life that their film was a Western-media “first.” In truth? The BBC was splitting hairs in making its claim.

That’s one reason American media coverage of the August 20 PBS debut of that BBC series is muted, compared with the debut in the UK. Most American viewers assume that public television already has covered the Prophet’s life.

In fact, there are a lot of similarities between the productions. For example, Karen Armstrong appears as one of the main “talking heads” in both productions. Also, both the BBC and PBS networks bowed to Islamic requirements that only Muslims are allowed to visit the sacred cities where most of Muhammad’s life unfolded. In the case of PBS, the American convert to Islam Michael Wolfe was the chief correspondent and, as an observant Muslim, was allowed to film in the sacred cities. In the UK, BBC executives tapped Director Faris Kermani and chief on-screen correspondent Rageh Omaar. Both are Muslim. Curiously, as PBS promotes its debut of the British series, press releases emphasize only that Rageh Omaar has worked as a journalist for the BBC and for ITV News. In fact, in the British press, he was better known in 2011 as a correspondent for Al Jazeera’s English-language network.

On balance? Both documentaries were produced with an obvious awareness that these films could do more harm than good. There is a painstaking balance to both films that occasionally makes them slow going for casual viewers. Contrast these films with the much more provocative documentaries about Jesus and various eras of Christian history—some of which wind up on American cable TV channels each year—and you will feel the weight that PBS and BBC officials clearly feel on their shoulders.

How do these two productions differ? As its title indicates, the PBS series really is about Muhammad’s legacy and focuses quite a bit on the millions of diverse Muslim families in the U.S. The BBC series stays for all three hours with the Prophet’s life, spanning the 6th and 7th centuries. Overall, the BBC series is heavily weighted toward British experts and media personalities.

‘LIFE OF MUHAMMAD’—WHAT WE THINK:

Our Read The Spirit viewpoint: If you care about world religions and the growing religious diversity in the United States, this is “must see” television. You may even want to purchase the entire ‘Life of Muhammad‘ series on DVD, via Amazon. As Editor of Read The Spirit, I watched all three hours and can highly recommend the film. In tackling one potentially controversial issue after another, Omaar carefully presents various points of view and, in the course of the series, paints the kind of balanced portrait of Islam that fans of Karen Armstrong’s books will be comfortable watching on their TV screens.

The BBC deliberately costumed Omaar in this series as a humble journalistic traveler. Wherever he appears around the globe, he always is wearing a simple navy-blue or sometimes charcoal shirt, no tie, comfortable khaki slacks and sturdy hiking boots. Over his shoulder is a simple brown tote bag from which he occasionally pulls a book or some notes. We often see Omaar’s “talking head” popping up in dramatic settings to explain what we are seeing. The other experts he interviews usually are sitting in comfortable scholarly offices or libraries. At one point, Omaar does remove his traveler’s uniform to demonstrate for viewers how Muslim pilgrims to Mecca change into simple white garments. The production design of this series tells us loud and clear: These are all reasonable people talking wisely and compassionately about one of the world’s great faiths.

In other words, it’s a series you’d expect to watch in a class on world religions. Presumably, that’s where most of the DVDs for sale on Amazon are headed.

‘LIFE OF MUHAMMAD’—WHAT OTHER JOURNALISTS SAY:

In the UK, the conservative-leaning newspaper The Telegraph assigned two journalists to cover the BBC Two debut. The newspaper’s TV writer Chris Harvey called The Life of Muhammad “an excellent primer, tracing Muhammad’s journey from orphaned son to prophet of a new religion. … I enjoyed it.”

However, the Telegraph’s religion writer Christopher Howse was less impressed. He criticized the great lengths to which BBC Two went to please Muslims with the series, including bowing to Muslim requirements that only Muslims are allowed inside the sacred cities. The BBC would not have been so deferential in reporting on Judaism or Christianity, Howse argued. And, he has a point. On the other hand, the PBS network made the same choice by tapping Michael Wolfe for its film.

The more liberal-leaning newspaper The Guardian assigned Riazat Butt, a veteran religion writer with long experience in covering Islam, to cover the British roll-out of the series. In general, her columns on the documentary reported positive reactions. Her main criticism was that the filmmakers seemed bent on checking off an inventory of “typical” elements in Muslim culture.

Riazat Butt wrote, in part: “Even though we didn’t see the Prophet, we did see shots of praying (tick!), veiled women (tick!), jihadi references such as the planes flying into the twin towers … and veiled women praying (double tick!). There were also shots of camels. My score card is full. The opening episode deals with the circumstances and society that Muhammad was born into. It charts his childhood and early years—being orphaned, being taken in by his uncle—and the narrative is interspersed, interrupted I’d say, with shots of Rageh praying, Rageh brooding, Rageh climbing over rocks in a manful and foreign correspondent-like way.”

Want to see the series? Be sure to check local TV listings in your region as public television show times vary widely.

AND: Consider ordering the earlier PBS documentary from Amazon: Muhammad: Legacy of a Prophet

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TV: Hallmark Channel debuts Beverly Lewis’ Amish drama

DALLAS meets the Amish. That’s a four-word summary of the storyline in Beverly Lewis’ trilogy of novels about an idealistic Amish woman trying to find her way in the dangerous realm of the rich and powerful.

There’s no question: “Putting a bonnet on it” is a guaranteed sales strategy for novels and made-for-TV movies these days. Beverly Lewis has been pumping out dozens of Amish-themed, best-selling melodramas for two decades and is widely recognized as a queen in this genre. Lewis is a conservative Christian writer with family links to the Amish, although she is not Amish herself. Her stories always deliver inspirational messages.

KEY TO AMISH POPULARITY: ‘PUT A BONNET ON IT’

Want more stories about the popularity of the Amish?

VANNETTA CHAPMAN INTERVIEW: If Beverly Lewis is a queen of the overall Amish genre, Vanetta Chapman rapidly is becoming a top author of Amish murder mysteries. That’s quite a trick, given that Amish are pacifists. Read our interview with Vanetta Chapman for more.

A “REAL” AMISH AUTHOR: Currently, there are no observant Amish writers producing best sellers. Instead, we get books by friends of the Amish like Lewis and Chapman, authors who do care about the Amish and try to respect their culture. There are a handful of formerly observant “real” Amish authors, however. In our view, the best of those writers is Saloma Furlong, who we also featured in an author interview.

TOP SCHOLARS HELP SORT FACT FROM FICTION: Dr. Donald Kraybill is widely acknowledged as the leading scholar studying Amish life in America. He works with other top scholars in researching and reporting on these communities that decline to speak for themselves through the media. Saloma Furlong is one of the Amish writers who has been associated with Kraybill as a mentor. You’ll enjoy our interview with Dr. Donald Kraybill about his nonfiction book, The Amish Way.

THE NEW AMISH MOVIE: BEVERLY LEWIS’ ‘THE CONFESSION’

THE CONFESSION is the second major Hallmark made-for-TV movie in Beverly Lewis’ trilogy of novels about courageous Katie/Katherine Lapp. This brave young Amish woman leaves her Lancaster County Amish community and eventually unravels a series of mysteries that have twined around her life.

In 2011, Hallmark debuted Beverly Lewis’ The Shunning, Part 1 in the trilogy, which now is on DVD. In that first part, Katie reaches adulthood, hopes to marry a young Amish man she loves—until the young man tragically appears to drown and disappear. Instead, Katie’s family arranges a loveless marriage for her. She rebels, eventually pushing her out of the community. She is shunned.

The new Hallmark film, The Confession, debuts on May 11 and will be repeated at other times. Now, Katie is trying to connect with her biological mother, a very wealthy woman with a terminal illness who wants to bestow her huge estate to her long-lost daughter. If that last sentence sounds wildly unbelievable, just chalk that plot twist up to the Dallas influence in Lewis’ trilogy and simply enjoy the drama as it unfolds.

In the opening scenes, a friend warns Katie that she’d better stop being so “gullible.” Outside the Amish world, the friend tells Katie: People “are liars and thieves and the sooner you accept that, the better off you’ll be.” Cue the greedy schemers. Watch out Katie!

Can you watch The Confession without having read or seen The Shunning? Absolutely. In reviewing the new film, as Editor of ReadTheSpirit, I started with The Confession and, later, went backward to the first part. I enjoyed the new melodrama on its own. Going back to Part 1, however, I discovered that the cast has changed significantly between the first and second films. Katie/Katherine—currently played very effectively by Katie (yes, Katie) Leclerc—actually was portrayed by actress Danielle Panabaker in the first movie. Laura Mayfield-Benett, the wealthy biological mother, continues to be played by Sherry Stringfield in a grand style suited to this Dallas-style plot. However, her scoundrel husband, the evil Dylan Bennett, now is played with gusto by newcomer Adrian Paul. You’ll be hissing at him almost immediately.

For years, Lewis’ formula has been obvious: “Put a bonnet on it—and it’ll sell” is now a well-known marketing mantra. In shorthand, these novels often are called “Bonnet Books.” Nevertheless, romantic melodrama is fun. Dallas’ producers already have announced that a new season is coming in 2014. And, General Hospital just celebrated its 50th anniversary in prime time. This Hallmark drama also is gorgeous to watch and has an supporting cast of characters cut from the Downton Abbey mold

When you get a load of all the scheming among the rich and powerful—you’ll truly appreciate the simple wisdom of the Amish. And, in the end, that’s the real message behind all these bonnet tales.

Reviewed by ReadTheSpirit Editor David Crumm

Originally published at readthespirit.com, an online magazine covering religion, values and cross-cultural diversity.

PBS Independent Lens shows us ‘The House I Live In,’ an indictment of America’s ‘war on drugs’

REVIEW By ReadTheSpirit Editor David Crumm

How to tune in “The House I Live In”: The national debut of this new documentary by Eugene Jarecki (who earlier gave us the provocative Why We Fight) is Monday April 8, 2013. Dates and times vary on PBS stations. PBS’s Independent Lens website provides film clips and links to search for TV listings in your area.)

Our review …

PBS brings us an eye-popping look at our nation’s disastrous War on Drugs in a nearly two-hour documentary called, The House I Live In. You may ask: Given that drug crimes are everywhere we look in movies and TV series, these days, why watch even more television about the problem? The answer: Because a growing number of religious leaders and human rights activists are questioning the U.S. policy on throwing huge numbers of people into prison for nonviolent drug offenses—especially when a disproportionate number of those people are African-American.

The House I Live In is a superb choice for discussion groups and for anyone concerned about these issues. The documentary is packed with interviews at all levels of American law enforcement: We meet convicted felons; we meet cops and judges who lock them away; we meet officials in Washington D.C; we meet parents and children affected by this system.

Together, these stories underline the startling facts that filmmaker Eugene Jarecki wants to hammer home. We know that these are his core messages because he occasionally pauses the movie to print these findings on the screen, including:

  • Since 1971, the War on Drugs has cost over $1 trillion and resulted in more than 45 million arrests. During that time, illegal drug use has remained unchanged.
  • With only 5 percent of the world’s population, the United States holds 25 percent of its prisoners. Over 500,000 are incarcerated for nonviolent drug crimes.
  • Today, 2.7 million children in America have a parent behind bars. These children are more likely to be incarcerated during their lifetime than other children.

At several points in the documentary, we hear from David Simon, the journalist who now is famous for writing the award-winning TV series about the war on drugs, The Wire. He tells viewers, in part: We are the jailing-est country on the planet! Beyond Saudi Arabia, China and Russia! Nobody jails their population at the rate that we do—and yet drugs are purer than every before, they are more available, there are younger and younger kids who are willing to sell them. It would be one thing if it were draconian and it worked; but it’s draconian and it doesn’t work.

So, contact friends, invite your small group, or simply view this film to open your own thinking on these issues!

Originally posted at readthespirit.com, an online magazine covering religion and cultural diversity.