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What Potential Jurors Are Reading

By Diana Jou - Jul 31st, 2008 at 12:17 pm

Yesterday, I was summoned by the Los Angeles Superior Court to report to jury duty. When I showed up at 8 am in the assembly room, I was met with more than 250 reluctant faces. The people in the room represented a good cross-section of Los Angeles. I overheard a cell phone conversation from a white-haired English women telling her dog sitters to take care of her “babies.” At a different corner, a grouchy hipster flipped quickly through the latest issue of Nylon, completely zoned out on his noise-canceling headphones. I sat next to a nice lady who works at the UCLA hospital, who borrowed a pen from me but never returned it.

They told us there were many trials that need jurors, so there was no way we would be able to leave before 4 pm. Everyone slouched a little more. I noticed that more than half of the jurors had brought something to do. Some brought laptops to watch movies on, some brought playing cards, one even brought Scrabble, but most people brought a paperback book.

I am always curious to know: If people could spend a day catching up on their reading, what book would they choose? There is no better place to find out than the culturally diverse jury duty assembly room in Los Angeles:

World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War by Max Brooks
Cal Sate Northridge Student, male, 22
- The guy was a bit shy, but he said the book is good. I looked it up and I doubt anything that chronicles the “world’s desperate battle against the zombie threat with a series of first-person accounts by various characters around the world” could be dull. Probably the most intriguing pick of the bunch.

One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Pre-press, Color Correctionist, female, 40
- She works at a small printer that makes art books. I was more than happy to hear about the details of her job. She was specific: “pre-press, color correctionist.” Got it. Of course she would brush up on a Latin American classic.

Slaves of New York by Tama Janowitz
Santa Monica College Student, female, 20
- She was thrilled to tell me she just got back from New York. “It was totally amazing,” she proclaimed. She told me the book is about a group of New York artist and grad students… say no more. The book was made for her.

No One to Cry To by Sharon Lee Willing
Engineer, male, 50
- I always judge a book by its cover. This was not a good cover. I just had to find out what kind of story stood behind this lackluster monotone image. It turns out the book is a biography of Foy Willing written by his widow, who willingly acknowledges (on her website) that her husband made his fame through singing and acting in Western “B” movies.

Come Back by Claire Fontaine and Mia Fontaine
Bank Teller, female, 21
- The book is a mother-daughter memoir, hence the same last names. Just as I was trying to find out more about the girl reading it, she was called in for jury selection.

Renewing the Stuff of Life by Cynthia B. Cohen
Rio Honda College, male, 18
- He told me it was a library book for a stem-cell research paper as he typed away on his Sidekick. He answered my two questions without even looking up from his typing. I moved on.

The Brimstone Murders by Jeff Sherratt
Manager, male, 55
- His friend from Newport Beach wrote this mystery novel, which probably explains the bad type choice and the poor photoshop skills. A quick search revealed that his friend actually made a MySpace page for the book. Not a bad idea.

How to Talk to so Kids Can Learn at Home and in School by Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish
(abandoned by a juror)
- The situation should speak for itself.

Tags: books