The Trial of Prisoner 043
A Novel
by Terry Jastrow
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Pub Date Aug 01 2017 | Archive Date Feb 26 2018
Description
What Would Happen If George W. Bush Were Prosecuted for War Crimes?
On a glorious autumn morning in St. Andrews, Scotland, former US president George W. Bush approached the first tee of the world-famous Old Course to play a round of golf he would not finish.
Unceremoniously abducted off the course by a team of paramilitary commandos, he was transported to the International Criminal Court in The Hague to stand trial for war crimes in connection with the Iraq War.
The ICC had spent one year accumulating sufficient evidence to indict George W. Bush as the single person most responsible for the war. Would he be found innocent or guilty, or would something happen to disrupt the pursuit of justice?
About the Author
Terry Jastrow is a descendant of one of the pilgrims who arrived on the Mayflower and of American president John Adams. He was born in Colorado, grew up in Texas, and has lived his entire adult life in New York and California.
After graduating from college in 1970, Jastrow was hired by ABC Sports, and in December 1972, at age twenty-four, he became the youngest network television producer in history. He directed his first telecast in April 1974 and continued producing and directing at ABC Sports for twenty-two years. Jastrow was a producer/director of six Olympic Games, including the Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, where he directed the Opening and Closing Ceremonies. He was a director of Super Bowl XIX and produced or directed sixty major golf championships and approximately fifty episodes of ABC’s Wide World of Sports. For his work in sports television, Jastrow won seven Emmy Awards (with seventeen nominations).
Next, he served as president of Jack Nicklaus Productions for twelve years. The company’s principal business was to create and televise entertaining events that ultimately generated over fifty million dollars for worthy charities.
Later, Jastrow studied acting at the Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute in New York City, where he was invited to be in Mr. Strasberg’s Master Class. This led to an eventful few years as an actor, during which he did his share of theater, film, and television.
In 2015, Jastrow wrote, produced, and directed the feature film The Squeeze, which was released theatrically around the world and purchased by the Golf Channel for television. In 2016, he wrote a stage play, The Trial of Jane Fonda, which was produced at the Park Theatre in London and received a nomination for Best New Play (off West End).
The Trial of Prisoner 043 is his first novel.
Advance Praise
“With echoes of Nuremberg, Jastrow’s masterpiece of realistic fiction will inspire some, anger others, and provoke water cooler conversation across our divided nation. Whatever your position on the legitimacy of the war in Iraq, this is a book you’re going to want to read.” —Michael Scharf, Dean, Case Western Reserve University School of Law, and coauthor of Enemy of the State
“Terry Jastrow’s new novel is a riveting review of a controversial and sad period in American political affairs—the war in Iraq. Jastrow’s method of competing arguments reminds the reader of Socrates; the book is an engrossing drama well worth contemplating. Bravo!” —Tom Dine, foreign policy expert on European and Middle East affairs and President, Radio Free Europe
“If hindsight is 20/20, what is foresight? A question posed existentially in a fascinating new book, "The Trial of Prisoner 043", written by Terry Jastrow. While the prosecution has the advantage of hindsight, the defense is restricted to foresight, and the reader must reconcile the two. The question becomes, what would you have done given the same circumstances? It’s a seductive question that makes the book a must-read. There is also a shock on the last page.” —Bob Dowling, former Publisher and Editor in Chief, Hollywood Reporter
“Carefully researched and brilliantly argued, this is compelling, infuriating, and cathartic.” —Lou Aronica, New York Times best-selling author
“Terry Jastrow’s brilliant, biting novel is a must-read for anyone who cares about international peace, war crimes past and future, and how justice can be delivered in unexpected ways. If you think you know how this story ends, start reading now!” —Sarah Lovett, coauthor (with Valerie Plame) of New York Times bestseller Blowback
“Terry Jastrow’s terrific new novel, "The Trial of Prisoner 043", poses many questions that need to be ask and debated. I won’t stop thinking about it for weeks, maybe months. It is the must read book of the summer.” —Catherine Bell, star of JAG, Army Wives, and Hallmark’s The Good Witch
“Terry Jastrow’s "The Trial of Prisoner 043" is a masterful blend of fact and fiction. A powerful story that entertains and edifies. Can the president of the United States ultimately do whatever he wants? Was Bush’s maverick decision to go to war with Iraq a foreshadowing of things to come? A perfect book for these unsettling times.” —Terri Hanauer, film and theatrical director/screenwriter
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Available Editions
| EDITION | Paperback |
| ISBN | 9781946241153 |
| PRICE | $12.95 (USD) |
Featured Reviews
Don H, Reviewer
The plot of The Trial of Prisoner 043 by Terry Jastrow grabbed me from the start. Former President George Bush was on a golf outing at St. Andrews when commandoes kidnapped him off the 17th green. He was smuggled to The Haig where, in reality, the International Criminal Court (ICC) is located, a court that has the jurisdiction to prosecute individuals for the international crimes of genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes. The U.S. is one of few western countries that do not participate in the court, but most of its allies do. The court agreed that they had jurisdiction and agreed to hear the prosecution’s case. Of course, the U.S. and Bush’s lawyers challenged the jurisdiction of the court to try this past President of the U.S. When those legal maneuvers failed, a commando assault on the ICC Detention Centre where Bush was being held was beaten back. Then the case of The Prosecutor v. George W. Bush proceeded. There was no jury and the case was heard in front of a panel of three judges.
Essentially, this book replayed all the evidence for and against the Iraq War. The author was able to use real quotes from all of the principals who were involved in the war effort, as well as those who opposed it. He even included Hans Blix, head of the UN Iraq weapons inspection team, who conducted 731 inspections between 11/02 and 3/03 when the war began. No doubt, this book was very well researched. I’ve actually heard this scenario debated and wished for by my leftist friends while the righties I know seem to automatically dismiss the idea, much like Bush’s attorneys tried to do.
Jastrow created believable figures in the respective teams of attorneys and the panel of judges. Jastrow wrote that his characters understood that the very legitimacy of the court was going to be on trial, along with the attorneys and Bush. As a political junkie, I thought his portrayal of Bush was spot on. The prosecution hammered away at Bush’s allegedly nonsensical pivot from seeking to find and kill bin Laden for 9/11 to pursuing the war in Iraq. Lead prosecuting attorney Michael McBride said, “This is the story of how George Bush is personally responsible for creating the pretext for, and then waging, the Iraq War – and the devastating results of his war.” Certainly, the author does a pretty good job of presenting Bush’s side of the argument.
You get the idea, and I won’t reveal the conclusion. Jastrow has done a remarkable job, and if the topic interests you, this is a must read.
