"Before hearing my death sentence I was aware that my lungs breathed, that my heart beat, and that my body lived in the community of other men; now, I plainly saw that a barrier had sprung up between them and me. Nothing was the same as before." The imprisoned narrator of this profoundly moving novel awaits execution -- and waits, and waits. Although his guilt is undeniable, his essential humanity emerges as he struggles with the certainty of impending death.
Victor Hugo's impassioned early work carries the same power and universality as Les Miserables. A vocal opponent to...

Do cameras influence courtroom proceedings? What effect, if any, do they have on the participants in the trial? What implications do televised trials have on due process? What, in short, is the future of the camera in the courtroom?