Josh Rothman reviews Bill James' new book, Popular Crime: Reflections on the Celebration of Violence:
Popular crime stories (think, in our modern era, of O.J. Simpson, the Menendez brothers, or JonBenet Ramsey) are often, James laments, beneath the notice of "the best people" ("if you go to a party populated by the NPR crowd and you start talking about JonBenet Ramsey, people will look at you as if you've forgotten your pants"). But in fact, James argues, popular crimes matter, even if discussing them seems "vulgar." They crystallize national issues, reveal structural facts about society, and often lead, very directly, to changes in laws and institutions.
The Dish 