And Give Up Showbiz?: How Fred Levin Beat Big Tobacco, Avoided Two Murder Prosecutions, Became a Chief of Ghana, Earned Boxing M

Description

In the early '90s, Big Tobacco was making a killing. There was no entity more powerful, and national tobacco-related deaths numbered in the hundreds of thousands each year. The economic loss from smoking-related illnesses was billions of dollars. And yet, Big Tobacco had never paid a nickel in court. Until one trial lawyer discovered he could revise part of a Medicaid law so that it would enable Florida to sue Big Tobacco to reimburse the state for health care costs. The end result? Hundreds of thousands of American lives have been, and will continue to be, saved because one lawyer found a loophole and ran with it. Meet Fred Levin. Called by his son "a philanthropist and a cockroach," Fred Levin is no clean-cut lawyer pulled from the pages of a John Grisham novel.

Josh Young is a bestselling author whose works spans entertainment, business, politics, science and natural history. He has coauthored five New York Times bestsellers and two national bestsellers. He is the coauthor of comedian Howie Mandel's Here's The Deal: Don't Touch Me, You're Only As Good As Your Next One with Mike Medavoy, Dr. Sam Parnia's Erasing Death: The Science That Is Rewriting The Boundaries Between Life And Death, and The Link: Uncovering Our Oldest Ancestor with Colin Tudge, which has been translated into five languages. Additionally, he is the coauthor of Pure Imagination: The Making of 'Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory' and David Attenborough's First Life: A Journey Back in Time with Matt Kaplan. On the film side, Josh served as Production Consultant on White House Down (June 2013). As a journalist, Josh has contributed to George magazine, Entertainment Weekly, LIFE magazine, The New York Times Sunday, The New Republic, Details, The (London) Sunday Telegraph, and Los Angeles.

"It's not a typical biography. Instead, it's like reading a collection of well-spun yarns. You almost feel as if you're in the same room with Levin and Young as Levin tells one amazing-but-true story after another." --The National Trial Lawyers Association "Because of what Fred did to bring Big Tobacco to its knees, he likely is responsible for saving 100,000 American lives each year. I'm proud to have him as one of my law partners." --Robert F. Kennedy Jr. "A Jewish trial lawyer from a small Southern town is named national boxing manager of the year and then made a chief of Ghana. It could only happen in America, and it could only happen to Fred." --Don King "He makes people feel comfortable with who they are and with what he is doing for them. He has done a lot for the African American community. He also throws amazing parties." --Emmitt Smith III, NFL all-time leading rusher "[The] Fred Levin I knew will always be a superstar in my mind." --Betty Williams, Nobel Peace Prize Winner "[Fred Levin's] success against the powerful on behalf of those with few champions has earned him election to the Trial Lawyer's Hall of Fame... Fred wins when most lose because he has true passion for justice." --Morris Dees, founder, Southern Poverty Law Center "...one of the most fascinating people I have ever met." --Terdema Ussery, Dallas Mavericks President "Fred Levin is one of the most talented lawyers in the history of the state of Florida." --Reubin Askew, former Governor of Florida "Explosive new book ... Upcoming blockbuster biography about Fred Levin." --GLOBE magazine