Can the police strip-search a woman who has been arrested for a minor traffic violation? Can a magazine publish an embarrassing photo of you without your permission? Does your boss have the right to read your email? Can a company monitor its employees' off-the-job lifestyles--and fire those who drink, smoke, or live with a partner of the same sex? Although the word privacy does not appear in the Constitution, most of us believe that we have an inalienable right to be left alone. Yet in arenas that range from the battlefield of abortion to the information highway, privacy is under siege. In this eye-opening and sometimes hair-raising book, Alderman and Kennedy survey hundreds of recent cases in which ordinary citizens have come up against the intrusions of government, businesses, the news media, and their own neighbors. At once shocking and instructive, up-to-date and rich in historical perspective, The Right to Private is an invaluable guide to one of the most charged issues of our time.



"Anyone hoping to understand the sometimes precarious state of privacy in modern America should start by reading this book."--Washington Post Book World


"Skillfully weaves together unfamiliar, dramatic case histories...a book with impressive breadth."--Time

Average Customer Review: ( 23 customer reviews )
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In this wonderful, eminently accessible, and very readable book, Ellen Alderman and Caroline Kennedy, produce a gem of a work that offers a thoughtful, absorbing, and provocative overview of what the generally perceived (although not specifically Constitutionally defined) right to privacy means for us as citizens and individuals. Using a well-integrated series of landmark cases, trial decisions, and an entertaining plethora of anecdotal situations, the authors render this abstract, complicated, and critically important legal right much more understandable and comprehensible. As with their earlier book, "In Our Defense", Alderman and Kennedy transform the arcane legal language of various laws, regulations, and court decisions into relevant and compelling arguments that help the reader understand just how central to our basic liberties the right to privacy is.

The book examines six general areas of tension and concern regarding the right to privacy; privacy versus law enforcement, privacy and your self, privacy versus the press, privacy versus the voyeur, privacy in the workplace, and privacy versus information. In examining each of these issues, the authors engage what the right to privacy means in practical terms. For example, can one refuse to comply if a police officer asks permission to look through one's luggage? Does your employer have a right to know your sexual orientation? Can the electronic media invade your home in pursuit of a hot story? In each of these cases, they also show how the rights to privacy must be seen and understood in the context of other public and individual rights and prerogatives.

In all this cogent and compelling narrative, one hear the consistent voice of caution and reason, for the authors are mindful of the fact that we live in a society in which our individual rights as citizens and individuals are under continuing assault, and are very much under threat from other competing needs and concerns. This is an extremely thoughtful, straightforward, and an eminently compelling argument on behalf of public education and enlightened self-interest. This is a wonderful book, and one I highly recommend. Enjoy.

25 of 28 found the following review helpful:

Real people, real cases-America's right to privacyApr 07, 2000
By Michelle M.
This book takes real people and cases to display the ways the right to privacy affects us in America today. The authors--one a public figure and the other not--show privacy issues dealing with the press, our body, law enforcement, the vouyer, and the work place. The authors make you think for yourself based upon decisions and cases that state and federal courts have heard in the past. I encourage anyone who is interested in their rights dealing with privacy to read this book.

11 of 12 found the following review helpful:

This book is a eye-openerJul 25, 1999

This book should be read by anyone who is concerned about the issues that surround our rights to privacy. Alderman and Kennedy review real-life court cases to show the audience how our laws come to be. The subjects that are focused on, are the police strip-search cases, school search cases, right to die cases, right to contraception cases, and privacy in the workplace to name a few. There is also a little segment on the issues of technology (the world wide web) and privacy. Kennedy is a very qualified person to write this book, because she grew up in the media glare having very little privacy herself, and understands firsthand what it is like to have a basic fundamental right violated. The right to privacy is a very serious issue in the United States. Alderman and Kennedy do a very fine job explaining how easily our basic fundamental right to privacy can be violated. I highly recommend this book as it is very easy to read and understand.

14 of 17 found the following review helpful:

We Don't Have The Rights We Think We HaveApr 23, 1998
By Robert Derenthal "bucherwurm"
Many Americans adopt the concept that if they personally think something is right, then there must be an existing law that agrees. We think we have a basic right to privacy, but, surprise, we don't. Ms Kennedy, and Ms Alderman do a good job of presenting what rights we have, and, sad to say, what privacy rights are not guaranteed us.

4 of 4 found the following review helpful:

A Great Book on Privacy in the CourtsNov 18, 2004
By jbx2usa "jbx2us"
I enjoyed this book, even though it is heavy on legal court cases. Don't let that fool you, though, it's not a legal reference. This book covers significant cases in privacy using a very interesting approach. There a interviews and behind-the-scenes stories that explain what happened, how the plaintiff felt, and what the outcome was.

If you liked this book you will love "The Digital Umbrella." It is a great compliment to this book.

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