Outrageous Hero was researched and written over  the course of a five-year period. It was inspired by a speech given by President Donald J. Trump in his first months of office during which he called for the immediate extradition of Joanne Chesimard from Cuba. (Barack H. Obama failed to mention Chesimard at all during his eight years in office.) 

 

Over one hundred source materials of every variety were utilized during the research phase of book development.  The result is a richly documented work with nearly 600 footnotes throughout. Additionally, unlike most accounts covering the radicals of this era, special attention was given to the invaluable information contained in the dozens of published court case opinions and caselaw authority concerning Chesimard and her outlaw associates (see bibliography).

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The book opens with the 1973 shootout on the New Jersey Turnpike between three BLA soldiers, including Chesimard, and two state troopers. The result of the melee was the cold blooded execution of Trooper Werner Foerster and a first degree murder conviction for Chesimard.  

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Thereafter, the book proceeds chronologically from her early years, through radicalization, through her violent reign of revolutionary terror, capture, imprisonment and escape. We then examine her life in Cuba and law enforcements efforts at recapture. In the final chapters, we detail the praise and admiration heaped on Chesimard by a surprising number of individuals and organizations, and dispel commonly repeated myths, lies and urban legends. 

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The book contains additional photos (not included on this site). A review of the index reveals a surprising array of well-known individuals who, in one way or another, are part of the Chesimard saga.