Twelve Angry Men

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A landmark American drama that inspired a classic film and a Broadway revival, featuring an introduction by David Mamet. This blistering character study examines the American melting pot and the judicial system that upholds it, showcasing a deep patriotic faith in the U.S. legal system. The play focuses on Juror Eight, the only holdout in an 11-1 guilty vote. Rather than seeking to prove the other jurors wrong, Eight aims to encourage them to view the case with clarity, free from personal biases. Reginald Rose skillfully strips away the layers of pretense, revealing a fuller picture of both the jurors and America, at its best and worst. Following the acclaimed 1954 teleplay, this drama became a cinematic masterpiece in 1957, with Rose writing the adaptation. More recently, it enjoyed a successful and award-winning run on Broadway. For over seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics offers a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres, providing authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes from distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, along with up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.