Joe Wallenstein, the Director of Physical Production at the USC School of Cinematic Arts, has worn too many hats to count during his career. His titles have included, but are not limited to, screenwriter, director, producer, educator, speaker, and non-fiction author. In March 2021, Wallenstein added “true crime author” to the list with his latest book Flynn and Miranda: Your Right to Remain Silent.

The historical novel is a fictional account of the true story of Ernesto Miranda’s arrest and trial which led to the term “Mirandizing” becoming household knowledge. Mirandizing refers to a crime suspect being read their rights, including the right to remain silent, during an arrest. The case eventually made it to the Supreme Court and took a massive toll on all involved. Wallenstein took the famous court case and made it into an accessible, human story.

“Everyone has heard of the Miranda rights but not one in a thousand, even lawyers, knows how those rights came to be or who paid the price to achieve them,” said Wallenstein. “This novel is about two men from opposite ends of the human social spectrum who came together in one blazing moment of legal history and how that moment changed their lives and the lives of all Americans." 

The Supreme Court’s ruling on Miranda has been controversial and criticized in law-enforcement quarters, but it has entered the mainstream,

“‘You have the right to remain silent,’ has become embedded in the English language because it has been stated in all 456 episodes of ‘Law and Order’ and every other show or movie involving police action," Wallenstein notes. 

Wallenstein conducted extensive research for the novel, including interviewing John Flynn, the constitutional attorney who took up Ernesto Miranda's conviction.  A highly regarded defense lawyer, who was recruited for his case by the ACLU.

To view the book on Amazon, please visit: https://www.amazon.com/Flynn-Miranda-Right-Remain-Silent-ebook/dp/B08WPTQ1S2