In Our Defense: The Bill of Rights in Action by Ellen Alderman and Caroline Kennedy (1992)
This book found its way onto my summer reading list late in the game. I picked it up at a library sale where I also found The Brethren.
I wasn't a poli sci major and the Bill of Rights rarely, probably never, came up in conversation for my degree. What's great about this book is that it breaks down each amendment (should that be capitalized?) and uses simple cases to frame their importance. I found the cases interesting and engaging. The writing style is very easy to follow and the pages flew by quickly.
Even though I don't have con law my first semester I'm still happy I read this. It has helped me frame ideas that have come up frequently in the Supreme Court history I'm currently reading. I'm sure similar ideas will thread my textbooks too.
I'm still trudging along in my "summer before law school reading" and let me tell you, it sucks! I just finished A Civil Action by Jonathan Harr. It was a used copy and it stunk...literally. Whoever owned this book either lived in a bar or chose to use it to elevate their ashtray. There were times when I had to put the book down because it stunk so much.
The story? Eh...it reminded me of Erin Brockovich. I did find the financial aspects of the case interesting, but not enough to keep my nose in the book as the cover claimed I would. It's a deceiving book in that it's over 400 pages. I would've tried to knock it down to 250, there just seemed a lot of something that I could've done without. Anyone interested in reading it just send an e-mail. I will gladly mail it to you as I don't want it stinking up my house any longer!
I just finished reading The Brethren: Inside the Supreme Court by Bob Woodward and Scott Armstrong. I would recommend it to anyone wanting a better understanding of the Supreme Court. The book covers 1968-1975 which saw the death of Justice Black, retired Chief Justice Warren, and the resignations of Fortas, Harlan, and Douglas. Woodward is an excellent writer who made the cases seem alive even though they're almost forty years old.
It's also a fun read. At one point I was reading how Justice Douglas left the hospital (he had a stroke) and went shopping at Abercrombie and Fitch. All I could picture was an old man in the store as we know it today. I can't possibly imagine what the store was like back then.
The June LSAT is coming up and I'm happy to say that I don't care! I never have to look at that exam again! However, I bought this book while I was studying for the LSAT and thought I would post my two cents on it. I was looking for a book that would question my thinking about law school and this helped. There are quizzes with a scoring system. There is a breakdown of different areas of the law. The book is divided into three sections: before, during and after law school. I think it's a great resource for anyone having questions. I like how the authors talk about how it's alright to learn, to admit that law school isn't for everyone. Afterall, life is a learning process.
Shells was talking about her adventures while her boyfriend is abroad and then studying for the bar. I'm pretty much in the same boat. The Janitor started on Monday and from 6:30pm on I pretend he's not here. I should be using the time to some Garner exercises or summer reading but I haven't. Instead I've been updating my Facebook profile. Why? Because I had not done it in three years and I had several friend requests. Lame, I know...
It's here that I should note that I am not fond of social networking sites. However my opinion is starting to change since I will be moving and it seems to be a good one stop check in on friends and life updates. In fact I've reconnected with some friends I didn't even know lived in the same city as me. I've also been shopping, watching movies, and cleaning house. The next book on my summer reading list is The Nature of the Judicial Process by Cardozo. At this rate it may not make it off the list as I cannot get into it. I'm not going to read something I can't get into or grasp by page 20. I'll work on it though...if anything to get the practice of reading something I really don't want to read.
This is the second book in this mentoring series that I've read and it was much easier to stay involved than Letters to a Young Mathematician. While searching for a book photo I came across a review claiming this to be Dershowitz's memoir. Its not and I think he would laugh at the notion that someone felt it was.
While I am not yet a lawyer, I do live with one. I greatly enjoyed the thoughts that were aroused by the letters and the subsequent conversations that The Janitor and I had. I would say that this book is more an introduction to criminal justice theory and advice to those going into criminal law than a mentoring series encompassing law. What I also enjoyed was that many of the letters were universal--don't lie, don't cheat, be a good person, etc. It's pretty easy to agree with what he is saying when it's about being a good person.
I don't think you can read anything by Dershowitz without having it be political. I was able to walk away learning tidbits of news, political relationships and gossip that I found interesting enough to consider reading anything by him again, and I intend to this summer. I think I'll plan on re-reading this during law school. I would label it one of those books to re-read every now and then since it discusses character and character development.
Several of the recommended pre-law school reading lists included this book. So I bought it and today learned that I could have read it on Google Books for free, rats!
I did some background research on Bastiat and his beliefs before reading this. I found that it helped me understand what I was reading and where he was coming from with some of his ideas. The short book discusses what law means and why it is important. Bastiat was an anti-socialist writing in the 19th century. He clearly states his position against socialism and how the law acts, or is transformed under socialism (and eventually deteriorates into communism). He viewed the U.S. as a good example of a country where the law, as an idea and structure, was being utilized well. I can see this being used as a starting point for a discussion on the role of law within societies. I would say that this is an interesting philosophical read. I also found it easy to read through once I understood the context in which the book was written.
Not knowing what to expect regarding law school I decided to create a pre-law school reading list. I chose this route so that I can familiarize myself with law language, concepts and somewhat dry reading ahead of time. I also have a tendency to speed read which I am trying to correct since I don't always read carefully enough which I would think would be important for class. So I scanned the internet for suggested reading lists (found here, here, here, here and here) and compiled my own list. The Janitor had his own suggestions from his own library and helped me organize the reading order. I have tried to keep the list diversified enough to keep me interested and am positive that I will not finish all of these books. (I now call this "Cowenizing" a book since Tyler Cowen often doesn't finish books once he gets bored or sees the overall idea. Time is a precious resource.) Some of the books I've read out of order, because order isn't everything.
Here it is:
- Letters to a Young Lawyer by Alan Dershowitz
- No Equal Justice by David Cole
- The Law by Frederick Bastiat
- Nature of the Judicial Process by Benjamin Cardozo
- America Declares Independence by Alan Dershowitz
- A People's History of the Supreme Court by Peter Irons
- The Nine: Inside the Secret World of the Supreme Court by Jeffrey Toobin
- Property Legalines
- Barbri First Year Review (for the general idea of concepts covered)
- Should You Really Be a Lawyer? by Deborah Schneider and Gary Belsky
- A Woman's Guide to Law School by Linda R. Hirshman
- Becoming Gentlemen by Lani Guinier
- Getting to Maybe by Richard Michael Fischl
- The Brethren by Bob Woodward
- Bleak House by Charles Dickens (I might just watch the BBC series.)
- Legal Writing in Plain English by Bryan A. Garner
Is anyone else out there planning to read anything? Don't worry I also read for pleasure. In fact I just finished How to Make Love Like A Porn Star which is Jenna Jameson's autobiography, a great book for anyone interested.
