Editorial Review

"The first thing we do, let's kill all the lawyers." Read more

Reviews (17)

So, what are 20 lawyers at the bottom of the ocean?
JURISMANIA seemed like a congenial book for one to read after answering the above question with, "A good start."
Too big promise
If I had known beforehand, that Mr. Campos is an abortion-forbidder, I would not have read the book at all.
Juris-ranting
On the plus side, Paul Campos will make you think about the way our legal system works.On the whole I found I disagreed with many of his conclusions.
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Subjects:  1. Current Affairs    2. Law    3. Legal System    4. Litigation    5. Politics / Current Events    6. Politics/International Relations    7. United States - General    8. Abnormal psychology    9. Jurisprudence & philosophy of law    10. Law / Comparative    11. Law | Comparative Law and National Legal Systems    12. USA   

Editorial Review

Kim Isaac Eisler begins Read more

Reviews (6)

A Superficial Effort
This book relies entirely too much on clips from previously published sources. In addition, the authors did not interview many tribal members or people who aided this tribe get on the map. It feels like a book the author was simply rushing to finish. Too bad.

I Wish
This is the book I wish I had written -- but I never would have spent the time and effort on research that the writer did. As a Ledyard-based reporter in the early 1970s, I knew about that part of town referred to as the Indian Reservation, and I'd heard of the only old lady who lived there in a trailer, and her occasional grandchildren. Trouble is, in four years I never had the slightest inclination to write about her or the land or the story behind either. Nonetheless, as the casino developed, I was pleased that someone was beating city hall. In painstaking detail the author tells how it happened, including a good bit of history. It's a serious book, not just a compilation of gossip. An interesting part of Americana. But as Ledyard today tries to deal with all the traffic and tourists, I can't help but remember the hundreds of meetings I sat through where the town fathers agonized over how to attract visitors and to expand the town's economic base. The leader of the Historical Society was sure that restoring the vertical saw mill would do draw crowds. He never could have imagined that the answer could have been found in that trailer on that reservation at the far end of town!

Funny, ironic, fascinating
I always wondered how Foxwoods came to be. Now I know thanks to this witty and ironic account, which the Boston Globe says is far more accurate and attentive to the facts than the other book on the topic. Also contains a lot of good insight into gambling, why people gamble, and unlike a lot of non fiction, it doesnt bog you down. Great book! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Ethnic Studies - African American Studies - Histor    2. Ethnic Studies - Native American Studies    3. Ethnic Studies - Native American Studies - Tribes    4. Gambling    5. Gambling - General    6. Government relations    7. History    8. History - General History    9. Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nat    10. Native American    11. Native American Sociology    12. Pequot Indians    13. Social Science    14. Sociology    15. Current Events / Law   

Subjects:  1. American    2. Censorship    3. Constitutional - First Amendment    4. Current Affairs    5. General    6. Internet    7. Internet - General    8. Law    9. Law and legislation    10. Legal Reference / Law Profession    11. Politics/International Relations    12. Pornography    13. United States   

Subjects:  1. Capital punishment    2. Criminology    3. Current Affairs    4. Law    5. Moral and ethical aspects    6. Political aspects    7. Sociology    8. United States    9. Law / Criminal Law   

Editorial Review

The best part of this collection of essays remarking on the O. J. Simpson case is the reminder that what we saw on television and read in the newspaper wasn't the whole story. The authors--lawyers and academics for the most part--aren't primarily interested in questions of guilt or innocence. Instead, they look at the marketing of the Simpson trial and the falseness of the "race neutral" concept when applied to the trial and its aftermath. In the end, it's hard to disagree with Ann Ducille, who concludes that "If we are not actually the worse for it all . . . we have most certainly been shown at our worst by it." ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Cool and controlled rage
This is required reading for anybody interested in understanding the circus around O.J. Simpson's trial, in particular for liberl whites who pretended to have felt betrayed. The essays hardly deal with questions ofguilt or innocence (although I got the feeling that most authors didbelieve in O.J.'s guilt), but with the question of why the response was soviolent and bigoted, why white liberals accepted the trial by the media,some even joining in the media lynching. Essays are somewhat uneven, but ingeneral very good and enlightening. Particularly striking were Kimberl�Williams Crenshaw and Ishmael Reed, the former elegant and poised, thelatter in cold rage. Disappointing (for me, of course) were Ann duCillewith her pre-digested Marxism, and Claudia Brodsky Lacour, who spoke moreof Kant than of OJ, with a Baroque and convoluted style, quite appropriatefor the Enlightment but hardly for the subject at hand. A question thatcame to my mind was why white Liberals tend to believe that AfricanAmericans should be forever grateful when a White Liberal treats them asequal. And then, they feel betrayed when their white hands are not lickedin gratitude. After all, it is not a favor. Mind you, I happen to be whatis normally known as white.In summary, excellent collection, to be highlyrecommended to objective people trying to understand the bitterness ofAfrican Americans in today's America

Significant, THOUGHTFUL Contribution to Simpson Aftermath
This collection of essays is an accessible, thought-provoking work. If you want to get behind the unarticulated true reasons why Americans were so disturbingly fascinated by the Simpson case, the book gives you much tothink about. Yes, racism, sexism, distrust of the legal system, etc. isdiscussed, in many instances brilliantly. I will be using many of the ideasand concepts presented in this book in the work I do with young high schoolstudents and Stanford University students grappling with racism, genderissues and homophobia here in privileged, upscale Palo Alto. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1947-    2. California    3. Discrimination in criminal justice administration    4. Ethnic Issues    5. Ethnic Studies - African American Studies - General    6. General    7. Law    8. Law (Specific Aspects)    9. Legal History    10. Los Angeles    11. Murder - General    12. Simpson, O. J.,    13. Sociology    14. Trials (Homicide)    15. Trials (Murder)    16. Trials, litigation, etc    17. United States    18. Current Events / Law    19. Simpson, O. J   

Reviews (5)

Good but not great
In this work Tinsley Yarbrough seeks to summarize the work of the Rehnquist Court (up until 2000) concerning the seven dominate issues of constitutional adjudication. Yarbrough examines subjects such as governmental power, freedom of expression and religion, criminal justice, and unenumerated rights. Begining with a description of the appointments of the justices who conservatives hoped would finally kill the last remnants of the liberal Warren Court era, Yarbrough examines each of the most important issues and concludes that the Rehnquist Court has failed, at least generally, to achieve this hope. Instead, it has walked something of a more moderate role, sometimes limiting precedent but often reaffirming the core principles of the liberal activism of old. excellent book
i think if you go through this book you would realise justice is not blind but very racialy prejudiced i would prefer straight shooter brilliant jusice scalia,excellent book

Unfortunate addition to Yarbrough's resume
Mr. Yarbrough has a fine reputation as a leading judicial biographer: his previous works on Hugo Black, and the two Justices Harlan were impressive, detailed and interesting.With "The Rehnquist Court" he pumps out a minor achievement and a heavily slanted analysis of recent Constitutional decisions.There's no denying the hostility toward conservative/strict-constructionist judges and viewpoints and this, as a previous poster noted, deeply taints the work overall.In addition, Yarbrough's style (which has always tended to the dry and tedious) is here especially mind-numbing: the interesting constitutional issues under debate are hidden amongst irrelevant facts and long-winded prose.As a whole, I found the book very disappointing and the steep price tag wholly unwarranted. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1924-    2. Constitutional    3. Constitutional Law    4. Courts - General    5. Courts - Supreme Court    6. General    7. Judicial review    8. Law    9. Legal Reference / Law Profession    10. Political aspects    11. Rehnquist, William H.,    12. Supreme Court    13. United States    14. Civil law (general works)    15. Constitution: government & the state    16. Law / Constitutional    17. Law | Constitutional Law    18. Law-Constitutional    19. Political Science-General    20. USA   

Subjects:  1. Current Affairs    2. Law    3. Legal History    4. Legal Reference / Law Profession    5. Legal System    6. Politics/International Relations    7. United States - General    8. Civil law (general works)    9. History: theory & methods    10. USA   

Editorial Review

Most people, upon hearing gunfire, would run away and hide. Conflict photojournalists have the opposite reaction: they actually look for trouble, and when they find it, get as close as possible and stand up to get the best shot. This thirst for the shot and the seeming nonchalance to the risks entailed earned Greg Marinovich, Joao Silva, Ken Oosterbroek, and Kevin Carter the moniker of the Bang-Bang Club. Oosterbroek was killed in township violence just days before South Africa's historic panracial elections. Carter, whose picture of a Sudanese child apparently being stalked by a vulture won him a Pulitzer Prize, killed himself shortly afterwards. Another of their posse, Gary Bernard, who had held Oosterbroek as he died, also committed suicide.Read more

Reviews (7)

Great
Great book, i've read most of the bio/autobio's about the old guys, Bob Capa, HCB ect and this is a whole new game. These guys were in my opinion, better than their older counterparts, the risks seem higher and with less payoff.

Excellent Read
This is a disturbing book. After the first three chapters I put it down and only picked it up again two months later. Perhaps I was just emotionally at low ebb the first time, but the brutal honesty of the descriptions in those first chapters got to me. Even though I am a South African and lived through that eventful period, I was unprepared for the honesty of the authors. At the second attempt I finished the book and am glad that I did as it is really well worth the read. Five Stars
This is an exciting account of South Africa, as observed through the lenses of four "conflict photojournalists", roughly between the time of Mandela's release to South Africa's first non-racial elections.There is a gripping, raw and ultimately, compassionate, quality about the writing, and the photos powerfully convey the horrors that this country went through.Equally enlightening are the insights into conflict photography, and the moral issues that arise by being a witness (and recorder) of human suffering.This book would interest anyone who's ever wondered how conflict photographers get into those crazy situations, the risks they took (sometimes fatal), and the adrenaline-laced thoughts that rush through their minds. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Africa - South - South Africa    2. Africa - South Africa    3. Bang-Bang Club    4. Current Affairs    5. Death squads    6. Law    7. Massacres    8. Photojournalism    9. Political History    10. Politics - Current Events    11. Politics / Current Events    12. Politics/International Relations    13. South Africa    14. Violence    15. Essays, journals, letters & other prose works    16. Political structure & processes    17. Press & journalism    18. Racism & racial discrimination    19. Republic of South Africa    20. Current Events    21. Biography/Memoir    22. Military History    23. Art    24. Western Europe    25. Terrorism   

Editorial Review

What--Read more

Reviews (134)

Fascinating well researched page turner
Very objective treatment of the scandals that nearly toppled the Clinton presidency.Hardcore liberals and conservatives may be disappointed, but the rest of us will appreciate Toobin's witty writeup of the hypocrites on both sides.A+++

Yawn....
What this clown calls a 'vast right wing conspiracy' is, in reality, 'the opposition'. When Mr. Zipper attributed the OK City bombing to right wing talk radio, he earned every diatribe ever thrown at him times a million.

A classic in the making
I suspect A VAST CONSPIRACY will become one of the classic acounts of the Clinton impeachment scandal.Toobin distinguishes himself with thoroughness, factual clarity, and analytical even-handedness.He is willing to dissect and criticize both sides.His conclusion--that the Constitution-shredding rage of Clinton's attackers trumped the president's tawdry adultery and lying--is spot-on, lights out, dead-solid perfect.Read more

Subjects:  1. 1946-    2. 20th century    3. Clinton, Bill,    4. General    5. History    6. History: American    7. Political corruption    8. Relations with women    9. Sexual behavior    10. U.S. History - 1990s    11. U.S. President    12. United States    13. Central government    14. Clinton, Bill    15. Current Events / Law    16. Impeachment    17. USA    18. c 1990 to c 2000   

Editorial Review

Daniel Petrocelli is the attorney who represented Fred Goldman and his family in their civil suit against O.J. Simpson for the death of their son Ron. (As such, he also coordinated the simultaneous prosecution of suits brought by Ron Goldman's biological mother and by the estate of Simpson's ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson.) In Read more

Reviews (44)

Preponderance of Evidence
"Triumph of Justice" is probably the best account by an "insider" of the Simpson legal and criminal saga.Civil attorney Daniel Petrocelli was hired by the Goldman family to represent them and bring justice for their son and brother, Ron and he takes the reader along on his first meeting with the Goldmans, to sharing memories of Ron, the tragedy of his life being cut so short, and the depositions and half-truths given by Simpson.Parts of the civil trial may be a bit heavy handed for the more impatient, but getting an inside glimpse of the civil trial, which received far less media attention that its criminal counterpart (not to mention, a firmer no-nonsense judge who would not allow cameras in his courtroom, nor any media pandering)is worthwhile.Far from being shown as a charasmatic, personable former athlete, Simpson comes across as a smarmy, cocky, self-absorbed guilty individual.His civil trial attorneys seemed, at least thru "Triumph", overwhelmed with the enormity of their client and the many half-truths and blatant lies he told.By comparison, Petrocelli steamrolled both them and Simpson and finishing the book, you come away with a deep sense of regret that Petrocelli couldn't have represented the State in the criminal matter.
outstanding
The definitive book on the Simpson case.Daniel Petrocelli and his fellow lawyers brilliantly dissected and debunked every myth about the Simpson case.I found the book very entertaining and well written and an excellent primer on how to do direct and cross examination of a witness.
Boring and incompetent writing
Petrocelli (and/or his ghost writer) have put together a book that is replete with incorrect use of the language in terms of tenses and punctuation marks, and the writing style is without any real sense of flow. I found this effort tedious and poorly organized, certainly not worthy of an attorney of his stature -- unless it was written soley for the money that nearly any book about O.J. Simpson can produce. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1947-    2. California    3. Case studies    4. Infamous Crimes And Criminals    5. Law    6. Los Angeles    7. Murder - General    8. Simpson, O. J.,    9. Trials (Homicide)    10. Trials (Murder)    11. Trials, litigation, etc    12. True Crime    13. Crime & criminology    14. Current Events / Law    15. Simpson, O. J    16. USA   

Subjects:  1. Human Rights    2. Individual And The State    3. International    4. International Courts    5. Law    6. Political Freedom & Security - Civil Rights    7. Political Freedom & Security - Human Rights    8. Politics / Current Events    9. Politics/International Relations    10. Prevention    11. Torture    12. Torture (International law)    13. Torture victims    14. Political oppression & persecution    15. United Nations & UN agencies   

Editorial Review

Former CIA spook Frank Snepp was one of the last Americans lifted off the U.S. embassy in Saigon in 1975, at the tail end of the Vietnam War. In the days leading up to that fateful moment, he complained that the United States needed to do more to protect its intelligence assets, most of whom were left behind. "We'd betrayed the Vietnamese who'd depended on us," writes Snepp in Read more

Reviews (7)

Absorbing Description of Life After the CIA!
One of the aspects of organizational whistle-blowing that makes it such a hazardous choice for the individual wanting to tell the explosive truth he has to share with us is the fact that too often he or she must pay a terrible personal price for the singular act of selflessness the whistleblowing represents. So here in the case of former CIA analyst Frank Snepp, who used his considerable writing skills to such advantage in the best-selling book "Decent Interval", which details the manifest ways in which the American government deliberately misled, betrayed, and deceived the government and people of South Vietnam by deciding to withdraw all American forces and then allow the North Vietnamese Army (NVA) to execute what would almost certainly be a fatal sweep southward to envelop and overwhelm the Army of the Republic Of Vietnam (ARVN). 5 stars as post-modern fiction, 0 as history!
There's some Augie March here, a bit of Pnin, maybe some Bech, and one is always waiting for the author to fall in love with a cow a la Ike Snopes, but the analog which kept returning to me is The Sot-Weed Factor.You have to love these features: the author laments that women can't stop falling in love with him (and, incidentally, giving him money); he is bewildered as to what other people do when they don't have any money (hint: like those 130,000 VN refugees, maybe get a job, Frank?)He is offended by an opposing lawyer who 'hid out' in law school during the VN era (uh, Frank, you hid out in grad school yourself.)Over and over, he is betrayed by friends and lovers; hilariously, he seems to be the only one not to see why nobody likes him.Try this: he even reports suffering flashbacks of VC in the treeline! (Earth to Frank: try to remember, you never actually spent a night on the ground . . .)Despite his pretense of self-investigation, this fellow is markedly less introspective than Rabbit Angstrom himself.Conclusion: were it fiction, this would be a work of genius; as autobiography, it ranks with Zsa Zsa and her ilk.

Important Revelations
This ex-CIA agent provides the most detailed account to date of the operations of the CIA inside South Vietnam. Giving a first hand account of high-level disagreements. Replete with important disclosures. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Central Intelligence Agency    2. Conspiracy & Scandal Investigations    3. Constitutional - First Amendment    4. Decent interval    5. Freedom of the press    6. History - U.S.    7. Law    8. Legal History    9. National security    10. Prior restraint    11. Snepp, Frank    12. Trials, litigation, etc    13. United States    14. United States - 20th Century    15. Espionage & secret services    16. Freedom of information & freedom of speech    17. USA   

Reviews (4)

A Bathroom read...Not bad though
This book is one that has many entertaining stories, as well as some that are just plain insignificant and stupid.The author uses every story he could get his hands on that has some element of humor or interesting facts and puts it in the book.However, while many of the stories are outrageously funny, a majority are just filler. A Bathroom read...Not bad though
Thios book is one that has many entertaining stories, as well as some that are just plain insignificant and stupid.The author uses every story he could get his hands on that has some lement of humor ow interesting facts and puts it in the book.However, while many of the stories are outrageously funny, a majority are just filler. A few laughs; a few chuckles; some filler.
This is a quick read, and some of the funny stories will make you chuckle -- if not laugh -- out loud. But, sadly, there is a lot of unfunny filler--tales of young lawyers whose representation of their trusting clients was poor indeed. Moreover, some of the material--the amusing excerpts from court and deposition transcripts--come from a book published by a court-reporter association ("Disorder in the Court") and have been on the internet rounds for so long that the excerpts have fairly heavy beards. Read more

Subjects:  1. Anecdotes    2. Current Affairs    3. Humor    4. Law    5. Legal Reference / Law Profession    6. Legal System    7. Legal Writing    8. Practice Of Law    9. United States    10. Law / General   

Reviews (4)

fighting for a cause
I would agree with the reviews which claim that this book tells one side of a major debate, but I do not consider this a fault. The author never claims to be presenting a fair and balanced account of the death penalty, nor does he claim the status of an expert on capital punishment. Contrary to what one might be lead to believe from other reviews, I certainly do not understand the book, to assert that capital punishment is Unconstitutional, but simply gives an overview of an organization that fights to make sure that if the death penalty must be administered, it be administered in a constitutional and fair manner, in one of the most sad death penalty systems in the country. In sum, if you are looking for an in depth debate on the constitutional and policy aspects of capital punishment, read Furman v. Georgia, not this book. If you want to read about a group of warriors wit top notch legal abilities who sacrifice all the riches and political clout such ability could bring them, in exchange for 30k per year and fighting for a cause they believe in, this is the book to read.

More a hagiography than an insightful account
The chief virtue of this book is its brevity; its chief vice is that it is not clear what purpose it is intended to serve. Excelllent primer on death "penalty" in USA
The format of the book is less than ideal. I think the author adopted a format that centered on character sketches of a group of death-penalty lawyers because he wanted to emphasize that the whole business is aboutpeople, not about abstract ideas. Read more

Subjects:  1. Capital punishment    2. Criminal Law - General    3. Criminology    4. Current Affairs    5. Georgia    6. Government - State & Provincial    7. History    8. Law    9. Legal Reference / Law Profession    10. Politics/International Relations    11. Trials (Homicide)    12. Trials (Murder)    13. Biography: general    14. Criminal law    15. USA   

Reviews (8)

Interesting look at Islam in Egypt
Caryle Murphy was the Washington Post's bureau chief in Cairo for a good long while, and she now covers religion for the Post now, living in Washington. This book was apparently in preparation before 9/11--almost all of the events in the text occurred in the late 90s or earlier. Murphy interviewed a number of people, including Islamists of various stripes, secularists, government officials, clerics, and other observers. The result is an interesting picture of Egyptian society and its relationship with its Muslim citizen.
Where do Islamic Insurgencies come from?
I just caught up to an excellent book by Pulitzer-Prize-winning journalist Caryle Murphy, who spent three years in Cairo as Egypt's bureau chief for the Washington Post. During that time, Murphy covered the first Iraqi war and spent countless hours meeting and interviewing Egyptian citizens, as well as the powerhouses who help shape Middle Eastern policy.We Americans on the home front, traditionally ignorant about other cultures, have muchto learn from this informative, easy-to-read book.
A great focused look by an on-the-scene observer
Passion For Islam is a great book for anyone interested in learning something about the rise of various Islamic movements in Egypt over the years.One of the books strengths is its focus on the specific experience of Egypt, where the author lived and worked as a journalist for several years during the 1990's.Murphy doesn't attempt to assess or explain what's happening in the Islamic world in general, or to draw broad conclusions on matters beyond the specific scope of the book, i.e. the Egyptian experience.Read more

Subjects:  1. 20th century    2. Current Affairs    3. Egypt    4. General    5. Islam    6. Islam - General    7. Islam and politics    8. Islam and state    9. Islamic Government    10. Law    11. Politics / Current Events    12. Politics/International Relations    13. Social aspects    14. Current Events / International    15. Islamic studies    16. Political ideologies    17. Political structure & processes    18. Terrorism, freedom fighters, armed struggle   

Reviews (2)

An important legal issues guide and survey.
This updated, revised new edition includes new contributions and new legaldecisions and court cases as it considers issues of sexual harassment andoutlines the legal and moral problems of battling the problem. Fromdefinitions of such harassment at work to its legal ramifications, thisprovides an important guide.

From a victim's perspective
Although the book provided overwhelming substantiation to the topic of sexual harassment, the book lacked a degree of personalization from a victim's perspective.However, the book does provide an exhaustive andgood theorist's view of sexual harassment -- which is good if in fact thatis what you are looking to read.My interest were more aligned with thevictim's perspective and thus more interested in a practitioner (vice)theorist view of:(1) victim experience(s); and (2) detailed harasserprofile.One thing I have found that this book lacked as well as severalothers is that most assume that the female/victim is the subordinate andthat the harasser is the "supervisor."The (3) key issues insubsequent investigations are an examination of the:(1) advance,(2)response and (3) employment consequence -- where the female/victim doesnot necessarily have to be the subordinate.Believe this book and othersshould address this issue in greater detail. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Human Resources & Personnel Management    3. Law    4. Law and legislation    5. Sex Discrimination In Employment    6. Sexual harassment of women    7. Social Conditions Of Labor    8. Sociology    9. United States    10. Women & Business    11. Women's Studies - General   

Editorial Review

For coauthors Linda Hirshman and Jane Larson, sex is a matter of political negotiation. Focusing on heterosexual practice in four specific forms--rape, fornication, adultery, and prostitution--they trace the history and law of sexual regulation in the West from the ancients to the present day. In the final section, they lay out their "prescription for a new sexual order," proposing "that the touchstone for political legitimacy requires the recognition that women are political players, that adult heterosexuality is a political relationship, and that the goal of sexual politics is neither to be the handmaid of an antique morality nor the umpire in a free-for-all between unequal players."Read more

Reviews (3)

Over-reliant on a trendy but sterile methodology
Hirshman and Larson, law professors at Brandeis and the University of Wisconsin, see a remarkable transformation in American politics: private sexual negotiations formerly dominated by men have become publicnegotiations with recourse to public standards of justice and fairness.