Rating: 
Summary: A Great Read about a Great Guy
Review: This book gives a compelling picture of the kind of person who John Edwards is and the kind of intellectual brilliance, emapthy, and passion he brings to his courtroom work. I was amazed to find this a terrific read, because the courtroom stories are so interesting and well told and because of the pciture of the person that emerges. On hears Edwards' voice in all of this, a man who wants to help those in need, who cares about his family and other peoples' families, and someone who can reflect and learn from his experiences.
Whatever one's politics, I think this book will be a page turner, a spirit lifter, and a thought provoker. It has always amused me that those who defend the negligently injured people who could never affort $500 and up for a lawyer are well-regarded by some than corporate lawyers who make those salaries for doing work no less intellectual challenging and certainly no more humanly important.
Rating:
Summary: Trial lawyer as hero? You bet!
Review: This book just might change your opinion of lawyers forever. Edwards dispels the pervasive cultural prejudice against lawyers by telling four compelling true stories of tragedy and justice. These are stories of people whose lives were ruined by circumstances beyond their control. The law could never give back to them what they had lost. What it could do, with the help of one compassionate lawyer named John Edwards, was to help minimize the negative impact their tragedies would have on the rest of their lives.Four Trials is moving and poignant. It is also no less than a restorative tonic for one's faith in the American system of justice. John Edwards' character, his love for people, and his great respect for the law shine through in the book. Reading it impressed me so much with his integrity and compassion that I now have a new hero and a new dream for this country: to make this man President some day.
Rating:
Summary: A great book for voter and litigator alike
Review: This book not only gives a good picture of the man and his family, but is full of instructive anecdotes for trial attorneys, particularly on openings, closings and how to keep the "big picture" in mind -- a difficult task at trial with its masses of important and pressing details. There are a few episodes that I hope were written as being pitched to non-trial attorney types -- Edwards' perplexity in the face of the long winded expert's responses and the "revelation/solution" of using depo transcript excerpts could not have played out the way it did -- even bad trial attorneys know to use the transcrpits as impeachment, impeachment being a central reason for taking the depo testimony in the first place. Certainly a trial attorney of Edwards' stellar caliber would use the transcripts in impeachment without hesitation (and probably to devastating effect). It may, moreover, be safer to save the question for which you have no corresponding impeachment testimony for the second to lasr question so that you can assure finishing with a florish guaranteed by having impeachment testimony saved for the last question (But then again, I don't have hundreds of millions in jury verdicts and settlements, so don't listen to me). Well worth the money and very well executed.
Rating: 
Summary: Interesting insight into the Presidential Candidate
Review: Written "with John Auchard," this book actually manages to capture the essence of the Democratic candidate without being overly sentimental. The fact that Edwards has consistently run his campaign with unflagging sportsmanship and integrity (to date, anyway...keep up the good work, John!) makes the reader believe that the ethics and determination displayed in the book is true to life. I was concerned that he was another "get rich quick Personal Injury lawyer," but Edwards comes across more as a family man and patriot. Whether or not he gets my vote remains to be seen. But in the meanwhile, I don't hesitate to promote his book!
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