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Rating: 
Summary: A great blend of stories and information
Review: Although this book was written almost 20 years ago, the constitutional issues briught forth are timeless. I may not agree with his politics, but I can now understand how Dershowitz can sway a jury.A phenomenal writer, Dershowitz takes his own experiences and transcends them onto paper in way that the average reader is truly gripped by the story. Along the way, we learn some of his background, we can understand his views, and we can understand how courts and government interact with the law of the land. Dershowitz is not afraid to press his personal viewpoints, but he does not make that the focus of the book. Instead, he focuses on telling stories, describing supreme injustices, and informing teh reder as to the workings of the modern day court system. I felt his examples were well chosen and fit with his goal to expose the reader to a broad view of the constitutional issues that must be faced by society. I would have liked if some opposing viewpoints to the arguments were mentioned, but then we would not have a book solely written by Dershowitz, would we? Overall, this book will entertain and inform any reader interested in the law, constitutional rights, or just courtroom dramas in general. I found the book very intriguing and Dershowitz has shown that he is just as good a writer as he is a lwayer.
Rating:
Summary: A great blend of stories and information
Review: Although this book was written almost 20 years ago, the constitutional issues briught forth are timeless. I may not agree with his politics, but I can now understand how Dershowitz can sway a jury. A phenomenal writer, Dershowitz takes his own experiences and transcends them onto paper in way that the average reader is truly gripped by the story. Along the way, we learn some of his background, we can understand his views, and we can understand how courts and government interact with the law of the land. Dershowitz is not afraid to press his personal viewpoints, but he does not make that the focus of the book. Instead, he focuses on telling stories, describing supreme injustices, and informing teh reder as to the workings of the modern day court system. I felt his examples were well chosen and fit with his goal to expose the reader to a broad view of the constitutional issues that must be faced by society. I would have liked if some opposing viewpoints to the arguments were mentioned, but then we would not have a book solely written by Dershowitz, would we? Overall, this book will entertain and inform any reader interested in the law, constitutional rights, or just courtroom dramas in general. I found the book very intriguing and Dershowitz has shown that he is just as good a writer as he is a lwayer.
Rating:
Summary: SOME FRIGHTENING STATS TOO!
Review: Forget what you've seen on television. This book reveals Prof. Dershowitz for what he truly is--a principled civil libertarian of the first order. I was fortunate enough to study criminal law with Prof. Dershowitz, and this book recounts the very best of his early "war stories." It's as readable as fiction, and far more interesting! Read this book and find out why William F. Buckley, whose politics differ widely from Prof. Dershowitz's, called for him to receive the Medal of Freedom for his "fundamentalist" defense of the American legal system. From Soviet Jews, to teenagers on death row, to porn-star Harry Reems, Prof. Dershowitz has defended the powerless and the unpopular and suffered the criticism of others with good humor and a constant willingness to debate. I read this book in high school, and again in law school. I cannot recommend it highly enough.
Rating:
Summary: An arcane process made fascinating
Review: The author of this book is a law professor who does appellant work part time. Unlike the cut and thrust of jury work appeals have generally been seen as dry rarefied and uninteresting. The author however writes in an entertaining and self deprecating way which brings the process alive. It is one of the most enjoyable books written about the law that I have read for some time. The author also writes about the cases he loses. So many books by advocates focus on the success and are about self grandisment. Overall the impression given is how much of a dogged slog it is to achieve justice in the American System and how much calculation and thought has to go into every strategy and move. One of the amazing things in the book is how the author is so critical of a number of judges and how willing he is to make those criticisms. It is an excellent book which shows the many flaws and weakness of the American justice system.
Rating:
Summary: Dershowitz's Laws
Review: The first ten pages will teach the average reader more than a year of reading a newspaper or ten years of watching "Law and Order." What is more, Dershowitz backs his account with personal experiences and harrowing tales. Such anecdotal evidence is not compelling but can serve as a wakeup call. The author lays out laws of criminal justice, not as portrayed in books or ideals, but as practiced in courtrooms. The most telling of these is the last -- no one wants justice. To be sure, that law is imprecisely put. What Dershowitz means is that, in an adversary system, almost no participant wants to do justice more than she or he wants to win. Why might such an insight matter? Well, when I listened to Marcia Clark and Geraldo Rivera and others whine about O.J., I was nonplussed to endure their cant about the search for justice. When Johnnie Cochran and Robert Shapiro packaged their defense as the pursuit of justice, I cringed. If Clark and the prosecutors or Bob and Johnnie were seeking justice, what were they doing in court? You don't look for filet mignon in a hindo diner! Dershowitz need not convince any reader that the criminal justice system is as flawed or that Dershowitz is as flawless as the book pretends. Nonetheless, the read will be an enlightening, entertaining call to see and think anew.
Rating:
Summary: Dershowitz's Laws
Review: The first ten pages will teach the average reader more than a year of reading a newspaper or ten years of watching "Law and Order." What is more, Dershowitz backs his account with personal experiences and harrowing tales. Such anecdotal evidence is not compelling but can serve as a wakeup call. The author lays out laws of criminal justice, not as portrayed in books or ideals, but as practiced in courtrooms. The most telling of these is the last -- no one wants justice. To be sure, that law is imprecisely put. What Dershowitz means is that, in an adversary system, almost no participant wants to do justice more than she or he wants to win. Why might such an insight matter? Well, when I listened to Marcia Clark and Geraldo Rivera and others whine about O.J., I was nonplussed to endure their cant about the search for justice. When Johnnie Cochran and Robert Shapiro packaged their defense as the pursuit of justice, I cringed. If Clark and the prosecutors or Bob and Johnnie were seeking justice, what were they doing in court? You don't look for filet mignon in a hindo diner! Dershowitz need not convince any reader that the criminal justice system is as flawed or that Dershowitz is as flawless as the book pretends. Nonetheless, the read will be an enlightening, entertaining call to see and think anew.
Rating:
Summary: An enormously instructive book
Review: This book is a pleasure to read. In spite of its almost casual narrative style, the book is full of highly valuable insights into the theory and functioning of criminal justice administration. It also reveals some of the corruption of the system which, even with the alleged best intentions, destroys the essence of democracy. The cases of judicial arrogance and arbitrariness revealed by Professor Dershowitz, are enough to give one the creeps. How many defendants, who did not have the benefit of a true defense of their interests, may be pining away in prison, victims of the connivance of police, prosecutors and judges. Be that as it may, it is fascinating to see a legal mind at work, and everything explained in a manner accesible to lay people. I certainly hope the good Professor keeps on writing. We, the People, need lawyers like him.
Rating: 
Summary: engaging, insightful, personal, educational
Review: this book succeeds on many levels and as such should appeal to many readers: 1. as an explanation for how our judicial system is setup and operates;
2. putting a face and personal touch behind many famous (porn star harry reams, prince of the city robert leuci, etc. etc.) and less famous, but just as interesting, trials;
3. as a series of engaging human interest stories;
4. as a chronicle of the early careers of now wildly famous people like, for example, rudy guiliani who appears as a young prosecutor in the case involving robert leuci. this book was written at a time when dershowitz was more focused on trials as opposed to politics, so it reads without the over tones of his later works. this will be good for readers that don't agree with his politics and it's a refreshing change during this time where there are so many books that carry a political agenda. each chapter averages about 20 pages and discusses a different case. so you can read one a night or a polish off a few while travelling. dershowitz' delivery is completely candid about the the conversations and people involved in each case. i was continually surprised about the intimate details revealed for each case. i think this book will have great appeal to readers of spy-thrillers because they will be entertained by the stories, plot twists and uncertain endings (dershowitz discusses cases in which he won and lost), while at the same time discovering many realities of our courts and beyond.
Rating: 
Summary: Glut on the Market
Review: Would you take advice from one whose complexion resembles a botched embalmment job? The incredibly low price on used copies of this book is telling.
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