In Our Defense

Rating:
Summary: Good Basic Explanations
Review: Alderman and Kennedy have put together useful explanations of the first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution. They have purposely simplified the concepts and eliminated elements that might provide richer historical detail but would also serve to confuse a reader without a legal background. "In Our Defense" succeeds as an introduction to the Bill of Rights. It does not go into great detail about the framers' intent, although there is some background in several of the cases. It does not explain how appelate courts or the Supreme Court operate, how precedents accumulate, or define legal concepts (concurring, dissenting, etc.). It does, however, detail each of the ten amendments, and provide a case study for each, demonstrating how the rights are interpreted, how they are limited, and how the law evolves over time.

A good book, particularly with issues such as abortion, handgun control, and flag burning on the front pages of the newspapers. Readers can obtain a basic grounding in constitutional principles.

Rating:
Summary: Good Basic Explanations
Review: Alderman and Kennedy have put together useful explanations of the first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution. They have purposely simplified the concepts and eliminated elements that might provide richer historical detail but would also serve to confuse a reader without a legal background. "In Our Defense" succeeds as an introduction to the Bill of Rights. It does not go into great detail about the framers' intent, although there is some background in several of the cases. It does not explain how appelate courts or the Supreme Court operate, how precedents accumulate, or define legal concepts (concurring, dissenting, etc.). It does, however, detail each of the ten amendments, and provide a case study for each, demonstrating how the rights are interpreted, how they are limited, and how the law evolves over time.

A good book, particularly with issues such as abortion, handgun control, and flag burning on the front pages of the newspapers. Readers can obtain a basic grounding in constitutional principles.

Rating:
Summary: Fantastic, an easy reader
Review: I am a senior, and I had to read this book for my ap government class during the summer. At first I thought that I was not going to like it, but it turned out to be a teriffic book. It gave me a greater understanding of the Bill of Rights.

Rating:
Summary: Entertaining and Informative
Review: I was assigned this book as supplementary reading for my AP government class, and while some of my friends didn't like it, I loved and am now re-reading it.

The authors admit that their intent was 1) to make people see the Bill of Rights as more than a legal document, but a guideline created by framers who had no idea how different the nation would be centuries later, and 2) to make people think.

For each of the first 10 Amendments to the Constitution, the authors pick a case, usually criminal, and discuss it in relation to the amendment. They choose their cases carefully, and all are thought-provoking.

The Bill of Rights was created to protect the people from the government, and includes several rights delegated to those accused of crimes. However, in one poignant case, the right to confront the witness is used to declare an accused child molester's trial invalid. However, the book also lists many instances in which the Bill of Rights served as the final defense in a couple accused of Communism during the McCarthy era.

While some may find the book boring, because they're not interested in hearing about politics, many would find this book enjoyable to read, especially if they are interested in law.

Rating:
Summary: Review of In Our Defense
Review: This book gave a good illustration of the Bill of Rights in Action. It gave a court case to outline each of the principles in each amendment. For example the first amendment has a case for freedom of speech, press, religion, and assembly. These cases demonstrate how our laws are interpreted, how they have changed since the framers wrote the constitution, and exactly how our rights are limited. Each case also helps to define parts of each amendment that are in question. In other words, the cases are good examples of judicial decisions that help to defne our laws. I think that this book is amazing if you are in school, because it gives a very nice alternative to a textbook approach. Rather than just another boring textbook, this can be a helpful tool to teach the Bill of Rights with examples of the judicial process. Though this is a good book, I think that the Authors left out an important part of the book. It is lacking a historical background of the Bill of Rights. This book never illustrates what the framers intent was, nor does it try and communicate legal concepts. Though it may have been a good decision to leave out the legal concepts so the book would appeal to those without any legal experience, it would have been nice to at least get some information.

Rating:
Summary: great book
Review: This book gives a historical perspective on the bill of rights in action. The Bill of rights is a living breathign document whic various supreme court judgements gave life to. This is recommned to anyone interested in how constituion affects Ameica. Highly recommnded!.

Rating:
Summary: A Mainstream Modern Academic View
Review: This book is a must for Law students or those interested in a non-biased look at our Bill of Rights. The authors are superb at putting the information on the table in an unbiased way. The issues are not necessarily easy to understand, but if information is what you want, you will get it here. Again, a must for anyone interested in law; a great teaching tool.