A Woman's Guide to Law School

Rating:
Summary: a silly little book
Review: I bought this book on the recommendation of a woman in law school. This book is silly and condescending. Although there are some good points in this book, don't take her advice too seriously. If you based your decision to go to law school on this book alone: don't. I'm glad I bought it used.

Rating:
Summary: Interesting ideas for critical reading
Review: I got this book as a gift from a friend after I had started at a top law school that, according to this author, is not particularly female-friendly. I would never have bought this book on my own because I've never really thought I needed "special" advice as a woman, and I did fine in school. But I am very, very glad my friend gave it to me, and I wish I had read it before starting school.

I found that the book offered a lot of interesting insights. You may agree or disagree with Hirshman's ideas and arguments, but the fact remains that the law school experience for many women (NOT all women) is different because they are women. And Hirshman does give some good, down-to-earth advice about the true nature of the competitive dynamics in law schools, and frankly, a lot of women have more difficulty understanding and thriving in that context. (But don't worry, I realize it's not all women!)

As for those people who rated this book poorly because they disagree with Hirshman -- I myself disagree with some of her assessments. BUT no one says you have to agree with everything an author says, or that a book is only valuable if you agree with it. You're considering law school, after all, and you want to evaluate things critically and think for yourself. Moreover, just because Hirshman is right about some of the more "women-unfriendly" aspects of law school (and she is) doesn't mean that you can't or shouldn't change things. But to change them, you have to understand how things are to begin with. And there are few books that tackle head-on the very real gender dynamics in law schools. Most people ignore them, but they're there. (For instance, in a faculty survey done by the women's organization at my law school, a number of male law professors admitted that they were much more hesitant to develop mentoring relationships with young female students to avoid any awkwardness or suggestion of impropriety. Other professors, male and female, talked about how women did not speak up enough in class.)

So I'd strongly recommend reading this book for women who are considering going or are about to attend law school. Read it before you go because first year is really important, usually the most important year in terms of success in law school.

But DON'T take Hirshman's ideas as a prediction of how your law school experience will be. (For instance, even if I'd read her book before school, I would have chosen to attend the law school I did -- even though it's not a women-friendly place, that wouldn't have stopped me from going to a strong law school and having a good experience there.) Rather, take the book as a series of insights into how a law school experience can be, and incorporate that information into making your experience a positive and successful one.

Rating:
Summary: Don't treat me like a child!
Review: I only got through the first few chapters of the book before I was so OFFENDED I had to stop. The author clearly believes she is speaking to an immature and unintelligent audience. This is what cinched it for me:"At lower status law schools, the students of both genders are often the first generation of their families to get a higher education, and even a modest middle-class life seems good to them" (14). Why beat up your readers, Hirshman? I happen to be a first generation law student who is very displeased with the attitude of the book. I do not reccomend this for anyone.