A Judges Choice
Here are a few of my favorite books that I have read over the years.
To purchase one of these books we have included a link to Amazon.
The Autobiography of Malcolm X In one sense, we were huddled in there, bonded togethher in seeking security and warmth and comfort from each other, and we didn't know it. All of us-who might have probed space, or cured cancer, or built industries-were, instead, black victims of the white man's American social system... |
Cyrano de Bergerac, by Edmond Rostand In Paris, in the year 1640, a brilliant poet and swordsman named Cyrano de Bergerac finds himself deeply in love with his beautiful, intellectual cousin Roxane. Despite Cyrano's brilliance and charisma, a shockingly large nose afflicts his appearance, and he considers himself too ugly even to risk telling Roxane his feelings. One night, Cyrano goes to the playhouse at the Hotel de Bourgogne to make trouble: he has forbidden the actor Montfleury to take the stage for one month, but Montfleury plans to perform in the night's production of La Clorise, with Roxane in the audience... |
Free to Choose, by Milton and Rose Friedman Every once in a while a book crystallises a world view. Free To Choose has a good claim in this respect arriving as it did in 1980 . It's as clear an exposition as you're likely to find of the free market economics that influenced Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan, leading to one of the greatest economic booms in history and arguably spelling the end of communist power... |
Hawaii, by James Michener Hawaii, by James Michener, is a historical novel about the Pacific and the Hawaiian Islands. It begins with the islands' formation from volcanic activity and then describes the history of the people, the original Polynesians. The book describes the missionaries who brought religion to the people and discusses the intermarriages with the Chinese, Japanese, and Filipinos. It tells their story-how they struggled, who their kings and queens were, and how they existed. |
Man's Search for Meaning, by Viktor Frankl "Ultimately, man should not ask what the meaning of his life is, but rather must recognize that it is he who is asked. In a word, each man is questioned by life; and he can only answer to life by answering for his own life; to life he can only respond by being responsible." Man's Search for Meaning, p.172 |
The Fountainhead, by Ayn Rand Ayn Rand is perhaps the most famous and greatest female philosopher of the Twentieth Century, perhaps even of all times. She is the most widely read. Rands brand of conservative philosophy's ideology and principles can be found in her novel The Fountainhead, which serves as a type of conservative treatise. Rand expresses her views through a series of characters. By comparing and contrasting the approach to life and basic motivations of the characters Howard Roark and Henry Cameron, B. Peter Keating and Ellsworth Toohey, C. Gail Wynand and Dominique Francon, we get a clear picture of Rand's philosophical view... |
The Good Earth, by Pearl S. Buck The novel begins on the day of Wang Lung's marriage. The woman he will be getting as his wife has been a slave since being a young girl at the great House of Hwang. Wang Lung, a humble, poor peasant farmer, goes to the great house to get his woman. O-lan is plain looking, dull, and slow, but she is hard working, thrifty, and resourceful. One day, she tells Wang Lung that she is with child, and later gives birth to a boy by herself. Winter comes, and Wang Lung is ready because of the good harvest he has had. There is a surplus of silver that he hides in a hole in his bedroom... |
The Grapes of Wrath, by John Steinbeck Released from an Oklahoma state prison after serving four years for a manslaughter conviction, Tom Joad makes his way back to his family's farm in Oklahoma. He meets Jim Casy, a former preacher who has given up his calling out of a belief that all life is holy-even the parts that are typically thought to be sinful-and that sacredness consists simply in endeavoring to be an equal among the people. Jim accompanies Tom to his home, only to find it-and all the surrounding farms-deserted. Muley Graves, an old neighbor, wanders by and tells the men that everyone has been "tractored" off the land... |
The Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkien Bilbo, a simple hobbit, is smoking his pipe one day when the wizard Gandalf appears and asks him to go on an adventure. He is confused and tells the wizard to come back the next day. The wizard does show up the next day, but only after thirteen dwarves have knocked at his door first. Bilbo is very frustrated by this, but he acts the part of the gracious host. The dwarves eat, speaking of their imminent journey to an old home beneath Lonely Mountain. Long ago, a dragon named Smaug chased their forefathers from the mountain and stole their treasure. The group now wants Bilbo to come along as their thief... |
The Stranger, by Albert Camus The book opens as Meursault recalls his mother's death. Maman dies prior to the opening, yet, Meursault cannot remember exactly when, why, or any information of related significance. He thinks of his mother in a distant emotional state and continues about with his daily life, as if nothing has changed since her death. The only difference in his life is that he must proceed with the normal actions of mourning and funerals... |
Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In Roger Fisher, William L. Ury, Bruce Patton Amazon.com Review We're constantly negotiating in our lives, whether it's convincing the kids to do their homework or settling million-dollar lawsuits. For those who need help winning these battles, Roger Fisher has developed a simple and straightforward five-step system for how to behave in negotiations. |
The Best Defense (Paperback) by Alan M. Dershowitz Product Description The author presents his most famous, and infamous, cases and clients, and in the process, takes a critical, informed look at a legal system that he regards as deeply corrupt. |
Brilliant Solution: Inventing the American Constitution - Carol Berkin From Publishers Weekly For the newly independent United States, the years just after the Revolution were the best of times and the worst of times: though the states celebrated their newfound freedom, they did not have a strong central government that would bind them together. Between 1776 and 1787, the proud new nation faced economic crisis, military weakness and interstate conflict problems so enormous they almost dashed all hopes for a future unified country. Yet, as historian Berkin so engagingly illustrates, James Madison, George Washington and a handful of others met in Philadelphia in 1787 to frame a creative answer to the political impasse. |
 Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation - Joseph J. Ellis Amazon.com Review In retrospect, it seems as if the American Revolution was inevitable. But was it? In Founding Brothers, Joseph J. Ellis reveals that many of those truths we hold to be self-evident were actually fiercely contested in the early days of the republic. |
Why Our Drug Laws Have Failed and What We Can Do About It - A Judicial Indictment of the War on Drugs, by Judge James P. Gray Judge Gray’s book drives a stake through the heart of the War on Drugs. After documenting the wide-ranging harms caused by this failed policy, Judge Gray also gives us hope. We have viable options. The author evaluates these options, ranging from education and drug treatment to different strategies for taking the profit out of drug-dealing. Many officials will not say publicly what they acknowledge privately about the failure of the War on Drugs. Politicians especially are afraid of not appearing "tough on drugs." But Judge Gray’s conclusions as a veteran trial judge and former federal prosecutor are reinforced by the testimonies of more than forty other judges nationwide... |
Wearing The Robe - The Art And Responsibilities of Judging In Today's Courts, by Judge James P. Gray Written by James P. Gray, a justice of the California Supreme Court, Wearing the Robe bridges the gap between an understanding of the law and the day-to-day realities of being a judge.This is the first real handbook for a practicing judge... |