Justice is Served

The blog posting has been a bit sparse as of late, but with good reason, I just finished serving as a juror down at the King County Courthouse.  Although I am happy to do my civic duty, I won't lie and say that during the 6-day trial there weren't a few boring moments.  Actually, there were several boring moments; so many in fact, that I was able to read three books in the down time.  I enjoyed the books I read, but looking back I think I might have chosen my reading material with a bit more foresight.  With that, I humbly offer my reading picks for sequestered jurors:

Here are two fabulous plays... 
Twelve Angry Men, by Reginald Rose
Inherit the Wind, by Jerome Lawrence & Robert E. Lee
...what better way to compliment the drama of the courtroom than with a little courtroom drama!

And along with Inherit the Wind, try...
Summer for the Gods, by Edward J. Larson
...This Pulitzer Prize for History winner recounts the famous Scopes Trial immortalized in the Lawrence & Lee play.

Greg suggests...
Bleak House, by Charles Dickens
...incidentally he also says that every lawyer should read this novel about a court case that lasts several generations.

Looking for a little nonfiction about the Supreme Court of the land...
The Nine: Inside the Secret World of the Supreme Court, by Jeffery Toobin
Lazy B: Growing Up on a Cattle Ranch in the American Southwest, by Sandra Day O'Connor

Cheryl suggests last year's...
Jarrettsville, by Cornelia Nixon
... beginning in 1869, amid chaos and confusion in the moments following Martha Jane Cairnes's murder of her fiance in front of 50 witnesses and former Union militia members.

Of course there is always John Grisham, may I suggest...
A Time to Kill, by John Grisham
...I know most have read this, but I still remember sitting in my high school home room class, on the edge of my seat, racing through this legal thriller.

And my personal pick...
To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee
...I recently re-read this, having not read it since middle school, and I was floored.  There's not much I can say about it that hasn't already been said.  But if you haven't picked up this masterpiece since you were a kid, I think you too will be stunned by the beautiful story of childhood innocence, racial inequality, and the bravery of one man's fight for justice.  Additionally, a new 50th anniversary edition is being released with this beautiful new cover art.

Posted by Erin