The dog days of summer are just around the corner and if you are lucky, a vacation is in sight.
Are you looking for reading material to take away? Your friends at Above the Law have you covered.
From ConLaw to Formula 1 you will find the following on our bedside tables.
Natalie Bahmanyar, research project manager
War On Peace: The End of Diplomacy and the Decline of American Influence by Ronan Farrow – Although it came out a few years ago, the subjects of this book arguably more topical than ever. I’ve always enjoyed Ronan Farrow’s writing, and the narrative he presents in this book is fascinating. Plus, a little read on the death of diplomacy is just what you want at the end of a long day with everything that’s going on in the world, isn’t it?
Jeremy Barker, director of content marketing
Close to the Shore: The Horrific Shark Attacks of 1916 by Michael Capuzzo – The Ultimate Beach Reading Guide is based on the true story of a summer the north coast of Jersey was terrorized by a renegade white man. It’s a compelling look at science, the media, and the social panic of the early 20th century, and an inspiration for Jaws.
Time Smart by Ashley Willans – Full of deceptively simple insights, this is a handy guide to consciously value your time. The discussion about the “confetti time” alone changed life in a subtle way. True to its mission, it is a quick read that focuses on tangible results.
Brian Dalton, SVP of Breaking Media, chief editor
“Strangely enough, you can’t read a book; you can only read it again. ”I am old enough to agree with Nabokov. Some old favorites that I revisit:
Scoop by Evelyn Waugh – Among the two funniest books ever written.
Lucky Jim from Kingsley Amis – The other of the two.
Cultural Amnesia by Clive James – A liberal arts education to keep in your bathroom.
Olga Mack, contributor
The Ascent of Information: Books, Bits, Genes, Machines, and Life’s Unending Algorithm by Caleb Scharf is fascinating, thought-provoking read. Scharf suggests that information is alive. It has goals. It has needs. It can control our behavior. It can affect our wellbeing. It’s a developing organism. How do we as lawyers ensure that it is an asset and not a burden? How can we advise our customers to share a bright future for everyone? It’s a must have for anyone thinking about the future of law and the role of lawyers in an increasingly data-driven world.
I can’t wait to read Suspected Guilty: How the Supreme Court Authorized the Police and Undermined Civil Rights by Erwin Chemerinsky. How many lawyers and people have I wondered why and how we got here. Where did the law fail us? And how can the law help us to meet the challenges? Therefore, I look forward to detailed analyzes and suggestions from the constitutional law expert.
Joe Patrice, managing editor
How to Build a Car by Adrian Newey – Famed Formula 1 car designer Adrian Newey traces back to specific cars that he has designed over the course of his career. As a sport, F1 offers the most convincing balance between the individual skills of the driver and the technical and strategic know-how of the teams that build and optimize the vehicles. It’s a fascinating year-long arms race, and Newey has been at the forefront of his decades.
The Whiteness of Wealth: How the Tax System Impoverishes Black Americans – and How We Can Fix It by Dorothy Brown: That’s Right, a Tax Code for the Summer! Because that’s the kind of person who works at Above the Law. I previously wrote that taking income tax is my top recommendation for law students taking courses because I was amazed at how subtly (or not so subtly) the way the United States works, tax laws. Professor Brown examines how tax law maintains, and in many cases exacerbates, racial inequality in the United States.
Hero of Two Worlds: The Marquis de Lafayette in the Age of Revolution by Mike Duncan – Think like a lawyer on a regular basis Listeners know that Elie and I highly value Mike Duncan as a podcaster. The guy launched the podcasting game when he was still a fishmonger. Now a bestselling writer for the NY Times, his latest book is about one of the most amazing figures in modern democracy. Speaking of originalism … Lafayette was there.
Kathryn Rubino, editor-in-chief
While Justice Sleeps by Stacey Abrams – What can I say, ATL editors are fools for thrillers centered around SCOTUS employees.
Song In A Weary Throat by Pauli Murray – From Biglaw to Activist, Murray’s memoir is a must-have.
Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate – Inspired by a real scandal, this fictional work is perfect to be devoured on a beach somewhere.
Liza Sokol, Senior Audience Development Manager
Love in Color: Mythical Tales from Around the World, Retold by Bolu Babalola – I’m a sucker for good romance, and Babaloa’s book takes classic stories and updates them through a modern lens.
Ashley Spector, director of business development
What you can expect from Heidi Murkoff in the first year: I am a NEW MOM. (Editor’s note: Congratulations Ashley!)
Chris Williams, Social Media Manager and Assistant Editor
Einstein’s Dreams of Alan Lightman – It is the most beautiful, clearest book on philosophy and physics that I have ever touched. Lightman is tearing down Einstein’s general theory of relativity and Nietzsche’s stuff about eternal return in a way that laypeople can understand. It’s just so humbling to see someone construct sentences as well as Lightman did in this little book.
Spinoza: Practical Philosophy by Gilles Deleuze – This is the only book I’ve read that made me cry with joy. It is a secondary source to Baruch Spinoza’s ethics. Someday I’ll make the effort to read the actual ethics, but it’s written in the form of long logical axioms, proofs, and inferences that are boring to rummage through. A quote in the prologue of the book describes Spinoza’s philosophy as gone with the wind, and I felt this for the first time when the chapter on bliss struck me months after reading it.
Coldness and Cruelty by Gilles Deleuze – This book is a literary look at the writings of Marquis de Sade and Leopold von Sacher-Masoch. What I found cool about that was that there was an ongoing discussion of how both authors approached ethical relationships and laws in their writings: contract in Masoch and a violently pervasive and egregious lawlessness in Sade. I was in my bachelor’s degree when I first read it, and I wonder what it will be like to reread it as a freshly baked lawyer.
Jonathan Wolf, contributor
First of all, I read Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty by Patrick Radden Keefe because everything that has been written by Patrick Radden Keefe is worth reading. Also, there is probably no American who has not been affected in some way by the opioid epidemic. This book is a deep exploration of family dynamics, personal inadequacies, and greed that set it all in motion.
I also read The Ice Finder: How a Poet, a Professor, and a Politician Discovered the Ice Age by Edmund Blair Bolles. This book is a good reminder that 1) things that everyone supposedly knows turn out to be wrong all the time, and 2) there are always many ardent defenders of old wrong ideas, even in the face of solid evidence. It’s also nice to read about the Ice Age, no matter how stifling the heat.
Finally, I just ordered a copy of After the Fall: Being American in the World We’ve Made by Ben Rhodes. Since I haven’t started on it yet, I don’t know much about the content, but Ben Rhodes is a wonderfully smart guy, and I love looking beyond our limits to better understand ourselves.
Staci Zaretsky, managing editor
My mom, Michelle Browning Coughlin’s attorney – With a 4 year old and a 1.5 year old, I always look for books that will help them understand what I write about every day. This is great reading for legal mothers to share with their children, and it will help them understand the importance and impact of their mothers’ work. All proceeds from the book will benefit MothersEsquire. (Editor’s note: And stay tuned for the author’s upcoming appearance on The Jabot podcast!)
The ABCs of Law by Raamin Mostaghimi – This is another book law parents can share with young readers. From main characters like Lawyer Lion, Lawyer Lioness, Plaintiff Parrot, Defendant Duck, Judge Jaguar, and Opposing Counsel Strauss, kids learn all about what it’s like to be a lawyer from A (“You have to go to school long time and make one real tough test to get one Lawyer! “) To Z (” Every lawyer should a eager stand up for the rights of their clients. “)
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