Before this book, I don't think I could've rattled off the names of the nine justices. Now I'm nursing a terrible crush on Ruth Bader Ginsburg. It's a gripping read, and Toobin does a terrific job making a dense topic pleasurable. My only beef is that the cast of characters is so dense, it would've helped to either be twenty years older or have a brief bio section in the back of the book to elaborate on their various roles.

In the midst of reading The Nine I had a chance to visit the Supreme Court building and its tourist shop. Found it a good sign that while the shop had every book imaginable on the justices, The Nine was suspiciously absent. Turns out I was right--there some good dish you won't find elsewhere.