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<![CDATA[Jkimballcook added 'Longitude: The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of his Time']]>
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/68994074
to: Longitude: The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of his Time (Hardcover)byDava Sobel
This was a good book. Sometimes, Sobel tries a little too hard at being poetic. The first sentence or two of each chapter evokes a little cringing/eyebrow rolling because she then switches from some sort of ballad-writer/romance novelist into being a teller of historical tales and styles are so different and the transition not that smooth.
Still, it's over quickly and the really interesting part of the book begins anew. This is the story of how time and space converge and how the accurate measurement of one unlocked the secret to the accurate measurement of the other. It's also a story of scientific hubris, political intrigue, obsession, and sea adventures.
The story is a good one. But this is not a history book. It's not fiction, but if you're looking for a close look at primary sources, look elsewhere. On the other hand, if you're looking for a good story that really happened, this is a good place to find one.
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<![CDATA[Jkimballcook added 'Lawyer's Lawyer: The Life of John W. Davis']]>
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/74732049
to: Lawyer's Lawyer: The Life of John W. Davis (Hardcover)byWilliam H. Harbaugh
This is a biography of an interesting, but not fascinating, and admirable, but not inspiring life.
In his time, John Davis was one of the most feared appellate lawyers in America. He came close to being appointed to the Supreme Court and probably could have been had he sought it actively. He was ambassador to the court of St. James, and he was the Democratic presidential candidate. He was also the guy who argued Brown vs. Board of Education against Thurgood Marshall in the Supreme Court. So there's a lot of interesting history in there.
You get to see an interesting development through Davis' life as well. The guy was a 100% hard core Jeffersonian southern democrat. He was so much into states rights, property rights, and rights to contract that he was accused by many of his peers of being a tool of the rich corporations who were his clients. And though he claimed to also be a progressive, and to have the interests of society's underdogs at heart, his legal philosophy had the effect practically, of encouraging segregation and economic inequality. By the end of his life he was on the losing side of most of these fights, which seems to have only hardened his zeal and made him even almost extreme in his views and refusal to compromise.
This isn't to say that he was an extremist or that his claims of progressivism were insincere. Only that his devotion to what he viewed as the correct interpretation of constitutional principles was greater. And in that, he is to be admired.
The descriptions of his speaking style are interesting, but perhaps not terribly useful for a lawyer now, as conventions and courtroom style have changed. Still, his command of language, his ability to pull out biblical and classical allusions, and his ability to distill out the salient legal points, are principles that are still useful to a lawyer. All in all, a good book, if somewhat forgettable.
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<![CDATA[Jkimballcook added 'Rain of Gold']]>
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/74399167
Rain of Gold (Paperback)
byVictor Villaseñor bookshelves: currently-reading
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<![CDATA[Jkimballcook
is on page 163 of Rain of Gold
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http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/74399167
Jkimballcook
is on page 163 of 576 of
Rain of Gold
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<![CDATA[Jkimballcook added 'Carthage Conspiracy: The Trial of the Accused Assassins of Joseph Smith']]>
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/74397832
to: Carthage Conspiracy: The Trial of the Accused Assassins of Joseph Smith (Paperback)byDallin H. Oaks
This book was interesting. It describes the day-to-day mechanics of the trial of the men who were for the murder of Joseph and Hyrum Smith, gives the history of the major players in trial, and places it all in its historical political context. The daily maneuverings and motions of the trial are interesting to a lawyer, perhaps less so to the casual reader, but the narrative doesn't bog down in legal minutia to the point of being unreadable.
The major themes of the book are rule of law vs. popular sovereignty. In one sense, both the Mormons and their neighbors believed in allegiance to a "higher law." In the Mormons' case, the higher law was God's law (though it should be noted that in Mormon teachings, obedience to "earthly" law is also an important tenent). This made their neighbors extremely uncomfortable because the messenger of God's law happened to be a very popular and charismatic dude who also happened to hold a lot of local political influence. In the case of the defendants, their idea of higher law was the notion that the law, as enacted by legislatures, is illegitimate unless it has popular approval. Thus, they argued, the law against murder was illegitimate and could not be used to convict when the particular killing at issue was approval by public opinion. This fits in with the ugly southern tradition of lynching and vigilante justice.
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<![CDATA[new comment from Jkimballcook]]>
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/26236296
Michael's review of
Carthage Conspiracy: The Trial of the Accused Assassins of Joseph Smith byDallin H. Oaks
Joseph Smith was brought up on many false charges, but this book has nothing to do with that. The way Elder Oaks shows what happened in this trial shows nothing at all about the trials that the prophet went through.
Likewise, this book says absolutely nothing about individual rights that the prophet was denied. He wasn't on trial. He wasn't even involved. He was dead. A person can't be denied rights in a trial that he isn't even in.
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<![CDATA[Jkimballcook added 'Working: People Talk About What They Do All Day and How They Feel About What They Do']]>
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/74396251
Working: People Talk About What They Do All Day and How They Feel About What They Do (Paperback)
byStuds Terkel bookshelves: to-read
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<![CDATA[Jkimballcook added 'To Move a Mountain: Fighting the Global Economy in Appalachia']]>
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/74396176
To Move a Mountain: Fighting the Global Economy in Appalachia (Hardcover)
byEve S. Weinbaum bookshelves: to-read
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<![CDATA[Jkimballcook added 'The Big Sort: Why the Clustering of Like-Minded America Is Tearing Us Apart']]>
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/72869812
The Big Sort: Why the Clustering of Like-Minded America Is Tearing Us Apart (Hardcover)
byBill Bishop bookshelves: to-read
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<![CDATA[Jkimballcook added 'The Politics of American Religious Identity: The Seating of Senator Reed Smoot, Mormon Apostle']]>
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/72869671
to: The Politics of American Religious Identity: The Seating of Senator Reed Smoot, Mormon Apostle (Paperback)byKathleen Flake
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