Law Man: Memoir of a Jailhouse Lawyer

by Shon Hopwood

Shon Hopwood was a good kid from a good Nebraskan family. Those who knew him well would never have imagined that, as a young man, he’d be adrift with few prospects and plotting to rob a bank. But he did, committing five armed bank robberies before being apprehended. Serving ten years in federal prison, Shon feared his life was over. He wasn’t sure if he could survive a cell block, but he was determined to try. Hopwood pumped-up in the prison gym to defend himself and earned respect on the basketball court. He reconnected with the girl of his dreams from high school through letters and prison visits; and, crucially, he talked his way into a job in the prison law library. Hopwood slowly taught himself criminal law and began to help fellow inmates rather than himself. He wrote one petition to the Supreme Court, which was chosen to be heard from over 7,000 other petitions submitted by the greater legal community that year. The Justices voted 9-0 in favor of Hopwood’s petition when the case was finally heard. What might have been considered luck by some, was dispelled when a second petition from him was selected to be heard by the Supreme Court. He didn’t grasp it yet, but Shon’s legal work was the start of a new life. Shon works on policy reform, and he is a cofounder of PrisonProfessors.com. He strives to improve outcomes of America’s prison system, and he tells his amazing story in Law Man.

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, Biography

346 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 27, 2017

Reviews

[Kevin · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s an honor to know and work with Shon. I am tired of prison memoirs but this is the best of all of them.

[Amie Devlin · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is a 300-page exercise in masturbation. When talking about criminals, he makes it clear that he’s “not like them”. When talking about sports, he says how talented he is (“No other white guy had ever made the team, yet here I was...”) When talking about the law, he makes it clear how smart and special he is. I’m not sure if he’s a narcissistic and actually thinks this way, or was overly concerned about his image and covered up the grime. Either way, it makes for a book that was written to stroke his own ego. All these five-star reviews must be from friends and family.

[Ljlangston · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel really undecided about this book: on the one hand it's a great story about redemption and grace; on the other hand, it's a pretty rosy tale about a decade in federal prison and strikes me are self-congratulatory. I truly don't think that was in intent, but something about it rubbed me wrong. Additionally, there are a lot of grammatical errors that felt like hot pokers in my eyes.

I have always been fascinated by the "rehabilitation" that some expect to occur in prison. Recidivism rates are astronomical because so many ex-cons have no hope for a different kind of life. It's hopeful to read about one man's redemption.

[Molly Mortier · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book “Law Man” by Shon Hopwood is a memoir of a jailhouse lawyer (Shon Hopwood) and his personal story of becoming a lawyer and eventually a Professor of Law at Georgetown University Law center. I personally would give this book a four star review. The structural elements of it are well organized and set up so the plot makes sense. This provides a good base for all of the detail that he uses to describe aspects of his life, especially being in jail. An experience many readers have not been through first hand. It is well written and flows nicely. The way that he talks about and brings light to the way that jails in the United States work, and more importantly what the people who are in them go through. Addressing the reader with the immense amount of problems that this presents for people and how we need to do better to support these people. It does a good job at putting this into perspective.

[Dani · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great insight on what it is like to be in jail and the issues with American justice system. My only gripe is that the end of the book where he wraps up his life became too much of a summary and contained more of a thank you to the people who helped him and broke from the intent of the story. That said, the main core of the story, his struggles in jail made up for the less than stellar ending.

[Gillian Pennington · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my fav books I've read this year. So interesting and well written. I understand he is a Christian man who was not attempting to write a Christian book, so therefore there is only a slight nod to his Christian faith and how he came to faith in Jesus Christ. That is the only thing I wish was more vibrant. But really sooooo incredible.

[Rachel Rind · Rating 5 out of 5]

Felt like I was in jail

Sean paints a detailed picture of his life with such effortless virtuosity that and you can smell of the floors of the prison. This was a good thing - I couldn’t put it down.

[Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story. Well written. Inspiring. A little surprising, especially considering that Shon talks about the absolute requirement for grammatical accuracy in the preparation of legal briefs, that their were multiple grammatical errors in the book.

[Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Inspirational and easy read. Some formatting errors that were a little odd, but didn't take away from the story.

[M.M. Gill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shon is a friend and colleague, and this book is a wonderful picture of how people can change and how our prison system needs to change. A joy to read.

[Michael Whitlow · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great story about the possibility of redemption and the need for criminal justice reform.

[Deborah F Topcik · Rating 5 out of 5]

Uplifting and hopeful

This was an easy and interesting read. I was inspired and hopeful reading the book. The end gets a little preachy, but still a great book.

[Debra woodard]

Loved it ! A true Rocky story if there ever was one.

[Gina Barlean · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great

An excellent study of how to write a biographical book. Glad for you and your family, Shon. Helping others and working hard is the best lesson for us all.

[Julie Reiter · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have mixed emotions about this story. Of course being from Butler County I know or at least know of many of the people mentioned in this book including the author, his buddy and co defendant Tom, and their families. Being a prosecutor, I cannot overlook the victims that were created by their senseless actions in the bank robberies. I believe the author when he repeatedly acknowledges remorse for his actions. Unfortunately one can never undo their actions and the effect their actions have on others. That being said, Shon’s story is remarkable in many respects and I do believe God worked miracles in his story of redemption.