The Right Book at the Right Time

Title:  The Litigators

Author:  John Grisham

Publisher:  Doubleday, New York 2011

Summary:  If you love reading John Grisham, this one will not disappoint. Why would a Lawyer working for a large prestigious Law Firm billing Clients at $500.00 per hour suddenly find himself working as a Street Lawyer making $600.00 per month?  As a young Lawyer with a very promising career, David Zinc finds himself burnt out from working 80+ hours per week.  One day he gets off the elevator and can’t bring himself to go to his Office.  He dives (literally) back into the elevator, walks out of the firm and goes on a drunken bender.  He lands on the doorstep of a two man law firm where they spend their days chasing ambulances, handling quickie divorces and bickering over what little money they do have.  They like to refer to themselves as a “boutique law firm”.  These two guys keep waiting for their big break.  When David wakes up the next day after his drinking binge, he is unemployed and not sure what to do.  He finds himself going back to the two partners at Finley & Figg where he tests the waters as a street lawyer.  He quickly realizes these two have never really practiced law and are clueless on how a real Law Office should operate.  But David is happy.  He has a new lease on life, he is working normal hours and spending time with his wife and enjoying himself for the first time in years.  When the 3 Lawyers are suddenly faced with their first big case, they quickly realize they are in way over their head.  Wally is looking for the quick buck and a fast settlement since he has never been inside the courtroom to try a case.  Oscar who wants to appear as the professional lawyer wants nothing to do with the case until he learns of the potential for a very large settlement. He has never stepped in a courtroom to try a case. David gets pulled into the mess by the bumbling partners. The three Lawyers are preparing to take on a big drug company with the claim that one of their drugs on the market is unsafe and has resulted in numerous deaths.  The drug company hires the best legal defense team, which happens to be David’s previous employer, the very impressive Law Firm that he walked away from.  Since the three Lawyers believe this case will settle out of court, they do nothing to prepare for a trial.  The big drug company, on the other hand, knows this law firm lacks any courtroom experience and can’t wait to go to trial to clear their name. What goes on behind the scenes has as much to do with what goes on in the courtroom, and how money can manipulate the system. This book moves along at a fast and entertaining pace.  David shows us that there is more to life than the big money at a big law firm.

I have not read a book by John Grisham in a long time, but this one really grabbed my interest.

Who Will Like this?    Fans of John Grisham – he has written 23 books.   Anyone who likes  legal thrillers  and courtroom drama.

If you like this, try this:  James Grippando, David Rosenfelt, Perri O’Shaughnessy, David Rosenfelt

Recommended by:  Laura, Technical Services Assistant

For more informaton about the book and to place a hold, visit the Fairfield Public Library catalog!

Title: Gang Leader for a Day: A Rogue Sociologist Takes to the Streets

Author: Sudhir Venkatesh

Publisher: Penguin Press, January 2008

Summary:Beginning his graduate work at the University of Chicago, Sudhir Venkatesh wished to study the urban poor. When he went to the projects to survey residents (First question: “How does it feel to be black and poor?”) he is held hostage by the Black Kings, a drug dealing gang, for several hours. Undeterred, Venkatesh returned to the projects and formed a remarkable friendship with J.T., the charismatic leader of the gang.

For seven years, this alliance allowed Venkatesh access into the inner workings of gang life, the drug trade, and what it takes to survive in the projects. He meets college graduates who return to the projects because dealing is more lucrative than legitimate work, tenant leaders who run their buildings like kingdoms, and squatters working the angles to survive in an environment where you can’t count on the police or social services to protect you, and constant hustling is the name of the game.

Who will like this book?: People interested in sociology, particularly stories about inner city life. 

If you like this, try this: Random Family by Adrian Nicole LeBlanc. Life on the Outside by Jennifer Gonnerman.

Recommended by: Nicole, Teen Librarian