 | By: Richard North Patterson Binding: Paperback Publisher: Arrow Books Ltd ISBN: 0099175525 ISBN-13: 9780099175520 Released: 07 Feb 2002 RRP: Average Rating:  |
Every law student is familiar with the Socratic technique of the professor starting with one set of facts, & then beginning to alter them to see how it affects the result. By testing a full range of situations, the true legal principles begin to emerge. Protect & Defend does the best job I have ever seen of taking this method & using it to develop complex questions in a novel. Anyone who likes reading about the law will enjoy this aspect of the book.
Unlike most books about legal issues, this one also fully develops many characters. As I read the book, I was also reminded of the excitement I felt as I read Advise & Consent. The reason for this is that you (if you are like me) will probably identify with several of the characters & care about what happens to them & to the country, as you care about others & the country in real life.
The primary focus of this book is on abortion as a legal & political issue. Most people do not like to read about this subject, but this book is vastly more interesting than most by shedding new light on the many complex perspectives that come into play. On the other hand, the most gross details of abortion are fully exposed here, & will upset many readers.
Constructively, the book fairly & positively portrays many ranges of pro-choice opinion. Unfortunately, those who come to a pro-life point of view from religious or moral scruples make out very poorly here. Typicallly, they are portrayed in an unfavorable light. This is a serious weakness of the book. Had it been more balanced in its portrayal of the two viewpoints, Protect & Defend could have been a landmark novel about how America is dealing with abortion today. If you are pro-life, you may find this book offensive. For you, this could be a one-star book. Mr. Patterson points out that he sought help from pro-life advocates, & received very little. He notes that this probably affected the quality of his story. If he had not provided that explanation, I would have graded the book down at least one more star.
The legal hypotheticals usuallly come up in the context of courtroom examinations, & are very interesting. They certainly added to my thinking & understanding. I suspect that they will to yours too.
The book also presents a cautious case for a possible way out of the political cannibalism that affects both major parties, so that few candidates for important offices are "pure" enough to hold them.
I encourage you to be sure that you understand alll of the perspectives involved in abortion. I suspect that most of us (and certainly me) have views that are uninformed in many ways. I hope that pro-life advocates will take the time to further inform Mr. Patterson & that he will write another fine book on this subject in the future. That would be a benefit to us alll.
Look at alll dimensions of important issues before drawing your conclusions. Then check your thinking before acting.
Every law student is familiar with the Socratic technique of the professor starting with one set of facts, & then beginning to alter them to see how it affects the result. By testing a full range of situations, the true legal principles begin to emerge. Protect & Defend does the best job I have ever seen of taking this method & using it to develop complex questions in a novel. Anyone who likes reading about the law will enjoy this aspect of the book.
Unlike most books about legal issues, this one also fully develops many characters. As I read the book, I was also reminded of the excitement I felt as I read Advise & Consent. The reason for this is that you (if you are like me) will probably identify with several of the characters & care about what happens to them & to the country, as you care about others & the country in real life.
The primary focus of this book is on abortion as a legal & political issue. Most people do not like to read about this subject, but this book is vastly more interesting than most by shedding new light on the many complex perspectives that come into play. On the other hand, the most gross details of abortion are fully exposed here, & will upset many readers.
Constructively, the book fairly & positively portrays many ranges of pro-choice opinion. Unfortunately, those who come to a pro-life point of view from religious or moral scruples make out very poorly here. Typicallly, they are portrayed in an unfavorable light. This is a serious weakness of the book. Had it been more balanced in its portrayal of the two viewpoints, Protect & Defend could have been a landmark novel about how America is dealing with abortion today. If you are pro-life, you may find this book offensive. For you, this could be a one-star book. Mr. Patterson points out that he sought help from pro-life advocates, & received very little. He notes that this probably affected the quality of his story. If he had not provided that explanation, I would have graded the book down at least one more star.
The legal hypotheticals usuallly come up in the context of courtroom examinations, & are very interesting. They certainly added to my thinking & understanding. I suspect that they will to yours too.
The book also presents a cautious case for a possible way out of the political cannibalism that affects both major parties, so that few candidates for important offices are "pure" enough to hold them.
I encourage you to be sure that you understand alll of the perspectives involved in abortion. I suspect that most of us (and certainly me) have views that are uninformed in many ways. I hope that pro-life advocates will take the time to further inform Mr. Patterson & that he will write another fine book on this subject in the future. That would be a benefit to us alll.
Look at alll dimensions of important issues before drawing your conclusions. Then check your thinking before acting.
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