Law Library Staff Recommend...
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An occasional feature, "Law Library Staff Recommend..." highlights books that Law Library staff members have read for enjoyment and now recommend that others consider for inclusion on their own reading lists. Summer reading brings out the lemonade and a great variety of book genre, from the latest spy novel to controversial scientific theories and reports, and we are delighted to summarize and share our reading experiences with you. If you have any comments or questions about any of the titles presented in this feature, feel free to email lawlib@umn.edu or stop by the library. Our first installment highlights two staff recommendations: If Dogs Could Talk: Exploring the Canine Mind by Vilmos Csanyi and The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett.
If Dogs Could Talk: Exploring the Canine Mind (Hardcover) by Vilmos Csanyi
Written by a Hungarian ethologist (animal behavior scientist), this book offers a fascinating look at the mind of a dog. Csanyi starts by describing wolf behavior, then contrasting it with the behavior of wolf descendants (domestic dogs). He draws on scientific studies of dog behavior to explore their abilities and their cognitive limits; anecdotes of specific dog behavior illustrate his points and make the book more entertaining. This book should appeal to dog owners, dog lovers, and anyone interested in evolutionary biology.
The Pillars of the Earth (Paperback) by Ken Follett
Ken Follett has written many books, but The Pillars of the Earth is his most popular and the title he is most proud of, according to his website: http://www.ken-follett.com/bibliography/the_pillars_of_the_earth.html
The book is an inter-connected tale spanning thirty years in 12th century England, following the lives of certain characters who are trying to build a cathedral. There are kings and queens, knights, maidens, invasions, attacks, poverty, hunger, and a real view of the inner workings of the politics of villages, monasteries, while enduring revenge and curses. It's an intriguing and highly engaging story that urges you on to find out whether the cathedral will ever be built. It's very easy reading, with quite graphic depictions of the brutalities of the times, with characters who are easy to identify with, with just enough complexity to make them interesting, yet are fairly easy to categorize as protagonist or antogonist.
The website for the book includes study and discussion guides, as well as character introductions and more.
BONUS from Law Librarian Blog:
A Very Short Reading List for Incoming 1Ls
There are two classics every incoming 1L should read before starting law school but my sense is that many turn them away because they are not written in a style that resonates with our younger students. I'm referring, of course, to Karl N Llewellyn's The Bramble Bush (three copies on Reserve at KF273 .L58 1951, we also have an electronic version you can access if you are on campus), recently republished by Oxford UP, and Edward H. Levi's An Introduction to Legal Reasoning(KF425 .L48 or two copies in Storage at X-24,994).
In addition to those two works, I always recommend Helene Shapo and Marshall Shapo's Law School Without Fear: Strategies for Success (Foundation Press, 2002) (KF386 .S44 2002 and two copies of the older edition at KF386 .S44 1996). Helene Shapo and Marshall Shapo are law professors who compiled this book of practical advice for their son, a law student. The book discusses in simple terms what law students need to know about law school and how to get the most out the law school experience. The text also discusses the problems law students encounter most frequently and solutions to those problems. Topics covered include briefing a case, precedent and how to use it, balancing competing interests and factors, legal writing, and psychological tips for the study of law.
For the "what should I read" question asked by incoming 1Ls (or admissions directors wanting to send students a reading list during the summer), we librarians can easily compile an extensive bibliography but I lean toward providing a very short guided reading list instead. The above three titles plus Carolyn J. Nygren's Starting Off Right in Law School (Carolina Academic Press, 1997) (KF273 .N97 1997) which melds information about the legal system usually found in legal methods books with information about study skills usually found in books with a "how to succeed in law school" focus is in my opinion sufficient.
See also: The Summer Before Law School? by Alan Childress on Legal Profession Blog and Law Vibe's Top 10 Law Student Books (based on Amazon sales for the last three months).