Taking the Stand

September 2, 2013
Dershowitz, Frankfurter Professor of Law at Harvard, is one of the most high-profile lawyers in America, known for his work on newsworthy criminal cases, including the defense of Claus von Bülow, who was accused of killing his socialite wife. Dershowitz presented the defense’s appeals in the murder trial of DuPont heir John DuPont, as well as in Mike Tyson’s rape case. Outside the criminal arena, he has had a hand in cases involving false confessions, the right of self-defense for battered women, obscenity cases, and assisted suicide. In the course of Dershowitz’s book, several things become apparent: he is smart, he knows he is smart, and he wants readers to know he is smart. The emphasis he places on his own importance can be off-putting and his habit of illuminating noteworthy issues through the prism of his own egotism distracts from his message. That said, he raises provocative questions about the many dilemmas in modern American jurisprudence, including those related to the separation of church and state, affirmative action, human rights, and the right to privacy. All in all, Dershowitz offers much of interest despite overestimating his own role in many events.

Starred review from September 1, 2013
One of the most distinguished lawyers of his generation reflects on his life and extraordinary career. Readers acquainted only with Dershowitz's TV persona will likely be surprised by the keen sense of humor, the graciousness offered opponents (with a few notable exceptions), and the tenderness toward family, friends and mentors the controversial law professor reveals here. They'll surely recognize the outsized ego and the passionate, full-throated advocacy of the many and varied legal causes with which he's so often identified. This memoir opens with an account of his Brooklyn boyhood, his undistinguished high school years, his intellectual awakening at college and his flowering at Yale Law School. After clerking for the legendary Judge David Bazelon and then for Arthur Goldberg on the U.S. Supreme Court, Dershowitz (The Trials of Zion, 2010, etc.) became the youngest full professor ever at Harvard Law School. For more than four decades, he has used this perch to teach, write and speak about the law's intersections with science and psychiatry and especially about matters pertaining to constitutional and criminal law. Most unusually for a law professor, Dershowitz has maintained a highly active appellate practice, and he narrates the rest of his life in the law through the many cases he's handled. Many of these unfailingly interesting tales feature high-profile clients like Leona Helmsley, O.J. Simpson, Mike Tyson and Bill Clinton. Dershowitz bristles, though, at being labeled merely a celebrity lawyer, and he reminds us of the many obscure defendants whose cases he accepted pro bono due to the important legal questions raised. Best known in recent years as a stout defender of Israel, Dershowitz has become an important voice with an active role in the evolution of American law, touching on an astonishing breadth of issues, including capital punishment, affirmative action, pornography, national security, academic freedom and human rights. An engaging recounting of a life of serious purpose and splendid flair.

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October 15, 2013

Successfully writing an engaging memoir cannot be a contrived undertaking. Such writing involves not only documenting a series of interesting events and accomplishments in one's life, but it must also be structured to flow like a conversation. One should not expect anything less when reading the memoir of notable law professor Dershowitz (Chutzpah), an experienced author of articles, essays, and books over the last half century. From beginning to end, this memoir is both entertaining and enlightening. We see a young and inquisitive Dershowitz continually arguing with the authority figures in his early life, never satisfied with the answer, "just because." It's not surprising that he eventually studies law. Dershowitz uses his experiences to relate some very important points: the necessity of defending civil rights, the proper application of scientific evidence, and doing all that one reasonably can to help a client. Like William M. Kunstler's My Life as a Radical Lawyer, Dershowitz's book uses anecdotes as well as his involvement in specific cases to create an interesting account. VERDICT Since this memoir contains references to certain legal principles, it is highly recommended to both students of law and practicing lawyers.--Chad Clark, Lamar State Coll. Lib., Port Arthur, TX

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