No comments about Biographical Sketches of the Bench and Bar of South Carolina.

No comments about A Courtroom of Her Own : The Life & Work of Judge Mary Anne Richey.

No comments about Take it Easy!: An Optimist's Voyage Past War and Tragedy to Adventure and Romsnce.

No comments about Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.: Soldier, Scholar, Judge (Twayne's Twentieth-Century American Biography Series).

1 comments about Fulfilment: Memoirs of a Criminal Court Judge.

1. This book provides a look at one one person's formative years in Toronto, growing up in a Jewish home in the 1920's and 1930's. What was it like in Toronto during Hitler's rise to power in Germany, the war years and finally, Mr Vanek's elevation to the criminal court bench in Ontario. The book provides a succinct look at the maturation of Ontario's justice system and finally highlights some of Judge Vanek's most promonent cases, the most famous of which is R v Susan Nelles. The book is clearly written and extremely readable.

   Enjoy it, I did!

No comments about Sir Robert Chambers: Law, Literature, And Empire In The Age Of Johnson.

No comments about The Observer: Through the Eyes of Innocence.

No comments about Shaking It Rough: A Prison Memoir (Goodread Biographies).

5 comments about Nineteen Seventy-Five: A Year in the Life of a College Sophomore : Taking it Apart (Part 1).

1. THis is a fantastic voyage back to the sex, drugs and rock and roll '70's experience on a small college campus. Mr. Small has nailed the experience, and I felt transported back to that time by the book. If you've forgotten what it was like, or if you're just curious, I strongly recommend this book.



2. This book is a great read. The characters really come to life . I felt like they were my friends. Anyone who came of age in the seventies can truly relate to the situations the main character encounters in those strange times. The book made me want to relive those days again. I can't wait for Mr. Smalls next novel.



3. After reading Nineteen-Seventy-four I could't wait to read the next book. Who would have thought it could have even been better. I felt even more connected to the main character in the second book and found myself hoping he'd get it together. Please keep on writing Mr. Small.



4. Having gone to a small midwestern college during the same period I found this book all too familar. For me, the 70's were an interesting time of both exploration and rebellion. I thought this novel explored both the pain and the joy of the times bringing back memories and feelings I had not visited in many years. I would reccommend this book to anyone but the most right wing. I loved it.



5. In a literary era of tales of survival under physical extremes, 1975 is a Dickensian tale of psychic survival. Unlike Dickens however, Small's account is realistic, and some may find this hard to face. Ask yourself, what would have happened if I had been raised by people who were unable to love me but merely treated me as boarder, and who treated my accomplishments as threats or insults to their own biological offspring, who tried to drag me down to mollify their own egos? Would I become a well-adjusted young man respectful of authority and without a trace of bitterness like David Copperfield, or would I laugh at social convention, take drugs, and learn to make authority cringe?
   
   On a different level, this story will appeal primarily to all those who harbor contempt for authority; those who lived in nonconformist frat houses in the 70s; anyone who has hitchhiked very much around America; those who attended "DeForrest" or similar small colleges and are familiar with the sociopolitics; and those familiar with the cultural desert of small town Indiana and the wacky things that intelligent people do there to preserve their sanity.
   
   From a nostalgic viewpoint, it's an excuse to remember what it was like to be alive then, to walk down the halls of your old frat house or dorm and revisit the strange assortment of characters you knew there, remember what it was like to get high for the first time and how good all the music sounded, and the awkwardness and then euphoria of your first sexual fumblings. You know, the fun parts of growing up.
   
   On the down side, while the author's savant-like recall of infinitesimal detail is amazing, it sometimes detracts from the flow of the narrative. Nevertheless, the story will leave you with unforgettable images, some hilarious (that second floor toilet), others disturbing (the fight on the roof, goodbye Eva). I look forward to the next installment.

No comments about Gus J. Solomon: Liberal Politics, Jews, And the Federal Courts.