PositiveThe New York Times Book ReviewThe predigested fact patterns that litigators deem suitable for court consumption are bland fare for a novelist’s palate, so it’s enlightening to watch some of our most masterly literary portraitists restore the warts and wardrobes, the motivations and machinations to those whose stories have been stripped down to surnames or pseudonyms ... These accounts illuminate how lawyers, as well as authors, must be skillful narrative crafters, pruning and stretching the unruly features of real life to fit the law’s Procrustean parameters ... I was disappointed not to see Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission — possibly the most notorious Supreme Court case of the millennium — among the cases selected for discussion here, particularly since, in recent years, it’s been increasingly difficult to find mention of the A.C.L.U.’s role in Citizens United or its continuing opposition to campaign finance reform efforts ... Given that this book so often lauds the A.C.L.U. for its defense of unpopular causes, it’s troubling that the A.C.L.U.’s own most unpopular recent case gets such short shrift ... perhaps the public can be forgiven its appetite for courtroom heroes; perhaps the writers can indulge in some happy — albeit temporary — endings; and perhaps the A.C.L.U. deserves to take a victory lap for its many indisputable acts of heroism, and to put out of mind, for the moment, the uncertain road forward.
