Preet Bharara writes himself into the diamond circle of Clarence Darrow. There have been other good books by lawyers that have enriched our understanding of the law and its application by practitioners of the bar. But Darrow set the gold standard ... an un-put-down-able primer from the former U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York (SDNY), written with immense skill and engaging style. He’s tough, smart, and funny. He does not condescend to readers without legal credentials ... He tells riveting stories from real-life experience and attributes his near-perfect record as a federal prosecutor to the hard work and preparation that his team invested in achieving convictions in cases such as the Madoff/JPMorgan Chase Ponzi scheme and a scam defrauding a fund for Holocaust survivors ... Preet Bharara writes that you will not find God or grace in legal concepts or in formal notions of criminal justice. But be assured that you’ll find God and grace in this fascinating book.
But Doing Justice: A Prosecutor’s Thoughts on Crime, Punishment, and the Rule of Law isn’t a memoir, exactly; had it been an uncomplicated reminiscence, I would have enjoyed it much more ... [The book's goal] is all fine in theory — but only sometimes works in practice. Bharara seems to be addressing would-be prosecutors on some pages... and a wider audience on others... and he doesn’t seem to settle into a common register until the second half of the book ... Is all of this book filled with Polonius gunk? No. Most chapters delight or provoke in some way, if you mentally redact the fortune-cookie sentences (of which there are mercifully fewer in the second half) ... [The book] is filled with sobering stories about error and — in the more beautiful, memorable cases — ingenuity, determination, redemption.
Listeners of Bharara’s podcast will be familiar with the book’s tone: thoughtful, sincere, and not above a coy jab or a showman’s wisecrack ... The book is structured as a series of meditations on the different stages of a criminal investigation: 'Inquiry,' 'Accusation,' 'Judgment' and 'Punishment'—a conceit that could easily read as affected but that Bharara manages to pull off ... Like Comey, Bharara feels compelled to defend an aspect of his record that may be less than appealing to federal law enforcement’s new fans to the left of center ... Here, perhaps unavoidably, Bharara comes off as defensive ... Doing Justice does its best to communicate what Bharara sees as the fundamental good faith of many law enforcement officials. The real interest and innovation of the book, though, is in Bharara’s effort to offer that model of engagement with the world as a political theory for his fellow citizens. In a cynical time, there’s something to be said for that kind of sincerity.
... Bharara’s reflections on his seven and a half years in charge of the SDNY have taken on added importance ... he has transformed what early in his tenure he used as a guide to new and idealistic prosecutors into a 'guide to justice generally, not only for practitioners, but for real people who strive and struggle in their homes and offices to be fair and just'...And he succeeds admirably ... it is such a refreshing antidote to spend some time with a man who cares deeply about these very principles and is eager to share his experiences which teach valuable lessons about justice, fairness, and good behavior ... Although readers may be disappointed that he spends so little time addressing Trump by name, Bharara is clearly worried that the 'rule of law and faith in the rule of law, the state of judicial and prosecutorial independence, the meaning and primacy of truth — all are in question and under fire in numerous ways' ... Although he structures the book around the four stages of a criminal prosecution — Inquiry, Accusation, Judgment, and Punishment — it is about far more than the legal system; it is 'about integrity, leadership, decision making, and moral reasoning' ... It is invigorating to see a bright, accomplished, highly principled lawyer condemn Trump’s appalling racist remarks. True to his message, Bharara does it in a measured and civil manner, which serves another of his lessons: always maintain your credibility ... a compelling book, serious and funny, engaging and shocking. Fortunately, it is free of legal jargon and often reads like a gripping crime novel.
A love letter to the southern district of New York ... At its most powerful, Doing Justice works as a metaphorical survival guide for the Trump era. As with everything Bharara does, he writes in a tone that is calm and considered, a warm bath after the outrage of Trump’s daily tweets.
Bharara’s steadfast devotion to the rule of law and due process permeates every page of this book ... One of the more charming aspects of this book, and there are several, is that Bharara freely discusses his own human limitations ... [The book is] easily read, conversational, and with short digressions that turn out to be effective amplifications of his central point ... Additionally, [Bharara’s] sense of humor lightens the subject matter when it tends toward heaviness, and he consciously employs colloquialisms such as 'super impressive,' 'noggin,' and 'hinked up' to avoid turning over to readers a bone-dry legal textbook ... Doing Justice is an essential read for every American who cares about the rule of law and the pursuit of justice in the United States, particularly at a time when these ideals are a constant subject of attack for self-serving political purposes ... Buy it, read it, take lots of notes, mark up the index, put it in an easily findable spot on your bookshelf, and accept the fact that you’re going to be going back to it again and again to remind yourself that intelligence, objectivity, and a light sense of humor all have an extremely important place in today’s public debate about the future of the rule of law in the United States of America.
Bharara’s book...resonate[s] like some of the most engaging lessons that one might hear in a law school classroom. Bharara meditates on the philosophy of justice, he discusses strategy and the realities of the criminal justice system, but the backbone of Bharara’s writing is his ability to tell a good story. Providing much more than an anthology of compelling true-crime vignettes, however, Bharara uses each tale as a teachable moment. He speaks of successes, of ways to 'get the bad guy' both effectively and ethically, but he also speaks of failures and sobering miscarriages of justice ... Because the duty to do justice does not end at sentencing, I would have liked to learn his thoughts on the prosecutor’s responsibilities on appeal and in post-conviction litigation—other arenas where even handed justice is more important than winning. Nonetheless, Bharara does an admirable job of providing lawyers and nonlawyers with an insightful insider’s impressions of the criminal justice system, its virtues and its vulnerabilities. This makes Doing Justice an excellent read not only for an aspiring prosecutor, but for anyone with an interest in the meaning of the rule of law.
Bright with anecdotes from his lengthy and illustrious career, Bharara’s razor-edge judgments about punishment, procedure, outcome, and outlook address issues of governance and moral grounding that form the crux of the nature of justice. Bharara speaks with a clear, firm, and engaging voice in this essential primer about the importance of a fair and open justice system.
[A] fascinating combination of memoir and ethical-legal manifesto ... [Bharara's] prose has the quality of a well-written speech, with philosophical pronouncements followed by supporting tales from both his legal career and his personal life, recounted in a superbly accessible and conversational, even humorous, tone. Bharara also reminds readers that, while the law is an incredible tool, it is people who create or corrupt justice. With its approachable human moments, tragic and triumphant cases, heroic investigators, and depictions of hardworking everyday people, this book is a rare thing: a page-turning work of practical moral philosophy.
The former federal prosecutor for the Southern District of New York skillfully explains how he approached his job, offering a mixture of guiding principles and compelling anecdotes ... Unlike many lawyers who write books, Bharara refreshingly avoids jargon, striking a conversational tone and regularly employing analogies and metaphors that make his points easily understandable ... Rarely does Bharara offer glimpses into his private life, but he does share a few instances of the calumny he has faced due to his Indian heritage ... An engaging tour from beginning to end.
