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benlwill's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 stars. Really neat insights and a great epilogue. I like how short this book is. Basically a highlight real of Brandeis’s personality and vision without all the niceties a full biography requires. A great first read into the man.
stumolan's review against another edition
5.0
Jeffrey Rosen's excellent personal and intellectual biography of Supreme Court Justice Louis D. Brandeis is an accessible and short book that was a great portrait into a life that means so much for today's political situation. Brandeis' "curse of bigness" matters now more than ever, given our current corporate concentration.
His view on the public interest is also instructive:
"'The public interest is made up of a number of things...Namely the interest of the rest of the public, the dealer and his clerks and the producer and his employees.' Brandeis maintained, in other words, that the survival of a variety of competitive small businesses was necessary for the welfare of the entire community. As he concluded, 'we are all part of the public and we must find a rule of law that is consistent with the welfare of all the people.'"
It's a great read.
His view on the public interest is also instructive:
"'The public interest is made up of a number of things...Namely the interest of the rest of the public, the dealer and his clerks and the producer and his employees.' Brandeis maintained, in other words, that the survival of a variety of competitive small businesses was necessary for the welfare of the entire community. As he concluded, 'we are all part of the public and we must find a rule of law that is consistent with the welfare of all the people.'"
It's a great read.
aloyokon's review against another edition
4.0
As a Progressive and a justice, Brandeis fought against monopoly, the "curse of bigness" in business and government, and censorship. As a citizen, he supported privacy rights, federalism, secularism, and the Zionist cause. Although not a perfect exemplar by any stretch (see his views on race, for instance), this book does show him to be quite prescient in quite a number of areas, particularly the threat that corporate power can pose to our democracy and the dangers of an overweening surveillance state. Just be aware that this book is less of a straightforward biography of his life and more of a friendly tribute to his viewpoints on critical issues.
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