A review by mkmcelroy
Doing Justice: A Prosecutor's Thoughts on Crime, Punishment, and the Rule of Law by Preet Bharara

4.0

Mr Bharara presents an interesting perspective on our judicial system. His descriptions are self reflective and he approaches topics from his own moral point of view. I appreciated the level of consideration he gave to each story he told, including attempts at empathy and understanding towards adversarial parties. 

His frank, open discussion style was enjoyable to read. And I think it brought an honesty to the book I wasn’t expecting. There were opinions I agreed with, disagreed with, and ones I hadn’t encountered before. Overall, his goal, both in the book and in his described career, was to respect the dignity of others and further justice in the ways he thought were best. While even he admitted to certain decisions that might have fallen short of that goal, it was heartening to know that there are attorneys such as him, contributing to our system and actively considering these important questions.

I would recommend this book to anyone interested in public service. While the book does focus on our judicial system specifically, the questions it poses about how our actions contribute to a greater societal good and how our experiences can blind us from considering a situation from all angles, are vital to every system. This sort of reflection and conscious empathy is, in my opinion, foundational to building a better world. And I am happy to see people like Mr Bharara writing books that further that sort of discussion and introspection.