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A review by gautamgopalk
Scorpions: The Battles and Triumphs of FDR's Great Supreme Court Justices by Noah Feldman
adventurous
emotional
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
4.0
A fantastically well written book by Noah Feldman, Scorpions: The Battles and Triumphs of FDR's Great Supreme Court Justices was published in 2010 and goes into detail about the lives of four supreme court justices - Felix Frankfurter, Hugo Black, Robert Jackson and William Douglas who were all appointed by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Each of these four great men came from impoverished backgrounds and developed unique perspectives on the American constitution that form four pillars of thought that is prevalent even today. They were self made men who touched great heights in their professional careers. It is incredibly inspiring to read their story through this book because of the beautifully gripping manner in which it is presented.
This book can be read by anyone and doesn't require any background knowledge of the law as the writing is simple, mesmerising and thrilling. A handful of key legal cases which formed landmark supreme court decisions of that era are discussed in layman's terms. The story feels like an amazing work of fiction because of the larger than life characters, their friendships, betrayals and character arcs fuelled by jaw-dropping ambitions, and yet it is merely a historical tale grounded in facts. It is possible that some biases of the author may have invariably crept in but it is hardly discernible and the author has taken painstaking efforts to provide a plethora of references to make up for it.
This book can be read by anyone and doesn't require any background knowledge of the law as the writing is simple, mesmerising and thrilling. A handful of key legal cases which formed landmark supreme court decisions of that era are discussed in layman's terms. The story feels like an amazing work of fiction because of the larger than life characters, their friendships, betrayals and character arcs fuelled by jaw-dropping ambitions, and yet it is merely a historical tale grounded in facts. It is possible that some biases of the author may have invariably crept in but it is hardly discernible and the author has taken painstaking efforts to provide a plethora of references to make up for it.