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lumpyplume's reviews
353 reviews
Asunder by Kerstin Hall
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
2.75
The Caesars Palace Coup: How a Billionaire Brawl Over the Famous Casino Exposed the Power and Greed of Wall Street by Sujeet Indap, Max Frumes
I confess I'm fascinated by the bad reviews by people who were looking for reality packaged up in a nice story without the fluff of details. I'm a commercial litigator who loved the functional intelligence that can only come from minutiae. Caesars Palace Coup details a great big bankruptcy mess, from origins to the lives of the lawyers post-mortem. The authors vibrantly and precisely explain the stakes of the sprawling multi-jurisdictional suits, rationale behind rulings on obscure issues (e.g. state law issues not preempted by federal securities law), and how the actual participants' personalities and back stories played into strategy and brass tacks settlement discussions. The nosy busybody part of me also loved hearing about major players who are still prominent litigators, what their testimony was, what the reaction was in the courtroom to a particular approach or statement by that one judge, who gave who wedding invites after the psychological warfare ended, etc. The authors took the extra step of looking at companies and lawyers that were on one side of the v. making arguments that XYZ's use of guarantees, surety language, maneuvering of risk and asset protection was not fair, and how they have exploited similar tactics with other insolvency matters at different dates. This all ultimately is functional intelligence that may be used by these specific peoples' adversaries in business transactions or business disputes.
For others who like these sorts of books, there is a reference to PG&E's bankruptcy proceedings, and I'd recommend California is Burning by Katherine Blunt for details of the rise and fall of PG&E (with a far more human perspective on victims of PG&Es laxity with safety). A fun other tie in - Caesars Palace Coup's authors reference the son of Lewis Ranieri and how he grew up under his shadow (Ranieri, former vice chairman of Salomon Brothers ,was immortalized in Liar's Poker).
For others who like these sorts of books, there is a reference to PG&E's bankruptcy proceedings, and I'd recommend California is Burning by Katherine Blunt for details of the rise and fall of PG&E (with a far more human perspective on victims of PG&Es laxity with safety). A fun other tie in - Caesars Palace Coup's authors reference the son of Lewis Ranieri and how he grew up under his shadow (Ranieri, former vice chairman of Salomon Brothers ,was immortalized in Liar's Poker).
Normal People by Sally Rooney
5.0
What a gem. A back cover blurb can't capture the depth of Rooney's insight on how actual people think. So well crafted. Lived up to the hype.
Mine!: How the Hidden Rules of Ownership Control Our Lives by James Salzman, Michael A. Heller
4.0
Clear, straightforward US law school primer explanation in chapter 6 on 1) the heir property issue and how it's the number one cause of dispossession of land ownership by Black people, 2) how lobbying around estate tax rules shaped popular perception of these rules. As of 2021, with spending on skilled estate planning counsel, estate taxes only certain* for people with estates valued at 23 million+. (* not truly certain, read book and consult lawyer for more details)
In some part, the authors take a a libertarian strong property rights perspective. Their perspective on the historical bass for property law is limited in region (British Commonwealth/US) and time (mostly from the formation of the US to recent US news and legal updates), but they make sweeping projections onto the rest of the world at times. They would benefit from cabining some of those projections onto other cultures as discussed in Graeber's and other anthropologists' works about what the historical and anthropological record shows and what's mystery. And conceptions of property prior to Locke, i.e. the existing cultural conversations that inspired Locke to issue a rebuttal.
Helpful discussions of Salzman's recent work related to property law and its use for ecosystem services.
In some part, the authors take a a libertarian strong property rights perspective. Their perspective on the historical bass for property law is limited in region (British Commonwealth/US) and time (mostly from the formation of the US to recent US news and legal updates), but they make sweeping projections onto the rest of the world at times. They would benefit from cabining some of those projections onto other cultures as discussed in Graeber's and other anthropologists' works about what the historical and anthropological record shows and what's mystery. And conceptions of property prior to Locke, i.e. the existing cultural conversations that inspired Locke to issue a rebuttal.
Helpful discussions of Salzman's recent work related to property law and its use for ecosystem services.