Official Review: Adventures In The Law

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MsTri
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Official Review: Adventures In The Law

Post by MsTri »

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Adventures In The Law" by David Harry Tannenbaum.]
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4 out of 4 stars
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Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I'd like to introduce to you the case of Mr. Tannenbaum's Foray Into Law. May I start with a couple of jokes first?

- Q: What's the difference between a porcupine and two lawyers in a Porsche? A: With a porcupine, the pricks are on the outside!
- It was so cold last winter that I actually saw a lawyer with his hands in his OWN pockets!

If these two jokes are any indication, lawyers have gotten a very bad rap. They're known as the "sharks" of the professional world, and many cartoons feature them chasing ambulances. Even so, I personally don't have too bad a view of them, so I was thrilled to read Adventures in The Law by David Harry Tannenbaum, a retired intellectual property (patent) lawyer. The tome is a collection of "weird and funny tales told by the lawyer who lived them", with the first tale taking place while he was still in law school then the rest of the book following what I believe to be a mostly chronological path.

Since the author also performed pro bono work and maintained a very small general law practice early in his career, the vast majority of the yarns are based on non-patent cases. In fact, several of the cases are of the type that Mr. Tannenbaum had no experience in, such as divorce or personal injury. The fact that he didn't know what he was doing and had to study up on the relevant laws or even the process for handling such cases made for many funny moments. Even when he'd learned what he needed to, he often fumbled in court, increasing the humor.

At this time, I'd like to enter into evidence the clients. For me, they were the best parts of the tales. So many of them wanted the author to perform services he was not experienced in or to bring forth ludicrous suits. One man tried to get a divorce on the grounds of mental anguish with his example being that his wife was a backseat driver. Another client was clearly guilty of the hit-and-run that he was accused of, yet he tried to get by by noting that he stole the wrong car. As he put it, "I should have stolen a smaller car. I couldn't see outta that hunk of junk." The latter example was only one of many hilarious moments brought on by client desperation. Since this compilation is comprised of 27 tales, I cannot cover them all, but I will say that my favorites were Guilty, Your Honor...But and Play Money. The former story found the author defending a woman accused of forging a prescription. I figured out the puzzle about 3/4 of they way in, but the ending still left me open-mouthed for quite a few minutes. The latter tale involved Mr. Tannenbaum attempting to assist his client in working out an arrangement with school systems across America wherein "Jenny" would introduce a method of teaching others how to perform mathematical feats such as multiplying 12345 by 67890 in one's head. The ending again had me shaking my head and wondering about people. Does Necessity Beget Inventions? and Eat, Drink, And... were notable for being chapters in which the author put forth a premise and then followed up the assertions with a few examples.

As much as I enjoyed the clients, I really had to admire the author as well, so I'd like to enter him in as "Exhibit B". As noted above, he was often called upon to present cases wherein he hadn't the first clue on how to do so. His commitment to learning what he needed to do to get the job done was admirable. Even more admirable to me was his ingenious way of accomplishing his tasks. I don't want to give anything away, but Mr. Tannenbaum often compared himself to television's Perry Mason - a show I happen to watch nearly every weekday - and I found the comparison to be quite apt. He had a very creative way of doing things. In one instance, he managed to have papers served to someone who was "a pro at dodging process servers", and how he did so had me laughing gleefully. Unfortunately, even the best of attorneys lose on occasion, and the losses he mentioned either saddened or angered me, or both. In David Versus Goliath, the author took on the pension industry, and the outcome really angered me. I was so rattled that I looked up current pension laws but couldn't tell if anything had changed based on his argument. It was cases like that that reminded me of the saying that the law isn't about justice and made my heart heavy.

For Exhibit B2, I have the tone of the book. I really liked the author's "voice". As a former attorney, he could have used a lot of legal jargon, making the tales hard to understand, but he didn't. He wrote very casually and put nearly everything in laymen's terms. There were times that the verbiage was unavoidable, but even then he did a superb job in making it understandable. I minored in Criminal Justice in college, and Mr. Tannenbaum's writing took me back to some of my classes - which I loved - and made me somewhat sad that I never pursued that field in some minor way. To me, that speaks highly of his writing skills and ability to put the reader right in the middle of things. Additionally, most of the tales were only a few pages long, so a reader has an option between taking "breathers" between tales or reading several at once without losing momentum in either case.

Finally, ladies and gentlemen, I am happy to note that this tome seems to be professionally edited, as I found only a handful of very minor grammatical errors. They were by no means distracting, and I actually had to go back to look for them. Consider this Exhibit C, please.

Having presented all pieces of evidence, I submit that this book, Adventures in The Law, is guilty of knowingly and willfully causing outbursts of laughter and many many guffaws. I am therefore delighted to sentence...er, award this collection 4 out of 4 stars. As such, I highly recommend this entertaining and informative tome to those interested in the law, readers who like funny anecdotes, and people who enjoy reading about the temerity of their fellow man (or woman).

The Plaintiff Rests. Thank you.

******
Adventures In The Law
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Ruba Abu Ali
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Post by Ruba Abu Ali »

I am sold! I will add this book to my reading list. I really enjoyed your enchanting "courtroom" review. Thanks for the smart and lovely insight. :D
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Post by Debjani Ghosh »

Great review! I was drawn by the image of the bewildered old man in the book cover. Your review explains why. I am definitely going to read this book.
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kandscreeley
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Post by kandscreeley »

Wow! You made this book sound like a lot of fun! It sounds like some great, hilarious stories. I also think it'd be a chance to learn a little bit and possibly change your opinion of lawyers slightly. Thanks for the fun review. I'm definitely going to have to look at this book.
A book is a dream you hold in your hands.
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MsTri
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Post by MsTri »

Ruba Abu Ali wrote: 13 Sep 2018, 00:23 I am sold! I will add this book to my reading list. I really enjoyed your enchanting "courtroom" review. Thanks for the smart and lovely insight. :D
Thank you so much; I really enjoyed writing it, too! Times like now, I wish we could get the author's feedback because I sometimes wonder how THEY like my reviews.
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MsTri
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Post by MsTri »

Debjani Ghosh wrote: 13 Sep 2018, 01:41 Great review! I was drawn by the image of the bewildered old man in the book cover. Your review explains why. I am definitely going to read this book.
The cover caught my eye, too, and then the synopsis nailed it...Thanks so much for commenting!
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MsTri
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Post by MsTri »

kandscreeley wrote: 13 Sep 2018, 08:01 Wow! You made this book sound like a lot of fun! It sounds like some great, hilarious stories. I also think it'd be a chance to learn a little bit and possibly change your opinion of lawyers slightly. Thanks for the fun review. I'm definitely going to have to look at this book.
Thanks so much for commenting, and I really liked learning some things about law, as well.
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Ruba Abu Ali
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Post by Ruba Abu Ali »

MsTri wrote: 13 Sep 2018, 22:43
Ruba Abu Ali wrote: 13 Sep 2018, 00:23 I am sold! I will add this book to my reading list. I really enjoyed your enchanting "courtroom" review. Thanks for the smart and lovely insight. :D
Thank you so much; I really enjoyed writing it, too! Times like now, I wish we could get the author's feedback because I sometimes wonder how THEY like my reviews.
I know exactly how you feel. I've been there, and I agree totally! Some reviews, such as yours, are top-notch that you just wish the author could give you a hint of how he/she sees it. Kudos to you. :D :tiphat:
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Post by 420waystoreachthesun »

Okay, you have written a brilliant review. I'm definitely going for this book.
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Sicily Joy
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Post by Sicily Joy »

Thanks for a fun and quite detailed review. I love that you started with some jokes that matched the humorous nature of the book. The cover is very catchy and it is good to know that the book matches the fun feel of the cover. Based on your review, I will be adding this to my to-read shelf. I am curious to see how the author makes the law approachable and to read about all the interesting clients.
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Samantha Powell
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Post by Samantha Powell »

I was drawn in by the cover of the book, and your review made it sound like a fun read. I will have to put this one in my "to read" pile.

Props for a creative review, as well. 😉
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Post by stalliongirlke »

Im already in the legal profession. This book sounds like one of those fun books associated with my profession. I would consider reading it
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Post by W and M Holland »

Law is positively one of my most favorite subjects. After reading the very unique review by MsTri, this looks like a book I will be putting on my list to be read. Great review.
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Post by fernsmom »

Oh my goodness, I found another reviewer I love to read. I was laughing as I was reading it. You wrote and EXCELLENT review, the jury rests.
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Post by Kajori Sheryl Paul »

First of all, I really like the style of the review. You made the desperate circumstances of the lawyer sound fun.

Thank you for the fun review.
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