Staff Recommendation Corner: “Because I said so!”

Title: Because I said so! : the truth behind the myths, tales and warnings every generation passes down to its kids

Author: Ken Jennings

Call Number: AG243 .J47 2012 (Popular Reading Collection, 4^th floor)  

Reviewed by: Hadas Livnat

Review: Did you know that drinking 8 glasses of water a day can actually be BAD for you? Ken Jennings looks at common myths and parental “wisdom” to divine the truth behind them in short 0.5-1 page examination for each topic. An amusing, sometimes eye-opening read.

4/5 stars

Study Aids: Outlines, Questions & Answers, Flash Cards, Lectures on CD

As you prepare for your exams, remember that the library carries several different types of study aids including:

Books

Black letter Outlines such as the Emanuel series and Crunchtime series

Question & Answer Series

Understanding… Series

Ntushell Series

Recordings

PMBR

Course Lectures

Other Study Aids

Flash Cards

Online Exercises: CALI

Many of these Study Aids are located on the 4th Floor shelves facing the Circulation Desk.

If you want to know if the library carries a specific type of material. eg. Multiple choice questions on property or Outlines for Civil Procedure, ask at the Circulation Desk or the Reference Desk on the 4th floor.

The library also carries books on studying for law school exams.

Library Highlights: Sexuality and the Law

Intersexuality and the Law

Julie Greenberg

KF478.5 .G74 2012

From the Publisher: In Intersexuality and the Law, Julie A. Greenberg examines the role that legal institutions can play in protecting the rights of people with an intersex condition. She also explores the relationship between the intersex movement and other social justice movements that have effectively utilized legal strategies to challenge similar discriminatory practices. She discusses the feasibility of forming effective alliances and developing mutually beneficial legal arguments with feminists, LGBT organizations, and disability rights advocates to eradicate the discrimination suffered by these marginalized groups.

Loving V. Virginia in a Post-Racial World

Kevin Noble Maillard

KF517 .L68 2012

From the Publisher: In 1967, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that laws prohibiting interracial marriage were unconstitutional in Loving vs. Virginia. Although this case promotes marital freedom and racial equality, there are still significant legal and social barriers to the free formation of intimate relationships. Marriage continues to be the sole measure of commitment, mixed relationships continue to be rare, and same-sex marriage is only legal in 6 out of 50 states. Most discussion of Loving celebrates the symbolic dismantling of marital discrimination. This book, however, takes a more critical approach to ask how Loving has influenced the “loving” of America. How far have we come since then, and what effect did the case have on individual lives?

The Geography of Love: Same-Sex Marriage & Relationship Recognition in America (the Story in Maps)

Peter Nicolas

KF539 .N52 2011

From the Publisher: There is no question that the most prominent gay rights issue in the United States today is the right to marry. Yet accurate, objective information about same-sex marriage and relationship recognition in the United States is difficult to come by. In this book, Seattle-based authors Peter Nicolas & Mike Strong combine their respective training in law and geography to depict the history and current state of marriage and relationship recognition rights for same-sex couples in the United States in words…and in maps.

Gender, Sexualities and Law

Jackie Jones et al.

K644 .G459 2011

From the Publisher: This collection of essays offers an unrivalled examination of its various contemporary dimensions, focusing on: issues of theory and representation; violence, both national and international; reproduction and parenting; and partnership, sexuality, marriage and the family. Gender, Sexualities and Law will be invaluable for all those engaged in research and study of the law (and related fields) as a form of gendered power.

Courting Change Queer Parents, Judges, and the Transformation of American Family Law

Kimberly D. Richman

KF540 .R53 2009 

From the Publisher: In Courting Change, Kimberly D. Richman zeros in on the nebulous realm of family law, one of the most indeterminate and discretionary areas of American law. She focuses on judicial decisions—both the outcomes and the rationales—and what they say about family, rights, sexual orientation, and who qualifies as a parent. Richman challenges prevailing notions that gay and lesbian parents and families are hurt by laws’ indeterminacy, arguing that, because family law is so loosely defined, it allows for the flexibility needed to respond to—and even facilitate — changes in how we conceive of family, parenting, and the role of sexual orientation in family law.

States of Passion

Yvonne Zylan

KF9325 .Z85 2011

From the Publisher: Professor Yvonne Zylan explores the role of legal discourse in shaping sexual experience, sexual expression, and sexual identity. The book focuses on three topics: anti-gay hate crime laws, same-sex sexual harassment, and same-sex marriage, examining how sexuality is socially constructed through the institutionally-specific production of legal discourse.

Library Highlights: African Americans and the Law

It Worked for Me: In Life and Leadership

Colin Powell

E840.5.P68 A3 2012

From the Publisher: It Worked for Me is filled with vivid experiences and lessons learned that have shaped the legendary public service career of the  four-star general and former Secretary of State Colin Powell. At its heart are Powell’s “Thirteen Rules”—notes he gathered over the years and that  now form the basis of his leadership presentations given throughout the world. Powell’s short but sweet rules—among them, “Get mad, then get over it” and “Share credit”—are illustrated by revealing personal stories that introduce and expand upon his principles for effective leadership: conviction, hard work, and, above all, respect for others. In work and in life, Powell writes, “it’s about how we touch and are touched by the people we meet. It’s all about the people.”

The Courage to Hope: How I Stood Up to the Politics of Fear

Shirley Sherrod and Catherine Whitney

E901.1.S54 A3 2012

From the Publisher: In this “inspiring memoir about the real power of courage and hope” (Kirkus Reviews), lifelong activist Shirley Sherrod explains why she was fired from the USDA under false charges and how she stood up against the politics of fear.

The End of the Pipeline: A Journey of Recognition for African Americans Entering the Legal Profession

Carla D. Pratt and Dorothy Evensen

KF299.A35 E94 2012

From the Publisher: This book had its beginnings in a simple question: How have some African-American attorneys, recently admitted to the bar, successfully navigated what research suggests is a very precarious pipeline to the legal profession? The response to this question entailed a journey that spanned some three years, over fifty informants, and a dozen or so researchers and scholars who study the intersections of education, race, and efforts to achieve social equity.

Moving Diversity Forward: How to Go From Well-Meaning to Well-Doing

Verna A. Myers

KF300 .M94 2011

From the Publisher: “If you believe that your organization has done everything it can to enhance its diversity, and if you are still frustrated at how little progress you have made, Moving Diversity Forward is for you. It is an instructive read for all of those who wish to live and work in a multi-cultural world where everyone has a fair chance to succeed and contribute.”

Parodies of Ownership: Hip-Hop Aesthetics and Intellectual Property Law

Richard L. Schur

KF4757 .S38 2009

From the Publisher: Parodies of Ownership offers a broad analysis of post–Civil Rights era culture and provides the necessary context for understanding contemporary debates within American studies, African American studies, intellectual property law, African American literature, art history, and hip-hop studies. Weaving together law, literature, art, and music, Schur deftly clarifies the conceptual issues that unify contemporary African American culture, empowering this generation of artists, writers, and musicians to criticize how racism continues to affect our country.

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

Rebecca Skloot

RC265.6.L24 S55 2010

From the Publisher: Her name was Henrietta Lacks, but scientists know her as HeLa. She was a poor Southern tobacco farmer who worked the same land as her slave ancestors, yet her cells—taken without her knowledge—became one of the most important tools in medicine. The first “immortal” human cells grown in culture, they are still alive today, though she has been dead for more than sixty years. If you could pile all  HeLa cells ever grown onto a scale, they’d weigh more than 50 million metric tons—as much as a hundred Empire State Buildings. HeLa cells were vital for developing the polio vaccine; uncovered secrets of cancer, viruses, and the atom bomb’s effects; helped lead to important advances like in vitro fertilization, cloning, and gene mapping; and have been bought and sold by the billions.

Staff Recommendation Corner: “America Again”

Title: America again : Re-becoming the Greatness We Never Weren’t

Author: Stephen Colbert

Popular Reading Humor and Personal Improvement Display (Popular Reading Collection, 4th floor)

Reviewed by: Hadas Livnat

Review: A humorous, satirical look at current social and political issues in America, including healthcare, the economy, food, Wall Street and elections.

5/5 stars

Library Highlights: Privacy & The Law

The Offensive Internet: Speech, Privacy, and Reputation

Saul Levmore (Editor)

KF390.5.C6 O344 2010

From the Publisher: In a field still dominated by a frontier perspective, this book has the potential to be a real game changer. Armed with example after example of harassment in Internet chat rooms and forums, the authors detail some of the vile and hateful speech that the current combination of law and technology has bred. The facts are then treated to analysis and policy prescriptions. Read this book and you will never again see the Internet through rose-colored glasses.

Nothing To Hide: The False Tradeoff Between Privacy and Security

Daniel J. Solove

KF1262 .S663 2011

From the Publisher: In this concise and accessible book, Solove exposes the fallacies of many pro-security arguments that have skewed law and policy to favor security at the expense of privacy. Protecting privacy isn’t fatal to security measures; it merely involves adequate oversight and regulation.

The Real ID Act: Privacy and Government Surveillance

William Eyre

KF4791 .E97 2011

From the Publisher: Eyre examines the Real ID Act in this context, as an example of laws passed since September 2001 restricting civil liberties. The Real ID Act facilitates the current and future surveillance regime. Real IDs and the database(s) to which they are linked represent a de facto national ID system facilitating monitoring citizens’ movements, speech and political activities when fully operational.

I Know Who You Are and I Saw What You Did: Social Networks and the Death of Privacy

Andrews, Lori

HM851 .A66 2011

From the Publisher: As leading expert on social networks and privacy Lori Andrews shows, through groundbreaking in-depth research and a host of stunning stories of abuses, as we work and chat and shop and date (and even sometimes have sex) over the Web, we are opening ourselves up to increasingly intrusive, relentless, and anonymous surveillance—by employers, schools, lawyers, the police, and aggressive data aggregator services that compile an astonishing amount of information about us and sell it to any and all takers.

Privacy in Context: Technology, Policy, and the Integrity of Social Life

Helen Nissenbaum

JC596.2.U6 N57 2010

From the Publisher: Arguing that privacy concerns should not be limited solely to concern about control over personal information, Helen Nissenbaum counters that information ought to be distributed and protected according to norms governing distinct social contexts—whether it be workplace, health care, schools, or among family and friends. She warns that basic distinctions between public and private, informing many current privacy policies, in fact obscure more than they clarify.

Privacy: A Very Short Introduction

Raymond Wacks

JC596 .W33 2010

From the Publisher: Legal expert Raymond Wacks here provides a compact introduction to this complex and controversial concept. He explores the tension between free speech and privacy which is often tested by paparazzi, with their intrusive journalism and sensational disclosures of the private lives of celebrities. He also looks at laws in many nations that regulate the collection and use of personal information, whether highly sensitive– medical and financial information–or commonplace

Staff Recommendation Corner: “Cheap: The High Cost of Discount Culture”

Title: Cheap : The High Cost of Discount Culture

Author: Ellen Ruppel Shell

HF5429.215.U6 S54 2009  (Popular Reading Collection, 4th floor)

Reviewed by: Hadas Livnat

Review: Ellen Ruppel Shell exposes how being able to obtain a lot of low-price stuff, whether it’s clothes, food, furnishing or any other items, comes at a heavy environmental and human costs. The pervasive notion that “more is better” and “cheaper is better” lowers the standard of living in the form of the excess of easily discarded (because cheaply made and easily broken) items. Food for thought.

4/5 stars

Library Highlights: Legal Research

Basic Legal Research: Tools and Strategies, 5th Edition

Amy E. Sloan

KF240 .S585 2012

From the Publisher: This best-selling coursebook on legal research is known for its clear, step-by-step instruction in the basics. Using a building-block approach, Basic Legal Research: Tools and Strategies, Fifth Edition breaks material into discrete, readily comprehensible parts. Self-contained chapters on sources make the book flexible for any type of legal research course.

The Process of Legal Research: Authorities and Options

Christina L. Kunz et al.

KF240 .P76 2012

From the Publisher: A time-tested, proven introduction, The Process of Legal Research acquaints students with all of the sources and relevant vocabulary and shows how each source works, how to combine sources into a cohesive research process, and how to resolve legal problems through effective techniques. Extensive illustrations and examples quickly engage students in actual research problems, as the text carefully demonstrates how research and writing are interrelated processes.

Just Research, Third Edition

Laurel Currie Oates

KF240 .O18 2011

From the Publisher: Just Research, Third Edition, offers students and professors a unique and up-to-date approach to the fundamentals of legal research. Instead of simply describing sources, Just Research goes a step further and shows students how to use those sources to research a variety of issues, including issues governed by common law, issues governed by state and federal statutes, issues governed by local law, constitutional law issues, issues governed by local law, and factual issues.

Legal Research Guide: Patterns and Practice, Sixth Edition

Bonita K. Roberts

KF240 .R63 2011

From the Publisher: In this Sixth Edition, a new chapter explains the interrelationship of manual and electronic research. Each method has its advantages and disadvantages. To do legal research accurately, quickly, and efficiently, the researcher must have a basic understanding of each method. Each is an important component and is best suited to certain types of information. Even with advances in electronic research, the authors believe that it is important to understand the manual research process and that some research can still be done more efficiently or completely through manual research due to the time and substance restrictions in databases.

Legal Research in California, 7th ed.

John K Hanft

KFC74 .H36 2011

From the Publisher: This title gives you comprehensive guidance on California-specific research, and includes appropriate coverage of national and federal materials. The author presents a detailed overview of the legal research environment, and devotes chapters to each branch of government and the legal materials it produces. Detailed coverage includes case reporting, and case law, statutory law, and administrative law.

Impeccable Research: A Concise Guide to Mastering Legal Research Skills

Mark K. Osbeck

KF240 .O82 2010

From the Publisher: This book stresses a systematic, problem-solving approach to legal research. It sets out a clear, step-by-step research strategy that guides students through the research process. The book also includes a section on tips for avoiding common research pitfalls, a troubleshooting guide for helping students overcome the occasional problems that may crop up in their legal research projects, and a summary of the various primary and secondary sources of law and their use. This book serves as a reference guide for law students and young lawyers, as well as an innovative classroom text on legal research.

Staff Recommendation Corner: “The Shallows: What the Internet is Doing to Our Brains”

Title: The Shallows : What the Internet is Doing to Our Brains

Author: Nicholas Carr.

QP360 .C3667 2010  (Popular Reading Collection, 4th floor)

Reviewed by: Hadas Livnat

Review: Carr argues that the format by which we absorb information is important, since neural paths in the brain re-wire in response to the specific format of information-conveying tools. He examines the resulting effects on our brains when we read information online and when we read it through the printed book. Carr’s argument is that the online environment as detrimental to our brains since it destroys concentration, and cites studies to support his theory. A thought-provoking and entertaining book.

4/5 stars

Library HighLights: Natural Disasters & The Law

Disaster Law and Policy

Daniel A. Farber

KF3750 .F37 2010

 

From the Publisher: Disaster Law and Policy examines the growing field concerned with disaster prevention, emergency response, compensation & insurance, human rights, and community recovery. The first book on disaster law to appear in the wake of Katrina, this fascinating text provides the key building blocks for a thoughtful analysis of the issues that surround disaster-relief policy and procedure.

The Law of Emergencies

Nan D. Hunter

KF5900 .H86 2009

 

From the Publisher: The Law of Emergencies introduces the American legal system as it interacts with emergency management and public health issues. Hunter engages with and debates some of the most important Constitutional issues of our time, such as the tension between civil liberties and national security. She also shows how the law in this area plays out in the context of real life emergencies where individuals often have to make split-second decisions.

Children, Law, and Disasters: What We Learned from Katrina and the Hurricanes of 2005

ABA Center on Children and the Law

KF3735 .C475 2009

 

From the Publisher: This book, a collaboration between the American Bar Association and the University of Houston Law Center, examines the intersection of children, law and disasters like Hurricane Katrina. It looks at the experiences of children during the disasters and the first response to the events in order to demonstrate how we can do a better job for children. It acknowledges the considerable stress on systems such as juvenile justice, foster care, and education before the disasters and what needs to happen in a post-Katrina world.

Catastrophe: Law, Politics, and the Humanitarian Impulse

Austin Sarat (Ed. )

KF3750 .C38 2009

 

From the Publisher: From 9/11 to Katrina, from Darfur to the Minnesota bridge collapse, ours is an “age of catastrophe.” In this era, catastrophic events seem to have a revelatory quality: they offer powerful reminders of the fragility of our social and institutional architectures, making painfully evident vulnerabilities in our social organization that were otherwise invisible. By disrupting the operation of fundamental mechanisms and infrastructures of the social order, they lay bare the conditions that make our sense of normalcy possible.

Emergencies and the Limits of Legality

Victor V. Ramraj

K4700 .E46 2008

 

From the Publisher: This collection of essays – at the intersection of legal, political and social theory and practice – explores law’s capacity to constrain state power in times of crisis. The global response to the 11 September 2001 attacks on the United States was no exception, and the wave of legislative responses is well documented. Yet there is an everpresent danger, borne out by historical and contemporary events, that even the most well -meaning executive, armed with extraordinary powers, will abuse them. This inevitably leads to another common tendency in an emergency, to invoke law not only to empower the state but also in a bid to constrain it. Can law constrain the emergency state or must the state at times act outside the law when its existence is threatened? If it must act outside the law, is such conduct necessarily fatal to aspirations of legality?

When Nature Strikes: Weather Disasters and the Law

Marsha L. Baum

KF3750 .B38 2007

 

From the Publisher: Shows us the human side of the weather by explaining how the law and weather interact. Both law and weather affect us every day of our modern lives, yet most people do not know how the weather has affected developments in the law, nor are they aware of how the law has attempted to develop ways to affect the weather. When Nature Strikes is the first book to examine the various areas in which law and weather meet and affect each other. This one-of-a-kind work describes the law related to weather in the United States in the context of specific cases, legislation, and administrative legal action.