One L: The Turbulent True Story of a First Year at Harvard Law School 
asked by casurf on October 31, 2006 11:31 PM
One L, Scott Turow's journal of his first year at law school introduces and a best-seller when it was first published in 1977, has gone on to become a virtual bible for prospective law students. Not only does it introduce with remarkable clarity the ideas and issues that are the stuff of legal education; it brings alive the anxiety and competiveness--with others and, even more, with oneself--that set the tone in this crucible of character building. Turow's multidimensional delving into his protagonists' psyches and his marvelous gift for suspense prefigure the achievements of his celebrated first novel, Presumed Innocent, one of the best-selling and most talked about books of 1987.
Each September, a new crop of students enter Harvard Law School to begin an intense, often grueling, sometimes harrowing year of introduction to the law. Turow's group of One Ls are fresh, bright, ambitious, and more than a little daunting. Even more impressive are the faculty: Perini, the dazzling, combative professor of contracts, who presents himself as the students' antagonist in their struggle to master his subject; Zechman, the reserved professor of torts who seems so indecisive the students fear he cannot teach; and Nicky Morris, a young, appealing man who stressed the humanistic aspects of law.
Will the One Ls survive? Will they excel? Will they make the Law Review, the outward and visible sign of success in this ultra-conservative microcosm? With remarkable insight into both his fellows and himself, Turow leads us through the ups and downs, the small triumphs and tragedies of the year, in an absorbing and throught-provoking narrative that teaches the reader not only about law school and the law but about the human beings who make them what they are.
In the new afterword for this edition of One L, the author looks back on law school from the perspective of ten years' work as a lawyer and offers some suggestions for reforming legal education.
Each September, a new crop of students enter Harvard Law School to begin an intense, often grueling, sometimes harrowing year of introduction to the law. Turow's group of One Ls are fresh, bright, ambitious, and more than a little daunting. Even more impressive are the faculty: Perini, the dazzling, combative professor of contracts, who presents himself as the students' antagonist in their struggle to master his subject; Zechman, the reserved professor of torts who seems so indecisive the students fear he cannot teach; and Nicky Morris, a young, appealing man who stressed the humanistic aspects of law.
Will the One Ls survive? Will they excel? Will they make the Law Review, the outward and visible sign of success in this ultra-conservative microcosm? With remarkable insight into both his fellows and himself, Turow leads us through the ups and downs, the small triumphs and tragedies of the year, in an absorbing and throught-provoking narrative that teaches the reader not only about law school and the law but about the human beings who make them what they are.
In the new afterword for this edition of One L, the author looks back on law school from the perspective of ten years' work as a lawyer and offers some suggestions for reforming legal education.
Reviews
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I read One L and enjoyed Turow's story. I do think the sharing of his daily life and emotions as a first year law student is beneficial. However, I have also read The Law School Breakthrough by Chris Yianilos. Yianilos gives a very detailed description of the tools and techniques needed in order to not only survive the first year, but to excel in your class. While I did like reading One L, I feel like the Law School Breakthrough is the book to get if you're looking for concrete guidance for law school success.
reviewed by 78704 on November 11, 2006 8:29 AM
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This book was recommended to me by a friend who recently graduated from law school. I had asked her about interesting reading material before my first year, and she felt that Turow's "One L" would be a good start for me. As soon as I picked up the book, I was captivated by the narrative and honest tone of Turow's account. Although the account itself is from the 70s, there is a timeless quality in Turow's writing that brings his law student experience to life. This novel is definitely worth reading, especially for those who are thinking about law school.
reviewed by crafty1 on November 29, 2006 3:37 AM
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This book is a surprise. It is a great read. You may think it will be on the predictible side, but Turow is a creative writer who understands what readers want. You can't miss with one of his books, this one is an easy read.
reviewed by borat on November 29, 2006 6:17 AM
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This was a recommended read for my law school orientation, so I bought and read it. This could truly scare a person away from law school. Turow uses a dramatic license, of course, but I think the book makes law school out to be much worse than it really is. Yes, you do get called on in class to discuss the case and if you are not prepared you can be ridiculed and yes the only grade you get is the exam at the end of the semester. And every class has that one student that loves to talk and make it seem as if he or she knows it all and there is always that one professor that everybody fears. But, it's like that in undergrad as well. After I read this book, I was seriously reconsidering my decision to go to law school, but I'm glad I continued through with it. Turow assists in making Harvard and law school seem dark and mysterious and nearly impossible to complete, but don't believe it. Harvard Law may still be impossible to get into, but law school is not as impossible as this book makes it out to be. Don't waste your time, read a good hornbook instead.
reviewed by bones on November 29, 2006 4:29 PM
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My husband was a grad student at Harvard when he came across the book and brought it home. He had taken a Harvard Law class in conjunction with his own concentration, and loved it to the point that he was thinking of applying.
Well, he didn't apply in the long run, but I did pick up the book. And goodness, but I'm glad I did.
One-L does not just tell you about the first year of law school at Harvard in the mid 70s - it tells you what students at Harvard are thinking, feeling, and experiencing. It talks about stress, peer pressure, teachers who bore, who excite, fascinating classes, horrific encounters, and the like. Turow somehow manages to cram all the highs and lows of a single nine-month period into a single book, and by the end of it I felt that though my husband wasn't at Harvard Law, I understood what he was experiencing himself a thousand times better.
And that's a very good thing, because as anyone who's had to put a spouse through any level of higher education can tell you - it SUCKS. Whether or not the details of what Turow experienced matched my husband's daily grind don't matter quite as much as the fact that they both were having the same emotional and physical drain on a regular basis - and understanding this drain was vital to our living happily in a too-crammed apartment on Garden Street.
I still recommend this book to the spouses of friends who are going to law or grad school - although I caution the actual student not to read it until they've graduated! I firmly believe that it needs to be required reading for family members who want to better understand what their student is experiencing - there is no better way of describing what life for 1Ls is like than this book.
Well, he didn't apply in the long run, but I did pick up the book. And goodness, but I'm glad I did.
One-L does not just tell you about the first year of law school at Harvard in the mid 70s - it tells you what students at Harvard are thinking, feeling, and experiencing. It talks about stress, peer pressure, teachers who bore, who excite, fascinating classes, horrific encounters, and the like. Turow somehow manages to cram all the highs and lows of a single nine-month period into a single book, and by the end of it I felt that though my husband wasn't at Harvard Law, I understood what he was experiencing himself a thousand times better.
And that's a very good thing, because as anyone who's had to put a spouse through any level of higher education can tell you - it SUCKS. Whether or not the details of what Turow experienced matched my husband's daily grind don't matter quite as much as the fact that they both were having the same emotional and physical drain on a regular basis - and understanding this drain was vital to our living happily in a too-crammed apartment on Garden Street.
I still recommend this book to the spouses of friends who are going to law or grad school - although I caution the actual student not to read it until they've graduated! I firmly believe that it needs to be required reading for family members who want to better understand what their student is experiencing - there is no better way of describing what life for 1Ls is like than this book.
reviewed by fusionz on November 29, 2006 5:01 PM