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Mr. Turow's 'One L' was published in 1977. His memoir covers his first year at Harvard Law School which began in September 1975. The author was 26 years old and three-or-four-years older than most of the other students. For three years prior to entering Harvard, Mr. Turow taught creative writing at Stanford and it shows. 'One L' is a clear, gripping, heartfelt presentation. The guy certainly is smart but also, even more valuable, observant, introspective, speculative, thoughtful, and progressive in his attitudes. For a young man he appears more mature than people typically his age. Despite me not having either the work ethic or intelligence to succeed at Harvard or demanding fields as the law or medicine, for that matter, I found the memoir to be very informative, entertaining, and interesting.
Mr. Turow puts a very human face on the challenging career path. Terror for first-year students seems to be a constant companion. The author covers such topics as professors' reputations and teaching styles, the legal structure, tort suits, study groups, the aspirations on being selected for Harvard Law Review, legal thinking, career potential, burn out, personal sacrifices, the competitive environment, oral arguments, exams, moot court, research skills, racism, sexism, and the Socratic method of teaching. When I was at college, if I had been exposed to the Socratic method, it's a sure bet I'd have soiled my underwear and flipped out by yelling at the professor every nasty profanity-laced pejorative known to man. The book also has some humor and, thankfully, ignores dorm room shenanigans. The pressure to perform well also manifested itself in personality conflicts and altered relationships. Because the memoir was written in 1977 I'd imagine the Internet has changed certain aspects of the law school process in 2017, especially involving research.
I can understand why people thinking of entering law school would find 'One L' informative but Mr. Turow does such a great job of conveying the mood and difficulties of Harvard law school that even laymen like myself found the book engrossing. His conclusion to the work was especially humane and well thought out. I finished the book appreciating the challenges of the demanding field. Getting that degree sure isn't a cake walk.
Mr. Turow puts a very human face on the challenging career path. Terror for first-year students seems to be a constant companion. The author covers such topics as professors' reputations and teaching styles, the legal structure, tort suits, study groups, the aspirations on being selected for Harvard Law Review, legal thinking, career potential, burn out, personal sacrifices, the competitive environment, oral arguments, exams, moot court, research skills, racism, sexism, and the Socratic method of teaching. When I was at college, if I had been exposed to the Socratic method, it's a sure bet I'd have soiled my underwear and flipped out by yelling at the professor every nasty profanity-laced pejorative known to man. The book also has some humor and, thankfully, ignores dorm room shenanigans. The pressure to perform well also manifested itself in personality conflicts and altered relationships. Because the memoir was written in 1977 I'd imagine the Internet has changed certain aspects of the law school process in 2017, especially involving research.
I can understand why people thinking of entering law school would find 'One L' informative but Mr. Turow does such a great job of conveying the mood and difficulties of Harvard law school that even laymen like myself found the book engrossing. His conclusion to the work was especially humane and well thought out. I finished the book appreciating the challenges of the demanding field. Getting that degree sure isn't a cake walk.
