How to Be Sort of Happy in Law School. By Kathryne M. Young. Stanford, Cal.: Stanford University Press. 2018. Pp. xv, 290. $19.95. In this title, Professor Kathryne Young delivers a valuable read for any current or future law student. The book is a contemporary window into the law school experience that also strives to help the reader navigate and thrive in what otherwise might be a stressful and confusing environment. Importantly, that entails understanding how to “hang onto enough happiness” (p. 10). Young synthesizes experiences and advice gleaned from a range of perspectives: those of current law students, alumni, faculty, job placement specialists, and beyond. Young’s guidance is attainable, delivered in an empathetic and nonjudgmental manner and often offering a multitude of solutions — including the occasional interactive exercise — to challenges that a law student might face. Moreover, the advice is organized and presented in bite-size pieces. The book is arranged in parts, each comprised of a broad theme such as “Being Yourself” (pp. 63–103), “Managing Relationships” (pp. 165–96), and “Academic Success” (pp. 197–262). Readers might enjoy Young’s view that having tickets to a baseball game is a “good reason” (p. 208) to miss class, though we must encourage readers to pass over her section suggesting “[l]aw review may not be worth it” (pp. 69–72).
Impeachment: What Everyone Needs to Know. By Michael J. Gerhardt. New York, N.Y.: Oxford University Press. 2018. Pp. xv, 249. $16.95. The only joint witness in the impeachment proceedings against President Bill Clinton, Professor Michael Gerhardt reprises that role in this timely book, which provides balanced, informative answers to myriad questions the public may have about impeachment. Gerhardt implores readers to take a “deep breath, [a] really deep breath,” cautioning that “[i]mpeachment is serious business” (p. 3). This neutral, sober-minded perspective is paired with an engaging question-and-answer format. From fundamental questions like “What do the basic terms in the impeachment clauses mean?” (p. 18) to the legal intricacies of the Bribery Act of 1790, Gerhardt covers a wide range in this soup-to-nuts primer. The book defines relevant terms, traces impeachment through history, details the technical aspects of impeachment proceedings, and surveys the use of impeachment in state and foreign governments before addressing the question presumably on many readers’ minds: “Will Donald Trump be impeached?” (p. 145). Maintaining his even-handed approach, Gerhardt considers the constitutional issues raised by charges such as collusion with Russia and violation of the Emoluments Clause, but resists evaluating their basis in fact.