Don't Pee on My Leg and Tell Me It's Raining [Hardcover]

Judy Sheindlin (Author)

Book Description

Judy Sheindlin, former supervising judge for Manhattan Family Court has, for 24 years, laid down the law as she understands it: if you want to eat, you have to work; if you have children, you'd better support them; if you break the law, you have to pay; if you tap the public purse, you'd better be accountable. She abandons all judicial restraint in a scathing critique of the system, filled with hard-nosed alternatives to what she perceives as the US' bloated welfare bureaucracy and soft-on-crime laws.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

For the past 10 years, Sheindlin has been the supervising judge for Manhattan Family Court, with a reputation for cutting through judicial and bureaucratic obfuscation. Joined by Los Angeles Times correspondent Getlin, she continues her outspokenness in this hard-hitting book, whose title is obviously chosen with malice aforethought. She considers our society to be in trouble because we have infantilized part of it "by shifting the emphasis from individual responsibility to government responsibility." After giving an overview of "our crumbling system," she discusses the cost to taxpayers, then examines underlying reasons for "the lack of responsibility and honesty in American society." Her prescription, offered without any detailed plan of implementation: self-discipline, individual accountability and responsible conduct.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

As a New York City prosecutor and judge, Sheindlin has spent more than 20 years in court with juveniles, both delinquents and objects of delinquency, and parents and custodians who are, lamentably often, delinquent themselves. With Los Angeles Times' correspondent Getlin's able help, she shapes the lessons of her experience into an argument in 10 punches. Each of the 10 is a chapter made up of anecdotal evidence of the abuse of crime and civil-procedural victims, not just by their assailants but by social welfare systems that also victimize taxpayers because of their exorbitant costliness. Besides decrying particular scams and abuses (bad foster care, child custody battles, judges who decide on political rather than human considerations, private social service providers who fleece public funds, miscreants who claim they themselves are victims, etc.), Sheindlin sees American society as having got offtrack. The answer to the messes of urban crime and welfare dependency, she claims, is "self-discipline, individual accountability and responsible conduct." Demand that people behave and make the consequences of misbehavior onerous, she says, and good behavior is surer to follow than if offenders continue to be treated as if they were greater victims than their prey. An old song, you may say, but seldom has it been as powerfully sung. Ray Olson

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 238 pages
• Publisher: Harper (February 7, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060173211
• ISBN-13: 978-0060173210
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (84 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #289,758 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #33 in Books > Law > English Law > Social Security & Welfare

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

60 of 61 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Common sense served on a platter, December 15, 2004

By 

M. Gupta "emdoc" (Texas) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Don't Pee on My Leg and Tell Me It's Raining: America's Toughest Family Court Judge Speaks Out (Paperback)

People don't like Judge Judy because she's a "b" or a tyrant. As an ER doctor, I can tell you that what she really is: fed up. Both of us are tired of the vast amount of human garbage we deal with on a daily basis. What is the common factor amongst all these people?

The unwillingness to take *personal responsibility* for your own life.

Simple.

This book is a great collection of situations and solutions for those who cannot manage to wade through the mire of moral choices they are faced with. It's also immensely amusing and right on target.

You will find yourself nodding and laughing. Perhaps you will even wonder why this has to be written down in a book...when it's all just common sense. This is a great present and a quick read. Read her other books as well.

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Tough reality from a tough lady!, August 20, 2000

By 

Jack Guthrie (Fresh Meadows, NY United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Don't Pee on My Leg and Tell Me It's Raining: America's Toughest Family Court Judge Speaks Out (Paperback)

To sum this book up in one sentence is reality with no excuses allowed. This book chronicles Sheindlin's experiences as one of NYC's top family court judges. Sheindlin gives the lowdown on how those who have appeared before her always try to find a scapegoat for their misfortunes and shortcomings. However, Sheindlin is no fool because she can see these people for what they are. Most of them are just ordinary people who fail to take responsibility for their mistakes. People who constantly blame society for their own problems. People who run the gamut with excuses for everything that has gone wrong in their lives without once looking at themselves. From deadbeat dads to irresponsible moms and everything in between, Sheindlin can tell the truly misfortunate from the con artists. I couldn't put this book down. It was such an awesome piece of work. I totally recommend this book to anyone. After reading about Judge Sheindlin's 20+ years as a lawyer and judge, you'll see why it's titled "Don't Pee On My Leg and Tell Me It's Raining."

30 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars WHAT YOU SEE...IS WHAT YOU GET, June 24, 2001

By 

Lawyeraau (Balmoral Castle) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Don't Pee on My Leg and Tell Me It's Raining: America's Toughest Family Court Judge Speaks Out (Paperback)

I have to admit that I am in complete agreement with Judge Judy. She is a tough talking, no nonsense, commom sense oriented individual, who believes in personal responsibility and acountability. What you see on the television screen, if you watch her show "Judge Judy", is what you find between the cover of this book.

The book covers a variety of social issues in the context of her legal and judicial experience, and she does a full court press in giving her opinions. Not given to judicial restraint, she speaks out on those issues to which her nearly quarter of a century experience as a judge has entitled her. I only wish that she were running for public office. She would certainly have my vote.

The only issue that I take with the book is that it is really not a cohesive entity. It is a somewhat disjointed collection of essays or opinions on various social issues that repeatedly came up during her years on the bench. There is no attempt to put them together into a broader context, so that one segues into the next. This is the one shortcoming of the book. Nonetheless, it is still an interesting read.