Customer Reviews

Four Trials

5 star:		(51)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I have to admit that I expected the regular political junk from this book, but this guy really can write. It's not a "morning in america " kind of thing -- there's no boring politics. It's just a plain old good roaring read. More like Baldacci or other legal thrillers than "man from hope" self-serving junk. I'm not so sure about this guy's politics (I'm a republican myself) but it doesn't matter.

If you expect an overview of the Clean Air act or something, you can forget it. The stories in this book really hooked me. I'm still amazed that they are real.

Full disclosure - I am a Republican trial attorney who supports tort reform. And I served briefly in the NC State Senate this year which means as I am sure you would discern, I have some strongly held positions relative to the types of cases that Edwards writes about in this book - suffice it to say that I am certain that he and I would disagree on the issue of tort reform!

But I have also tried many cases in North Carolina Courts and was overwhelmed with the drama of these particular cases. I will leave the debate over malpractice caps, liabilty reform, collateral source rules, etc. to another forum and write solely about the merits of this book. It is an impressive display of a practitioner who is at the top of his game. I have had many trials that were as important to me and my clients as these were to Edwards' and his. Indeed, I would submit that every trial attorney has "war stories' that they think are worthy of a book. What distingusihes our cases from his are the complexity and the depth of his successes. These are not easy cases and as a 31 year old (in the 1st one), he was not handed these victories. When starting out as a trial attorney, one has nothing but his character and work ethic and it is evident to me at least, that Edwards is tops in both these categories. I know about those moments in testimony when a witness says the magic words that either make your case or break it; it is a hair-raising experience when your heart is beating out of your chest, you have 1 preemptory challenge left, and you just passed a "ringer" juror for the other side (or so you think). These things are not theatrics, but happen in EVERY case and are critical to our system of justice. How you prepare for them is what wins you the case or causes you to lose it. Edwards recounts his experiences with fervor and dignity. Like him, I believe our system is a work of art and serves the minority when it should - as long as we have hard-working lawyers not fearful to make a stand and do what they think is right. I am not suggesting that suing OBGYN's for a living is as noble as he might think. My experiences are more on the criminal side when the defendant is indigent, with no family support and who has been virtually forgotten by society. Winning (or losing) these cases has not made me a millionaire. But they have taught me similar lessons as Edwards and in that regard, I can identify with his experiences in the courthouse.

It used to be that the Courthouse was the central part of our small towns. Drive around any North Carolina town today with a population of less than 15,000 and you cannot miss the symbolism - circular drives, intersections that all end in front of the courthouse. Their beautiful rooms were the center of life as our country was forming itself into a nation of laws - they became the cultural center of small town North Carolina. And you can feel the magic of the courtroom within these pages of Edwards book.

I do not support him for President and never would. I am a Republican and do not agree with a lot that he advocates on the national stage. In fact, he is out of the mainstream of most North Carolinians with regards to his political leanings. But do I admire him? Yes. He is a gifted man who sees things in people and in his work that few others even come close to glimpsing. Notwithstanding his politics, he reminds me to look a little closer in the eyes of those folks yearning to be defended, to be helped. He is a good man and it shows in his work ethic as an attorney who cared deeply for his clients.

If you are looking for a candidate's standard election year political manifesto you won't find it here. What you will find is a can't put down page-turner. Sen. Edwards makes no political pronouncements or promises in this book. He has simply written deeply moving accounts of four notable cases he litigated before he became a national political figure. This book rivals anything John Grisham has to offer and what makes these stories so compelling is that they are about real events and real people. Interwoven throughout the book, Edwards gives us glimpses of his own personal story; his blue-collar upbringing, his rise from a young unpolished attorney to a highly successful trial lawyer, and sadly, the tragic death of his own teenage son. The reader will also discover much about the ins-and-outs of our legal system. If you think of personal injury lawsuits as frivolous pursuits by ambulance chasing lawyers this book may just change your mind. Each of the four cases is about deceit and truth, tragedy and triumph, and each is heartbreaking as well as heartwarming. It is encouraging to find that in the end, at least in these cases, righteousness and justice prevails.

As other reviews have noted, this is not your typical political type book. This book barely even mentions politics. If you're looking for John Edwards views on various policy, you'll have to do some homework elsewhere.

I would put this book up there with any great legal novel. The only difference is that the stories are real. I just love this book. Edwards neatly divides up the book into the four trials, each covering 40 to 50 pages. Intertwined with the storytelling of these trials is a brief biography of him and his family. The four trials he discusses are fascinating. They deal with various individuals who have been wronged and how he helped use the legal system to assist them. The book was a real "page-turner" for me. You can easily read a chapter a day and be done within a week.

After reading this book, I've come to greatly admire John Edwards the man. I'm a Democrat and had not decided who to vote for in the primary. I am sure I will be voting for Edwards now. (Assuming he is still in the race.) I only hope others will do the same. I think he will make a fine President.

As a nurse, the thought of a trial lawyer has caused me to come out in hives or more than one occasion, but I would be lying through my teeth if I didn't admit that mistakes with horrendous sequelae do sometimes happen. That said, do not genuinely hurt people have a right to financial compensation for the wrong they have sufferred? If it were my child who was born with cerebral palsy and I later found out that it could have been prevented had appropriate care standards been followed; you better believe I would be suing, and as a nurse, I would expect to be held responsible for my actions if I were involved in such a case. Frivolous lawsuits aside, there are many other suits with merit that never come to the trial stage. It has become fashionable to blame "frivolous" lawsuits on the high cost of healthcare. Perhaps, if we really paid attention to the mistake statistics in our health care facilities, we would understand that the real way to solve these problems is to improve processes so that actual errors become fewer. Should we deny injured people the result to financial compensation for a lifetime of pain and suffering because we are worried about the companies and people who messed up? How fair would that be? We're sorry but you can no longer sue for lost wages and all the special equipment you now need just to get by because we're trying to cut back on frivolous lawsuits! Give me a break!! D. Allison should go back and read the book again and ask herself if she genuinely feels that these particular cases had no merit and that John Edward's sole motivation in bringing them to trial was self gain. The child who was eviscerated over some screws that were not deemed important by a company deserved every penny she received. Sure, Mr Edwards made money, but I don't think any of us would do what we do for free.

This book would give John Grisham a run for his money - the fact these are not fictional trial stories make them truly gripping. The character of the writer comes through vividly as Edwards describes each case's background and how he approached his work. Edwards masterfully interspersed vignettes of his own life without a heavy hand. I was not prepared for the power of this book and simply couldn't put it down. How fortunate we are to have John Edwards as a candidate for President this year -- I definitely plan to vote for him and truly hope we get this man of character and integrity in the White House.

Senator Edwards first caught my attention this winter as a different sort of politician. Instead of the usual rancor, I saw a positive, visionary sort of campaign. I was intrigued. Wanting to know more about the man behind the campaigner, I purchased Four Trials. After reading through this brief biography and account of four key civil cases in his career, I am even more impressed by John Edwards as a man and as a leader for the future of our country (in whatever branch of government he serves). The book is a good read and a refreshing contrast to the "compassionate conservative" lie that exists in Washington today

The four cases Edwards highlight illustrate his core philosophy of the need to protect average, hard-working Americans from the greed and avarice of an unrestricted and unmonitored Corporate America. If I were to paraphrase this message of this book, I would say, "Free Enterprise has made this country great, but it can never come at the cost of running over the most precious assets we have, the lives, the hope and the dreams of our citizens."

Senator Edward's run for the Presidency may be done for now, but I am certain we haven't heard the last of this plain-talking man from North Carolina.

The four cases Senator Edwards writes about should give pause to those who instinctively trash trial lawyers. Talking heads, for the most part, seem to just increase the partisan divide whereas "Four Trials" illustrates why ordinary people sometimes need help to combat injustices, whether it's medical negligence or out-and-out corporate greed. That a company could refuse to tack on a two cent screw to make a swimming pool drain cover secure-able is mind-boggling -- and unfortunately, tragically life-changing for the young girl who will remain hooked up to machines for a good part of every day for the rest of her life. Senator Edwards makes it clear that there are excesses in litigation. What he also makes abundantly clear in "Four Trials" is that actions have consequences, and trials can help redress wrongs. One thing I learned from this book is that in addition to helping an individual -- like the little girl and the troubling swimming pool drain cover, these trials also address bigger issues -- the big picture can change: no other children will face those same drain cover problems when they go swimming BECAUSE of the little girl's trial. On the political front, these cases help you understand what Senator Edwards means when he says he's running for President to help the regular guy. The fortitude and courage of the individuals he champions on the campaign trail are the exact same kind of people he writes about in this book. And on the personal front, Mr. Edwards loses the mantles of politician and lawyer and becomes a "regular" guy when he talks of the love he has for his eldest child, who was killed in a car accident 7 years ago. This book is a good read and you can actually learn something while you're at it!

Thank you, Senator Edwards for all the hard fights you fought on behalf of your clients and for taking the time to recall those experiences in such a moving memoir. Knowing that someone with your integrity and character could be our next president helps me sleep a lot better at night.

Forget politics. Yes, Senator Edwards is running for president, but it has nothing to do with that. Nothing. This book takes the reader inside the American legal system like few before it has. I was amazed at these stories and took time to research a couple of them, to find out that these cases were just as he wrote them is mind boggling. If this guy could be half as good a president as he is a writer - he's got my vote. Whatever your politics though, this book is a winner.