Customer Reviews

Honorable Justice: The Life of Oliver Wendell Holmes

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Novick writes well and has done painstaking research into the life of Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. Unfortunately, the result is not a great biography. While I came away from this book knowing a lot more about the details of Holmes's life, I didn't come away from it with a very satisfactory understanding of what made him tick. In particular, I found the description of his Civil War service far too long and was disappointed that he omitted or gave short shrift to many key Supreme Court decisions. I also came away from it with the sense, perhaps unjustified, that Novick had shied away from exploring some aspects of Holmes's personality.

I enjoyed Honorable Justice because it was a quick read that took me on a tour of Holmes' life, accomplishments, and circle of friends. The book is a straightforward chronological telling of Holmes' progression from son of a prominent New England family (his father was a co-founder of the Atlantic magazine), to Civil War battlefields (where he was shot multiple times), to law practice and writing, to the top Massachusetts court, to about twenty years on the Supreme Court. Holmes was somewhat contradictory, often surrounded by liberals and championed by them, but sometimes disappointing in his personal views. His personal life is also left a bit mysterious here, as it is hinted that Holmes had many affairs on his regular trips to England and his relationship with his wife was not very strong. The book relies quite a bit on Holmes' own writing to capture his mood regarding something personal or his view on something legal. Holmes has had a long lasting influence on the law. But the book is much more concerned about the temporal confines of Holmes' life and does not discuss his impact due to his writings and Supreme Court opinions.

The book will give you a quick overview of Holmes and a firm appreciation of his work habit and ethic.

I can understand why this book is out of print. Novick could not decide whether he was writing for the mass market or other law professionals. He evidently gathered abundant research materials, arranged them chronologically, and tried to organize them into coherent chapters. Novick's discomfort in dealing with Holmes' private life results in a rather stilted account of the pivotal events in his life. Novick did not even attempt to connect these events to his works before and after he sat on the Massachusetts bench. Furthermore, no insight whatsoever enlightens our understanding of Holmes' thoughts at the time he rendered his most important judicial decisions. Don't bother trying to find this book now that it has been buried.

I read it as a books-on-tape title. I enjoyed listening to it, it was quite fascinating learning about the life of a man who fought in the Civil War and went on to become a Justice of the Supreme Court of the USA; his significant influence into our country's judicial thinking has been a source of inspiration for me to further understand it and its origins

This is an excellent book for any pre-law student who is interested in learning more about Justice Holmes. I read the first review that was written by another reader, and was shocked. Sheldon M. Novick did an excellent job researching the material and writing it in such a manner that any reader can understand. Before reading this book, I did not know anything about Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. However, sense completing it, I feel that I know every aspect of his life. The book begins with his childhood in Boston, Massachusetts. It takes you into the 19th century in time when cobblestones were the roads many of the carriages and early motor vehicles drove on. It describes in detail critical information about Justice Holmes and how his character was shaped by his parents, and mentors that included former presidents. I was especially impressed with the role he played as a son, a brother, and a devoted and caring husband. The book describes his role as a judge in the Supreme Judicial Court in Boston, and moves on onto his appointment by President Theodore Roosevelt to the Supreme Court. It helped me understand many of the case's I had to brief last semester. This is my first review, so I will end here.

The book was in perfect shape except for some marks to bring certain paragraphs to the reader's attention. However, there were not too many.