24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Something of value here, December 6, 2010
First, a disclaimer: I'm Christian, but not A Christian as the religious right has taken over the term. I'm also a lawyer, with a profound appreciation of our Constitution. I'm about as liberal as I can be. And I believe separation of church and state is one of the best ideas the US has ever had.
I read this book 1)to see how the religious right distorts our position to say we are preventing them from celebrating Christmas, and 2) because I like Christmas stories.
The plot involves a man more of action than of words who sets up a creche on the town square with the permission of the town's mayor, and proceeds to pray with and for those who come to see the display. An ACLU lawyer with "slick" hair and appropriately named "Harrod" (!) files suit in the US District Court to stop the display. The judge, also described as markedly unattractive, considers the facts of the case in light of actual recent court decisions on the subject, and, coming down on the side of the ACLU, issues an injunction. The man flouts the injunction (and here the book repeatedly incorrectly substitutes 'flaunts' for 'flouts') and sets up his creche again and again, trying to circumvent established law but only landing himself in jail for contempt of court.
To my surprise, I quite enjoyed the book. Its plot is thin, its characters somewhat weak, its ending maudlin, but it has moments of real humor. I particularly enjoyed the part where the homeless man hastily recruited to play Santa Claus informs the children he dandles on his knee that the measure of whether they are bad or good is how much they give to the homeless! Its explanation of the three Supreme Court cases dealing with Christmas displays on public land was entirely accurate, unbiased, and informative, without being boring. And, as a bonus, its brief but very entertaining section on the history of Christmas made me see the song We Wish You a Merry Christmas in a whole new way!
All in all, it's an easy, enjoyable read and a good choice for anyone who wants to know where our courts stand on the issue of celebrating the religious aspects of Christmas on public land.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Legality of Christmas., December 19, 2010
I purchased this book from Amazon not knowing what to expect. Low and behold I found a real treasure of a story that details separation of church and state. As a Christian I will be honest and say that I am disappointed that this peace loving holiday becomes a battle ground for the ACLU. Yet, I acknowledge and understand their rights and respect what is Caesar's.
Thomas and his wife Theresa have a live nativity crèche set up in the local square. It is called into question by the ACLU attorney who argues it is against the law to have this scene on public property. Thomas is a devout man and refuses to bend to the government's stance, thus the court gets involved.
I could tell you more of the story but this sets up the scenes for a very honest, well researched(the author is an attorney and has written many legal thrillers) and enjoyable read about this honest battle.....with respect for all other religions and cultures, this book looks at all sides of this battle with warmth and fervor.
The tale made me laugh and tear-up. Is it sentimental?...YOU BET!. Is it comforting and gentle in the discussion?....AFFIMATIVE.. Do all sides get a chance to show their concerns...MOST DEFINETLY. Did I enjoy this lovely Christmas story.....YES, YES, YES.
I will now search out Mr. Singer's legal fare and wish you all a Merry Christmas from a heart without malice that wants Peace and Joy on earth to be the rule, not the exception to it.
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19 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Jesus v. ACLU (lol), December 5, 2010
This book reads like the script of a made-for-TV holiday movie special created jointly by Fox News and the Hallmark Channel.
A former high school basketball star named Jazz (female AND African-American), who is also a 3rd year law student, agrees to take on what could turn out to be a landmark case. She agrees to help defend her home town of Possum, VA in a suit brought by the evil ACLU. The offense? Possum's mayor granted a permit to his church to have a live creche in the town's square throughout almost the entire month of December. And some of the volunteers playing Mary & Joseph (more about him later) pray with and proselytize visitors.
The anti-Christian ACLU* lawyer, described as a pretty boy, but also as having a hardened stare, haughty, "probably having a fair amount of money" and driving a silver Mercedes, is named Vince Harrod (get it? Harrod?).
Back to Joseph, he's actually Possumite, Thomas Hammond, a man whose strong conviction that the depiction of the birth of Jesus be allowed in the public square makes him willing to defy judge's orders and go to jail for contempt. Other information about Thomas: one of his young children died of appendicitis less than two years earlier while dad was waiting for a healing miracle from God, he thinks the internet is evil and he won't allow his children to believe in Santa Claus.
The local federal judge in this case is a woman nicknamed Ichabod, presumably for her face, which is described as all angles and bones, sunken eyes and a Wicked Witch of the West nose. She is all business, gives the town's mayor a quick lesson on the history of Christmas and tells them to get the creche off public property.
Thomas (aka Joseph) decides that Judge Ichabod's ruling is unjust, so he takes the law into his own hands and rebuilds and mans the creche. Of course, the ACLU lawyer is watching and serves Thomas with papers. Thomas ends up in jail. When a money grubbing false prophet TV preacher catches wind of Thomas' plight, he sends his own lawyer (who is very media savvy) to represent Thomas. Soon, the little town of Possum is all over the national news, starting with the morning shows. Jazz ends up working on this, as well, although at odds with the televangelist.
One of the cool things about Kindles is that you can make notes. I decided to keep track of how many times I LOL'd. One thing that cracked me up was the depiction of media coverage as Jazz is awaiting the verdict of Thomas appeal. I'll paraphrase: Fox New announces a breaking story, calling Thomas the "Creche Crusader". Jazz laments that she's having to learn the result "just like every other American", presumably by watching Fox News. (LOL) She then starts flipping channels, looking for another reliable source of information. On CNN a reporter is "babbling on" about precedent, CBS is still running it's scheduled programming. But WAIT! ABC has interrupted it's programming for a special report. (LOL!)
Because of this media attention, Jazz finds herself with a conundrum... should she continue to fight for the stubborn Creche Crusader or should she think about her future? Just before this case came up Jazz interviewed for, and was offered a job with a prestigious law firm in New York City. After seeing how things are in Possum, the big city lawyers are concerned that their "decidedly liberal client base" will react badly if Jazz continues on the case. Understand, it's not that the big city lawyers are against First Amendment rights, they just need to think about their rich liberal clients. Jazz has some tough decisions to make.
I don't want to give away too much more of the story, but I will say these things: there is a wise homeless guy named Santana (get it? Santana?); == SPOILER == Judge Ichabod is not all she appears to be == SPOILER ==
I don't know if Mr. Singer intended this, but I laughed a lot while reading this book, but probably not in the places he intended. I also rolled my eyes quite a bit and my notes show a few "eeks" and "wtf?"s . While the author says he wished to show the story from both sides, it was clear to me that he is already has an opinion and a readership who just wants their beliefs and biases confirmed. But, I have an opinion, too. So, whatever. Except this:
* About the ACLU, Mr. Singer is so obviously playing to a certain audience who already believes that the ACLU are a bunch of wealthy lawyers and is anti-Christian, anti-free speech and stalks the faithful looking to meddle in their lives just for the sport of it. That could not be further from the truth, but it doesn't stop people from believing it, especially when people who should know better lie to them. Actual facts are out there, you know.
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