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Tuttle in the Balance Hardcover – November 15, 2015

by Jay Wexler (Author)

4.1 42 ratings

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Like many men his age, Ed Tuttle is having a mid-life crisis. He is bored with his job, uncertain about his faith, and unable to find love in the wake of divorce. Unlike most other men his age, however, Ed Tuttle is a justice on the United States Supreme Court.

As the swing vote in one of the most contentious terms in recent memory, Justice Tuttle holds the future of the nation in his hands, a tall order for someone who can barely make it through a weekend without making a monumental life mistake.

In this hilarious and poignant debut novel, Jay Wexler—law professor, humor writer, and former law clerk to Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg—reminds us that power is wielded by real, often emotionally fragile people and that nobody, regardless of how successful, powerful, rich, intelligent, lucky, or influential they may be, is immune from the feelings of restlessness, doubt, and anxiety that are inherent in living in the modern world.

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Print length

320 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Ankerwycke
Publication date

November 15, 2015
Dimensions

6.21 x 0.8 x 9.37 inches
ISBN-10

1634251458
ISBN-13

978-1634251457
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Penned by a Boston University law professor and former Supreme Court clerk, Tuttle in the Balance offers a goofy and fundamentally human take on one of the nation's top government figures that's likely to appeal to those who prefer political humor to political drama. . . . Along with the laughs, it also delivers some solid musings on success, friendship, and aging." --The A.V. Club

"What would happen if a swing-vote justice suddenly suffered a mid-life crisis? That's the premise of Tuttle in the Balance, a funny novel by [Jay] Wexler, a former clerk to Ginsburg. After a divorce and a rejuvenated sex life, Justice Ed Tuttle finds himself bored on the bench, seeking thrills in all the wrong places. It's improbable, for sure, but the court details are accurate and readers will find themselves eager to learn how it all turns out." --Tony Mauro, National Law Journal

"Just like corporations and Soylent Green, Supreme Court justices are people too. Unbeknownst to us, the justices may get drunk, engage in regrettable sexual encounters, and doodle pictures during oral argument. This is one of the main themes of Boston University law professor Jay Wexler's new satirical legal novel Tuttle in the Balance, which depicts a bored Supreme Court justice undergoing a midlife crisis. The novel, which is a cross between American Beauty and the works of Christopher Buckley, is a humorous and enjoyable read for any lawyer or law student." --Above the Law

About the Author

Jay Wexler is a law professor at Boston University and the author of two non-fiction books that combine legal analysis and humor—Holy Hullabaloos: A Road Trip to the Battlegrounds of the Church/State Wars, which Publisher's Weekly said in its starred review was "laugh out loud funny," and The Odd Clauses: Understanding the Constitution Through Ten of its Most Curious Provisions.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Ankerwycke (November 15, 2015)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 320 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1634251458
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1634251457
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 15.2 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.21 x 0.8 x 9.37 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #4,543,497 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #3,143 in Humorous American Literature
- #5,706 in Business & Professional Humor
- #31,245 in Humorous Fiction

Customer Reviews:
4.1 42 ratings

About the author

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Jay Wexler

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Jay Wexler is a professor at the Boston University School of Law, where he has taught since 2001. Prior to teaching, Wexler studied religion at the University of Chicago Divinity School and law at Stanford Law School. After law school, he worked as a clerk to Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg at the U.S. Supreme Court and then as a lawyer in the Office of Legal Counsel at the Department of Justice. He has published nearly three dozen academic articles, essays, and reviews, as well as over forty short stories and humor pieces in places like the Boston Globe, Huffington Post, McSweeney's Internet Tendency, Mental Floss, the New Yorker, Newsweek, Salon, Slate, Spy, USA Today, and Vox. His website is www.jaywex.com, and he tweets @SCOTUSHUMOR.

Customer reviews

42 global ratings

How customer reviews and ratings work

Customers say

Customers find the book hilarious, entertaining, and refreshingly irreverent. They describe the author as intelligent, superb, and brilliant. Readers also mention the book improves on the whole premise. Overall, they say it's an enjoyable read.

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Humor Intelligence Enjoyment

14 customers mention "Humor"12 positive2 negative

Customers find the humor in the book hilarious, entertaining, and refreshingly irreverent. They also say it's silly and charming.

"...On the whole, I thought the book was silly and charming, which made it a really fun read...." Read more

"...So lots of laughs, but also a few serious important points as well. At 217 pages, the novel does not require a substantial commitment of time...." Read more

"Tuttle in the Balance is a comic mssterpiece, fast-paced, hilarious, worthy of Evelyn Waugh, P.G.Wodehouse, or Kingsley Amis...." Read more

"...Tuttle would do, and even though it was kind of wacky, it was entertaining for sure. Looking forward to Wexler's next fictional endeavor." Read more

6 customers mention "Intelligence"6 positive0 negative

Customers find the book intelligent, enjoyable, and easy to read. They appreciate the superb imagination and absurdist brilliance of the author. Readers also mention that the novel improves on the whole premise and has rich details.

"...first appeared, and I liked it, but I think this novel really improves on the whole premise...." Read more

"...There are other important points the author makes...." Read more

"...Verdict: TUTTLE is hilarious. Wexler has a great voice, superb imagination, and absurdist brilliance...." Read more

"...This book is smart and laugh-out-loud funny. It is also -- surprisingly -- touching...." Read more

3 customers mention "Enjoyment"3 positive0 negative

Customers find the book enjoyable.

"...I enjoyed the book...." Read more

"...Overall a very easy, intelligent and enjoyable read." Read more

"Great book..." Read more

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Top reviews from the United States

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Reviewed in the United States on January 9, 2016

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Well, it took me kind of a while to finish the book and write my review, but that's a reflection on the chaos that was my holiday break, not on the book, which I enjoyed.

I read the short story Wexler wrote in which Tuttle first appeared, and I liked it, but I think this novel really improves on the whole premise. I particularly enjoyed how much wackier the novel was - the justices border on caricature, but don't cross that line; every scene with Freddy or Linda is amazing; and the romantic (and "romantic") situations Tuttle gets himself into are actually really funny and cute (and sometimes, really cringe-inducing, but in an entertaining way). The book isn't just ukulele jokes and slapstick, though; Tuttle is fairly endearing, in his bumbling way. Another reviewer pointed out (correctly) that the character is a powerful, wealthy dude who isn't very self-aware, but to me, that is the joke. Or part of the joke - yes, we can all play the tiniest violent for Ed Tuttle as he tries to figure out what to do with his (easy) life. But I didn't find him unlikable at all, it just made it easier to laugh at him when he screwed up. His privilege means that we don't really have to worry about whether he'll mess up really bad and ruin his life - he won't; he probably can't. Not having to worry about him means the reader can relax and just laugh at the results. On the whole, I thought the book was silly and charming, which made it a really fun read.

I don't think you have to a lawyer to enjoy it, but I think the scenes at the Court and the conversations with Bash are especially funny to anyone who went to law school. The bits where Wexler pokes fun at lawyers, the Court, and law school professors are all maybe a little inside-jokey, but are also a nice nod to the lawyers out there who are reading. Lawyers (and specifically judges and professors) often take themselves pretty seriously, and I really liked reading legal fiction that was entirely the opposite.

Ronald H. Clark

why did I read a book that is certainly not a serious academic tome like I usually tackle on the Court

Reviewed in the United States on August 22, 2017

Verified Purchase

This book is a satire on Supreme Court justices. Tuttle, the central character, is a 62 year old divorced conservative justice who undergoes what I would term a severe "midlife crisis" after a summer spent in Colorado. Upon his return to Washington, he begins to act in a somewhat bizarre fashion, especially as regards his Court duties. While the author, a Boston University law professor incorporates some valuable points in the story, the plot eventually becomes unbelievable (just about the point where he keeps a cat in his chambers), nonetheless the whole thing is vastly amusing given how justices are supposed to act.

Now, why did I read a book that is certainly not a serious academic tome like I usually tackle on the Court? I recently just finished Judge Richard Posner's latest minute critical analysis of the federal courts, "The Federal Judiciary: Strengths and Weaknesses." Posner raves (at pp. 98-99) about the Tuttle volume. In particular, at page 66, the reason for Posner's enthusiasm becomes evident. Tuttle declares: "...if you're a buffoon like [Scalia character], and you think that every dispute should be decided according to the principle of what a a bunch of dead guys would have thought about it in the late 18th century...[but] ,you know, judging really involves making the best and most pragmatic decision you can given all the circumstances." Tuttle has just uttered a capsule description of one of Posner's key principles of interpretation--he is no lover of originalism.

There are other important points the author makes. The reader learns about the justices famous conferences; how oral arguments can run off track; and the awesome power five justices have to make the law. Moreover, some key philosophical points are raised: e.g., will justices soon be openly inserting their religious beliefs into their opinions? But mostly the novel is just fun. In that regard, my favorite line comes from a divorced female relation of the justice talking about her ex: "I should have just taken off the first time he called into Rush Limbaugh,."

So lots of laughs, but also a few serious important points as well. At 217 pages, the novel does not require a substantial commitment of time. A good way to get a bit of enjoyment into your life, especially if you are familiar with how the real Court operates. Have fun!

Richard A. Posner

The Uproarious Supreme Court

Reviewed in the United States on December 27, 2015

Verified Purchase

Tuttle in the Balance is a comic mssterpiece, fast-paced, hilarious, worthy of Evelyn Waugh, P.G.Wodehouse, or Kingsley Amis. A pungent satire of the Supreme Court, it manages to persuade the reader that the job of a Supreme Court Justice can be really boring, that the Court's decisions often have little to do with "law" in the conventional sense--that as Justice Tuttle, the protagonist, says at one point: "I never liked constitutional law. It's barely law at all, in my view. It's just politics, filtered through a few vague phrases in an old document written by people who couldn't posibly fathom what the world is like today"--all of which is true. The book has eveything--fisticuffs in the Court's conference room (recalling the fisticuffs in the War Room in Dr. Strangelove), a mislife crisis, sex, booze, gambling in Atlantic City casinos, a car crash, bemused law clerks, a Justice Scalia look-alike, an unlikable female Chief Justice, and--not least--three cats, all in major roles. A movie can be expected.

9 people found this helpful

and our Supreme Court justices are the least funny lawyers of all

Reviewed in the United States on December 21, 2015

Verified Purchase

It's kind of hard to laugh at lawyers, and our Supreme Court justices are the least funny lawyers of all, so it's refreshing to read about how ridiculous they can be -- just like real people! I enjoyed the book. Despite all of Tuttle's silly antics, Wexler manages to make readers care about him, without getting too heavy handed about the job or its responsibilities. I happily read until the end to find out what Tuttle would do, and even though it was kind of wacky, it was entertaining for sure. Looking forward to Wexler's next fictional endeavor.

4 people found this helpful

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