Book Review

A Lawyer’s Life
Johnnie Cochran
DB55446

I wasn’t expecting to finish this book, but I was pleasantly surprised by the read. It was engaging, and it kept the story moving from point to point.

The author includes his famous cases but they are only a small part of the whole story. It was fascinating to learn about what he thinks is important and the reasons behind why he took certain cases. The moral dilemma of defending someone who is guilty because you are their lawyer and by law required to do your best in their defense was something he struggled with and did not want to know if his client was guilty. He knew that if he knew they were guilty, then he would want them to pay for their crimes.

We all know that the media and paparazzi show the worst in people, and I imagine that many people only have one view of Johnnie Cochran. I firmly believe that much of what we see on television is cut and put together to portray whatever angle the media wants it to show. Therefore, in general, I try not to judge people based on what I see when I do not know them personally. My main goal in reading this book was to simply see another side to the O. J. Simpson trial since I remember many television shows being overridden to play coverage of the proceedings. I am very glad that I spent the time with this book and learned more about the person behind the showy façade that we usually see.