Review
The Citizen's Constitution: An Annotated Guide by Seth Lipsky
Lipsky provides a no-nonsense, entertaining, and learned guide to the fundamental questions surrounding the document that governs how we govern our country. Written by Seth Lipsky, described in the Boston Globe as a legendary figure in contemporary journalism, The Citizens Constitution draws on the writings of the Founders, case law from our greatest judges, and current events in more than 300 illuminating annotations. Seth Lipsky's annotated constitution is an invaluable resource for this purpose. Every American should know the Constitution. I certainly did.Pocket versions of the Constitution of the United States of America abound, as do multi-volume commentaries, scholarly histories of its writing, and political posturings of various clauses. Though The Citizens Constitution is written to be understood by non-lawyers, I would be surprised if most lawyers don't learn a thing or two reading it. But what if you want a delightfully quick, witty, and readable reference that, in one compact volume, places the document and its clauses into context? Youre out of luckuntil now. It couldn't be more timely.The history of our country the history of our Constitution is a series of great stories. Seth Lispky has now undertaken an unprecedented labor in parsing the details of the document, clause by clause, and has produced, with great insight and wit, an extraordinary book that will help to ensure that our founding and sustaining document gets the respect it deserves. And bring them to life with real people grappling with real issues. The Citizens Constitution is more than an annotation; it reads like a novel and will be enjoyed by all, lawyer and non-lawyer alike, for years to come.Where did the Constitution come from? Where have we, the people, taken it? Seth Lipsky's wonderful Baedecker holds the answers. Constitution was always meant to be read closely for its meaning, context, and intent. With rigorous scholarship and delightful wit, Lipsky takes us through the nation's founding document, phrase by phrase. The ultimate user's manual of America's founding document.Whether you are a constitutional conservative or liberal, you need to start your thinking with what the words of the document meant when they were written and how their definition has changed in time. And there is no better story teller than Seth Lipsky. From its earliest drafts, the U.S. Only he could take our Constitution, break it down, paragraph by paragraph, line by line, word by word and tell the ongoing tale behind each of these provisions.