The Law Says What?: Stuff You Didn’t Know About the Law (but Really Should!)

The law touches our everyday lives, and Maclen Stanley is determined to help readers change the way they think about the legal system. In this book, the Harvard Law grad and practicing attorney focuses on six broad sections: policing, crime, self-defense, rights, employers and landlords, and the court system. In an entertaining and approachable tone, Stanley describes case after case, pointing out the many ways in which the law can be bizarre, quirky, and downright infuriating.

One of Stanley’s stated goals for the book is to help readers “think like a lawyer.” He accomplishes this through cases that illustrate the grey areas of the law. Each chapter has a “crash course” section that offers a succinct explanation about commonly misunderstood concepts, such as what’s actually covered in the First Amendment, eminent domain, and the mechanics of small claims courts.

No one is immune from the effects of the law, and this book is an engaging and helpful guide to understanding legal nuances. Stanley notes that the law is “inherently political,” as he sheds light on what’s really at risk with ever-present challenges to Roe v. Wade, and how the George Zimmerman/Trayvon Martin case was not about “stand your ground.” This is a great book for all, especially news junkies and armchair pundits who want to strengthen their arguments with facts.