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A Thousand Times More Fair: What Shakespeare's Plays Teach Us About Justice    by Kenji Yoshino Amazon.com order for
Thousand Times More Fair
by Kenji Yoshino
Order:  USA  Can
Ecco, 2011 (2011)
Hardcover, e-Book
* * *   Reviewed by Ricki Marking-Camuto

Being in Theatre, I have read my fair share of books concerning William Shakespeare's works in some way, shape or form, but I have to say, A Thousand Times More Fair: What Shakespeare's Plays Teach Us About Justice stands above the rest. Not only has Kenji Yoshino taken a unique spin on Shakespeare's work by comparing it to various types of law and the growth of the modern legal system, but he has also made both Shakespeare and Law approachable to the average reader.

Each of the nine chapters focuses on a specific play and the type of law it espouses. Yoshino explains the premise of the play and uses quotes to show how it illustrates the law, especially for the time period, and then connects it to a modern day case. For instance, in the chapter entitled The Lawyer, he discusses The Merchant of Venice and then ties Portia to President Bill Clinton and his handling of his defense in the Monica Lewinsky case. The Factfinder chapter takes the white handkerchief from Othello and likens it to the black glove in the O.J. Simpson trial. By connecting these plays to modern occurrences, it makes both them and the law more accessible to the common man.

A Thousand Times More Fair is a must read for lovers of literature and/or law. Kenji Yoshino writes in a very approachable manner that lets the reader learn while being entertained at the same time.

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