Labor and Employment Law Books

O'Brien has written a well researched work that brings a new perspective to a familiar chapter in labor history. Her findings suggest that a paradox exists within the foundation of labor policy and the development of liberalism in this country, and that the principles of labor history associated with the National Relations Act of 1935 actually emerged over a decade earlier in the 1920s. This is a well written book that should be included in the library of anyone interested in labor history and the politics of the 1920s and 1930s.

This book is easy to read, and extremely informative. It contains information that every citizen in this country should know about. I feel safer now, knowing and understanding the laws and the procedures that I must go through to file a complaint if I have been discriminated against. This is a must-have reference book!

PROS: This is an excellent, well-organized book for those who are negotiating positions at director-level or above. This truly makes it stand out in the category (I bought two other books and found this one to be far and away superior for my Director-level situation).

CONS: The book could definitely be shorter and contain a larger number of practical examples and case studies, perhaps organized in a meaningful way.

In short, this is a tremendous value. I strongly recommend it.

Excellent book - The author's approach is very logical and he clearly has the experience to validate his comments. He uses sound principles, excellent examples and memorable quotes. I would definately recommend this book - an excellent book which is hard to put down.

I actually took Prof. Miller for a course in negotiating and he was excellent. If you're not lucky enough to get to see him in person, read this book. He was on the management side and knows what they're thinking. If you incorporate some of these techniques in negotiating your next salary you will come out ahead. Also, most of these techniques can be applied to any negotiation. Read it, you will not be disappointed.

I bought this book recently when I was changing my job. I was desperate to take the new job and would have taken the job even without negotiation.This book provided me the strategies to increase my salary by almost 10%. The book has several good examples ( that fit very well atleast to my situation ).

A must read even if you are not changing jobs.

This book is full of information and negotiating strategies that are very useful for more junior executives, where hiring an employment attorney is probably not necessary. It enables you to do a decent job of getting the most you can without going over the line. It is especially good at giving practical examples that can help you make tradeoffs that create win-win outcomes (most negotiating books have this concept but are too abstract). Finally, it is very helpful in making sure you are protected if things don't work out. I bought some of the other recommended books in this category, but they are much too basic if you are an executive.

How is it possible that this book (and this class action suit) hasn't made a bigger impact in the American people? My eyes were opened and I accepted the Wal-mart propaganda and brainwashing for what it was. But I believe boycotting will only hurt these women- instead join the grassroots campaigns and unionizations Featherstone talks about. Once you've purchased this amazing book, pass it on to a friend. Or better yet, walk into a Wal-mart and hand it to a female employee. This *should* be required reading.

This is the central question in Featherstone's treatment of the Dukes v. Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. class action lawsuit. Focusing on depositions, sworn testimony and direct personal interviews, Featherstone gets right to the heart of her subject in the first chapter. The anecdotal evidence, supported by ample statistics, demonstrates that something is, indeed, awfully wrong with Wal-Mart and the disparate ways in which it treats its workers.

As important as the gender discrimination issue is the consideration of how Wal-Mart has, and will continue to, build its fortune off the backs of the working poor. Given enough time, it is entirely possible that certain areas of the country will be economically drained, committed to an addiction of buying at and working for Wal-Mart. It is the low-price panties version of a Super Size Me world. Worst of all, however, is the company's documented practice of referring its own workers to social service agencies, to apply for benefits they need because Wal-Mart neither provides sufficient benefits nor pays employees enough to afford them. Puts a whole new spin on the phrase "corporate welfare." Where is the politicians' indignation over this abuse of the welfare system?

Well researched and well documented with references and notes. One latter chapter does tend to slow down with emphasis on legal citations and stats, but this is necessary to put a factual basis behind the personal stories. Whether you are against Wal-Mart, a Wally-World fan or a blissfully unaware consumer, you cannot read this book and remain unaffected in some manner. If it does not turn you completely away from shopping there, it should at the very least give you pause before opening your wallet.

It's so unfortunate that a book like this has to be written. It's even more upseting that every word is true. The book, strictly speaking, is awesome! Why isn't every newspaper and TV show talking about it? The situations in the book are true I'm sure. The reason I'm sure is because I'm an Assistant Manager and I've lived every one of those situations during my short term in management, and more. Oh the horror stories I could tell! I can't even count how many times my husband has had to be restrained from leaving the house to go have a "chat" with my Store Manager out back of the store. The treatment of women, actually associates in general and especially female managers, by this company is wrong. It's downright criminal. It's also why I'm resigning and giving up. Is Liza writing another book or an update? Is there a way to join the lawsuit? Is there a way to contact Liza? I would really like to know these things because I also have a story to tell. My email is walmartassistantmgr@yahoo.com.

Anyone living in the 21st century will be amazed at the content of Selling Women Short; the anecdotes shared by current and former Wal-Mart employees are like something out of Gloria Steinem's worst nightmare circa 1975. Even in the current litigious climate of corporate America, Wal-Mart manages to succeed at completely indoctrinating its "associates" to believe in the "values" of the company, which are as "good ole boy" as they can get. Liza Featherstone's account of the Dukes vs. Wal-Mart class action lawsuit (now certified, still unresolved), the largest in U.S. legal history, makes up for in content what it may lack in an elegant writing style (it's a bit bare bones and stilted at times). The women involved in the lawsuit aren't the typical bleeding-heart liberals that would be easy for Wal-Mart to discredit; they are by and large very religious, relatively conservative women who are trying to get by on very low wages and zero respect. The consistency with which women have been kept to the lowest paying, lowest power positions within the company is nothing less than appalling; using both ample statistics as well as countless personal interviews, Featherstone assaults the reader with a barrage of terrible realities. Many of the employees at Wal-Mart cannot afford to spend 50% of their income on the company health plan, so they end up on state or federal assistance. Women are discouraged from applying to management positions. If this reading this book does not convince you to boycott Wal-Mart, it would be surprising.

"Selling Women Short" by Liza Featherstone is an engaging book about the historic 'Betty Dukes vs Wal-Mart Stores Inc' class action lawsuit that alleges Wal-Mart's institutionalized discrimination of its female employees. Skillfully weaving anecdotes and profiles of key plaintiffs and their claims of sexism with research about Wal-Mart and its Orwellian corporate culture, the book provides an excellent critique of the company's numerous illegal behaviors and a humane narrative of its female employees' struggle for justice.

Interestingly, Ms. Featherstone's analysis suggests that the company's paradigmatic success is attributable to its parasitical relationship with the declining fortunes of the working class. Wal-Mart cynically promotes itself as a pro-family, pro-American company even as it offers poverty-level wages and imports most of its wares from foreign, low-wage countries. In this manner, Ms. Featherstone explains that Wal-Mart both contributes to and profits from the exploitation of marginalized female laborers.

Ms. Featherstone is careful to discuss the limitations of the lawsuit as a tool to effect systemic change at Wal-Mart. She contends that it is probably equally important for the public to become educated about the inequities at Wal-Mart in order to create a media firestorm that might pressure the company to change its ways. However, Ms. Featherstone describes the difficulties that unions and interest groups have had trying to organize labor and shoppers in the struggle with Wal-Mart, contending that our consumer culture tends to set aside worker's rights issues in favor of shopping expediency. Nevertheless, as the lawsuit moves forward the author is hopeful that Wal-Mart may soon feel the need to make significant changes in order to avert a court-imposed solution and/or a public relations catastrophe.

I highly recommend this outstanding book to everyone.

Nola does an excellent job of reviewing Employment Laws in an easy to understand and concise manner. Human Resource departments could benefit by making sure every manager has this book and understands the content. They would save themselves a lot of time backtracking after the fact with when legal issues arise that could easily have been prevented.

I have not yet read this book but have skimmed through the pages and can see it is a useful tool for keeping up with legal issues in the workplace. The book arrived in great condition and in a relatively short time frame.

This book is enjoyable and easy to understand, especially for those new in the HR field or those wanting to understand the HR function. The book covers topics with general information and not for those who are looking for in-depth decription of "how-to" or "what-to-do" in each of the HR functions. Overall, I think it is informative.

It has been over one month since I have ordered this item and it is still not here. Contacting customer service.

For a small company, this book was just what we needed. It outlined different state requirements, some common pitfalls, and provided sample text for editing. Overall, just what we needed to be a professional little business.

I found it difficult to put this book down, and I would have given it 5 stars if the ending wasn't so weak. The end left me hanging and was a little confusing with all of the names and trials.

That said, I heard of some of the cast of characters in this book. I even worked for the same firm as one of them, and he was an arrogant guy who thinks his you know what doesn't stink.

Some of the stories in here were bizzare and almost all were well documented. Men and women should read this book to learn about Wall Street's dirty little secret. However, I am not convinced that this is a problem unique to Wall Street. I am positive that discrimination is in all industries, and it is not limited to sexual harrassment.

Susan Antilla presents a powerful and startling indictment of the sexist behavior of stock brokers working for Wall Street and its offshoots, specifically Smith Barney's Shearson/American Express office in Garden City, Long Island. Women struggled to be hired, and then found that the men in charge of their careers practiced all sorts of sexual harassment and intimidation, from jokes to displays of sexual prowess, physical contact and threats of rape. As she describes, the bosses sought to bar women or trap them in low positions. While painting the broader picture, Antilla focuses on whistle blower, Pam Martens, who revealed the situation when she sued for damages. This skillfully written book reads like a fascinating novel, so graphic and dramatic that it is more like a screenplay than a report. We believe it will draw intense interest from everyone affected by this issue: female executives who face glass ceilings and harassment, male executives who must determine their own philosophies toward their female colleagues and human resource professionals who are charged with watching out for them both.

I'm a principal at an investment-banking firm although not a stockbroker so reading this book was a good exercise in reviewing the risks at our firm. The coverage in this book is exceptional. As discussed, investment-banking firms are ripe with potential for sexual discrimination. Partly because so many areas work on trading floors which breed a fraternity type atmosphere, partly because stock brokers tend to be fraternity/salesmen type guys, and partly because this environment has assistants, many who are women, working in close contact with these who sometimes consider themselves "masters of the universe." Confidence/cockiness is never in short supply at an investment banking firm's trading floor.

The first part of the book lays out the environment where sexual discrimination was prevalent. It's so clearly offensive that it's amazing there wasn't a larger settlement in this case. But this is where the book greatly details the unique twist in the case. The protagonist goes through two lawyers and watches as her lawyer and the opposing lawyer seem to become more in agreement than her and her lawyer. Eventually she's dropped from the settlement even though her name still appears on the class action suit. So while I thought I was a reading a sexual discrimination, the book turned into attorney/client relationships and attorney greed in class action cases.

Do I think the attorneys became more concerned about their large fee than their client? Yes. Do I think the original client could be difficult to deal with? Yes. But the outcome is tragic and no one got what he or she deserved. Justice was not monetarily served for the defendants in my opinion. I strongly recommend this book if you have interest in investment banking, law or women's issues.

I read this book as I'm very familiar with the Brokerage Industry. I must say, while some of this is appalling, and people should never be treated poorly, it's relieving to know that there is a place where men are (were) still men. Men call each other disparaging remarks, call each other names, basically joke around and take it one step further. Unfortunately, women always want in, and it ends up ruining it for everyone. Any fun or solace we had is gone. It's a shame too, because those same women could have fun too and be "One of the guys" though fear of their lawsuits has now caused even the last bastion of men to fall. Why couldn't you just stick with Dr. Phil and leave us alone. Where can we hide from women and still be ourselves? Is there no place to go?? Even better, why can't those women just join us, rather than fight us! It would seem the last place men can work and have fun, and at the same time have women having fun with them is the Man Show, or the Howard Stern show. I'm sorry that sounds so sad, but it's our truth. Time's have changed, and while our son's will never know it, it's our own fault for caving to their whims, little by little by little. It's a women's world!

I was a successful broker for many years in one of Smith Barney's largest offices in the nation, and I can personally attest that the events depicted in this book, while shocking, are not exaggerations.

I would have appreciated if Antilla had consulted with some Constitutional law experts. She should have noted that the U.S. Supreme Court upheld mandatory arbitration shortly after Judge Motley upheld it in this particular lawsuit.

Antilla captures the culture of Shearson Lehman Bros. and Smith Barney with uncanny accuracy. Any investor -- male or female -- should read this book to understand some of the ways that the Wall Street good old boys network circles the wagons to protect their own.

This book never should have been published. It is one of the most poorly written (I daresay, ignorently written) books I have had the displeasure to encounter. The author has a big axe to grind about government, and is highly politicized. There may be kernals of information here, but I don't trust anything the author says. I doubt that the content was controlled with fact-checking, corroboration, or even basic editing. These bits may give you a sense of how the book goes:

"It has reached such a stage that the concept of private employment is now a joke. The Federal and State governments now control employment. Personnel Offices are now called Human Relations Departments--further signifying the encroachment of socialistic concepts."

Excuse me, but "HR" stands for Human Resources, not Human Relations. If the author doesn't know this, I question any other "information" he has to impart. Even scarier, exactly how is it that HR departments signify socialistic concepts? No logic here.

Or how about this one, which reveals the true reason for the book:

"Most of you have chosen through the purchase of this Book to convert to dual hat status or to assure that your own conversion has been done properly. However, self-help always has its own risks. As we have repeatedly stated, perhaps too often, [name of his business] offers a money back guarantee and certification procedure, whereby our IC Member Specialists will certify that you are an IC, which will protect you against any problems you may have with anybody over any question of the propriety of your IC status."

Hmmm, that's quite a claim, is it not? Sounds like a lot of hokey, to me.

And why, please tell me, is the word "Book" capitalized? (I found many incorrectly capitalized words throughout the text.)

The author is part of a group (probably a group of one) that offers "Independent Contract Specialist" certification. Oh, please. It's pretty clear that this book is primarily a marketing tool for his business.

It doesn't get any better. I suffered, trying to wade through his poor writing to get the concepts he offers, and gave up after a bit, realizing that I could get the information from more trustworthy, accurate, and palatable sources.

I can't resist ending with an excerpt from the back cover:

"This Book provides you with everything you need to know about independent contracting to beat the IRS. Actually, they are on our side on this. The Law is on Our side. It is written simply and understandably. It traces the history of our present employment system wage/slave trap from the first of the Independent Contractors, the members of the glorious Guilds of England. It provides you with all of the information you or your company needs to Break the Wage-Slave Chains and the payroll trap. Read the heretofore-untold story about how the Congressional passage of the Safe Harbor Test came about. It was a great victory for the American Public. Great cost saving stuff for individuals and companies. Join the Employment Revolution."

Save your money. Check out the Nolo books, which are written by professionals, kept up-to-date via their web site, and trustworthy.

I've read the other reviews, and yes, I agree that Waxman would have been well served by having a better technical writer do a professional run-through to clean up the style. Releasing a well-edited second edition would be an improvement. That having been said, however, I agree with other reviewers that in CONTENT this book is well worth the investment and the read. If you are an employer or an employee and you want to know the pros and cons and how-tos of independent contracting vs. conventional employment, then you will not be disappointed with what there is to be learned by reading this book. Having read it, you will be in a position to create a good relationship with contractors, the local authorities, and the IRS, and you will know what to ask them, and what to tell them. Forgive the style; it is good data.

Whether you're an employee looking to become an independent contractor or a businessperson looking to use the same, Waxman does a good job (hah!) of explaining the hows, whats, and whys. This easy read will comfort and inform as you prepare to make the leap.

Written by business attorney Shelly Waxman for the non-specialist general reader, All Anybody Needs To Know About Independent Contracting is an informed and informative guide to capitalizing on the Employment Revolution to escape the traps of wage-slavery and excessive taxes. From the necessary requirements to fulfill for independent contractor status, to tax saving tips, to protocols for setting up one's business, All Anybody Needs To Know About Independent Contracting is commended as being a practical, easy-to-follow, effective resource for readers of all educational or business backgrounds.

Writers Club Press is a publish-on-demand vanity press, so this book has not been through the normal editorial and fact-checking procedures of similar books from established publishing houses. The lack of editing shows in the writing style of the first several chapters, which read like an advertising brochure for the author's law practice. The author also has the irritating tendency to use self-coined two-letter acronyms throughout without explaining them the first time they come up (he includes a list in the very front of the book, instead, which makes for lots of flipping back and forth). In between the "I can set this up for you" comments, though, is some potentially useful information, stated in easy-to-understand terms.

Given that this stuff is just one guy's word, though, no matter how qualified this one guy appears to be (anybody can write anything and get it out there if they're self-publishing), you'll want to corroborate this information with other sources before you act on it. Of course, deciding to start an independent career and be your own boss is a big enough and complex enough decision that it'd be a good idea to do that kind of fact-checking regardless of the information source. Even if everything in this book is up-to-date and %100 accurate, you'd still need to find somebody (other than Waxman) to guide you on local and state legal issues, and would be well-advised to find good, qualified local financial advisor, as well. It simply isn't possible to put "all anybody needs to know" about the subject into one book.

The forms and abridged IRS documents included in the second half of the book look very useful and will probably be the handiest parts of the book.

don't have too much to say other than i was glad i bought this through amazon rather than my school bookstore since i saved over $100. exact same book.

This book worked perfect for my class. I encourage everyone that sells a book to include what edition their book is and whether it's the international version or not. This can be critical to the course you are taking.

I only bought this book because I'm in labor relations class. It's as dry as a piece of stale bread. But if you want to know anything and everything about Labor Relations and the history, BUY IT!

This is the first time I have order a textbook online. My experience was awesome. I received my order in a timely manner. The textbook was in outstanding condition. This text consisted of labor law material along with various labor law cases and procedures. I just order another book I am awaiting for the early arrival of this text.
THANK YOU AMAZON !!

I just took a college level class in which we used this book as the textbook. There is a lot of good information inside which provides a good introduction to the novice on how the process of collective bargaining works. It begins with the history of how it started and continues through the specific issues that collective bargaining entails. There is even a copy of the National Labor Relations Act in the back of the book.

There are some rough spots that should be worked out in the next edition however. Sometimes I found myself lost in the verbage that the author chose to use and had no idea what the point had been. The case studies at the ends of the chapters have no solutions, they ask questions of you and then leave you - a novice - to flounder with no professional direction in the event - which is frequent - that you can't figure out the answer. And, there are some typo's in key locations which end up disproving, instead of proving, the point that the author was attempting to make (very confusing.)

This text is best used in conjunction with lectures by a good professor if you want to get the most out of it.

I am new to management and this book helped clarify many topics. The book is written in a down to earth style, and just jammed with valuable info. Anyone going into HR or Management would certainly benefit from reading and then using this book as a resource.

I strongly recommend this book for people planning to start-up their first business, those becoming supervisors for the first time, and those who are entering human resource positions . . . as well as those who do not know how employment law currently works.

Most problems with employees begin with incomplete or poor communications. This guide is just as good at helping with those communications as it is with understanding how the law applies to situations that arise.

As an attorney, I found the legal information to be complete and accurate (often providing summaries and references to state laws, as well as federal ones). As a management consultant, I found almost all of the advice to be pertinent and up-to-date with best practices. The only exception was that many management experts now discourage annual reviews in favor of continuous feedback (which is also encouraged by the book).

Have you ever fired anyone? It's no fun. The book's description of how events should lead up to that, and how to handle the event for all concerned is wise and helpful for anyone who is about to have to do that. Even if you have fired people before, you can probably get some good ideas in this book for how to do it better.

If you don't have a system for progressive discipline (feedback that improvement needs to be made), you can get what you need here to design and implement such a system.

This guide will also be helpful to disgruntled employees who wonder if they should seek out an attorney. The section on how to find an employment attorney is equally applicable to companies and employees.

I was pleasantly surprised to see that after going into firing, the book also takes the reader back into hiring to see how to avoid hiring people in the future who will have to be fired.

In total, this book surpassed my very high expectations. Nice job!

After you finish reading this book, think about how the principles of good communication and fairness developed in the book could be applied to working with customers and other important stakeholders as well.

I have given away quite a few copies of this book to friends who stepped into new management positions. Always, it seems, there is a situation that has been stewing for months if not years with a problem person. But dealing with the problem the RIGHT way saves money, the wrong way, well, you do the math. Sometimes problem employees can be quite clever at working the system to their favor. Other times, dismissing them or managing them improperly leads to a time bomb. Expensive any way you look at it, not to mention the time sink it can cause.

This book covers the high cost of problem employees, production and performance issues, drug and alcohol abuse, violence, morality, insubordination and absenteeism. Then it goes on to give an overview of the law. How to do performance evaluations, progressive discipline and then investigation and summary action. There is a chapter on planning for the aftermath of a dismissal or action, severance policy and how to terminate an employee properly (hint, don't do it in a van while the terminee-to-be is driving the van, something I've seen in my career and really CANNOT recommend as a safe way to fire anyone.)

This is absolutely a must on any manager's business library shelf. Cannot recommend it enough.

Dealing With Problem Employees is an excellent resource for most organizations, especially for start up companies. This fine book investigates key employment issues such as contract employees, sexual harassment, alcohol and drug abuse, developing performance appraisals, dealing with dangerous employees, interviewing, and countless legal issues. All of the above issues are discussed from a detailed point of view as numerous examples are cited illustrating the fine line between what is proper conduct and what is illegal. Very specific examples are given how to fire someone, provide fair job references, and conduct a disciplinary hearing that motivates employees to improve. The importance of having an employee handbook is emphasized greatly. The depth is so phenomenal that there is even a section on how to fire your employment lawyer when he does you wrong.

There are a few questionable sections on exit interviews. From my personal experiences, most firms blur the line between termination and exit interviews. In other words, when someone is terminated there is one meeting on the employees' last day explaining why he is being let go and all the benefits that this person is entitled to. Maybe some higher level management personnel may have some of these extended privileges. I realize that there are a few exceptions as the authors describe. However, from where I stand, most terminations due to performance consist of one meeting combining all the elements combined in the termination and exit interviews. Financial layoffs may vary.

Also the section of an employee being allowed to have representation in a termination meeting is slightly disjointed. I have never encountered such a situation for myself or anyone else. Perhaps there are a few unusual exceptions but truthfully I think the authors need to adjust their position at least a little bit.

Nonetheless, this is super book with outstanding legal references in every chapter. I can certainly overlook the two small weaknesses illustrated above as the strengths are great, numerous, and in great detail. I must emphasize that this is excellent reading for employers and even employers. Yes, employees should be aware of the many interpersonal and legal issues their employers face. In conclusion, a must have on all fronts.

This book is an excellent starter for anyone who is new to running a small company, and wants a better understanding of the legal pitfalls of employment practices and some practical advice on how to avoid them. The book does a good job in covering most of the basics of employment law, and in addition provides some tips on performance management, terminations, and investigations that should work well in the majority of situations.

There are a couple of areas where the book is a little light, and therefore a business owner or leader would want more information. The section and information on sexual harassment laws is weak, considering that the most common type of sexual harassment complaint (hostile work environment) is a broad set of very gray areas of risk determined by the employee. Little coverage is given to the legal definitions of sexual harassment, including how an employer may be liable if they "should have known" the behavior was taking place. Additionally more information on how to create a positive working environment, which avoids legal risks but is still a place where people want to work, would be useful. Additionally, most business owners would like to see information on how to better connect the dots between employee behavior, legal constraints and business results.

I also recommend that any leader wishing to employ these tips and practical information in their workplace first read one of the many excellent books on leadership, or how to motivate employees, and how and why to treat people with dignity and respect. The excellent and unusual leadership book, Leadership and Self Deception, is an example of a great companion for this text. Consider this book the "what" and "how" of what to do with legal employment issues, and others to really focus on the "why".

Overall, this is an excellent resource; it is well written and planned with easy access to information. The resources provided are excellent. The authors did a commendable job and taking often complex legal information and writing it in a way non-lawyers can understand and utilize. It is what it advertises to be, a legal guide. I think this will make an excellent resource for small business owners, and plan to give my copy to a friend who runs a small non-profit and is always calling me for advise of this nature.

Coach Moore is another in a long line of legends to coach under the Golden Dome. Unfortunately, Bob Davie is another in a shorter line of terrible head coaches hired by the Fighting Irish. As for the book, the author (and Moore's lawyer) would have you believe this is a tale of David vs. Goliath in the courtroom, and that his brilliant legal acumen brought the Notre Dame empire to his knees. Truth be told, a first-year law student could have won this case, and Notre Dame's legal department should be ashamed for ever letting this case go to trial. Bob Davie ADMITTED in public, to the Notre Dame football team and others, that Coach Moore's age had something to do with his termination. You don't need Clarence Darrow to tell you that is age discrimination, my friends, and only the arrogance (or perhaps stupidity) of the then-administration at Notre Dame let this case go to trial. If you hate Notre Dame, maybe you'll find pleasure in their bungling of this matter. In fact, had Notre Dame not been the Defendant, nobody would think twice about reading this book. There are pleny of better written and more interesting books on the legal system out there. Oh, and Joe Paterno coaches at Penn St. by the way...

I agree with those reviewers who have praised this as a good read. But it is no more than a "war story," and would have benefited from better editing and been more widely and profitably read as a magazine article. To deserve a book, the author should have reflected on the wisdom of the law which he practices, not only on behalf of plaintiffs but defendants as well. Why should those over 40 deserve the same protection as those who suffer racial, gender, or handicap discrimination? All of us grow old, and while that may not be fair and may affect each of us in different ways, can we as a society want or afford to be swamped with litigation and all its attendant stress and cost to argue the issue in a myriad of cases? Should the next generation be put on hold in the meanwhile? Perhaps the only lesson of this book is that Head Coach Davie must not have worn a helmet in his playing days. Otherwise, he would never have made any reference to age, but fired the plaintiff without explanation, or by simply saying that he wanted to hire his own coaching assistants.

... Coach Moore is a simple and straightforward man who was thrown under the bus by his friend Davie after Davie maneuvered his former head coach Lou Holtz in front of that same bus. The reader learns of Davie's scandal ridden past and how the University looked the other way and even used its power to fight Coach Moore despite being totally in the wrong. ... An enlightening look at the dark side of an egomaniac...and an instiutution...that backed him.

Personal Foul: Coach Joe Moore vs. The University Of Notre Dame by Richard Lieberman is the true story of a volatile lawsuit that coach Joe Moore filed against the University of Notre Dame for age discrimination. From this suit came evidence of pervasive unethical conduct in a university football program that had formerly been given the highest regard. Commanding the reader's full attention, Personal Foul is a compelling and revealing exposé into the tangled and often dark complexity of human nature in general, and college football in particular. Highly recommended reading for college football fans in general, and University of Notre Dame alumni in particular.

I couldn't put the book down. At first I was skeptical about whether or not the topic would appeal to me in that it is sports-related and about law. I'm not a sports enthusiast nor lawyer. But that was of no consequence. The book was riveting on another level: its narrative style. So if you like a good read, you'll love this book!