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Louis D. Brandeis: A Life Audiobook
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(2.50) - 16 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
The first full-scale biography in twenty-five years of one of the most important and distinguished justices to sit on the Supreme Court–an audio book that reveals Louis D. Brandeis the reformer, lawyer, and jurist, and Brandeis the man, in all of his complexity, passion, and wit. As a lawyer in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, he pioneered how modern law is practiced. The author of the right to privacy he led the way in creating the role of the lawyer as counselor and pioneered the idea of pro bono publico work by attorneys. Named to the Supreme Court, Brandeis, ranked as one of the nation’s leading progressive reformers. He invented savings bank life insurance in Massachusetts and was a driving force in the development of the Federal Reserve Act, the Clayton Antitrust Act, and the law establishing the Federal Trade Commission. As an economist and moralist, Brandeis warned in 1914 that banking and stock brokering must be separate, and twenty years later, during the New Deal, his recommendation was finally enacted into law only to be undone by Ronald Reagan, which led to the savings-and-loan crisis in the 1980s and the world financial collapse of 2008. And at age fifty-eight Brandeis became the head of the American Zionist movement. During the next seven years, Brandeis transformed it from a marginal activity into a powerful force in American Jewish affairs. A huge and galvanizing biography, a revelation of one man’s effect on American society and jurisprudence, and the electrifying story of his time.
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“Ably narrated by Sean Pratt…the audio version of his book requires a performance that holds the listener for more than thirty-five hours. Pratt accomplishes this feat. His style is steady and engaging, and he moderates his pace and tone so effectively that Brandeis’ life seems to glide by. While the length of the book seems daunting, it’s a remarkably entertaining account of how Brandeis changed society while also combating intolerance.”
— AudioFile
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“A rich study of a remarkable life.”
— Economist -
“[A] monumental, authoritative, and appreciative biography of the man Franklin D. Roosevelt called ‘Isaiah’…[Demonstraties] why Brandeis still matters, nearly seventy years after his death.”
— New York Times Book Review -
“Will likely stand as the definitive Brandeis biography for many years.”
— Boston Globe -
“Conveys the vast scope of Brandeis’s fascinating life with energy, verve, and immediacy…Comprehensive and highly readable.”
— Chicago Tribune -
“An authoritative, impressive assessment of a man whose legal reasoning continues to influence our republic.”
— Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
Awards
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Winner of the 2010 Ambassador Book Award for Biography/Autobiography
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One of the New York Times Book Review 100 Notable Books of 2016
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A 2009 Los Angeles Times Book Prize Nominee for Biography
Louis D. Brandeis Listener Reviews
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" Too Long. Interesting man. "
— Mark, 2/20/2011 -
" Too Long. Interesting man. "
— Mark, 2/20/2011 -
" <br/>I learned alot about Brandiex that I did not know, but this bio was not well written. "
— Alan, 10/10/2010 -
" <br/>I learned alot about Brandiex that I did not know, but this bio was not well written. "
— Alan, 10/10/2010 -
" I'd give this 3.5 stars. The book is great for learning about Brandeis, but I wasn't thrilled with the style (much more thematic than chronological, equal attention given to various subjects, despite some being straightforward and less interesting, and others complex and fascinating). "
— Kenny, 5/26/2010 -
" I'd give this 3.5 stars. The book is great for learning about Brandeis, but I wasn't thrilled with the style (much more thematic than chronological, equal attention given to various subjects, despite some being straightforward and less interesting, and others complex and fascinating). "
— Kenny, 5/26/2010 -
" Long, slow read...or how to make a fascinating life boring. If you want to read biographers who know how to write, then read Caro, Berg and Morris. Their bios of LBJ, Lindbergh and Teddy Roosevelt are outstanding. "
— David, 5/22/2010 -
" Long, slow read...or how to make a fascinating life boring. If you want to read biographers who know how to write, then read Caro, Berg and Morris. Their bios of LBJ, Lindbergh and Teddy Roosevelt are outstanding. "
— David, 5/22/2010
About Melvin I. Urofsky
Melvin I. Urofsky is professor of law and public policy at Virginia Commonwealth University. He is the coeditor of the five-volume collection of Louis Brandeis’ letters and the author of American Zionism from Herzl to the Holocaust and Louis D. Brandeis and the Progressive Tradition. He lives in Gaithersburg, Maryland.
About Lloyd James
Lloyd James (a.k.a. Sean Pratt) has been a working professional actor in theater, film, television, and voice-overs for more than thirty years. He has narrated over one thousand audiobooks and won numerous Earphones Awards and nominations for the Audie Award and the Voice Arts Award. He holds a BFA degree in acting from Santa Fe University, New Mexico.