One L

The Turbulent True Story of a First Year at Harvard Law School

By: Scott Turow

Narrated by: Holter Graham

Length: 9 hrs and 59 mins

Publisher's summary

Decades after Scott Turow entered law school comes an all new unabridged production of this classic with a special introduction by and interview with the author

One L, Scott Turow's journal of his first year at law school and a best seller when it was first published in 1977, has gone on to become a virtual bible for prospective law students. Not only does it introduce with remarkable clarity the ideas and issues that are the stuff of legal education; it also brings alive the anxiety and competitiveness - with others and, even more, with oneself - that set the tone in this crucible of character building.

Each September, a new crop of students enter Harvard Law School to begin an intense, often grueling, sometimes harrowing year of introduction to the law. Will the One L's survive? Will they excel? Will they make the Law Review, the outward and visible sign of success in this ultra-competitive microcosm.

With remarkable insight into both his fellow students and himself, Turow leads us through the ups and downs, the small triumphs and tragedies of the year, in an absorbing and thought-provoking narrative that teaches the listener not only about law school and the law but also about the human beings who make them what they are.

©1977, 1988 Scott Turow (P)2005 Audio Renaissance, a division of Holtzbrinck Publishers, LLC

Critic reviews

"The most accurate, complete, and balanced description yet of a century-old rite of passage in America." (Baltimore Sun)
"[One L] should be read by anyone who has ever contemplated going to law school or anyone who has ever worried about being human." (The New York Times)

A Must Read for current 1L students

I am 2/3rds of the way through my first year of law school and it's been a major roller coaster of emotions that I thought was just me. That something was wrong for me to feel and experience school the way I did. I thought maybe I wasn't cut out for law. But after listening to this book, honestly it gave me a whole new hope to keep going and make it to the end. it's 2022 and not much has changed since 1975.
This book was my guide to the light at the end of the tunnel.

Best book ever about law school

I love it because it was very nice and very good for me and future law school and future lawyer s

I couldn't get into it at all

There was nothing at the start of it to hook me. I tried several times.

Bored to Tears....

Just not interesting to me....a lot of tiny details and personal insight about HLS. I didn't finish it. Some people found it interesting... I didn't.

Very Realistic

This book was very realistic yet boring. I found myself zoning in and out. It wasn't terrible but I won't be listening again.

This book seemed dated and overall not helpful

This book seemed dated and overall not helpful for me. It may be of benefit for others, I have heard countless people say to read this book. I just got nothing from it.

Turow's law school diary

Basically just a mildly interesting look at law school. I wasn't disappointed in my use of a credit as it was just as I suspected it would be.

However I can't in good faith recommend it unless you like me are interested in the vicarious experience. Not really a well developed novel, rather a documentation of his experiences at Harvard.