The Nine

Inside the Secret World of the Supreme Court

By: Jeffrey Toobin

Narrated by: Don Leslie

Length: 15 hrs and 50 mins

Publisher's summary

Best-selling author Jeffrey Toobin takes you into the chambers of the Supreme Court and reveals the complex dynamic among the nine people who decide the law of the land. Just in time for the 2008 presidential election - where the future of the Court will be at stake - Toobin reveals an institution at a moment of transition, when decades of conservative disgust with the Court have finally produced a conservative majority, with major changes in store on such issues as abortion, civil rights, presidential power, and church-state relations.

Based on exclusive interviews with the justices themselves, The Nine tells the story of the Court through personalities - from Anthony Kennedy’s overwhelming sense of self-importance to Clarence Thomas’s well-tended grievances against his critics to David Souter’s odd 19th century lifestyle. There is also, for the first time, the full behind-the-scenes story of Bush v. Gore - and Sandra Day O’Connor’s fateful breach with George W. Bush, the president she helped place in office.

The Nine is the book Toobin was born to write. He is a best-selling author, a CNN senior legal analyst, and New Yorker staff writer. No one is more superbly qualified to profile the nine justices.

©2007 Jeffrey Toobin (P)2007 Books on Tape

Critic reviews

"A major achievement, lucid and probing." (Bob Woodward)

"This is a remarkable, riveting book. So great are Toobin's narrative skills that both the justices and their inner world are brought vividly to life." (Doris Kearns Goodwin)

"Absorbing....[Toobin's] savvy account puts the supposedly cloistered Court right in the thick of American life." (Publishers Weekly)

The Nine

A very educational look at how the appointments to the judicial bench influence the laws of the country and how the judges make their decisions. Disturbing in how removed from reality some are. A fascinating look at their culture. I enjoyed this book.

Chilling...

Toobin’s book is a stark reminder of the importance of presidential elections. Would like be to hear his thoughts on what has transpired since 2009.

I learned so much about SCOTUS. Fascinating,

I really enjoyed this book. IT. is educational and
yet really fascinating. I liked the narrator. He really pulled you into the Supreme Court.

Skillful Sorting of Fact from Fiction, Must Read!

What did you love best about The Nine?

Toobin uses his vast knowledge of the U.S. Supreme Court to sort fact from fiction. His engaging book cuts through the mystery and superstition surrounding the judicial branch to give us a rare portrait of the Supreme Court in all its humanity, nuance, ideology and intelligence. He seems to always take his sources with the grain of objectivity, questioning the subjective motivations of each and working to provide the counter-argument. Similarly, he tries to reserve his own judgement from most every subject except the Bush v. Gore ruling, and the evangelical christian political phenomenon more generally. The books greatest value is that it lays out the information in a readable and engaging way so that we can shape our own opinions and beliefs with care.

Great read, great for an audiobook

most engaging reading of an audiobook I've ever had -- I really enjoy Don Leslie's appropriately dramatic narration, which is best when complementing dramatic plots and narratives such as Toobin's relatively creative nonfictional account of the Supreme Court

Fascinating look inside a powerful US institution

Often overlooked, the Supreme operates outside the public view as a co-equal branch of government. Toobin does an excellent job of pulling back the curtain and giving us a view of day to day life on the Court as well as a look at the thinking behind blockbuster cases. This book follows the Court and nominees (Roberts and Alito) during the Bush presidency. Highly recommend for lawyers and non-lawyers alike. AUDIBLE 20 REVIEW SWEEPSTAKES ENTRY

The Nine

Well, as advertised "The Nine" is in fact exciting, even riveting and insightful, but what is not advertised is that the author's strong left wing bias is barely concealed. This is sad. The subject matter is of great importance, and the author obviously put a great deal of sweat into into its writing, but unfortunately, it was titled wrong. It would have better been titled "The Nine: A Leftist's View of the Supreme Court". If your leanings are left, you will love this book. If they are right, you will hate it. If, on the other hand you are apolitical as I am, and you read the book to learn more about this major institution of the american government system, you will be saddened and disappointed, bucause the schloarship cannot be trusted.

Very Human Group

Jeffrey Toobin sure flat knows how to reveal what the court is really like. In his fine book, "The Nine," the listener comes to know about each high court judge warts and all. Sharp character sketches and descriptions of how the judges work individually and together are great.

Toobin, it seems, has set out to help us understand how the court works from the perspective of those a part of it. He succeeds wonderfully in this task. His portraits of the individual judges extends over a 15 year period allowing for him to introduce key decisions made over that period.

This book is well written and read. It tells how the individual judges work and interact rather than telling how the court works, per se. Therefore, the book will be of broader interest. Listen to it for what it is and you'll not be disappointed.

Great book

A wonderful insight to the workings and history of the highest court of the land.

Very long and kind of basic

I'm an attorney, so for me a lot of what was covered in this book was pretty basic, and I got a little bored given its length. I did find some of the behind-the-scenes accounts of the nomination process pretty interesting though. Also, the narrator had an extremely slow manner of speaking, so I recommend playing the book on 1.25 or 1.5 speed.