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Books on the Constitution?

Posted: Wed Jan 26, 2011 7:31 pm
by goosey
I do not mean a supplement for the class.

I am totally lost when it comes to the constitution--everyone else seems to know so much about it, and I have no clue. I must have checked out during 6th grade social studies class. I need something basic that I can read on the side that will fill me in on what the general idea of each section is and what it means. I already plan on reading it once a week to familiarize myself with it, but I want to also know what the hell its talking about

any recommendations?

Re: Books on the Constitution?

Posted: Wed Jan 26, 2011 7:32 pm
by Unitas
Wikipedia. Free and better than a book.

Re: Books on the Constitution?

Posted: Wed Jan 26, 2011 7:40 pm
by vanwinkle
Image

Seriously, though, the words of the Constitution are practically meaningless without considering constitutional law history. Chemerinsky is good at explaining everything in detail and putting things in context.

Re: Books on the Constitution?

Posted: Wed Jan 26, 2011 7:43 pm
by chup
BOOM.

--ImageRemoved--

Re: Books on the Constitution?

Posted: Wed Jan 26, 2011 7:48 pm
by SeymourShowz
I really like this one.

Image

http://www.amazon.com/Americas-Constitu ... 1400062624

It's a fun read, too.

Re: Books on the Constitution?

Posted: Wed Jan 26, 2011 7:53 pm
by goosey
vanwinkle wrote:Image

Seriously, though, the words of the Constitution are practically meaningless without considering constitutional law history. Chemerinsky is good at explaining everything in detail and putting things in context.
ordered this.

thanks for the other recommendations as well..will look into them. are these books that you can get through during the semester while doing the rest of your reading?

Re: Books on the Constitution?

Posted: Wed Jan 26, 2011 8:28 pm
by verdandi
Before I went to law school, I took a comparative constitutional law class as an elective. I had almost no clue about the constitution and explained the law professor this, and she gave me this book to read two weeks before classes started:

http://www.amazon.com/Dynamic-Constitut ... 060&sr=8-1

Worked like a charm. HTH!

Re: Books on the Constitution?

Posted: Wed Jan 26, 2011 8:38 pm
by SeymourShowz
goosey wrote:are these books that you can get through during the semester while doing the rest of your reading?
Tough to say. I was going to re-read the book I posted this semester, read a couple chapters the first week, but haven't picked it up since. This is my second semester 1L and the workload is absolutely kicking my ass. I haven't even had time to read the newspaper lately.

Re: Books on the Constitution?

Posted: Wed Jan 26, 2011 8:44 pm
by thesealocust
goosey wrote:I already plan on reading it once a week to familiarize myself with it

. . .

Re: Books on the Constitution?

Posted: Wed Jan 26, 2011 9:02 pm
by orangeswarm
vanwinkle wrote:Image

Seriously, though, the words of the Constitution are practically meaningless without considering constitutional law history. Chemerinsky is good at explaining everything in detail and putting things in context.

Hands down the best out there.

Re: Books on the Constitution?

Posted: Wed Jan 26, 2011 9:02 pm
by beach_terror
Just ordered the con law one and then Singer's for Property. The Aspen Treatise Series did me well in Civ Pro, so I'm expecting good things from these two as well.

Re: Books on the Constitution?

Posted: Wed Jan 26, 2011 9:11 pm
by vanwinkle
goosey wrote:are these books that you can get through during the semester while doing the rest of your reading?
Chemerinsky is one I ended up doing through the semester in place of my readings.

Re: Books on the Constitution?

Posted: Wed Jan 26, 2011 9:13 pm
by jtemp320
SeymourShowz wrote:I really like this one.

Image

http://www.amazon.com/Americas-Constitu ... 1400062624

It's a fun read, too.
+1

Re: Books on the Constitution?

Posted: Wed Jan 26, 2011 9:21 pm
by uzpakalis
vanwinkle wrote:
goosey wrote:are these books that you can get through during the semester while doing the rest of your reading?
Chemerinsky is one I ended up doing through the semester in place of my readings.
+1

Not sure if I will even open up the casebook again. Between Chemerinsky and Wikipedia, I have my syllabus covered (and then some).

Re: Books on the Constitution?

Posted: Wed Jan 26, 2011 9:28 pm
by 2011Law
If you are serious, then Wiki that shit.

Anyway, this is the book that familiarized me with the basics of the Constitution and the major cases in ConLaw as a sophomore in high school.

http://www.amazon.com/People-Citizen-Co ... 0898181771
Image

Re: Books on the Constitution?

Posted: Wed Jan 26, 2011 9:40 pm
by Other25BeforeYou
My dad gave me this to read before conlaw (I didn't know anything about the constitution beforehand), and it was very informative:
http://www.amazon.com/United-States-Con ... 238&sr=8-1
Image

Re: Books on the Constitution?

Posted: Wed Jan 26, 2011 11:23 pm
by stayway
vanwinkle wrote:
goosey wrote:are these books that you can get through during the semester while doing the rest of your reading?
Chemerinsky is one I ended up doing through the semester in place of my readings.
So did you just read the relevant sections the professor covered in Chemerinsky in place of the casebook itself?