Review | The Law Says What? Stuff You Didn’t Know About the Law (But Really Should!) by Maclen Stanley

2022-01-15 · by ·

I don’t want to be a cynic or a pessimist, but I’m sure something of what follows is going to come off that way.

Upon exiting the Constitutional Convention in 1787, Benjamin Franklin was asked what sort of government the delegates had created. Ever the one to come up with a quick quip and memorable line (he’d love Twitter for its short and snappy format, though he might have misgivings other aspects of it), the venerable Founding Father said “A republic, if you can keep it.”

While the Republic has been tested many times since that day, surviving riots, insurrections, a civil war, world wars, scandals, assassinations, impeachments, racism, inequality, and more, there are times when I wonder at how much we, as a people, can succeed if we don’t understand our institutions and laws. To exacerbate things, our laws can seem complex and complicated.

Enter The Law Says What? Stuff You Didn’t Know About the Law (But Really Should!) by Maclen Stanley, a short and simple guide to understanding our law. No, it’s not a panacea to civics ignorance, but it is a well-written crash course on our laws and can go a long way to helping everyone understand how the law works.

Maclen says that he has two goals in writing the book: First, to introduce readers to the “interested, weird, and sometimes irritating things” that they don’t know about the law, “but really should.” And second, to help them learn to think like a lawyer, and for a book so thin, he makes headway towards both of those goals. Heck, I plan on making it required reading for my daughters once they’re a little older. Every American should understand our laws better, especially if they’re going to keep our republican experiment going for another generation.

The Law Says What? Stuff You Didn't Know About the Law (But Really Should!) Book Cover The Law Says What? Stuff You Didn't Know About the Law (But Really Should!)
Maclen Stanley
non-fiction
TCK Publishing
July 25, 2021
Paperback
192

There’s some important stuff you don’t know about the law (but really should)!

What happens if Roe v. Wade is overturned? When can you legally use self-defense? How the hell does the Electoral College work, and who came up with it anyway? We hear about the law everywhere, from our social media feeds to 24/7 news coverage, and even during heated debates with friends and family. But do the people we’re listening to really understand the law, or how it works?

The Law Says What? offers a crash course on some of the most bizarre, infuriating, and vitally important legal topics of today. Using real-world cases as a guide, you’ll explore laws that affect your everyday life and analyze the rationales behind the ones that might make your head spin. Your mind will be blown and you’ll even find yourself laughing as you learn about the weird quirks of criminal law, civil law, contract law, property law, tort law, international law, and courtroom procedure.You’ll discover things like:

  • Why the police don’t actually have a legal duty to protect you
  • How marijuana is both legal and illegal at the same time
  • When you can be charged for murder without actually killing anyone
  • What someone has to do to legally steal your property
  • And much more!

Harvard Law School graduate and practicing attorney Maclen Stanley has already studied all the boring laws so you don’t have to, condensing the real-world legal cases into fascinating stories with valuable information. Designed to be easily digestible for all readers, you’ll feel like you’re having a casual conversation with a friend, rather than reading your mortgage disclosures.

This book will help you make better decisions and have deeper conversations about the most important laws that affect you, your family, and your friends on a daily basis. Along the way, you’ll see that, in practice, the law—much like the human beings that create and enforce it—is actually pretty weird.

The Law Says What? is perfect for fans of books like Freakonomics and Outliers, and anyone else who’s looking to engage with modern political discussions, educate themselves about the curiosities of our legal system, or even attend law school.

You’ll also love this book if you’re curious about:

  • Current events
  • Politics
  • The U.S. legal system
  • The Constitution
  • The justice system
Filed Under: Nonfiction ·
About Daniel

Dan Burton lives in Millcreek, Utah, where he practices law by day and everything else by night. He reads about history, politics, science, medicine, and current events, as well as more serious genres such as science fiction and fantasy.

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