Time has compiled a list of the top 10 non-fiction books of 2017. I haven’t read any of them, but any list that has Hillary Clinton and Ta-Nehisi Coates at numbers 1 and 2, as Time’s does, is some kind of a joke. My own top 10 list would certainly include Scalia Speaks: Reflections on Law, Faith, and a Life Well Lived somewhere near the top, if not at number 1. Need I add that it doesn’t even make Time’s list? Probably not.
The book has been universally acclaimed. Published by a prominent commercial publisher, it appears to have found a warm reception among readers.
Edited by Justice Scalia’s son Christopher Scalia and former Scalia law clerk Ed Whelan, the book is obviously a labor of love. Our local chapter of the Federalist Society hosted Ed earlier this month for a terrific presentation on the book. Reading and commenting on representative passages from a variety of Justice Scalia’s speeches, Ed’s presentation was moving, funny, inspirational.
At the Federalist Society’s 2017 National Lawyers Convention last week Chris and Ed joined two other of Justice Scalia’s former law clerks on a panel to discuss the book. One of the former law clerks was newly minted Seventh Circuit Judge Amy Barrett Coney. The discussion was moderated by Sixth Circuit Judge Jeffrey Sutton, also a former law clerk to Justice Scalia.
Going into the long Thanksgiving weekend, I’m so glad to be able to share the video of the panel discussion (below). Give thanks and enjoy.
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