The Nine
Inside the Secret World of the Supreme Court

Name: The Nine
Brand: Penguin Random House
Availability: InStock
Rating: 3 (1 reviews)
Author: Jeffrey Toobin
ISBN: 9781415942345

Author: Jeffrey Toobin

Narrator: Don Leslie

Unabridged: 15 hr 50 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Random House Audio

Published: 09/18/2007

Categories: Nonfiction, Political Science, Constitutions, Public Affairs & Administration, American Government

Synopsis

Bestselling 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 nineteenth-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 bestselling author, a CNN senior legal analyst, and New Yorker staff writer. No one is more superbly qualified to profile the nine justices.

About The Author

Jeffrey Toobin is the bestselling author of The Oath, The Nine, Too Close to Call, A Vast Conspiracy, and The Run of His Life, which was made into the critically acclaimed FX series American Crime Story: The People v. O.J. Simpson. He is a staff writer at the New Yorker and the senior legal analyst at CNN.Don Leslie has enjoyed a wonderful voiceover, stage, television, and film career. He has appeared on Broadway in The Dresser and Rose. He’s worked at such regional theaters as Buffalo Studio Arena, Hartford Stage Company, Portland Stage Company, and several others. He’s appeared in over 20 films and as many television episodics. His recent audiobook narrations for BOT include The State of Jones by Sally Jenkins, The Man Who Owns the News by Michael Wolffe, and The Nine by Jeffrey Toobin.

Reviews

Goodreads review by David on June 20, 2011

It’s certainly not outside of the realm of possibility that I am deluded. Completely and utterly deluded. Nevertheless, I have always held the American judiciary in much greater esteem than either the executive or legislative branches of government for several reasons—but most persuasive among them......more

Goodreads review by Kate on October 02, 2008

3.5 stars. This book is really about the political trajectory of the Supreme Court over the past 30 years. Toobin seeks to show a gradual, unlikely shift leftward over the years of the Rehnquist Court (followed by a striking and uncharacteristically - for the institution - speedy swing back to the r......more

Goodreads review by Nate on July 31, 2008

The author discusses the Court from about 1980 to 2007. He wants to show how politics influences the rulings of the Court, but while reading the book I was struck by the degree to which politics had influenced his writing. He wears his bias on his sleeve, which makes this book a less than reliable s......more

Goodreads review by Carly on August 24, 2019

I really enjoyed this book about the history of the members of the Supreme Court, the politics surrounding them, and the major decisions. The only reason this not a five star review is that the author is clearly very liberal and his bias is obvious. As someone who is very liberal, even I know was bo......more

Quotes

“Compelling. . . . Driven by the author's assured narrative voice, The Nine is as informative as it is fascinating, as insightful as it is readable.” —Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times“Smart and entertaining. . . . The Nine is engaging, erudite, candid, and accessible, often hard to put down. Toobin is a natural storyteller, and the stories he tells are gripping.”—The New York Times Book Review“Toobin’s sparkling new work is anecdotally rich and clearly written. . . . A testimony to [his] skill.” —USA Today“Intelligent and even-handed. . . . Toobin’s access to the Supremes and their secret little world is phenomenal.”—Chicago Sun-Times“The Nine not only provides a vivid narrative history of the Court's recent history, but also gives the reader an intimate look at individual justices, showing how personality, judicial philosophy and personal alliances can inform decisions that have huge consequences for the entire country. . . . Driven by the author's assured narrative voice, The Nine is as informative as it is fascinating, as insightful as it is readable.”—Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times“Every decade or so, an enterprising and intelligent outsider like Toobin can come along and shine a muchneeded spotlight on the place. . . . The Nine is engaging, erudite, candid and accessible, often hard to put down. Toobin is a natural storyteller, and the stories he tells are gripping. . . . [He] writes about the court more fluidly and fluently than anyone.”—David Margolick, The New York Times Book Review“The Nine is the latest, and by far the best [book] . . . about the Supreme Court.” —Nina Totenberg, NPR“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“[An] absorbing group profile. . . . [Toobin] deftly distills the issues and enlivens his narrative of the Court's internal wranglings with sharp thumbnail sketches”—Publishers Weekly“A compelling look at the power and the politics behind the Supreme Court.” —Booklist“A major achievement, lucid and probing.”—Bob Woodward

Awards

J. Anthony Lukas Book Prize