Giveaway of FIVE CHIEFS, Memoir of Justice John Paul Stevens

Books can be fun, entertaining and educational. They can take us on adventures we never dreamed of. They tell us stories of people who have made history.

That’s the kind of book I have to share today. FIVE CHIEFS, the story of Justice John Paul Stevens who served on the Supreme Court from 1975 until 2010. Thanks to Anna and the good folks at Little, Brown and Company I have 3 copies of this memoir to giveaway. Please see the end of the post for giveaway details.

Stevens served as a Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit from 1970 until 1975. President Ford nominated him as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, and he took his seat December 19, 1975. Justice Stevens retired from the Supreme Court on June 29, 2010.

How do you get to the Supreme Court? Lots and lots of law practice, and no one knows this better than retired Justice Stevens. In his intimate memoir, he takes readers through his life from his early beginnings as a law clerk to an esteemed member of the Supreme Court of the United States.   

When he resigned last June, Justice Stevens was the third longest serving Justice in American history (1975-2010). Only Justice William O. Douglas, whom Stevens succeeded, and Stephen Field have served on the Court for a longer time.

In FIVE CHIEFS, Justice Stevens captures the inner workings of the Supreme Court via his personal experiences with the five Chief Justices -- Fred Vinson, Earl Warren, Warren Burger, William Rehnquist, and John Roberts -- that he interacted with. He reminisces of being a law clerk during Vinson's tenure; a practicing lawyer for Warren; a circuit judge and junior justice for Burger; a contemporary colleague of Rehnquist; and a colleague of current Chief Justice John Roberts. 

Along the way, Justice Stevens discusses his views of some the most significant cases that have been decided by the Court from Vinson, who became Chief Justice in 1946 when Truman was President, to Roberts, who became Chief Justice in 2005.

Packed with interesting anecdotes and stories about the Court, FIVE CHIEFS is an unprecedented and historically significant look at the highest court in the United States. 

I have 3 copies of the hardcover, 304-page FIVE CHIEFS (ISBN:9780316199803) to giveaway. Here are the guidelines. The contest is only open to resident of the U.S. and Canada, and no P.O. Boxes can be accepted for addresses. Winners are subject to the one copy per household rule, which means that if you win the same title in 2 or more contests, you will receive only 1 copy of the title in the mail. One new guideline Little, Brown and Company has added is that a phone number is required if you are a Canadian winner.

To enter the contest, send me an e-mail (mcbookshelf@gmail.com) with ‘Win Five Chiefs’ in the subject line. In the body of the e-mail include your name and mailing address. Remember, if you’re Canadian be sure to include a phone number. Just so you know, I don’t share these e-mails with anyone or use the information from them for anything else. The deadline to enter this contest is 8 p.m. (EST) on Monday, Oct. 10.

Do you enjoy memoirs of this type? Thanks so much for stopping by today.