May. Gavel Award

Gavel Award
The Origins of Reasonable Doubt
Theological Roots of the Criminal Trial

2009 Gavel Award given by the American Bar Association.
To be convicted of a crime in the United States, a person must be
proven guilty “beyond a reasonable doubt.” But what is reasonable
doubt? Even sophisticated legal experts find this fundamental doctrine
difficult to explain. In this accessible book, James Q. Whitman digs deep
into the history of the law and discovers that we have lost sight of the
original purpose of “reasonable doubt.” It was not originally a legal rule
at all, he shows, but a theological one.

May. Books of the Times (NYT)

Books of the Times (NYT)
GABRIEL GARCíA MÁRQUEZ. A Life
By Gerald Martin

This well-researched, authorized biography offers a total immersion into
the author’s life and career, and, unlike many of García Márquez’s
novels, it is a relatively uncomplicated and quick read. Unearthing facts
never before presented to the reading public, Martin tracks the evolution
of a small-town, “susceptible” boy from the steamy Caribbean region of
Colombia into a novelist whose work, while remaining grounded in
Colombian history and culture, reflects a worldview transcending local
interest.