redsquirrel Posted November 22, 2013 Share Posted November 22, 2013 So, my 13 year old son just finished To Kill a Mockingbird. He adored it. It was his first courtroom drama and he was quite impressed. Well, Atticus is quite impressive. So, he would like more 'legal' type books. He said "I really liked the arguing parts". (of course he did!) He had never encountered anything like that before and he would like more. He loved the discussions about justice and doing the right thing and the need for compassion and empathy in life. So, any suggestions for a halfway decent book that is set around a court case? I know there is one big name writer of legal thrillers... can't remember his name... but I don't want my 13 year old reading that. Unless, you know of a particular book by whatshisnose that is very good. I am not ruling it out, just not looking for a potboiler. I am hoping for something a bit more literary, but I am open to persuasion. If it helps, my son is a strong reader, enjoys Austin and Dickens (when I assign it, lol) and seems to be able to extract more meaning from the text than I expect. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Momling Posted November 22, 2013 Share Posted November 22, 2013 These deal with themes of justice/ big questions / coming of age Cry the beloved country Sophie's World Snow falling on cedars A tree grows in Brooklyn Or for something less thoughtful, maybe he'd go for mysteries? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted November 22, 2013 Share Posted November 22, 2013 Justice and injustice: Animal Farm? 1984? Court cases: Dorothy Sayers is well written. The ones that are more based around court cases (rather than background investigation) are Strong Poison and Clouds of Witness. Both contain sex outside of marriage and murder, but there are no explicit scenes. L Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Another Lynn Posted November 22, 2013 Share Posted November 22, 2013 It doesn't have a court room scene, but he might enjoy Daughter of Time which explores the guilt/innocence of Richard III. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cosmos Posted November 22, 2013 Share Posted November 22, 2013 It doesn't have a court room scene, but he might enjoy Daughter of Time which explores the guilt/innocence of Richard III. Great suggestion! I've been thinking of suggesting this one to my ds, who sounds very similar to the OP's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Tick Posted November 22, 2013 Share Posted November 22, 2013 Not a book, but what about the Henry Fonda movie 12 Angry Men? It is almost completely about the jury deliberation of a fictional murder case. I remember being blown away the first time I saw it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsquirrel Posted November 22, 2013 Author Share Posted November 22, 2013 Thank you so much, these suggestions are just great. I am going to follow up with all of them. If anyone else is interested, someone also suggested "A Boy's Life" by McCammon. Thank you all for your suggestions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momtoamiracle Posted November 22, 2013 Share Posted November 22, 2013 Daughter of time was written by Josephine Tey. Anything by her is wonderful. Miss Pym Disposes and Brat Farrar are my favorites. He might like some of Agatha Christie. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaya Posted November 22, 2013 Share Posted November 22, 2013 there's some courtroom drama in "A Tale of Two Cities" isnt there? been a while since I read it, so I might be mixing it up, I do that sometimes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aurelia Posted November 22, 2013 Share Posted November 22, 2013 there's some courtroom drama in "A Tale of Two Cities" isnt there? been a while since I read it, so I might be mixing it up, I do that sometimes. Yes, there is a courtroom scene. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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