I like to read history books。 I like to see how a time period is viewed and I like to see everything written in a concise nugget in a way that I can understand。 One of the biggest problems I've had with the past 4 years is that there was so much every single day， that I couldn't consume it and make sense of it。 What I did know is that Bill Barr crossed lines that were unethical。 I knew that he lied。 What I didn't know is the way his actions and words would fit into the big picture。 Elie Honig ta I like to read history books。 I like to see how a time period is viewed and I like to see everything written in a concise nugget in a way that I can understand。 One of the biggest problems I've had with the past 4 years is that there was so much every single day， that I couldn't consume it and make sense of it。 What I did know is that Bill Barr crossed lines that were unethical。 I knew that he lied。 What I didn't know is the way his actions and words would fit into the big picture。 Elie Honig takes his own experiences as a prosecutor and attorney and overlays this with how Bill Barr conducted himself。 I'm not going to lie。 It was incredibly enlightening。 Contrary to the title， the purpose is not to criticize Barr and spit him out for consumption。 The subtext is that the criminal justice system is not what Barr created as his time as A。G。 It works based on the implicit and explicit rules that Barr ignored。 I was an ardent follower of what was happening in the Judicial Branch of our government while Donald Trump was President。 It alarmed me greatly to see the Attorney General become the President's protector rather than part of an independent branch of government that is supposed to be untouched by partisan politics。 Based on Barr's behavior， I was beginning to believe that the Department of Justice is partisan and our country is going to Hell in a handbasket。 Partisan politics has become such a ubiquitous part of every day life and had bled into all arenas， I was losing hope。 The author of this book gives a wonderful background on the justice system pre-Barr and pre-Trump。 Although the President nominates A。G。 and federal judges， they are still expected to honor the idea that justic is blind。 In the Southern District of New York where Honig cut his prosecutorial teeth， there was no room for politics。 Nobody knew what leanings another prosecutor had。 They prosecuted openly Republicans and Democrats alike。 Crimes were crimes。 Prosecutors wielded a great deal of power but there were expectations and norms that were not only implicit but also explicit and written into codes of conduct。 A few rules that should never be crossed include; be impartial， never use your title for special favors， money stays out of the office and out of the justice system， know that your role is to prosecute - not police， medical examine， or judge。 Take the facts as they are， always tell the truth， never lie， stay within your given role， respect the process and your colleagues， don't undermine them。 There are many others but the gist is that Bill Barr has never prosecuted a case。 He has never been a prosecutor。 He made mistakes from faux pas to ethical to possibly criminal。 He grew fat on the power he wielded， pushed his own agenda， and abused the power he was given without giving the norms and codes a second thought。 The point to the book is that， based on the abuses Barr committed， the judicial system is broken。 It can't stay broken。 Bill Barr allowed the Executive Branch to have power over the Judicial Branch。 Anybody who knows the Constitution and respects it knows that Barr committed acts that damaged the fabric of our nation。 The branches of government are supposed to be a built in way for checks and balances。 Because of Barr， the lines were blurred horribly。 But， thanks to Barr's poor character （my words， not the author's）， how the office of A。G。 can be abused were brought to light。 Thanks to Barr， we have an opportunity to close those loopholes in order to protect the independence of the Judicial Branch。 I found the book incredibly enlightening and concise。 Besides the fact that the author is writing about Barr （supporting his stance with facts）， he is mostly non-partisan。 He is critical of the way Barr behaved as the AG。 He is critical of the way Barr shifted to protect the President rather than the Constitution and the people。 By the way， the President already has attorneys。 He doesn't need our AG。 I highly recommend this book to anybody who is interested in the way the legal system is supposed to work and has worked。 Thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for this ARC in return for an honest review。 。。。more