The Words We Live by: Your Annotated Guide to the Constitution

by Linda R. Monk

Book Overview

The Words We Live By takes an entertaining and informative look at America's most important historical document, now with discussions on new rulings on hot button issues such as immigration, gay marriage, gun control, and affirmative action.

In The Words We Live By, Linda Monk probes the idea that the Constitution may seem to offer cut-and-dried answers to questions regarding personal rights, but the interpretations of...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 078688620X
• ISBN13: 9780786886203
• Release Date: February 2004
• Publisher: Hachette Books
• Length: 304 Pages
• Weight: 1.00 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 7.0" x 9.0"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

Carrying on the conversation...

Linda Monk's book on the American Constitution, `The Words We Live By', is a wonderfully accessible and interesting introduction to the foundational document of the American polity. She starts in her introductory material by presenting the Constitution not as a dry and dusty piece of parchment to be revered but essentially ignored, but rather as an engagement of peoples in open conversation, something that can and should have an impact on the daily life and work of all Americans. Drawing inspiration from Judge Learned Hand, she states, `For the Constitution to have meaning, it must be not only the words we recite, but also the words we live by.' Monk recognises the importance of the Constitution, and its unique place in history, but does not give it false priority by forgetting its historic underpinnings. The founders who gathered in convention in 1787 brought their backgrounds and training with them, as well as a sense of self-government and an awareness of what might work and not work in the newly formed nation, gained from 150 years of essentially self-rule as colonies. The framers of the Constitution were not under the illusion that they were creating a perfect document, as Monk states, quoting Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes - `it is an experiment, as all life is an experiment.' The preamble of the Constitution, perhaps the best know part, strives to form `a more perfect union', not a perfect one. Monk draws information from the Federalist papers, other documents contemporary with the Constitution, and artwork and illustrations to help the text come alive. For each section, be they preamble, article, or amendment, Monk first sets forth the text, and then provides a passage-by-passage commentary. Often this refers to court cases, government structures and procedures, and significant events that helped to shape the Constitution, even as it has worked to shape American society. There are side notes with definitions for key words and terms, quotable quotes from historians as well as historical figures, and text boxes separate from the main text body to draw particular emphasis on points of greater interest in contemporary issues (George Will on the question of term limits for Congress; Benjamin Franklin on property qualifications for voting; etc.). Monk ends as she began, writing of the Constitution as words to live by in the future. She characterises the ongoing debate as one between different ideas of freedom - some see freedom as freedom from something (government intrusion and more), whereas others see freedom as freedom to achieve something. How this will ultimately be played out on a constitutional level is speculation, as is the conjecture on what may become future amendments to the Constitution. Overall, this was a fun book to read, informative and interesting. Monk draws text box and side-bar quotations and examples from across the political spectrum and across American history, to give a reasonable balance towa

Excellent introduction to the Constitution

Linda R. Monk, author of _The Bill of Rights: A User's Guide_, has done an amazingly fine job with this book. If you want a one-volume introduction to the Constitution of the United States, this is it. (As a lawyer I try to keep an eye out for books I can recommend to people who want to learn how U.S. law works. This one and Jay Feinman's _Law 101_ are two of the best.) In just over two hundred pages, Monk walks the reader through the text of the entire document (including the Bill of Rights), giving history, relevant cases, and an overview of competing interpretations. Sidebars present relevant quotations from, well, lots of people -- Charlton Heston on the Second Amendment, Ted Nugent on the importance of copyright, and tons of others. Monk makes her selections from across the political spectrum and she carefully refrains from taking sides herself. Terms that won't be familiar to the typical reader are defined in the margins. Despite what you may have heard, her presentation is neither 'liberal' nor 'revisionist'. (For example, her presentation on the Second Amendment is nicely handled; we hear from all sides, but Monk makes clear that a federal appellate court has held that the right to bear arms is unambiguously an _individual_ right.) In fact, she does remarkably well at presenting all major points of view on each issue within a very short space, and she doesn't slight anyone; any reviewer who thinks otherwise didn't read the book very carefully (if at all). Don't let the noise from the peanut gallery scare you off. People who don't want a 'living constitution' don't have a clue what it would be like to have a dead one. (For one thing, libertarians -- of whom I am one -- would be miserable. The police wouldn't need warrants to tap phone lines; electronic eavesdropping wasn't a 'search' until 1967, when _Katz v. U.S._ expanded the Fourth Amendment to protect us wherever and whenever we have a 'reasonable expectation of privacy'. And yes, that case is covered in here -- along with _Olmstead_, which it overruled, and _Kyllo_, which expands it to cover thermal imaging.) Highly recommended to anyone who wants to know what the Constitution says and means. And that should include all Americans -- even the ones who already have copies of the Cato Institute's Constitution and Declaration booklet.

Words to live by

Monk's book proved to be as easily read as it is profound. A facinating trip through the constitution for the layman that never failed to intrigue and surprise. Historical documents, quotes from our founding fathers and photography add a real sense of history to the book that kept me wanting to skip ahead for the next big surprise. I walked away from the book with a more thorough knowledge of the words that have shaped this country and the struggles others have had to fight to keep this document alive. The Words We Live By should be mandatory reading in this country's schools and I would recommend it to anyone interested in the past present or future of America.

Very readable and educational

It would sound like hyperbole to say that this is a book every American should read, but it really isn't. In around 300 pages, Monk has put together an excellent book about the Constitution: informative enough so most readers will get something out of it but not so technical that it will turn those readers off.Monk explains every sentence in the Constitution and the amendments, giving historical background and showing how the clauses and articles have been interpreted and acted on over the years. She remains objective but does not shy from controversy; when discussing such hot button issues as gun control, abortion and the death penalty, she presents both sides of the arguments, and by providing excerpts of writings by others, allows other opinions to be shown.So why should every American read this book. Simply because this is a great introduction to the document that dictates life in the United States. An informed American is better than an ignorant one, especially in the voting booth. You may not be a full-fledged Constitutional scholar when you finish this book, but you will at least understand this document a bit better.