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I simply had to write because I think this is a very interesting book giving the reader insights to the arguments of both the pro-life and the pro-choice groups. Plus Richard Patterson does this in a very suspenseful fashion. I hardly could put it down before I was finshed. HIGHLY recommended.

A new president of the United States takes office after a close election victory. Early in his term, he faces the opportunity to make a key appointment. Circumstances arise in a perverse way to make what would normally be a routine decision into a very tricky and challenging one for all involved.

Every law student is familiar with the Socratic technique of the professor starting with one set of facts, and then beginning to alter them to see how it affects the result. By testing a full range of situations, the true legal principles begin to emerge. Protect and Defend does the best job I have ever seen of taking this method and using it to develop complex questions in a novel. Anyone who likes reading about the law will enjoy this aspect of the book.

Unlike most books about legal issues, this one also fully develops many characters. As I read the book, I was also reminded of the excitement I felt as I read Advise and Consent. The reason for this is that you (if you are like me) will probably identify with several of the characters and care about what happens to them and to the country, as you care about others and the country in real life.

The primary focus of this book is on abortion as a legal and political issue. Most people do not like to read about this subject, but this book is vastly more interesting than most by shedding new light on the many complex perspectives that come into play. On the other hand, the most gross details of abortion are fully exposed here, and will upset many readers.

Constructively, the book fairly and positively portrays many ranges of pro-choice opinion. Unfortunately, those who come to a pro-life point of view from religious or moral scruples make out very poorly here. Typically, they are portrayed in an unfavorable light. This is a serious weakness of the book. Had it been more balanced in its portrayal of the two viewpoints, Protect and Defend could have been a landmark novel about how America is dealing with abortion today. If you are pro-life, you may find this book offensive. For you, this could be a one-star book. Mr. Patterson points out that he sought help from pro-life advocates, and received very little. He notes that this probably affected the quality of his story. If he had not provided that explanation, I would have graded the book down at least one more star.

The legal hypotheticals usually come up in the context of courtroom examinations, and are very interesting. They certainly added to my thinking and understanding. I suspect that they will to yours too.

The book also presents a cautious case for a possible way out of the political cannibalism that affects both major parties, so that few candidates for important offices are "pure" enough to hold them.

I encourage you to be sure that you understand all of the perspectives involved in abortion. I suspect that most of us (and certainly me) have views that are uninformed in many ways. I hope that pro-life advocates will take the time to further inform Mr. Patterson and that he will write another fine book on this subject in the future. That would be a benefit to us all.

Look at all dimensions of important issues before drawing your conclusions. Then check your thinking before acting.

This was the first Richard Noth Patterson book that I've read and I was deeply impressed with the wealth of knowledge that he has about the American legal and political systems. Reading his acknowledgements gives some insight as he has quite a few friends in the upper rungs of that society.The story is engaging and disturbing at times, and the novel allows room for multiple opinions of the heated abortion question due to lively debate between various characters.The characters are well-developed and authetic, if not sometimes unlikeable because of it. This book will not rock your world but it's a thought-provoking page-turner that should provide a few hours of amusement.

Das Buch ist spannend und sehr gut recherchiert, aber hämmert von der ersten bis zur letzten Seite auf die Republikaner (gemeint ist die US-Partei) ein, auch wenn das mit dem eigentlichen Plot überhaupt nichts zu tun hat, was die sonst garantierte Lesefreude ruiniert.

Pathetisch, naiv und lächerlich: ein typischer "Amerikanischer Traum", für uns Europäer aber ungenießbar.

Ein wahnsinnig junger, gutaussehener neuer Präsident irischer Abstammung mit "stechendem, intensiven Blick" (natürlich hatte er eine sehr sehr sehr sehr schwere Kindheit und hat sich durchgeboxt), seine junge, wahnsinnig gutaussehende intelligente Freundin, viele gute und nicht so gute politische Freunde, viele Intrigen, eine Gerichtsverhandlung Abtreibung betreffend, die, wie die ganze Diskussion diese Abtreibung betreffend typisch amerikanisch ist ....

Eine wirklich ungenießbare Mischung, die zwar wieder zeigt (oder zeigen will ???), daß Amerika die "größte, freiheitlichste und beste Demokratie der Welt" ist, aber irgendwie einen schalen Geschmack hinterläßt.....