The Brothel Boy and Other Parables of the Law
"Studying knotty legal dilemmas by the case method is nothing new, but it surely has never been done so oddly and cleverly as in this most original book."--The Boston Globe"An unforgettable work of fiction and interpretation....An undertaking of powerful ingenuity....More than just a high-minded exercise in academic precocity, The Brothel Boy has depth and bite.  The parables explore earthy subjects--murder, madness, lust, adultery, child abuse, racial animosity--and are packed with as much suspense as any hard-boiled detective novel"--Legal Times"Exceptionally evocative....Compares favorably to Orwell's own 'Burma Days."--Chicago Tribune"Provides a fascinating insight into the relationship between legal reasoning and societal values."--Criminal Justice Newsletter"I have long known Norval Morris to be a talent at the law.  It is a discovery to find him such a talent at fiction.  His parables are both enchanting and enlightening.  What a novel way to make us think about some of the most troublesome issues of crime and punishment!"--Daniel Schorr, Senior News Analyst, National Public Radio"Morris's parables place him in that small company of law teachers who, understanding the enlightening potential of stories, are twice empowered.  They can make sense of issues of law and justice for lay readers.  And, they rescue law students from drowning in sterile appellate cases by reassuring them that law is, indeed, about life."--Derrick Bell, New York University School of Law"This excellent work of imaginative sympathy reconstructs Orwell's life as a Burmese policeman and magistrate, treating his moral dilemmas as a filter through which to pose questions of justice both universal and urgently contemporary....Morris raises powerful issues of legal ethics and even fills in some of the missing chapters of young Eric Blair's five years in Burma.  The Brothel Boy should interest those who want to find out more about the relationship between legal reasoning and cultural values."--John Rodden, author of The Politics of Literary Reputation