Preserving the Constitution! the Autobiography of Senator Sam J. Ervin

I picked this book because of its title, “Preserving the Constitution” and because “Senator Sam” was from my home state of North Carolina. This is a fabulous story about a man who came from humble beginnings, fought in WW2, studied law with his father and passed the bar before ever taking a formal law class, then went to Harvard Law School where he graduated with honors. Sam went on to become an NC Supreme Court justice and finally a US Senator from North Carolina, where he presided over the Senate Watergate hearings. Sam weaves a tale of his successes and his failures and what he took away from both. Sam, throughout career, “preserved” the Constitution which was as precious to him as his Bible. Sam stuck to his Constitutional guns, even when he stood alone...and we just don't see that in a politician today. I highly recommend this book, especially for people from the Tarheel state.