The Brothel Boy and Other Parables of the Law

The Brothel Boy and Other Parables... is an excellent presentation of key ideas and conflicts in the law.Beyond its lessons about the cases Norval Morris presents, the book is a very enjoyable read. It approaches classical English literature with the main characters set in Colonial Burma. The ever present racial and cultural tensions that pervade that era and roll forward to our own, give the stories an contextual richness beyond the immediate presence of the actors in the cases. Norval Morris had set another standard for us by combining the presentation of case materials in a three dimensional literary context within which the characters, Lt. Blair the District Police Officer and Magistrate, his East Indian friend Dr. Verasuami, and the Burmese Buddhist lawyer Lang, bring together the perspectives of their cultures, professions and politics as they work through the issues in the cases. These characters are more than the common foils used by most case study authors to present the facts in their cases. Morris has created full bodied characters who's struggle and pain are apparent as they confront the issues of the people they are charged to assist. After reading the first parable, (I was surprised by the ending) I found that the more I read the more attached I became the characters and their moral development. As the book develops, the stories link together into a comfortable novel that ends with another moral question. I recommend it for its sound reasoning about the law and for its quality and a fine piece of literature. This one is hard to beat

This book is not designed to be a casebook for law students. It is designed to tease out ethical dilemmas encountered by law enforcement officials and illuminate the tough choices they face every day. The use of an Englishman in Burma under British domination allows the reader to distance him/herself and evaluate these complex moral issues from a fresh perspective. Social issues from wife battering and the insanity defense to social stigma and caste systems are addressed by the author in a way that promotes discussion and understanding. The characters are believable and easy to identify with. If you want a legal casebook, go to West Publishing and buy one. If you want an entertaining, albeit challenging discussion of morality and the law, this is your book. Keep the dictionary handy though because it will improve your vocabulary!