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In Print

A Very Principled BoyA Very Principled Boy:
The Life of Duncan Lee, Red Spy and Cold Warrior

Mark A. Bradley ’83
Basic Books

Duncan Lee was a patriot, Rhodes Scholar, and descendant of the Lee family of Virginia. He was also a communist sympathizer who leaked vital secrets to the Soviets during World War II.

He was exposed to leftist politics while he studied at Oxford and became a committed member of the communist party. After joining the newly established Office of Strategic Services, he rose quickly through the ranks to become a chief assistant to the head of the OSS, a perfect position from which to pass key strategic information to his Soviet handlers. Through him, the KGB learned details of some of America’s most important operations, including the D-Day invasion and plans for postwar Europe.

One of Lee’s handlers confessed to the FBI and outed him as a Soviet spy in 1945, but Lee managed to elude authorities repeatedly, in part because he had always insisted in passing secrets verbally. He left no paper trail. Paranoid, and disillusioned with communism, he became a cold warrior in China fighting Mao Zedong’s followers and died a free, though troubled, man.

To research this first biography of Duncan Lee, Bradley delved into Lee’s private papers, thousands of pages of declassified documents, and the handwritten notebooks of a KGB officer and journalist. His work reveals the dark intricacy of Soviet espionage inside the U.S. from the 1930s through the 1950s. The result is the fascinating tale of a traitor who chose his conscience over his country. “An astounding story of espionage and counterintelligence, thoroughly documented and wonderfully told—a captivating read,” writes Hayden Peake, curator of the CIA’s historical intelligence collection.

Mark Bradley is an attorney in the U.S. Department of Justice’s National Security Division and a former CIA intelligence officer.

Intimate AssociationsIntimate Associations:
The Law and Culture of American Families

J. Herbie DiFonzo ’77 and Ruth C. Stern
University of Michigan Press

Today there are many different family formations, or intimate associations, that accompany the rise in divorce, single parenthood, cohabitation, and same-sex partnerships. Adoption, surrogacy, and reproductive technologies have also contributed to new family structures.

In Intimate Associations, DiFonzo and his wife, co-author Ruth Stern, investigate the social, legal, and economic implications—and challenges—of so many choices. They come with a high price in terms of social wellbeing and economic stability, and the authors conclude that in a number of ways, children of married parents still have a better chance of succeeding than children of nontraditional households.

The idea of traditional marriage and parenthood is outdated, and the courts and legislatures need to accept and adapt to more fluid concepts of family roles. The authors support providing legal recognition for varied family forms, but note that their thorough review of social science data strongly suggests that raising children is still best done by a married couple, whether opposite or same sex.

J. Herbie DiFonzo is professor of law at the Maurice A. Deane School of Law at Hofstra University. This is his second book.

90 Daily Devotions90 Daily Devotions for Lawyers and Judges and Those They Serve
Bert Goolsby LL.M. ’92
Concerning Life Publishing

The devotionals collected in this book were written to counsel, comfort, teach, and entertain. Judges and lawyers will find them helpful, but they will also have a broader appeal for everyone served by the legal profession. The author quotes passages from scripture that reflect a number of different perspectives, including those of a lawyer (Luke 11:46), a judge (Psalm 82), an enabler (Acts  8:1), an apparent failure (Ecclesiastes 6:12), and a sinner (Romans 10:9).

Goolsby tells “war stories that lawyers and judges tell” to reinforce some of the points he makes. His peers—lawyers and judges—will likely find some of the courtroom stories familiar, but even those that are not familiar will ring true. “Wise, enlightening, poignant, funny, and appealing….a masterful, beautifully balanced blend of devotionals exploring the scales of justice—man’s and God’s,” notes a reviewer.

Bert Goolsby recently retired as a judge on the South Carolina Court of Appeals.

Deadly by DesignDeadly by Design:
The Shocking Cover-Up Behind Runaway Cars
Tom Murray ’65
Mark Advertising

Runaway cars have killed and injured thousands of drivers. Those who live to talk about their horrific experience insist that the brakes failed to stop their car. Even so, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has consistently blamed driver error for sudden accelerations. Deadly by Design begins with the author’s first sudden acceleration case and continues with fascinating details of the cases he has helped bring against Ford, Toyota, Volkswagen, Kia, and other manufacturers.

Murray has 15 years’ experience litigating with Ford and other automobile manufacturers, during which time it was discovered that engineers knew that there were problems with the electronic systems that could cause crashes. Ever mindful of the bottom line, manufacturers had rushed untested electronics to market, and after the fact, it would be too costly—in terms of dollars—to acknowledge the problem.

Through careful research of car company studies, reports, and documents, and testimony of car company representatives, Murray pieced together the behind-the-scenes story of how the federal government helped the car industry cover up the deadly problem. It’s time, he writes, for the automotive industry to stop forcing drivers to play a “secret game of automobile roulette.” More information and a video may be found at www.tom-murray.com.  

Tom Murray is a trial lawyer and legal educator who focuses his practice on sudden acceleration litigation.

Justice Among NationsJustice Among Nations:
A History of International Law

Stephen C. Neff ’76
Harvard University Press

Justice Among Nations tells the story of the rise of international law and its history, from ancient times to the present.

The first basic set of doctrines came from China, but later the Romans set natural law, a universally applied law that took the place of earlier laws and governments. In medieval times, when European states came into contact with people from East Asia and the New World, conflicts between Christian and non-Christian people made it necessary to find legal solutions to problems. In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries international doctrine as we know it today began to take shape.

With the nineteenth century came the growth of free trade and international organizations, nationalism, European imperialism, and arbitration of disputes. The twentieth century brought the plan for the League of Nations and a World Court, but also socialist and fascist states and the cold war. Neff describes the most recent threats to the rule of law: terrorism, genocide, and environmental pressures.

Justice Among Nations is by far the best general survey of the history of international law to date,” writes Randall Lesaffer, author of European Legal History: A Cultural and Political Perspective.

Stephen Neff is a reader in public international law at the University of Edinburgh School of Law.

From Marshall to MoussaouiFrom Marshall to Moussaoui:
Federal Justice in the Eastern District of Virginia
John. O. Peters ’61
The Dietz Press

From the time of the Founding Fathers and the first Judiciary Act in 1789, the court of the Eastern District of Virginia has dealt with issues that touch upon nearly every aspect of American life. John Marshall sat on the bench of this court from 1801-35, his entire tenure as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. He confronted his cousin, Thomas Jefferson, in two important court cases, Aaron Burr’s trial for treason and Livingston v. Jefferson.

The admiralty jurisdiction includes a fascinating history of cases involving pirates, treasure, and emerging Latin American republics. During the Civil War, Virginia had both federal and Confederate courts within its borders. The Eastern District was again front and center during the tumultuous years of the struggle for civil rights and school integration. More recently, cases that involve wireless communications, uranium mining, espionage, and international terrorist Zacharias Moussaoui have made their way to the docket.

From Marshall to Moussaoui: Federal Justice in the Eastern District of Virginia artfully traces the precedential decisions of a court that has made a rich contribution to the history of our Constitution,” writes U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. “John Peters’ book is well-researched, informative and quite entertaining.” Governor Gerald Baliles hailed Cooper’s book as “ a rich and robust reflection of the history of America.”

John Peters practiced law for 30 years as a commercial litigator.

Encountering JesusEncountering Jesus in Word, Sacraments, and Works of Charity
Peter J. Vaghi ’74
Ave Maria Press

Monsignor Peter Vaghi describes in his latest book the three main ways Catholics encounter Jesus—through scripture, through the celebration of sacraments, and through charitable works.

Each section of the book looks at one of the three major ways Catholics encounter Jesus. In the first section about the word, or scripture, Vaghi shows how scripture is the way believers are introduced to Jesus and begin to build a relationship with him. In the second section, Vaghi shows how the three sacraments of baptism, penance, and communion are all paths to strengthen faith and bring Catholics closer to Jesus. In the third section, he reflects on how acts of charity and the practice of loving others as ourselves brings us closer still. “A beautiful and thoughtful study,” writes Cardinal Donald Wuerl, Archbishop of Washington.

“The most important thing that can happen to a person,” according to Pope Francis, “is to encounter Jesus, who loves us, who has saved us, who gave his life for us.”

Encountering Jesus in Word, Sacraments, and Works of Charity offers reflections, prayers, and insights on how Catholics can deepen their faith and this key relationship in their religious life.

Peter Vaghi is a pastor and author of the four-volume Pillars of Faith series. He practiced law for many years and continues his membership in the Virginia State Bar and the D.C. bar. He offers Catholic counsel to the profession.

FICTION

King and MaxwellKing and Maxwell
David Baldacci ’86
Grand Central Publishing

Sean King and Michelle Maxwell, former secret service agents who became private investigators, are back at work on a perplexing mystery.

In King and Maxwell, a teenage boy named Tyler Wingo receives the news that his father was killed in action in Afghanistan, but later, his father sends word to him. The teen hires King and Maxwell to find out what happened.

The father, Sam Wingo, isn’t dead. He was somehow involved in a secret and highly sensitive military operation that went wrong. To avoid becoming the fall guy and being put away in prison, he has gone into hiding. Pursued by Afghan rebels and the U.S. government, Sam Wingo is in great danger. Somehow, no matter how risky, he’s determined to return to the U.S. and his son.

Back at home, the Department of Defense and Homeland Security pressure Sam to accept the official report of his father’s death. Asking too many questions, they say, could ultimately threaten national security. The action heats up, with breathtaking car chases, gunplay, and explosions. The lives of King and Maxwell are on the line.

How much power should a government wield over its citizens, even when national security issues are involved? The question echoes in our troubled times, and the fast-paced action keeps the pages turning.

David Baldacci and his wife, Michelle, started the Wish You Well Foundation to promote literacy.

The FinisherThe Finisher:
They Don’t Want You to Know the Truth

David Baldacci ’86
Scholastic Press

In an isolated settlement called Wormwood, curiosity is never encouraged. The leaders go about their business under a veil of secrecy.

A rebellious teenager named Vega Jane, the heroine of this exciting teen fantasy, works hard at her thankless job, putting the finishing touches on luxury goods she could never afford. She begins to think there’s a larger world out there that has been hidden from her. The plucky girl is determined to break free, and she decides to follow the town’s other Finisher, who’s disappeared into a strange and dangerous land filled with garms, adars, jabbits, and other weird beasts.

Defiant, and armed with self-confidence, budding magical powers, and magical tools, Vega Jane overpowers men and threatening monsters, and heads over the town wall to find out about the world outside. A “wildly fanciful and darkly intriguing tale,” notes a review in Publisher’s Weekly.

Issachar’s HeirsIssachar’s Heirs
Brian S. Chilton ’92
White Feather Press

In the near future that is portrayed in Issachar’s Heirs, religious feuding has reached a boiling point in the United States, and tolerance for conflicting beliefs is at a nadir. A powerful group believes that “our nation could never be the kind of humane, enlightened nation we need unless intolerant fundamentalist Christians were neutralized.”

This group, with ties that reach into the White House, is able to manipulate events and influence the media with one goal: to end Christianity as we know it. Propaganda seeps into everything. A nightmare is brewing.

Jack Stone, a constitutional lawyer and firm believer in Christ, sees the rights of his fellow Christians pushed aside. Their churches have been attacked and bombed. Nemesis, a terrorist group, targets Christians, their ultimate aim to eliminate Christians from the United States. The word within the FBI and the White House is to avoid wasting time and money on the threat.

When the president of the United States declares martial law and rallies a war against the Christian community, the believers know their only chance depends on help from God.

This is Brian Chilton’s first book.

Christian NationChristian Nation
Frederic C. Rich ’81
W.W. Norton

In this intriguing work of political fiction, John McCain wins the 2008 presidential election. Shortly thereafter, he dies suddenly of an aneurism and Sarah Palin becomes president.

As Christian Nation opens, nearly a decade has passed since fundamentalist Christian forces won the Holy War and took control of the United States. Their belief is called “The Blessing,” and those who do not follow it are denied the basic rights taken for granted by most Americans.

The narrator of the novel has been taken to an abandoned cabin in upstate New York and is told to remember and write. He traces the country’s descent into religious authoritarianism, fueled by a struggling economy, terrorism, and the ambitions of evangelical extremists.

Greg, a lawyer on Wall Street; his girlfriend, a New York investment banker; and Greg’s best friend, an Internet entrepreneur, must make a choice between their personal ambitions and their moral responsibility.  

“Read as a cautionary tale or a terrifying what-if, this dystopian alternate reality makes riveting, provocative reading,” notes a review in Booklist.

Frederic Rich has practiced as an international lawyer for 30 years.

POETRY

One for the HeartOne for the Heart: A Collection of Poems
G. Raye Jones ’82
CrossBooks

In One for the Heart, G. Raye Jones expresses the strength of his faith in God and his belief that only through God’s love can we live a faith-filled good life. His conversion occurred at a revival meeting in his hometown of Rawlings, Va., when he was nine years old.

The poems in this collection describe the difficult times in which his faith pulled him through. He writes about the meaning of friendship, the beauty of eternal love, his compassion for others, and his commitment to a life in Christ.

A verse from “One for the Heart” proclaims the strength of the poet’s commitment to his faith:

One word from you changes everything
One word provides strength and grace
And as one for the heart in this country boy’s life
I can never thank or repay you,
But do or die I must try.

G. Raye Jones is an estate and tax planning attorney and a pastor.