Lord Black's book should be required reading by everyone who reads and believes in the principles of National Review.

Yes, it gets a bit into the financial weeds for those not quite so conversant with procedural details of running, selling, buying, and administering international corporations---but please soldier on through those parts. Yes, it gets a little Anglo-centric gossipy in the tales of press rivalries in the U.K. in a way that Americans basically could care less about, but just take that as an accent to the surroundings in which the story takes place.

The meat of it is this: Our system of "justice" is unjust, corrupt, and a shambles...and it is the prosecutors who are at the heart of it. That may be a strange position for a conservative to take or believe in--after all, we're the "law and order" guys and gals who usually look through qualifications of local candidates and find approval if we see they were a D.A. or the like. We think bigger sentences and tougher judges and harder time are what the country needs. But what we don't realize, or at least I didn't until I read this amazingly moving, agonizingly painful, and utterly profound story, is that it is that prosecutorial/judicial axis that is the key problem with so much that is wrong in our nation today.

Don't believe me? Read Lord Black's book. Indeed, get 100 pages or so in and I dare you to put it down. A decent and honorable man is being unjustly punished and that's a tragedy for him, his family, his friends, and those who believe in justice. But his story exposes a system that does this routinely and indeed zealously.

Having read your review, Andrew, I'm not 100% convinced from my reading of the book that it is about a political zeal on the part of day-to-day prosecutors though I bow to your personal experience and expertise. I just think there's more about "go after these targets and we can put notches on our belts" both at the high and the low end of the spectrum of defendants. I think it is more about egos and job security and greed (certainly about greed with the "corporate governance" thieves who looted Black's company in the name of "saving" it.)

But either way, the system is seriously broken. The more people read this book, the more will demand that it be fixed. It will shake you deeply, friends. It will shake you and make you angry and sad and disgusted and awe-struck at the real bravery and dedication Black shows and the sacrifices he and his family have made. It is supposed to be easier to just "pay the $2" and move on and admit fault even when none exists. As tough as the alternative path of seeking justice at all costs is shown to be by this book, it is clearly the RIGHT choice, and just for showing us an example of that choice and why it must be taken, this book is a blessing indeed.