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The Just And The Unjust: A Gripping Crime Mystery – Classic Police Drama in a Small-Town Murder Trial
In The Just and the Unjust, Pulitzer Prize-winning author James Gould Cozzens examines the ways in which freedom under the law operates in a democracy when a murder trial dominates the life of a small town.
444 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1942
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270 people want to read
About the author
James Gould Cozzens
83 books27 followersPulitzer Prize for Fiction for Guard of Honor in 1949
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
June 17, 2013
I read this book 50 years ago, either in college or law school. I liked it very much then, and I liked it just as much on my recent rereading. In my original reading, I thought it was a wonderful picture of the practice of law in a small New England town, and I agreed with myself on rereading. I ended up practicing law, not in a small New England town but in Chicago. I don't think you have to be a lawyer to enjoy the book or to understand the trial that forms the dramatic action that moves the plot along.
One of the comments I read about the book mentioned the multitude of characters who appear in the story, most of them very briefly. I agree that it was impossible to keep all of the minor characters straight. But it wasn't necessary to do so, and having all the incidental characters given a name and some personality was one of the features that made the book such a successful rendering of the life of the town.
The second feature that helped the author achieve this was the attention he paid to descriptions of the landscapes and the buildings in the community. I couldn't always form a mental picture of the object described, e.g., the huge courtroom the trial was conducted in. In spite of this, I have a good overall picture of the town in my mind.
Finally, I thought the characters were extraordinarily well delineated and nuanced. The protagonist is not a hero, but he is an earnest young man trying to do good and struggling to learn how to make his way in the complexity of life in even a simple community. My favorite character is his mentor, Martin Bunting, who reminded me of several of mine. Another favorite was Harry Wurt, his classmate and to some degree alter ego.
I read this book shortly after reading "A Distant Land" by Wendell Berry, a collection of short stories occurring in a rural Kentucky county over 150 years or so. I liked that book very much also. Cozzens' story takes place in a few days rather than a century and a half, but they both present a vivid picture of the place and the people who live there. The books almost seem paired: Berry's book telling you of the life of the farmers in the community and Cozzens' the story of the people in the county seat.
Both books lack the cynicism that characterizes much of contemporary fiction, especially cynicism of authority. But neither book ignores the shortcomings of human leaders. I thought that Cozzens' analysis was the more sophisticated, but maybe that is a lawyer's bias.
One of the comments I read about the book mentioned the multitude of characters who appear in the story, most of them very briefly. I agree that it was impossible to keep all of the minor characters straight. But it wasn't necessary to do so, and having all the incidental characters given a name and some personality was one of the features that made the book such a successful rendering of the life of the town.
The second feature that helped the author achieve this was the attention he paid to descriptions of the landscapes and the buildings in the community. I couldn't always form a mental picture of the object described, e.g., the huge courtroom the trial was conducted in. In spite of this, I have a good overall picture of the town in my mind.
Finally, I thought the characters were extraordinarily well delineated and nuanced. The protagonist is not a hero, but he is an earnest young man trying to do good and struggling to learn how to make his way in the complexity of life in even a simple community. My favorite character is his mentor, Martin Bunting, who reminded me of several of mine. Another favorite was Harry Wurt, his classmate and to some degree alter ego.
I read this book shortly after reading "A Distant Land" by Wendell Berry, a collection of short stories occurring in a rural Kentucky county over 150 years or so. I liked that book very much also. Cozzens' story takes place in a few days rather than a century and a half, but they both present a vivid picture of the place and the people who live there. The books almost seem paired: Berry's book telling you of the life of the farmers in the community and Cozzens' the story of the people in the county seat.
Both books lack the cynicism that characterizes much of contemporary fiction, especially cynicism of authority. But neither book ignores the shortcomings of human leaders. I thought that Cozzens' analysis was the more sophisticated, but maybe that is a lawyer's bias.
September 16, 2015
This story will appeal to fans of the small town life and of legal dilemmas. It also unique in that it compares what is going on in court, to the community outside and what is going on there.
Written in 1942, I felt as if the novel was as if the author took the cast of the old Andy Griffin show and scattered them in and around the courthouse of a town named Childerstown. After that, they brought in Perry Mason and his cast of attorneys
We read of a judge who knew the various characters and could tell of their histories, as if Andy Griffin was right there on the judge's seat. When everyone was settled, they brought in Perry Mason and members of the district attorney's staff.
There was a murder of a man who dealt in drugs. Two suspects are immediately caught and we revisit the crime through their eyes and that of one of their friends.
Intermingled with this we have the story of an attorney who took advantage of a well off young widow and abounded with her money. The woman actually moved in with the judge's family and the husband and his wife spent much of their time attempting to track down the missing culprit.
The characters are well drawn but I felt that it was the town itself and the simple life of the townsfolk that was the main character. How could people of such faith in their fellow man, do such a mean hearted acts to a widow..
In summary, the book gives a well balanced comparison to courtroom life and the outside life of the members of the community.
Written in 1942, I felt as if the novel was as if the author took the cast of the old Andy Griffin show and scattered them in and around the courthouse of a town named Childerstown. After that, they brought in Perry Mason and his cast of attorneys
We read of a judge who knew the various characters and could tell of their histories, as if Andy Griffin was right there on the judge's seat. When everyone was settled, they brought in Perry Mason and members of the district attorney's staff.
There was a murder of a man who dealt in drugs. Two suspects are immediately caught and we revisit the crime through their eyes and that of one of their friends.
Intermingled with this we have the story of an attorney who took advantage of a well off young widow and abounded with her money. The woman actually moved in with the judge's family and the husband and his wife spent much of their time attempting to track down the missing culprit.
The characters are well drawn but I felt that it was the town itself and the simple life of the townsfolk that was the main character. How could people of such faith in their fellow man, do such a mean hearted acts to a widow..
In summary, the book gives a well balanced comparison to courtroom life and the outside life of the members of the community.
May 25, 2020
This used to be recommended reading for all people planning to enter Harvard Law School. Cozzens takes a seemingly commonplace murder trial in a seemingly commonplace town and turns it into a brilliant exploration of the moral and legal dilemmas which face lawyers, judges, and jurors. The protagonist, an idealistic young assistant prosecutor named Abner Coates, grows in moral and spiritual maturity during the course of the novel, which also a remarkable depiction of small town America just before World War 2.
It was actually adapted for Television in 1950, as part of a critically acclaimed, but now almost forgotten, anthology series called "Pulitzer Prize Playhouse."(Cozzens had just won a (deserved )Pulitzer for Guard Of Honor.Richard Kiley, then just beginning his career, played Coates. The program may still exist in specialized archives. Somebody should adapt it again, for Tv or the movies.
It was actually adapted for Television in 1950, as part of a critically acclaimed, but now almost forgotten, anthology series called "Pulitzer Prize Playhouse."(Cozzens had just won a (deserved )Pulitzer for Guard Of Honor.Richard Kiley, then just beginning his career, played Coates. The program may still exist in specialized archives. Somebody should adapt it again, for Tv or the movies.
January 7, 2010
I can't rate it as 5 as I'm not sure everyone who's going to read this book has the legal background that makes it so much better. It was originally written in the 1940s, and you can tell. There isn't much by way of 'technique', it's got a plain style, no huge twists and turns, its no thriller, and what happens is fairly ordinary. But it's a nice story, the characters and places feel real and you almost wish you could stay in that town for a little while longer. You do get a feeling of what America used to be like. If you're interested in the law as a career, it will make you feel quite good about yourself.
January 5, 2009
I had to read this book for a school paper. It was interesting but hard to write a report on. Given the date is was written (can't remember) it has some modern day concepts, ethical issues and problems that are still a part of our legal world today. It's a more realistic way of looking at the law.
February 3, 2013
Overall, I think Cozzens did a very good job of capturing the dilemmas--ethical as well as moral-- of the legal profession. However, I did find his style to be rather tedious and very wordy. But it's still a worthwhile read.
January 1, 2025
Legal drama set in late 1930s small-town America, following a murder trial as seen mostly through the eyes of a young assistant district attorney on the cusp of advancing in his career and private life.
This book is well-known and recommended in law school circles, though perhaps more in previous generations. It isn't a thriller, like you'd expect in a Grisham novel. Instead it focuses on the activities and lives in and out of court of primarily the lawyers, clerks, and judges, involved in the unusually violent case that make it notable for them. That local excitement and the portrayal of small-town America evoked a similar atmosphere to that found in "To Kill a Mockingbird". Though this was written during World War II it's set in 1939, adding an extra poignancy in that we know that many characters may end up having to go fight overseas and perhaps not return.
There are a LOT of similar characters not all of whom it's important to follow closely. It may even help you to look at Wikipedia's list of the ten or so major characters before you begin reading in order to know who to pay closer attention to.
I was actually mildly bored by most of the book and I feel like some of its subplots could have been done away with in order to shorten the book to two-thirds and made it a tighter read. I would have given it three stars except that it really kicked in during its final act. Somehow the last 50-100 pages paid off with the interesting results of the trial and in the personal life changes of our main characters
The book also presents a very thoughtful example and discussion about the importance of juries in our Western legal system, beyond just the simple idea of being judged by one's peers to that of being a safety valve to maintain a balance between the strict and cold interpretation of the law and a reasonable and moral reading of the facts by a jury. An ultimate expression of freedom in the face of government pressure.
This book is well-known and recommended in law school circles, though perhaps more in previous generations. It isn't a thriller, like you'd expect in a Grisham novel. Instead it focuses on the activities and lives in and out of court of primarily the lawyers, clerks, and judges, involved in the unusually violent case that make it notable for them. That local excitement and the portrayal of small-town America evoked a similar atmosphere to that found in "To Kill a Mockingbird". Though this was written during World War II it's set in 1939, adding an extra poignancy in that we know that many characters may end up having to go fight overseas and perhaps not return.
There are a LOT of similar characters not all of whom it's important to follow closely. It may even help you to look at Wikipedia's list of the ten or so major characters before you begin reading in order to know who to pay closer attention to.
I was actually mildly bored by most of the book and I feel like some of its subplots could have been done away with in order to shorten the book to two-thirds and made it a tighter read. I would have given it three stars except that it really kicked in during its final act. Somehow the last 50-100 pages paid off with the interesting results of the trial and in the personal life changes of our main characters
The book also presents a very thoughtful example and discussion about the importance of juries in our Western legal system, beyond just the simple idea of being judged by one's peers to that of being a safety valve to maintain a balance between the strict and cold interpretation of the law and a reasonable and moral reading of the facts by a jury. An ultimate expression of freedom in the face of government pressure.
September 11, 2024
A comfortable, enjoyable experience of reading the text produced by a competent and an expert writer. A serious book for serious people.
"Criminals might be victims of circumstance in the sense that few of them ever had a fair chance; but it was a mistake to forget that the only 'fair chance' they ever wanted was a chance for easy money."
'I know,' said Abner, 'but do you mind very much if I still don't like the way it's run? What right has Jesse to decide who's going to be what? Does he own the county?'
Bunting said, 'Standing off and saying you don't like the way things are run is kid stuff — any kid can work out a programme of more ice cream and less school and free movies and him telling people what to do instead of people always telling him —'
Abner said, 'I don't want any more ice cream, thanks.'
'Maybe you don't; but what you're saying is the same damn thing. If things were run according to your ideas instead of the way they are run, it would be much better. Who says so? Why you say so! That's what the dopes, the Communists and so on, all the boys who never grew up, say. Who's going to be better for it? Their fellow-men? Horse feathers! I don't say some of them don't hope so; but the only thing they can be sure of is that it would be better for them...[]
...What I say is,' Bunting said, 'until you have some responsibility, do something besides kick, or try to heave in a few monkey wrenches, you aren't going to know what you're talking about. Sure, one way to get rid of the rats is burn down the barn! That's brilliant. Wait until it's been up to you for a few years, until you've had to decide, until you've seen how a few of those brilliant ideas turn out. Wait until you have to do the work instead of the talking. Then you may begin to know something, not just think you know.'
"Criminals might be victims of circumstance in the sense that few of them ever had a fair chance; but it was a mistake to forget that the only 'fair chance' they ever wanted was a chance for easy money."
'I know,' said Abner, 'but do you mind very much if I still don't like the way it's run? What right has Jesse to decide who's going to be what? Does he own the county?'
Bunting said, 'Standing off and saying you don't like the way things are run is kid stuff — any kid can work out a programme of more ice cream and less school and free movies and him telling people what to do instead of people always telling him —'
Abner said, 'I don't want any more ice cream, thanks.'
'Maybe you don't; but what you're saying is the same damn thing. If things were run according to your ideas instead of the way they are run, it would be much better. Who says so? Why you say so! That's what the dopes, the Communists and so on, all the boys who never grew up, say. Who's going to be better for it? Their fellow-men? Horse feathers! I don't say some of them don't hope so; but the only thing they can be sure of is that it would be better for them...[]
...What I say is,' Bunting said, 'until you have some responsibility, do something besides kick, or try to heave in a few monkey wrenches, you aren't going to know what you're talking about. Sure, one way to get rid of the rats is burn down the barn! That's brilliant. Wait until it's been up to you for a few years, until you've had to decide, until you've seen how a few of those brilliant ideas turn out. Wait until you have to do the work instead of the talking. Then you may begin to know something, not just think you know.'
May 4, 2023
Welllllll- what can I say. Not a very well known book… and probably for good reason. Cozzens is a talented writer, but I think this plot line would only appeal to a very niche group. Into exploring the philosophy of our legal system? Do you like books that accurately depict court life (98% drudgery and paperwork and meetings)? Enjoy a protagonist that does a lot of thinking and very little talking? Want to read a 400 page court room drama that has one page of actual drama? This is the book for you.
March 26, 2014
A nice trial story with authentic small town people but not of much interest to me.
February 17, 2014
Very good.
Want to read
December 17, 2018Synopsis: two men are being tried for murder, but that's not all of it. It's also about the operation of the law in a small town.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews