A satire about how society deals with the odd and unexpected

This is the unusual tale of a baby born to rather peculiar parents who has very long legs, so long that he is regarded with wonder and amazement. The story is a satire about how society deals with what is odd, different or unexpected. Sometimes the tone leaves the reader a bit uncomfortable. Do we treat some people as 'freaks'?

The author, Jere Krakoff, was a civil rights attorney. He practised with the ACLU National Prison Project in Washington, D.C., the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law in Mississippi, the Pennsylvania Institutional Law Project headquartered in Philadelphia, and Neighbourhood Legal Services Association, a legal aid program in Pittsburgh.

The unusual book ends as all good legal books do, with a courtroom drama, featuring an interesting judge assigned to the Trivial Case Division, dealing with a claim brought by a sole practitioner whose practice only consists of sending letters before action. They are so abrasive in tone, but reasonable in his settlement terms, he makes a living from defendants who want to avoid litigation.

An interesting book.

David Pickup is a partner at Pickup & Scott Solicitors, Aylesbury