BOOK BEGINNINGS ON FRIDAYS
Halleluiah! My law partner and I unexpectedly settled the big case we were getting ready for trial! We've been working on this case for five years against the Assemblies of God on behalf of our 12 clients who were sexually abused when they were kids in the church's Royal Rangers program for boys. We filed the first case in 2016 and another two cases in 2018. We were supposed to start trial on September 7.
Most civil cases settle before trial. Almost all sex abuse civil cases settle before trial. We figured we would be able to reach good settlements for most of our clients. But there were a few, one in particular, we thought would have to go to trial to get him the compensation we thought was fair. And then we had another round of mediation on Monday and, wowza! We met our goal and settled his claim too. It's a crazy feeling to work so hard (we had been working seven days a week for the last six weeks), and then just stop. We had a big adrenaline adjustment the last few days!
So I took the rest of the week off work. I've been reading a lot. I'll share the opening sentence of one of the books I'm enjoying this week. Please share the first sentence of your book here on Book Beginnings on Fridays.
MY BOOK BEGINNING
From A Few Words About Words: A Common-Sense Look at Writing and Grammar by Joseph J. Diorio:
I have written on my life. As a kid I would write and illustrate my own graphic novels, reaching into the depths of my attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) riddled imagination to make up original stories about a team of superheroes I called the “I.S. Men" or “Intercrime Stoppers."
I love grammar books! This new one from Beaufort Books comes out next week. Joe Diorio is the author of a popular newsletter of the same name that has been around for 30 years.
YOUR BOOK BEGINNINGS
Please leave a link to your Book Beginnings blog or social media post below. If you share on social media, please use the hashtag #bookbeginnings.
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Freda at Freda's Voice hosts another teaser event on Fridays. Participants share a two-sentence teaser from page 56 of the book they are reading -- or from 56% of the way through the audiobook or ebook. Please visit Freda's Voice for details and to leave a link to your post.
Many of us may not have the right to vote if it weren't for clear and concise writing.During Ben Franklin's day, as he was knee-deep in the development of the United States and its Constitution, a battle raged in the Continental Congress over who gets the right to vote.
Good news about your cases! And your book looks tempting.
ReplyDeleteInteresting beginning. Hope you have a great weekend.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations, that's amazing! I had a quick look at the AG and I feel so sorry for your clients to have to have gone through that. I'm glad you and your partner were able to get them the compensation they deserved, even if it meant so many hours of work on your end! And this does sound like a really fun book! I just got one from the library about footnotes, I love learning more about language and writing! Have a lovely weekend and thank you for hosting :)
ReplyDeleteJuli @ A Universe in Words
I love that you enjoy reading grammar books! That's not something a lot of people can say! Congratulations on your case :)
ReplyDeleteI love grammar books! The most recent one I've read was "Grammar for a Full Life: How the Ways We Shape a Sentence Can Limit or Enlarge Us" by Lawrence Weinstein, 2020, English language. I rated it 8 of 10. If you do a search of my blog you will find many grammar books and posts about grammar. Here's the link to do that:
ReplyDeletehttps://bonniesbooks.blogspot.com/search?q=grammar
In 2010, I wrote:
I told my early class yesterday their biggest writing problem was failing to listen to the instructions. A few minutes later one young man said, "Would you repeat that? I was working on something else." No one seemed to notice the irony, and I am rapidly losing hope that I can get through to some of them.
Happy weekend!
ReplyDeleteCongrats on the case! That must be such a relief!
ReplyDeleteI read a grammar book once, and I absolutely loved it! So I need to check this one out :)
Happy to hear about your case. I love book about grammar, writing and words. I love the beginning.
ReplyDeleteCONGRATULATIONS! What incredible work you've done, and what a relief it must be for you to reach adequate terms for your clients. I'll be popping a bottle of bubbly in your honour!
ReplyDelete