Product Review

The overarching objective of A Student's Guide to Hearsay is to help students sort out the complexities of the hearsay rule, its exceptions, and the Sixth Amendment Confrontation Clause. For each exception, this book:

•  Outlines the policies underlying the exception;

•  Lists and explains the requirements that must be satisfied for evidence to be admitted under the exception;

•  Explains additional issues that have arisen or are likely to arise;

•  Explains how the rule interacts with other rules ;

•  Discusses tactical and procedural considerations that must be understood to appreciate how the rule plays in court; and

•  Provides review questions and answers that allow students to test their understanding and applications of the rules.

The book also includes humorous references addressing the hearsay significance of a ham sandwich, Humpty Dumpty, the Greek god of wine, Tim McGraw, dog saliva, Derek Jeter, a squeaky boot, Leonardo DiCaprio, the French Army, the speed of sound, Commander Data, and the Chicago Cubs.

The 4th edition is based on the text of the restyled Federal Rules of Evidence that will become effective December 1, 2011. It includes a detailed discussion of every Supreme Court Confrontation Clause decision from Crawford to Bryant, and also discusses the Bullcoming case which the Court will probably decide sometime this year. It includes a link to the author's web page on which updates to the Guide will be posted.