At Pritzker Hageman, we’re passionate about fighting for the rights of those harmed by others and giving back to the communities we serve. Since our Minneapolis headquarters is housed in a historic library, we installed a Little Free Library out front to foster literacy engagement and bring the joy of reading back to our community. To honor our building’s roots, Pritzker Hageman is proud to join in the celebration of National Library Week by sharing our legal team’s top book recommendations.
- Adult Assembly Required by Abbi Waxman
- Alone in the Kitchen with an Eggplant by Laurie Colwin
- A River Runs Through It by Norman Maclean
- Bernoulli’s Fallacy by Aubrey Clayton
- Emma by Jane Austen
- Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail ‘72 by Hunter S. Thompson
- Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson
- Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell
- Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
- Home Cooking: A Writer in the Kitchen by Laurie Colwin
- House of Flame and Shadow by Sarah J. Maas
- Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison
- Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
- Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
- Miles Lord: The Maverick Judge Who Brought Corporate America to Justice by Roberta Walburn
- Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
- Sara’s STEPS by Niki Averton, Nicole Perry, and Lyn Stone
- Slow Noodles by Chantha Nguon
- Stardust by Neil Gaiman
- That Old Country Music by Kevin Barry
- The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
- The Bee Sting by Paul Murray
- The Dough Must Go On by H.Y. Hanna
- The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue
- The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert Heinlein
- The Opposite of Loneliness
- The Right Thing to Do: The Joe Mauer Story
- The Runaway Jury by John Grisham
- To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Our Favorite Books
“A River Runs Through It” by Norman MacLean. I love it partly because of its carefully crafted, beautiful prose, but mostly because it conveys so well the way we struggle to connect with and understand the people we love the most and how sometimes a sport (in this case, fly-fishing) is the only tie between us. – Managing Partner Eric Hageman
My favorite book is “Invisible Man” by Ralph Ellison. All Americans should read it. – Attorney David Coyle
I would have to say the “Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” series. They are so silly and irreverent, yet poignant and fanciful. I like satire anyway, so satire about the meaning of life is high art to me! In all seriousness, it was just a fun read. – Attorney Raymond Trueblood
It is hard to pick just one, but if I had to, I would say “The Opposite of Loneliness” by Marina Keegan. This posthumous collection of essays and short stories encompasses the hope, uncertainty, and sense of possibility in young adulthood. I’ve come back to it time and time again even as I’ve grown older. – Attorney Alicia Penner
There are so many…it’s hard to choose! I’m not one to re-read books (there are too many on my list I want to get to), but I have re-read Robert Heinlein’s1966 science fiction book, “The Moon is a Harsh Mistress,” three times. So, I’d have to pick that as my favorite. The themes of revolution and personal freedom continue to resonate but, almost presciently, the book’s exploration of the ethical, philosophical, and practical implications of artificial intelligence has become increasingly more relevant in the past few years. – Patrick L., Marketing Director
There are many Classics I love like “The Alchemist” and “Emma,” but my current favorite is “Lessons in Chemistry” by Bonnie Garmus. This book celebrates the power of finding your voice and champions women in science, which is vital for advancing scientific research in areas like foodborne illness and Legionnaires’ disease that are central to our firm’s practice. – Lauren M.D., Marketing Manager
I am unable to pick just one! My two favorite books I’ve ever read are “Pride and Prejudice” by Jane Austen and “Little Women” by Louisa May Alcott. Both are written by incredible female authors who were extremely influential in their time. Both novels are heartwarming tales that resonate just as strongly with modern readers as they did with the authors’ contemporaries in the nineteenth century. – Elizabeth J., Legal Assistant
I’m sure it’s no surprise that my favorite book is a cookbook. But Laurie Colwin’s “Home Cooking: A Writer in the Kitchen” is more than a cookbook. It’s a beautiful memoir with wonderful recipes and insightful comments on society and ethnic cooking. Every recipe I have made works perfectly. If you are a meat eater, her recipe for pot roast is sublime. I also love her recipe for slow-rising bread. Her essay “Alone in the Kitchen with an Eggplant” has become the standard for perfect food writing. And if you like that book, there’s More Home Cooking to read, along with her eight fiction books. – Linda L., Food Poisoning Bulletin Editor
My all-time favorite book is “Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail ‘72,’’ by the late Hunter S. Thompson. “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas’’ is a close second, but his Gonzo journalism style in the Campaign Trail was closer to true nonfiction. Yes, it was doused with his bias for George McGovern and his disdain for Hubert H. Humphrey and Richard Nixon, but his book clearly conveyed to me for the first time the dark side of American politics – which, of course, was intriguing and exciting in the style he brought to the printed page. His observations made me skeptical – in a good way – about institutions, corporations, powerful people, and people of influence. – Tony K., Writer
Book We’re Currently Reading
I just finished reading “The Bee Sting” by Paul Murray, which is an epic story about an Irish family told from the alternating perspectives of four members of that family (much like in a Jonathan Franzen novel). The characters in the book struggle under the weight of various existential threats, both from the world at large and from inside their own family. It’s a big book (650 pages) full of big ideas and it has a little bit of everything. – Managing Partner Eric Hageman
In addition to the latest Sarah J. Maas book (“House of Flame and Shadow”) I recently finished “Slow Noodles” by Chantha Nguon. This is a memoir from a Cambodian refugee who lost everything to genocide except the memories of her mother’s recipes. By re-creating her mother’s dishes, she honors her family and former country. It is a reminder that food can carry more than sustenance— it can encompass heritage, healing, and even rebellion. – Attorney Alicia Penner
I recently finished “Bernoulli’s Fallacy,” by Aubrey Clayton. It critically examines classical statistical thinking and the problems it poses to the understanding of risk, uncertainty, and decision-making. Clayton advocates for an alternative Bayesian approach to statistical thinking that can improve conclusions in many fields of science, as well as in everyday life. I think statistical literacy is an important skill that is often poorly taught throughout school and, for anyone interested in learning more about statistics and risk assessment, “Bernoulli’s Fallacy” would provide an accessible introduction. – Patrick L., Marketing Director
The latest addition to my bookshelf is “The Right Thing to Do: The Joe Mauer Story” by Joe Schmit. It’s a children’s book that teaches valuable life lessons about how choosing kindness is always the right thing to do. All proceeds benefit Minnesota nonprofits Thumbs Up and Highland Friendship Club, an organization our firm supports on behalf of our late founder Fred Pritzker, whose son was one of the first participants. – Lauren M.D., Marketing Manager
I just finished reading “The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue” by V.E. Schwab. I would recommend it highly because it is a unique twist on the oft-written-about concept of immortality. It is one of those books that you cannot help but think about even when you are not reading it! Fair warning, it made me cry at the end. I also recently finished reading “Stardust” by Neil Gaiman. I’ve never read a fantasy book before that has filled me with such a sense of wonder and whimsy. Gaiman has a way of creating a beautiful, immersive ambiance in his books. – Elizabeth J., Legal Assistant
I just finished “Adult Assembly Required” by Abbi Waxman. It’s a sweet and delightful escape that touches on some serious topics, especially PTSD. I also loved Mrs. Queen Takes the Train by William Kuhn. That is a story about what happens when Queen Elizabeth ditches her security detail and decides to ride the train to Scotland. It’s a great comedy of errors. – Linda L., Food Poisoning Bulletin Editor
Anything right now by Kevin Barry, a novelist and short story writer who lives in western Ireland. “That Old Country Music,’’ is the collection I’m on right now. His stories about characters from that part of the world immerse the reader in pits of melancholy, joyousness, comedy, and sadness. He somehow marries complex observations of humanity with spartan phrasing. The reads are intense and short. – Tony K., Writer
Books That Inspire Our Work at Pritzker Hageman
As someone who gave one of his sons the middle name Atticus, I have to say “To Kill a Mockingbird.” Atticus Finch is a lawyer that all lawyers should aspire to emulate. – Managing Partner Eric Hageman
I learned about the book “Sara’s STEPS” by Niki Averton, Nicole Perry, and Lyn Stone during the Phoenix Society’s World Burn Congress last year. “Sara’s STEPS” tells the story of a young girl navigating her return to school after a burn injury. Through Sara’s journey, this book helps young burn survivors navigate their own healing process and build confidence along the way. – Attorney David Coyle
It sounds cliché, but “To Kill a Mockingbird” inspired me to be a lawyer, to stand up for innocent people even when it’s unpopular, and to elevate the integrity of justice over self-interest. – Attorney Raymond Trueblood
Well, I would, of course, need to recommend “The Dough Must Go On,” book 9 of the Oxford Tearoom Mystery Series, by H.Y Hanna, where intrepid English tearoom owner, Gemma Rose, must uncover a murderer motivated by an E. coli death from a foodborne illness outbreak hidden in the past of one of the contestants on Britain’s hottest new celebrity cooking shows! – Patrick L., Marketing Director
The first legal thriller I read was “The Runaway Jury” by John Grisham, and many years later I recorded a Grammy-nominated courtroom opera about the jury selection process. While these kinds of courtroom dramas take liberties with reality, they do highlight how important it is to have a skilled and ethical lawyer by your side while navigating the civil justice system. – Lauren M.D., Marketing Manager
This is very loosely connected to my work at Pritzker Hageman, but I read “Hamnet” by Maggie O’Farrell a few months ago. It is a historical fiction novel about William Shakespeare’s wife and their young son Hamnet’s untimely death from an outbreak of plague. The outbreak plot in the novel reminded me a little bit of the outbreaks we research in connection to our cases. – Elizabeth J., Legal Assistant
“Miles Lord: The Maverick Judge Who Brought Corporate America to Justice,’’ is an inspirational book written by a friend and former newspaper reporter – Roberta Walburn of Minnesota. She made a mid-career shift into law, clerked for Judge Lord, and went on to help litigate complex national and international litigation. Her story reminds me of how the lawyers at Pritzker Hageman fight and win for injured people no matter how powerful the opposition is. – Tony K., Writer