Judge* Hoff, Jesus Loves You, but the Rest of Us Think You're an A**hole!: Tales from My 20 Years As a San Francisco Court Commissioner

Brilliant and succinct our author has brought the typical dour courtroom and the people therein, on either side of the bench, to life so vividly, with a passion for fair and reasonable justice and a wickedly dry humor we can feel, even smell, the San Francisco courtroom and busy corridors. We learn a lot about the inventiveness of transgressors who attempt to wriggle off the hook. Agatha Hoff is a gift for us all to enjoy and admire as she reveals her humanity, courage and humility. We learn from snippets of her personal history that she and her beloved sister, Livia, suffered such imminent danger and depravation during World War Two in occupied Hungary. As young teens they managed to escape from their homeland and eventually gained access into the USA.  Burning Horses: A Hungarian Life Turned Upside Down (The Holocaust) An energetic dare-devil she must be... to celebrate her 60th birthday by sky diving out of perfectly good airplane. Burning Horses: A Hungarian Life Turned Upside Down (The Holocaust)

For those of us who fought a traffic ticket with beating heart and hopeful mind, it is comforting to glimpse into the working of the Court and into the mind of a sympathetic judge through stories of people appearing before her and of those writing her letters. There are heartwarming stories about homeless folk using the S.F. Courthouse as a home of preferable to shelters or parks; there are immigrants with delightful mistakes of English; there are prostitute regulars with specialties; there are the delicious battles between husbands and wives whose love for each other has gone astray; there are out-of-towners who are overwhelmed by the atmosphere of The City, and many more.Non-Judge Hoff (she is a court commissioner) gives you an insight into her self as she rides her bicycle across the Golden Gate Bridge at sunrise, as she volunteers in caring for newborns at San Francisco General Hospital nursery, as she relates tales of her childhood in Budapest. She even describes some of her dreams. Hoff is a voyeur of people and the reader shares what she sees.Hoff's first book "Burning Horses" puts you in Budapest during World War II as seen through through the eyes of Hoff's mother. I could not put that book down because I wanted their lives to improve."Judge*Hoff, Jesus Loves You but Rest of us Think You're an A-Hole!" was written on the wall of the courthouse public bathroom (which Hoff used instead of the bathrooms reserved for judges) by a disgruntled litigant. I intended to savor the stories and read only a few at a time, but was lured on to read story after story --- and I was sorry to have finished the book.More stories, Please, Agatha Hoff

I confess that I met Aggie Hoff in Law School and that we have been colleagues and friends ever since. For many years my wife and I would look forward to receiving San Francisco Attorney Magazine to read Aggie's "Tales from the Bench." So, many of the tales in this book are not new to me. However, this book goes way beyond Aggie's Tales, shedding light on her most interesting life and upon the grit and glory that is San Francisco. The quality of the writing of each tale is perfection. Aggie will take you to many places that you have never been and you will never forget. Thank you, Aggie!

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Agatha Hoff's new book. It is a series of vignettes about life as a San Francisco Court Commissioner written with humor, irreverence, compassion and honesty. It provides a highly entertaining and insightful look at what really goes on within the Halls of Justice. And what a milieu it is--cockroaches, bums, and a hilarious assortment of excuses for traffic violations; and always everpresent is Hoff's humanity and empathy. Hoff also takes us outside the courtroom on several of her biking adventures giving us a glimpse of the woman who wears the robe. Once again her wry humor is delightful. I highly recommend this book.

Judge Hoff is an excellent writer.