'The Accidental Philanthropist: From a Bronx Stickball Lot to Manhattan Courtrooms and Steering Leona Helmsley's Billions'By Sandor Frankel

Skyhorse Publishing, New York, 360 Pages, $24.99

In the Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle observed that to give away money is easy and in any man's power, but to decide to whom to give it and how large and when, and for what purpose and how, is neither easy nor in every man's power. This is a dominant theme of Sandor Frankel's informative and entertaining new memoir, which focuses both on his successful New York legal career and his 14-year stint as a trustee of the multi-billion dollar charitable trust established by Leona and Harry Helmsley. Written in a balanced style that is accessible to both lay readers and lawyers, Frankel explains how a novice philanthropist with a litigator's skill set took on the challenges of operating one of the largest private charities in the United States and giving away hundreds of millions of dollars.