1 comments about Lawyer's Lawyer: The Life of John W. Davis.

1. This is a Superb biography/autobiography of Clarksburg West Virginia native John W. Davis,a brilliant lawyer and politician who was the only West Virginian presidential Candidate who came close to the presidency losing to Calvin Coolege back in 1924.This is a very enjoyable must read book on the life and times of John W. Davis!

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3 comments about A Defiant Life: Thurgood Marshall and the Persistence of Racism in America.

1. "A Defiant Life" presents the heroic life of Thurgood Marshall and his fight against racism in a compelling manner. The book does not tell a feel bad/feel angry/feel good story. There is little recourse to anecdotes, and hardly any moments for emotional release. Instead it tells what Marshall did as an advocate for the minorities - for example how he travelled many times to the South facing mortal danger to argue important cases. It also tells us of his opinions, and how they influenced his use of the legal system to help the oppressed. After reading this book, one comes away knowing that Marshall was one of the great men of 20th century America. And one comes away understanding the reasons for the far reaching implications of several Supreme Court cases.



2. Gut wrenching in its honesty,thought provoking in the truest sense of the word. It allowed me to take a step back from racial madness and see through another pair of eyes. No law can change people's attitudes, morality is judged by the majority, this book shows us. And yet it had a hopeful note beneath the surface. Initially I was put off by the inhuman, thesis sounding title.. do not make my mistake-read this book and absorb culture at its ugliest (and most honest).



3. From its rather droll beginnings: "Thurgood Marshall was born in 1908," Howard Ball's biography, A Defiant Life : Thurgood Marshall and the Persistence of Racism in America, only goes downhill. His writing style is bland and the story line follows no distinguishable pattern, aimless flowing from point to point with few overarching themes.

   Unlike Juan Williams' Thurgood Marshall: American Revolutionary (a truly great biography focusing on the personal as well as the legal issues of this American giant) or Mark Tushnet's Making Civil Rights Law and Making Constitutional Law (two books that provide an excellent legal analysis of Marshall's work), Ball's book repeats stories and facts that are already well-worn and understood. Most tragic, one gets little understanding about what drove Marshall to fight the brutal system of Jim Crow oppression and led him to become such a forceful advocate of individual rights on the bench.

   The personal and legal story of Marshall is much more interesting and deserves a much better biography. Best to skip this one.

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5 comments about 100 Words per Minute: Tales from Behind Law Office Doors.

1. Part short fiction anthology, part memoir, 100 Words Per Minute: Tales From Behind Law Office Doors is a collection of ultra-brief, wry, witty, sometimes nasty, always insightful short stories by veteran law office worker Adina Sara. From backbiting coworkers to clueless bosses to litigators of all flavors from megalomaniacal to nearly-dead from exhaustion, 100 Words Per Minute offers a wry glimpse into trials and tribulations, and what working within America's legal system is really like. 100 Words Per Minute is a singularly delectable collection, whether the stories are savored a few at a time or all at once.



2. 100 words per minute is a lively fast read that tells stories of what it's really like to work in a Law office. Besides the crazy and wonderful characters Adina Sara describes, there is a profound message underneath about how sometimes a career finds you and that can turn out fine. A job is something that you do to pay the rent and a career is supposed to be an area where you have much interest and grow and develop. But a job can turn into a career and sometimes it can do more for you than make money. The people you work for and work with are often where the most learning lies. Adina Sara was appreciated for her skills and that is what kept her in the Law field. This is a good read for all office workers.



3. Several years ago I read Ms. Sara's book of poetry, To Be Filed, which I enjoyed quite a bit. So I was very happy to find she'd published a new book of both poems and stories, 100 Words per Minute.
   
   Like "To Be Filed", this book focuses on her experiences working in various law offices since the 70's. The stories are a blend of the funny, nostalgic, and reflective. For anyone who works in a law office, you'll recognize many of these characters. For anyone who hasn't, this will be a revealing peek into the real world of law. The egos, the conflicts, the deadlines and stress. It's all here. Sara weaves together tales from all over to create a coherent whole, held together by her constant longing for something different, and her continual return back to the belly of the beast.
   
   Those who enjoy this book will also like "Legal Tilt" which also looks inside the legal world and exposes the truths hidden there.



4. A masterpiece of workplace sociology! To begin with, Sara is an absolutely amazing writer: the poetry throughout, even in the prose, is stunningly beautiful. And the service she has provided to clerical workers and their bosses by writing "100 Words Per Minute" is immeasurable and invaluable.
   
   Alice Kisch
   Editor, Retired Legal Secretary



5. I have been a legal assistant/paralegal for over 15 years and was excited to find a book about my life. I read it in one sitting. I loved it! I laughed a lot and cried too. Thank you for the wonderful tribute to our profession.

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5 comments about Speaking Truth to Power.

1. One thing that we all wondered was: "Why did Hill wait until Thomas was being evaluated for a position on the Supreme Court to make these allegations?" And it turns out that she did not and only brought these issues to thefore when found by an investigation into Thomas' background.
   
   There were also a lot of details that were not apparent about the nature of the trial: 1. The congressional hearings were NOT conducted by attorneys, and so the usual rules of courtroom conduct and gathering evidence were not adhered to; 2. Some of the detailed nature of the ugliness toward people that are caught in the middle of congressional hearings (the documentary on Susan McDougal was another example of how the sheer hostility that politicians can display toward anyone that gets in the way); 3. Details of the statements that Thomas made to her. It was also more clear that the environment in which she was working (a person-- among MANY others-- trying to get thhe letters of recommendation and make the ties that would get her a job somewhere) might have made her a lot more timid in telling Thomas where to go with his remarks.
   
   On the bad side, I can say that Hill's tone was the faintest bit melodramatic-- and this makes me wonder just how serious the comment made to her were-- noting that she offered information about the content of his statements but not direct quotes.
   
   All in all, the book is very balanced and level-headed-- if a bit more wordy than necessary. (It could have been shortened by about 50 pages without missing anything-- although it was not nearly the verbose disaster of, say something written by Ayn Rand. On account of this, I'm taking off one star.)



2. At the beginning of the book Hill writes, "I did not choose the issue of sexual harassment, it chose me." And that is undoubtedly true. Anita Hill is a household name and her name immediately brings to mind the issue of sexual harassment. Hill describes how the issue chose her in this book.
   You can tell just how truthful this book is by the way in which it was written. This is not the best written book. But, Anita Hill puts on no airs, she just tells the truth and the way she saw it in a simple, understandable voice.
   And the truth is, she was put through the ringer by people in power who did not want to a) acknowledge that sexual harassment is a problem, and b) change the current widespread problem of sexual harassment and thus change our current power structure.
   It is interesting to note how Hill relates the problem of sexual harassment to other crimes committed against women which are also motivated by power and control. These comparisons ring a bell of truth.
   Hill also writes about how at times, when one is a ethnic minority and a woman, one has to choose between honoring their gender and honoring their race. Her analysis of this is enough to read the book.
   I recommend this book to those who are interested in getting to know the real Anita Hill, those who are interested in insider politics especially when it concerns problems unique to women, and those who are interested in the way that different minority groups bisect each other.
   The reason I didn't give this book a higher rating is because, as I mentioned, it's not the most well written book. I feel that at times the writing was circular and repetitive. The words don't leap off the page. However, also, at times the writing is very direct and potent and say the truth in a manner that is clear and concise. At those times, ideas leap off the page.



3. Anita Hill proves that she was telling the truth with this book and I always knew that she was.
   
   It's so sad that so many were able to demonize and scandalize this woman and her intentions, but in the end, the TRUTH always wins.
   
   This powerful autobiography is a MUST READ, a book that you won't be able to put down or to forget. I'm so glad I read it.
   
   
   
   



4. When this book first came out, I was drawn to the cover, because I knew that there were many messages for me in this book. Yet, I hesitated to read this, because I had not voiced what I felt about those hearings.

   I actually looked over my shoulders, when I glanced through this book, before buying it, because I had decided that so many people around me demanded my opinion of this tragedy.

   When I watched the hearing, while I sat next to others, for whatever reason I waited to say whether or not I believed Dr. Hill. I wanted to process it all, in the privacy of my own space.

   Watching her, on many levels I related to her. Yet, I had some unanswered questions that reading this book, along with other books that reference this tragedy helped me to make my own decisions about what happened.

   Dr. Hill put a voice to many of the challenges that I had, as professional African-American woman, who wanted to speak about many issues that too high a number of African-Americans refused to communicate. Before reading this book, I wanted to be free to speak against some socialized rules that I grew up with, that are common in African-American families. But, I wanted to communicate that I am proud of being African-American.

   And as a result of reading this book, I gained tremendous courage to fully live my life's mission, which is to guide women and girls to earn trust in themselves.

   To this day, as a journalist, if an editor argues against Anita Hill, I refuse to write for that paper.

   Thank you, Dr. Hill.




5. I am so glad I read this book - it gave me insight into what a wonderful woman Anita Hill is in explaining the ordeal she went through in testifying at "the hearings." I must admit that at the time, I didn't believe Hill's testaments; she appeared nervous and uncertain whereas Thomas appeared very sure of himself, was outraged, and even went so far as to cry before the Senate Committee and television cameras. Of course, I now realize that was just an act.

   Anyhow, I thought that after the hearings were over, Anita Hill went back home to Oklahoma and went on with her life, the ordeal forgotten. After reading this book, I had no idea that Hill endured further harassment from students at the university where she taught, faculty, the media, and people who never knew her nor she them. It was downright outrageous and disgusting.

   Hill writes eloquently about her roots, her upbringing in Oklahoma, her years at Yale Univ. Law School, and her job at the EEOC where she worked under Clarence Thomas and the harassment she endured from him, her subsequent career change all the way up until the hearings. It's all interesting and worth reading.

   Anita Hill is the catalyst for which the laws of sexual harassment have changed and claims for which are now taken very seriously. It is very unfortunate that she had to take such torment and emotional brutality as a result of it, as if harassment from Thomas wasn't enough in and of itself.

   That Thomas is now sitting on the highest court in the land for life, knowing the content of his character and demeanor, is indeed disturbing. But I hope that deep inside he is sorry and feels the utmost remorse and guilt for his mistreatment of Anita Hill and all his other victims.

   The truth always come out - maybe not today or tomorrow - but eventually it does. Thomas knows what he did, and the world knows what he did despite his "categorical" denials.

   It is my hope that Anita Hill finds the peace and happiness she deserves. Her life will never be the same, as she herself admits, but unfortunately almost all movers and shakers's lives were and are forever changed.

   An insightful and honest book, I recommend it highly.

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