3 comments about People's Lawyers: Crusaders for Justice in American History.

1. This book is a must-buy for anyone interested in the study of social change and the legal systems. The authors provide important social commentary and exciting legal history in a scholarly but eminently readable style. The accounts of the lives from Belva Lockwood's in the mid-late Nineteenth century through Ralph Nader's in the mid-late Twentieth provide not only intriguing biography, but also an excellent tour of the American history of the past 150 years and some of the key social and legal issues confronted. The portraits of, for example, Mrs. Lockwood's battles for the legal rights of women and Samuel Leibowitz's for the black "Scottsboro Nine," are moving and the more compelling because they are juxtaposed alongside the equally dramatic stories of Clarence Darrow, Louis Brandeis, Thurgood Marshall, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Ralph Nader, Charles Houston, William Kunstler, and Morris Dees .

   PEOPLE'S LAWYERS should be in every public library, high school library, and college library in the country. It should also be in the collections of people deeply interested in the law, the constitution, and in understanding historical social change in America. I also wish that today's crop of politicians and lawyers would read it!




2. Peoples' Lawyers presents comprehensive, scholarly, yet highly
   engaging accounts of the lives of lawyers who made a *positive*
   difference in the U.S. Some of them are well known and still active such as Ralph Nader, Morris Dees and Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
   Others are less well known such as Belva Lockwood, Samuel Leibowitz and Charles Hamilton Houston. ALL have made major contributions to American society by helping to close the gap between the American "ideal" of "freedom and justice for all"
   and the realities of discrimination, class advantage and political and corporate corruption.

   The authors present detailed accounts of the lawyers including the variety of early childhood experiences which contributed to their passion for justice. The depiction of of their personal lives coupled with the obstacles the lawyers had to overcome in their pursuit of justice for all make for compelling and inspiratinal reading.

   Another plus of the book is the detailed descriptions of the major court cases the lawyers were involved with.These are wisely
   placed in a separate section after the biography of the
   respective lawyers.

   The book is written by two scholars and thus is very well documented. The writing is lucid and compelling. Thus, both scholars AND the intelligent general public would find the book
   of interest. Detailed bibliographies enable those interested to
   pursue their study of the lawyers.

   During a time when the news is filled with accounts of corporate,
   political and journalistic corruption and injustices, Peoples'Lawyers, reminds us that there were and still are some whose patience, persistence and perseverance for the cause of justice can lead to victory and increased justice.




3. People's Lawyers. Crusaders for Justice in American History. By Diana Klebanow and Franklin L. Jonas. M.E. Sharpe: Armonk, New York and London, 2003. Reviewed by John C. Greene.

   People's Lawyers is a fascinating account of ten individuals, two of them women, who devoted their legal careers to defending the rights of persons most of whom were treated harshly by the authorities because of their race, gender, or radical views. Some of these lawyers - Clarence Darrow, Louis Brandeis, Thurgood Marshall, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and Ralph Nader - are well known figures in American history. Others - Belva Lockwood, Samuel Leibowitz, Charles Houston, William Kunstler, and Morris Dees - are less well known, but all felt the call to see that the poor, the defenseless, the radical, the unpopular were given the protections guaranteed by the Constitution and that their persecutors were brought to justice.
   For each of these champions of equal justice under law the authors provide a life chronology, a biography, a summary of the chief cases in which each was involved, and an extensive bibliography of the sources consulted by the authors. The biographies, full of drama and, in some cases, risk to life and limb by lawyers confronting racial prejudice head-on, are told in fluent prose presenting the historical facts fairly and with full command of the legal issues involved. The authors obviously admire the courage and skill of their "people's lawyers", but they describe them warts and all as fallible human beings.
   The summaries of leading cases following each biography presents both the majority ruling of the court and the dissenting opinions if any, and then indicate the significance of the case in the long view of American constitutional history. Readers having some familiarity with that history will find these cases especially interesting, but no such previous knowledge is required to appreciate the drama and importance of the lives and work of these ten "people's lawyers".

   John C. Greene is Professor of History Emeritus, University of Connecticut. He resides at 651 Sinex Ave., Pacific Grove, CA 93950

3 comments about Louis Armstrong: An American Genius.

1. Perhaps it was because he was writing during a time when biographies of celebrities were thought to be oh-so-wonderful if they brought down the artist, Collier here goes out of his way to denigrate Armstrong based on specious if not entirely spacey evidence. According to Collier, Armstrong was just short of an Uncle Tom, couldn't play that well... I mean, pick your poison here and Collier will serve it up. If you pay $45 bucks for this, consider it wasted.



2. I was completely disapointed by this book. SInce the begining the author is only taking advantage of the trapped reader to show him how much he knows about the origins of technical jazz. There is really little about Louis and his lif per se. The author rather gives a rough background stating that little is known (he shouldn't have written a book about such a personality if little was known about him)and the few facts that he states he refutes arguing they are not true or completely true. Even refering to Louis autobiography trying to demonstrate that the artist himself was wrong in his own words.
   
   Just a well written account of Jazz origins dressed up as a Louis Armstrong Biography, maybe the only way James Lincoln Collier could sell a copy. Disguising the buyer and cheating on the reader.
   
   Strongly not recomended !!!



3. Collier did a great job! His historiography is as brilliant as ever. It seems to me that the mainstream of Jazz so-called "scholars" don't like Collier because he's got no race bias and because of his impartiality. Actually, Mr. Collier is the best American writer on the subject, as he knows musical theory and is also a fine researcher.

5 comments about Flame-out : From Prosecuting Jeffrey MacDonald to Serving Time to Serving Tables.

1. I found this book to be a real exercise in courage, humility and honesty on the part of James Blackburn, and I admire him for it greatly. The fall from grace that he experienced would have completely and utterly destroyed a weaker man. To be so high and to fall so low is truly not to be underestimated. Blackburn is to be commended for sharing as much of his personal story as he did.

   The honesty with which he deals with his depression are perhaps the most compelling parts of this book. It's rare that a reader is granted access to the inside of a depressed mind. Blackburn does a decent job of showing the reader what his state of mind was like at the time.

   All in all, however, the book suffers from Blackburn's storytelling skills. The book reads rather much like it was directly transcribed from dictation. There is very little art in Blackburn's writing.

   Nevertheless, I'd recommend this book to anyone who is suffering from work-related depression. It's truly a unique and useful read in that regard.




2. Jim Blackburn is a wonderful person who has chosen to open his heart to the world. The lessons to be learned by his journey from respected lawyer to convicted felon and then to waiter are invaluable. Without having a preaching or condecending tone, Jim relates to the reader his experiences and what he learned from them. It would add another wonderful chapter to his story if this books becomes a best seller.



3. I have a great deal of respect for the author. Writing this book must
   have been a daunting task; one that required an immense amount of
   courage. Mr. Blackburn's candor and honesty are unique and refreshing,
   and the story of his fall and relatively rapid return to grace
   sensational. Overcoming depression is a daunting task, one that many
   individuals are unable to conquer. The first step in the journey may
   be to recognize that you need help. Admitting that you have a problem
   can be difficult and painful. Once you admit the problem and find
   help, you must work extremely hard to conquer your demons! Overcoming
   depression is a great deal of work. This book inspires readers to
   climb their personal mountain to achieve and overcome obstacles. I am
   both inspired and refreshed, and I sincerely admire the author for
   coming back despite odds that appeared insurmountable. Although local
   readers are likely to know the story of Mr. Blackburn's conviction,
   writing the book has turned the story into a national one. I
   appreciate and admire the author for his honesty, strenth and courage,
   and wish Mr. Blackburn future success. I hope he continues writing!



4. The title of this book may initially attract you because of the famous Jeffery Mcdonald murder case. But the book itself ends up being about every man..our temptations, our potential for self-destruction without regard to education or socio-economic status. And yet James Blackburn gives us a message: there is redemption--but apparently only through confession, humiliation and loss. This is an easy concept to preach but actually doing it is another thing entirely. This book is written by a man who did all of it and lived to tell the tale as a better person. It was gave me insight into myself and others--- and taught me not to judge a person by scandal in the newspaper.



5. This book was written by my friend, Jim Blackburn, who I met twenty-seven years ago when he was Assistant Attorney General for Consumer Affairs in Raleigh, North Carolina. He quickly became not only a friend, but a man I respected for his wisdom, wit, good advice, and good looks, I might add. After reading this book, I find it difficult to put into words the respect I have for his courage, perserverance, honesty, and integrity. He pours out his heart and soul regarding his journey from great heights and his fall to greater depths and does a marvelous job of conveying his emotions and detailing this very complex situation on paper.

   Jim lost a great deal and made some very serious mistakes that would have broken a lesser man. His story is an inspiration to all who suffer from depression. He can now write and share greater wisdom, deeper wit, better advice, and still has the same good looks! I cannot wait for his next book!

No comments about The Footpaths of Justice William O. Douglas: A Legacy of Place.

No comments about His Sacred Honor.

1 comments about Justice Stephen Field: Shaping Liberty from the Gold Rush to the Gilded Age.

1. Paul Kens has written a lively, entertaining, and scholarly intellectual biography of one of the most fascinating justices of the U.S. Supreme Court, Stephen J. Field. Kens traces Field's career from his days as a young attorney just landed in gold-rush-crazed San Francisco in 1849, to his appointment to the U.S. Supreme Court less than fourteen years later, and on to the end of the century. Along the way, Kens discusses the political and economic events that shaped the thinking of Field and those with whom he did intellectual battle. Throughout, the book deals with an issue central to law in the economic realm: Does the economic power with which society might legitimately be concerned stem from government alone, or do other, private sources of power warrant a governmental response? Field clearly answered this question in one way, whereas for much of their history Americans have answered it in another. It may be a question that, every generation or so, Americans must answer anew....

   Kens provides a balanced view. It would be easy to characterize Field as an apologist for the wealthy establishment--and he was so characterized by contemporary critics. But that characterization was not correct. Field's logic led him to take politically unpopular stands, especially with respect to issues of race, immigration, and corporate power. His concern about the potential abuse of government caused him to defend a strong role for federal judicial oversight of state legislation--recognizing that state legislatures might be even more likely than Congress to adopt special-interest legislation.

No comments about Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes.

No comments about The Rehnquist Legacy.

No comments about Alan V. Lowenstein: New Jersey Lawyer & Community Leader.

2 comments about Architect of Justice: Felix S. Cohen and the Founding of American Legal Pluralism.

1. Tsuk Mitchell's remarkable achievement melds political theory, law, philosophy, and our legal treatment of Native Americans into a wonderfully rich and sensitive intellectual biography of one of the last century's leading legal thinkers who, really quite by accident, also became the creator of modern American Indian law. She skillfully and subtly integrates the deep ideas underlying Cohen's different fields of interest and achievement and his early life influences into a coherent theory of legal pluralism as she analyzes, for the first time, his experiences as a second-generation Jewish immigrant, his education at the hands of leading philosophers and law teachers, his relationship with his father who was one of America's leading philosophers, and what he learned while working at the Department of the Interior during the New Deal.
   
   This book is a terrific and enlightening read on its own. It is also, perhaps, the best account of the philosophy underlying our contemporary legal treatment of Native Americans. More than that, the book provides the reader with an alternative legal vision of communal life in an America characterized by great diversity, a vision that had real currency during the first half of the 20th century until it was eclipsed by individualism as our reigning mode of legal thought and action.
   
   The story of Cohen's striving for justice for all, his successes, and his failures, provide important original insights into the development of modern America. Anybody interested in the way American values of acceptance, tolerance, and community can be integrated into a liberal democratic society will find this book must-reading.
   
   Cohen was a man who deserved a biography, and in Tsuk Mitchell he got the biographer he deserved. The American Historical Association certainly knew what it was doing when it awarded this book its prestigious Littleton-Griswold Prize in 2007.



2. This is a major work of intellectual biography written by an associate professor of law at George Washington University here in Washington, D.C. The subject is a real giant in the field of American jurisprudence (and other areas as well) about whom we hear relatively little these days despite his many lasting accomplishments: Felix S. Cohen (1907-1953). I originally read this book because of Cohen's role as an important legal realist during the 1930"s (e.g., "Transcendental Nonsense and the Functional Approach"). I was pleasantly surprised to discover as I read this fine book that this was but one facet of his multi-dimensional activities and contributions.
   
   Because the book is as rich as its subject, it is impossible to touch upon many points in a short review. The key focus of the author is to discuss Cohen and the development of his concepts of pluralism, group autonomy and group power, and how Cohen saw this dimension of American political (and legal) life as a source of important empirically-based values. The book effectively sketches Cohen's early life (and his relationship to his father Morris R. Cohen, the important CCNY philosopher). There is a helpful discussion of Cohen's first book, "Ethical Systems and Legal Ideas." Out of Columbia law, and not wanting to be a full-time academic, Cohen ended up (of all places) at the Department of the Interior where he remained a number of years. He got involved in Interior's role as trustee and administrator for the American Indians. It was within this context that Cohen worked out many of his key ideas about pluralism and decentralization, and he was deeply involved in the so-called "Indian New Deal" reform efforts. He also wrote the key book on Indian law which is still used today, and worked to get Jewish refugees resettled in Alaska or the Virgin Islands. One of the strengths of the book is the author is very effective in relating how Cohen's activities (such as while at Interior) influenced and shaped the development of his thought.
   
   The author also discusses Cohen's post-Interior period in private practice where he handled a number of important Indian cases and continued to develop his efforts to develop a "conscious ethical criticism of law." He also taught law school and wrote or edited several books, including a basic jurisprudential collection with his father. One of the more interesting areas he worked in was attempting to tie the reliance upon precedent to particular values and their origins. His untimely death at 46 foreclosed what could have been amazing further contributions.
   
   It is helpful to have handy when reading this book Cohen's collected articles and reviews edited by his wife, Lucy Cohen--"The Legal Conscience." There is but one problem I encountered with the book. The author, whose research is comprehensive, devotes a good chunk of the book to Indian related themes--since this is what Cohen spent much of his time being involved with. The detail here, as with the rest of the book, is exhaustive. However, if one is not particularly interested in this topic, it can really become a challenge to keep plowing through the extensive discussion. On the other hand, this is the environment that gave rise to much of Cohen's key contributions, and it is essential to understand this context. An extremely and quite extensive bibliography is included. By any measure, a book worthy of its subject.