5 comments about You Have to Stand for Something or You'll Fall for Anything.

1. I read this book before Star was popular I don't recall The View even being on the air or at least I wasn't watching it. But as an aspiring attorney I was compelled to read this book. I enjoyed it greatly; I understand why she was such a successful lawyer. In a day and age where "anything goes." The title of this book is excellent. It's a good read and gives you great insight into her life, before the glitz and glam. Great read and inspiration to someone that wants to "be somebody."



2. The first two chapters were extremely boring. She talks about a white lady who wants her black friend buried in the white cemetery. The lady stands for something, Star says. She also talks about her mom, who got pregnant with Star, then dumped her off on a crew of some very obliging relatives in North Carolina while she finished college at Rutgers University. Once graduated, and having obtained a "good" job she reclaims 6 year old Star and they live in the projects along with Star's new baby sister (who had not been dumped off on relatives). While living in the projects, little kids run back and forth across the street to the store, unsupervised. When Star is eight years old, she sees a little boy hit by a truck and killed. She's proud when her mom is arrested at a sit-in on the street to protest the lack of a light signal. Later, her mom marries and Star says that at first, her mom and her husband both have "low-paying" jobs. What happened to the "good" job? And if it's such a good job, why are they living in the projects?
   
   The rest is basically a brag-fest. Her whole family has done nothing but praise her to the skies her entire life, so that's why she's brimming with supreme self-confidence. So why is she writing this book? Well, to tell you that you too can be a diva. Star gives fashion lessons (but for full-figured women only - and she hates that term but adores her 42DD's) - wear a chiffon duster over your clothes, and never ride in a white limo because they are tacky, a black Mercedes limo is the best, but if you have to, a Cadillac will do. A red SUV will also display you to the best advantage. Star's role model is Erica Kane from the soap opera All My Children, which says something about her priorities.
   
   I do have one question. Star says she is disappointed one Christmas because her dad (who lives in NC) promised her a stereo. Her mom, seeing that no stereo is about to materialize, runs out in the middle of the night to purchase one for her with money that they don't really have. This would be about 1974 - before 24 hour Walmarts and KMarts. So where did she find this stereo in the middle of the night?
   
   But most of the book is about how great and wonderful Star is, and if you ever do anything to hurt her or make her mad, she'll never forget it. And she doesn't care who doesn't like her because her step-daddy told her she is fine!
   
   I think Star is leaving out a lot she doesn't want us to know.



3. It is unclear what and why the author writes. She obviously has nothing of importance or substance to impart, and her personality is uninteresting by all standards. Most people overcome stronger adversities in life and they do it with infinite more grace. Why the author feels her life is more remarkable than others is really mind-boggling. Reading this book is a waste of time and buying it is a waste of money. There is really no message in this book and the author, despite her much self-praised legal training, fails to build any minimal argument on any of her potluck of topics.
   Simplistic, at best; merely stupid.



4. Star Jones is an inspiration. Her bravery and courage, I'll call it "bravage," is the standard to which every American should hold themselves (and possibly some Canadians). In this book she chronicles her struggles with IBS, HPV, lycanthropy, fear of elves, crossing guard's elbow and having been born without humility. For the first time really, we see that Star's not just fabulous in fur, she's fabulous in print. If I could get my arms around her, I'd hug her. Star's spirit cannot be held down by her lack of any discernable talent! Bravo!



5. This woman can not write, her book has no substance, there is basically nothing to review. What is interesting is how much weight she has lost from then to now. Star claims she has not had a gastric bypass......... could have fooled me. My friend tommy met her, he said she is rude and smelly. She is the most annoying person on the view. who did she screw to get on the view?

2 comments about Legal Spectator & More.

1. "Writing in the first person and sounding very much the after-dinner raconteur, Stein tells stories that connect lawyers to their ups, downs, fears, quirks, ironies, history, and even such unlikely subjects as the French Impressionists. What is so refreshing is that, unlike other big-name lawyers in Stein's elevated loft, he is ever the self-effacing narrator and eschews any mention of his own courtroom triumphs. ... What makes this collection so fascinating is that it is not limited to lawyers, judges and courtrooms. Indeed, Stein treats us to a delightful series of essays about such figures as Bing Crosby, Peter Arno, Franz Kafka, George M. Cohan, Somerset Maugham, Winston Churchill, and Ernest Hemingway."
   
   -- Peter D. Baird, Litigation, Fall 2004



2. I've been reading Jacob Stein's essays for many years in the Washington Lawyer. He has put many of his favorites in this very enjoyable book (you can also see many of his essays on the web).

   Not all of the essays are about lawyers directly, but most relate to Washington, DC and all are based on his experiences, ranging from literature, through "An Evening with Louis Armstrong" to popular culture.

   This is a great gift for anyone who loves the law, Washington, or good writing by a Washington raconteur.

1 comments about A Song of Faith and Hope: The Life of Frankie Muse Freeman.

1. A Song Of Faith And Hope: The Life Of Frankie Muse Freeman is the fascinating memoir of a most remarkable African-American woman, who grew up in the Jim Crow era South and, upset at the injustice that surrounded her every day, became an effective St. Louis civil rights attorney who dedicated her personal and professional life to improving justice and equality for all, and which eventually earned her the distinction of being the first woman to be appointed to the U.S. Commission of Civil Rights. A stirring portrayal and highly recommended reading, A Song Of Faith And Hope is an invaluable contribution to personal and academic Black Studies collections.

No comments about To Life: The Story of a Chicago Lawyer.

No comments about Shaking It Rough: A Prison Memoir (Goodread Biographies).

1 comments about Matthew J. Perry: The Man, His Times, and His Legacy.

1. This books does more than just tell you about the gentleman lawyer, Matthew J. Perry, it sets the scene for him before, during and now in South Carolina. The book puts in perspective what Perry had to deal with as he fought for the rights of South Carolina's African American citizens. He is an unflappable, decisive, thorough, warm, honest human being and a civil rights attorney par excellence. It is well written, with various contributors talking about him based on their experiences. It is well documented, so that it may also be used as a reference tool. It is timely and very readable. I recommend it highly.

1 comments about In Pursuit of Right and Justice: Edward Weinfeld As Lawyer and Judge.

1. This is a very fine biography of U.S. District Judge Edward Weinfeld (1901-1988), who served on the Southern District of New York from 1950 until his death. The author, a distinguished legal historian at NYU Law, has added insights into the Judge due to his tenure as Weinfeld's clerk during 1965-1966. However, the real foundation of the volume is extraordinary research into published and unpublished sources, plus a nice range of interviews as well. As solid an accomplishment as the book is as a judicial biography, its contributions go far beyond even that. The book traces Weinfeld from his youth on the Lower East Side in the early years of the 20th century, as he undergoes a process of socialization in the public schools. It follows his legal education at NYU and his early practice--thereby demonstrating the role that legal education played in upward mobility for some. It discusses his political and governmental activities, and his close relationship with Governor Lehman. It illustrates how one becomes a district judge, but also can fail in securing promotion to the Circuit Court of Appeals. But most importantly, the book -- almost more than any other I can think of -- focuses on the values that guided Weinfeld's judicial decision making and his perception of the judicial role. For students of the judicial process, this discussion is a goldmine of invaluable insights, and the author is to be commended for the skill and diligence with which he develops this perspective. At 227 pages of text, the narrative moves along quite nicely; plus there are 54 pages of useful notes. It clearly is the biography that such a great judge deserves.

1 comments about Without Fear of Favour.

1. ANOTHER HIT FROM THE "CHIEF". JUST LOOK AT THE CRAP HE WENT THROUGH WHILE SERVING PROUDLY. QUITE A GUY, LOOKING FORWARD TO THE FOLLOW UP.

1 comments about Going the Distance: Trials and Tribulations.

1. George Caner, one of the most forceful and articulate trial lawyers practicing in Boston over the past forty years, has written a wonderful account of some of the most challenging (and notorious) cases he has handled over that time period. I rank this book right up there with Louis Nizer's classic, My Life In Court, and believe that it is essential reading not only for any trial attorney seeking to improve her/his skills, but also for any person who delights in the workings and insights of an extraodinary mind.

No comments about The Making of a Southerner: William Barclay Napton's Private Civil War.