Rating: 
Summary: Outstanding Biography
Review: ...This is great book, the most enjoyable biography I've read in a long time. Douglas was one of those people who seem destined to be president but never made it (Nelson Rockefeller is another such person). It's fascinating how he maneuvered for years to get his shot at the White House. Never being able to achieve what he really wanted, Douglas slowly moved far away from the mainstream of Supreme Court behavior in terms of his judicial philosophy and temperament. In his final years on the Court, he issued opinions that were brazenly at odds with normal decision-making on the Court. (He once tried to stop the bombing of Cambodia.) This biography is full of such interesting details. Highly recommended.
Rating: 
Summary: A Fine Book, But Maybe Needs A Little More Balance
Review: Bruce Allen Murphy's "Wild Bill" left me feeling conflicted. Unlike the other reviewers so far, I can't say I loved the book, or that I hated it. Murphy's research is exhaustive and impressive, and his narrative powers do make the amazing story of Douglas' life read more like a novel. He deserves much credit for peeling away the layers of myth that Douglas laid over the true story of his life. At the end, though, I came away feeling that the good that Douglas accomplished somehow got lost in the bargain. There must have been some reason a couple of generations looked to him as a champion of individual liberties. It's there, all right, but it seems to almost disappear in an ocean of negatives. Overall, though, the good outweighs the flaws; this is a worthwhile book for anyone who wants to know more about Douglas, the Supreme Court, or one of the most tumultuous eras in American life.
Rating:
Summary: AN AMAZING AND FASCINATING BOOK!
Review: Bruce Allen Murphy's biography of William O. Douglas is not only groundbreaking, it is a truly amazing effort. It is a surprisingly easy read--in fact I found it hard to put down. He tells us in his author's note that he spent 15 years researching this work, and his careful efforts show. He talked to people who knew Douglas well, dug through newspapers from his subject's childhood homes, went through diaries and photo albums from Douglas's friends and acquaintances, and has told us the true story of Douglas's life.
Not many of us could be as accurate about our own lives as Murphy is about Douglas's. We tend to gloss over the parts of our lives that we wish were different. Douglas, however, did more than that. He invented a life that was the way he wanted the world to see him, and made it public through his autobiographies. Murphy has discovered the person beneath the myth that Douglas had build up about himself, and explains the reasons for Douglas's tall tales. It is high time we stop thinking of our Supreme Court justices as gods on Olympus, and realized that they are just as human as the rest of us. To understand Douglas's need to make his public image different than his real life is to understand the man--not just the judge. This book is not just a really compelling biography, however. It is a fascinating history of 20th century American politics. It reminds us of where we have been, the struggles that we have survived for equality, freedom, and the environment. It also serves as a lesson for the future. Douglas foresaw many issues that are important to us today.
Murphy's book is as brilliant as his subject was prescient. It gives us some important lessons as well as being a highly entertaining read. MOST HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!!!
Rating:
Summary: AN AMAZING AND FASCINATING BOOK!
Review: Bruce Allen Murphy's biography of William O. Douglas is not only groundbreaking, it is a truly amazing effort. It is a surprisingly easy read--in fact I found it hard to put down. He tells us in his author's note that he spent 15 years researching this work, and his careful efforts show. He talked to people who knew Douglas well, dug through newspapers from his subject's childhood homes, went through diaries and photo albums from Douglas's friends and acquaintances, and has told us the true story of Douglas's life.
Not many of us could be as accurate about our own lives as Murphy is about Douglas's. We tend to gloss over the parts of our lives that we wish were different. Douglas, however, did more than that. He invented a life that was the way he wanted the world to see him, and made it public through his autobiographies. Murphy has discovered the person beneath the myth that Douglas had build up about himself, and explains the reasons for Douglas's tall tales. It is high time we stop thinking of our Supreme Court justices as gods on Olympus, and realized that they are just as human as the rest of us. To understand Douglas's need to make his public image different than his real life is to understand the man--not just the judge. This book is not just a really compelling biography, however. It is a fascinating history of 20th century American politics. It reminds us of where we have been, the struggles that we have survived for equality, freedom, and the environment. It also serves as a lesson for the future. Douglas foresaw many issues that are important to us today.
Murphy's book is as brilliant as his subject was prescient. It gives us some important lessons as well as being a highly entertaining read. MOST HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!!!
Rating:
Summary: Brilliance bound in a book
Review: Bruce Murphy, Americas finest Supreme court biographer has done it again. He has resurrected the truths and falisies of an "odd duck", William O. Douglas. Thank heaven for such geniuses as Murphy in the World.
Rating:
Summary: Very impressive effort
Review: It seems obvious that a tremendous amount of work went into this biography and I feel that the results were absolutely worth that effort and thus I would recommend this book highly. And what do we learn about Justice Douglas? As a husband (four times over), he was terrible. As a parent, he was similarly terrible, enough so that his kids more or less disowned him, and rightfully so. As a boss (to his law clerks and secretaries), he was atrocious to work for. Indeed, looking at the "private Douglas", there is almost nothing admirable about the man. On the other hand, looking at "Justice Douglas", we see a hard-working, extremely bright man, whose views on the Amendments in the Bill of Rights (especially the First Amendment) made him the champion of the poor, the dispossed, the repressed and the oppressed. Moreover, with the benefit of hindsight, I would say that most of his liberal leaning opinions (whether in the majority or in dissent) have held up well over the years, especially in the First Amendment area. Of course, one might conclude that certain issues he had to deal with, particularly on the race front (say, whether a poll tax in the South was constitutional) were less tricky than issues we confront today such as reverse discrimination under the guise of diversity (such as the U. of Michigan Law School case currently awaiting decision by the Spreme Court). It is interesting to note however that in one of his last cases on the bench in 1974, he indicated that he had no tolerance any kind of quotas, even if dressed up in the lingo of diversity. On a more general note, I would say that writing a biography of a judge is in some ways more challenging than writing the biography of other famous people from other professions like, say, entertainers, athletes, performers or even politicians. For those kinds of subjects, when they "doing their profession", whether for better of worse, the public is watching and, more importantly, reacting. Thus, one can compare the actions of the subject with the response of the public, whether the subject is on the way up or on the way down. However, with a judge, even an influential Justice like Douglas, when he is doing his job, he is simply writing opinions. While it is interesting to see what those opinions are (particularly if a juducial philosophy changes over time as Douglas' clearly did), to summarize or recite all those opinions may not, in the hands of the wrong person, make for such a fascinating biography. However I feel that Murphy did a masterly job.
Rating:
Summary: Very impressive effort
Review: It seems obvious that a tremendous amount of work went into this biography and I feel that the results were absolutely worth that effort and thus I would recommend this book highly. And what do we learn about Justice Douglas? As a husband (four times over), he was terrible. As a parent, he was similarly terrible, enough so that his kids more or less disowned him, and rightfully so. As a boss (to his law clerks and secretaries), he was atrocious to work for. Indeed, looking at the "private Douglas", there is almost nothing admirable about the man. On the other hand, looking at "Justice Douglas", we see a hard-working, extremely bright man, whose views on the Amendments in the Bill of Rights (especially the First Amendment) made him the champion of the poor, the dispossed, the repressed and the oppressed. Moreover, with the benefit of hindsight, I would say that most of his liberal leaning opinions (whether in the majority or in dissent) have held up well over the years, especially in the First Amendment area. Of course, one might conclude that certain issues he had to deal with, particularly on the race front (say, whether a poll tax in the South was constitutional) were less tricky than issues we confront today such as reverse discrimination under the guise of diversity (such as the U. of Michigan Law School case currently awaiting decision by the Spreme Court). It is interesting to note however that in one of his last cases on the bench in 1974, he indicated that he had no tolerance any kind of quotas, even if dressed up in the lingo of diversity. On a more general note, I would say that writing a biography of a judge is in some ways more challenging than writing the biography of other famous people from other professions like, say, entertainers, athletes, performers or even politicians. For those kinds of subjects, when they "doing their profession", whether for better of worse, the public is watching and, more importantly, reacting. Thus, one can compare the actions of the subject with the response of the public, whether the subject is on the way up or on the way down. However, with a judge, even an influential Justice like Douglas, when he is doing his job, he is simply writing opinions. While it is interesting to see what those opinions are (particularly if a juducial philosophy changes over time as Douglas' clearly did), to summarize or recite all those opinions may not, in the hands of the wrong person, make for such a fascinating biography. However I feel that Murphy did a masterly job.
Rating:
Summary: Great read
Review: Mr. Murphy's book is perhaps the easiest 500+ pages I have ever read. It was suprisingly humorous. Some of the aspects Wlliam O. Douglas' life were hilarious, the type of stories that you could not make up yourself. Mr. Murphy, though, was rather generous to Douglas. He could have easily written the book in a manner that would reflect negative bias on Douglas top to bottom. However, he decided to lay out the facts and let the reader decide. I applaud him for that. Douglas was a great character, and Mr. Murphy presents him well. Great work. This book is well worth your time.
Rating:
Summary: Great read
Review: Mr. Murphy's book is perhaps the easiest 500+ pages I have ever read. It was suprisingly humorous. Some of the aspects Wlliam O. Douglas' life were hilarious, the type of stories that you could not make up yourself. Mr. Murphy, though, was rather generous to Douglas. He could have easily written the book in a manner that would reflect negative bias on Douglas top to bottom. However, he decided to lay out the facts and let the reader decide. I applaud him for that. Douglas was a great character, and Mr. Murphy presents him well. Great work. This book is well worth your time.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Biography of the Controversial Justice
Review: Murphy has done an excellent research and writing job to bring us the story of Justice William O. Douglas. Brilliant, misdirected, and insecure. Those three words sum up Douglas and his life and his accomplishments.
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