Rating: 
Summary: Justice for All, But Oh, the Cost
Review: A quarter of a century after it was first published, "Simple Justice" still has the power to move, enrage and touch the hearts of anyone who believes that justice ultimately prevails. It should be required reading in any college U.S. history course because it shines an intense spotlight on the complex development of legal issues and thinking that produced the end of segregation in the United States. I do not exaggerate when I say I believe that this is the best history book I've ever read. Further, it's wise to read it now, because an awful lot of the people instrumental in the ultimate decision, Brown vs. the Board of Education, are dying out. The late Thurgood Marshall is a great example of a lost legal talent and courageous leader who did the right thing by all Americans by winning this case. Read this book now, if only so you'll recognize the heroes in their obituaries. What Richard Kluger has done in this account is spell out the development first of segregation, telling us just who and how the dreaded Jim Crow laws came about-including segregation laws in the North-and then walk us through how, piece by piece, legal decisions were strung together to put an end to legal segregation. I grew up in the 1960s and 1970s and, if I thought about it at all, had the idea that the Brown decision had more or less come out of nowhere. Eventually, I began to catch on, and then I read this book. If you are similar-minded, this book will set you straight and point you to the many unsung heroes who have made us a fairer country, in line with the ideals that helped found this country. If you're a parent looking for good role models, forget sports and entertainment. Look to this book for examples of people who literally risked everything, and often paid dearly, to do the right thing. They didn't shrink from the challenge; they stepped forward, many many times. That so many others did not only reminds us of how fearful we are to force change or risk our own well being to tackle injustice. I wish I could rate it higher.
Rating:
Summary: Justice for All, But Oh, the Cost
Review: A quarter of a century after it was first published, "Simple Justice" still has the power to move, enrage and touch the hearts of anyone who believes that justice ultimately prevails. It should be required reading in any college U.S. history course because it shines an intense spotlight on the complex development of legal issues and thinking that produced the end of segregation in the United States. I do not exaggerate when I say I believe that this is the best history book I've ever read. Further, it's wise to read it now, because an awful lot of the people instrumental in the ultimate decision, Brown vs. the Board of Education, are dying out. The late Thurgood Marshall is a great example of a lost legal talent and courageous leader who did the right thing by all Americans by winning this case. Read this book now, if only so you'll recognize the heroes in their obituaries. What Richard Kluger has done in this account is spell out the development first of segregation, telling us just who and how the dreaded Jim Crow laws came about-including segregation laws in the North-and then walk us through how, piece by piece, legal decisions were strung together to put an end to legal segregation. I grew up in the 1960s and 1970s and, if I thought about it at all, had the idea that the Brown decision had more or less come out of nowhere. Eventually, I began to catch on, and then I read this book. If you are similar-minded, this book will set you straight and point you to the many unsung heroes who have made us a fairer country, in line with the ideals that helped found this country. If you're a parent looking for good role models, forget sports and entertainment. Look to this book for examples of people who literally risked everything, and often paid dearly, to do the right thing. They didn't shrink from the challenge; they stepped forward, many many times. That so many others did not only reminds us of how fearful we are to force change or risk our own well being to tackle injustice. I wish I could rate it higher.
Rating:
Summary: Justice for All, But Oh, the Cost
Review: A quarter of a century after it was first published, "Simple Justice" still has the power to move, enrage and touch the hearts of anyone who believes that justice ultimately prevails. It should be required reading in any college U.S. history course because it shines an intense spotlight on the complex development of legal issues and thinking that produced the end of segregation in the United States. I do not exaggerate when I say I believe that this is the best history book I've ever read. Further, it's wise to read it now, because an awful lot of the people instrumental in the ultimate decision, Brown vs. the Board of Education, are dying out. The late Thurgood Marshall is a great example of a lost legal talent and courageous leader who did the right thing by all Americans by winning this case. Read this book now, if only so you'll recognize the heroes in their obituaries. What Richard Kluger has done in this account is spell out the development first of segregation, telling us just who and how the dreaded Jim Crow laws came about-including segregation laws in the North-and then walk us through how, piece by piece, legal decisions were strung together to put an end to legal segregation. I grew up in the 1960s and 1970s and, if I thought about it at all, had the idea that the Brown decision had more or less come out of nowhere. Eventually, I began to catch on, and then I read this book. If you are similar-minded, this book will set you straight and point you to the many unsung heroes who have made us a fairer country, in line with the ideals that helped found this country. If you're a parent looking for good role models, forget sports and entertainment. Look to this book for examples of people who literally risked everything, and often paid dearly, to do the right thing. They didn't shrink from the challenge; they stepped forward, many many times. That so many others did not only reminds us of how fearful we are to force change or risk our own well being to tackle injustice. I wish I could rate it higher.
Rating:
Summary: Extremely comprehensive and informative!
Review: An absolute must for any library collection. An excellent historical documentation of Brown v Board and nearly every case since the the civil war that impacted the Struggle for Equality. It was required reading in one of my law school classes. I highly recommend this book!
Rating:
Summary: Extremely comprehensive and informative!
Review: An absolute must for any library collection. An excellent historical documentation of Brown v Board and nearly every case since the the civil war that impacted the Struggle for Equality. It was required reading in one of my law school classes. I highly recommend this book!
Rating:
Summary: Amazing narrative of legal civil rights history
Review: Better than any biography on any of the characters involved in the many cases leading up to the Brown v. Board of Education decision. Dramatically will increase your understanding of civil rights history. The best legal analysis and historical depiction of the Brown decision. A compelling read.
Rating:
Summary: The Most Important History Book You'll Ever Read
Review: Do yourself a favor, and sit down with this book. Simple Justice does a superb job of showing us how a belief in what is right and a commitment to change can alter the course of history. Thurgood Marshall and his team are national heros, and the Warren court showed the courage necessary to do the right thing despite political pressure. Read it, read it, read it.
Rating:
Summary: Can I give it a six?
Review: I am taking the time to write a review of this book simply because I consider it the best non-fiction book I have ever read. (And no, I am not a friend or relative of the author.) The topic is an important topic, but that is not what made this book special for me. What made it special is the narrative style employed by Kluger that makes this book read like a novel. It engaged me and pulled me through to see how the story turned out. (Not the Court Case, I knew that result; but what I didn't know was how the case impacted each of the individual actors. It was a life changing event for all of them and Kluger explores this in detail.)
Rating:
Summary: Can I give it a six?
Review: I am taking the time to write a review of this book simply because I consider it the best non-fiction book I have ever read. (And no, I am not a friend or relative of the author.) The topic is an important topic, but that is not what made this book special for me. What made it special is the narrative style employed by Kluger that makes this book read like a novel. It engaged me and pulled me through to see how the story turned out. (Not the Court Case, I knew that result; but what I didn't know was how the case impacted each of the individual actors. It was a life changing event for all of them and Kluger explores this in detail.)
Rating:
Summary: One of my top 5 books of all time!
Review: I love this book. Kluger's account of what led up to Brown v. Bd. of Education is mesmerizing. He is a historian, a legal commentator, a social critic, and a wonderful writer. I have happily recommended this book to many friends; all who have attacked it have come away impressed. Do yourself a favor. The book is timeless.
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