Book Description

A fascinating portrait of the most intriguing lady in America - The First Lady - by the bestselling author who has revealed more about her than any other.

In a real sense, Hillary's Choice is a love story - one whose rocky moments, rather than remaining private, have been publicized beyond any imagining.

What is the real story of the marriage of Bill and Hillary Rodham Clinton? Gail Sheehy began to discover it seven years ago, when she wrote the first revealing piece about Hillary. Since then, she has followed and recorded this relationship as only she can.

Hillary's Choice takes the Clintons from the moment their eyes met in law school through the humiliation of the Lewinsky affair and the drama of the impeachment battle to reveal the power shifts, the genuine passion, and the ultimate price Hillary has paid for her love and her ambition.

Combined with in-depth reporting, Gail Sheehy has brought an acute understanding to the private dynamic of a very public an political partnership. ... Read more

Reviews (68)

RECOMMENDED FOR HILLARY WATCHERS
I have had the dubious pleasure of reading and rereading quite a number of works addressing the life and times of Hillary Clinton.
While I am not a great fan of Billie, I must admit to sort of an admiration for Hillary. Be-that-as-it-may, I enjoyed this book. It was well written and I thought pretty well ballanced. Many of the "facts" presented, will have to be tested by time, but for now, I feel they are probably as close to the truth we will get.
Ms Clinton is certainly one of the more fascinating individuals of our times and I am quite sure history will continue to judge her as such. She is an interesting subject. In many ways, she is us. The author of this book is an interesting writer and between the author and the subject, we get a very interesting story. Thank you Ms Gail for writing it.

A Well Balanced and Not Entirely Flattering Look Hillary!
Hillary's Choice by Gail Sheehey 2000

A Balanced Portrait (five stars)

I think Gail Sheehey has done a remarkable job of combining her interviews, the second hand sources and published materials in preparing this portrait of Hillary Clinton.

This book most certainly will raise Hillary's ire because it is not entirely flattering, yet it is not a condemnation of Mrs. Clinton either.

I think Sheehey is quite fair in her overall account of Hillary Clinton's life.The book was an excellent read and kept me engaged as a reader.

Mrs. Clinton is certainly no innocent in the political world and in her personal relationship with Bill Clinton.

I have to remark that my views of Mrs. Clinton have wavered over the years of the current Presidency. At the start I had the impression she was an overbearing individual who indeed did want to engage in a co-presidency with her husband. Our system is not designed for a co-presidency and we elected Bill Clinton for the position, not Bill and Hillary. As a result I found her to be a bit hard to take as the first term went through its first two years.

I did support her wide-ranging vision for a National Health Care Plan and was sorry to see it fail for political reasons.

As she was taken out of the loop (at least publicly) in seeming to be at the helm of the country with Bill Clinton, I found her public behavior more appropriate.

Over the years my attitude toward Hillary has waxed and waned. This of course is how I interpreted this woman from how I saw her through the eyes of the abundant media stories about her.

I believe Sheehey offers a substantive and psychologically well nuanced portrait of Hillary. Overall, I don't feel much sorrow or admiration for the woman. She is an individual who wants to play in the big leagues and she has indeed had that opportunity. She hasn't been softened by the experienced -- rather, she seems to be an angrier and yet more determined politician who certainly doesn't intend to end her stature as a woman of high visibility with the close of her husband's publicity. She wants more -- for reasons I can't quite fathom.

All in all, I believe the Clintons are both highly dysfunctional people who continue to overachieve in order to hide their own scars. It appears they will do so at any cost; sadly using the currency of other human beings without much regard.

While there have been accomplishments during this Presidency, I am certain that this country has not deserved what it has been dragged through as a result of two unhealthy individuals with enormous amounts of power.

Daniel J. Maloney

Same lousy writing and psuedo-psychobabble,
I must really confess that I can,t stand either women, either the author or the Clinton.
When in college I was forced to read the Rhetoric by Aristotle.Thank goodness, he went on and on and on about how a speaker must first establish her/his reputation and give reasons why she/he should be listened to.
Isn,t this the same Gail Sheehey who plagarized (read stole) important parts of her first novel Passages from a UCLA Psychiatry professor who was doing research on the subject.She settled out of court wisely, gave the good Dr. some dough, and must have laughed all the way to the bank.That was a long time ago and like Hilary she thought "wow, I can steal a lot of good stuff, not use some of it, pay the guy off and make a fortune." She has churned out book after book,none very good.She should have gone into politics in another country.Obviously, i was biased against the book but tried hard, really, to see if it had many redeeming qualities.
There is a great deal of factual information about Hilary, her childhood, her relationship with BIll but the interpretations of why she is motivated to do such and such are pretty shabby. I am a psychiatrist and find her attempts at divining both CLinton,s adult personalities from their childhood truamas pathetic guesswork by an amateur. I dont, think the Clinton,s can really stand each other, has anyone seen ANY genuine affection between them for all the time they,ve been on the world stage?They stay together for political and financial reasons and both seem to have very small conscienses while now both getting filthy rich.
Too be totally fair, some parts of the book are very interesting about many factual occurences Mrs.Clinton background but it didn,t change my mind about the author or the politician.

A non-fictional account of the Clintons
Read this book and you will understand why Bill and Hillary act as they do. ..... This book is much better than Hillary's fictional account of her life, "Living History". ..... "Hillary's choice is not to know what she knows." ..... A very enlightening account. ...... A "must read".

An Intimate Book
In HILLARY'S CHOICE, Mrs Clinton's public persona is presented by the author as that of a brilliant Machiavellian person and a somewhat controlled woman that, at times, (in the subject's private world) can either be vulnerable, cold or insecure. This is a very intimate portrait of one highly fascinating figure, a book that is unafraid to spill the beans and reveal what needs to be known.

The former U.S. First Lady's strengths (and failures) are clearly visible in Gail Sheehy's book. The author's treatment of her subject is rarely objective and unsentimental, and her probing of Hillary's pre-White House years highly fascinating.

Sheehy's treatment of Hillary's 2000 Senatorial race is energetic, well-researched and revealing. Furthermore, the comparison between Guilliani (the initial opponent) and Mrs Clinton is highly intriguing.

Overall, this one is a richly textured, exciting biography, and one that is always provocative. Moreover, Sheehy's work is about the fascinating world and life of a female politician in the Western World, one that still is dominated by traditions and dichotomy. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Read This!
As it says on the cover, this is as close as one will get to an autobiography of Thurgood Marshall. The author gives a fascinating insight into Marshall's life and career. Very well worth reading. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Wins its laurels right!
Many thanks to Bill Mulligan, Jr. for this collection of his father's speeches.

Bill Mulligan, Sr. was a great man, famous in a certain circle, and now he may be known to others through his own words, in saecula, saeculorum. The medium is humor, the message extols family, faith, and friendship, with amusing and enlightening digressions on history, the Law, the Irish, and more.

Mulligan, Jr.'s moving introduction and eulogy complete the portrait. Perhaps eloquence is hereditary.

"Mulligan's Law" is a treat for students of rhetoric and law, and and must for historians researching the history and values of Catholics and the Irish in America. ... Read more

Book Description

C. Steven Yerrid became a trial lawyer to make a difference. In an impressive career that spans more than twenty-five years , he has done just that. While successfully litigating virtually all types of civil cases, Yerrid has been the champion of those without the money and power usually necessary to battle corporate giants and win.

In WHEN JUSTICE PREVAILS (Yorkville Press; July 2003; $26.95 hardcover), Steve Yerrid presents eight of his most dramatic and challenging cases. Although they involve many different areas of the law - from the State of Florida’s landmark case against "Big Tobacco," to medical malpractice, personal injury, product liability, maritime catastrophe, and intellectual property law – they all share a common thread. Yerrid states, "Each one is a testament to the endurance of the human spirit. It is reflected in the victims’ ability to overcome personal tragedy and loss, as well as in the jurors’ struggle to find the truth and deliver a just verdict."

A page-turning work of legal nonfiction, WHEN JUSTICE PREVAILS depicts in vivid detail the dramatic, often heartbreaking stories of Yerrid’s clients. Writing compellingly about his own thoughts as he decides to take on each case, Yerrid offers insight into how he builds and executes his legal strategies, from opening remarks to the verbatim presentations of his emotionally charged closing arguments. Rarely have readers been given such direct access to all the fascinating moments of real-life trials – the sparring of the lawyers, the testimony of the witnesses, the turning points of cross-examination, and the behind-the-scenes maneuverings of both Yerrid and his opponents. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Credo to human spirit's endurance
Yerrid reels you right in, detail after vivid detail. You get inside his head and to the heart of the common thread in all his cases -- the nearly indominable strength of the human spirit. Not only is it fascinating how his clients' heart-wrenching stories came to be his legal cases in the first place, but the way he builds and executes his strategies lets you see firsthand the way a top gun lawyer thinks and maneuvers. There are poignant parts, whole sections that will compell you to read on faster and faster, and Yerrid's verbatim closing remarks are phenomenal -- expressive, emotionally charged... just brilliant.

I'm not a lawyer and have never worked anywhere near the field. But what this is is an incredible opportunity for us as Americans to see the justice system at work for the people, written by someone who's clearly mastered it and is in it for the good guys. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A Shrewd and Entertaining Biography
This work excels both as scholarship and as entertainment. It is highly readable, well researched, and full of astute observations about Tocqueville and his world. I found myself as fascinated by the life of this great man as I was by the time in which he lived. Jardin truly offers the reader a vivid, three-dimensional portrait of 19th century France through its political, cultural, and social faces. ... Read more

Book Description

A CHOICE Magazine Outstanding Academic Title for 2001. James Iredell sailed from England to the English colony of North Carolina in 1768 to be a customs officer at the port of Edenton. While serving King George III at the port of Edenton, Iredell studied law under Samuel Johnston, who would become his brother-in-law, mentor, and friend. Iredell became a superior lawyer and the leading essayist in his region in support of American independence. Following the American Revolution, he was the foremost advocate in North Carolina for adoption of the proposed federal Constitution and later served on the Supreme Court after ratification.

In Justice James Iredell, Whichard traces the life of this public servant from customs officer to lawyer to eminent statesman and concludes with a description of the man himself: his family, friends, finances, slaves, and religion. This fascinating book includes a picture of Justice Iredell as well as pictures of his wife, associates, home town, and publications. It is the only biography chronicling the achievements of this important figure in North Carolina and American history. ... Read more

Book Description

Blue Trust has all the ingredients of a gripping thriller -- except it's all true. In the late 1980s Bruce and Lynne Verchere had it all. He was a successful tax lawyer whose clients included Brian Mulroney, and bestselling novelist Arthur Hailey. She was a computer software entrepreneur whose innovative systems revolutionized office management throughout North America.

When Lynne's company was sold Bruce could finally afford the extravagances he had long coveted: a plane, a yacht, a summer home in Maine, and a condo in Telluride. Through intricate manipulation, he was able to secrete his family's wealth beyond the reach of the taxman and even his wife.

Then Bruce Verchere fell in love. The desperate affair and dangerous ultimatum that followed provide this true story with a chilling climax. Blue Trust is a complex tale of high drama brilliantly told by one of Canada's most admired investigative journalists. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Grim Satisfaction
The Blue Trust chronicles the rise and fall of two highly ambitious people, Bruce and Lynne Verchere. For those of us who worked at Manac Systems in the mid-eighties there is some grim sense of satisfaction with respect to the destiny of Lynne Verchere. The author avoids the darker side of Vercheres personality, but for those of us who knew her, any sense of pity that the story elicits is mitigated by the reality of having dealt with her on a day to day basis. Lynne Verchere was not a victim. The final tragedy of Bruce Verchere is a metaphor for the gaping hole in her own psyche. Notwithstanding the mess he had made of his life, Bruce Vercheres last desperate act was undoubtedly triggered by her final "victory" over him.

Ramble, Ramble
Interesting because it's a true story, and for Canadians some recognizable names, but oh does it ramble. This story could have and should have been told in 100 pages not 373.

great read
This book demonstrates how reality is stranger then fiction.Wonderfully researched, this story illustrates the folly of deciet and selfishness.

How the wildest successes can end in tragedy because of weakness in character.

This true story chronicles the life of a tax lawyer, his wife, a successful software entrepreneur, and includes among other household names, the Arthur Hailey family.

This story unfolds like a classic Greek tragedy set in contemporary western times,I look forward to reading it again for all the important lessons it holds. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Much like the Delany sisters of Brooklyn, Constance Baker Motley was one of the first black women to overcome the barriers of race and sex to become a leading figure in her field of expertise. In the mid '60s, Motley became the first black female senator, the first black woman elected to the office of Manhattan borough president, and the first woman appointed to the federal bench. Now a senior judge in a U.S. District Court of New York, Motley looks back on a lifetime of unprecedented achievements and gives personal testimony to some of the greatest moments in the civil rights movement in her autobiography, Equal Justice Under Law. Her story is an impressive one: she dramatically recounts sitting on-stage with her son as Martin Luther King Jr. gave his "I Have a Dream" speech and recalls the traumatic times in Mississippi that led to the murder of her colleague and friend, Medgar Evers. She served on the NAACP's Legal Defense and Education Fund, fought alongside Thurgood Marshall in Brown v. Board of Education, and made 10 other appearances before the Supreme Court. Fascinating as Motley's life has been, those with some prior knowledge of civil rights may fare best with this book, considering its weighted language and complex prose--an expected caveat, considering the author has spent her life steeped in the language of law. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Inspirationalpersonal history by American Legal Icon
The book was best when the Judge provides her perspective on events and personalities known to most of us only through news accounts. I enjoyed the book which was a quick read and left me hoping Judge Motely would writeanother book with greater detail of some of the very interesting episodesin her career.The author's career is remarkable and tracks the majorevents of the civil rights movement through the eyes of a women who appearsto be uneasy with the role model label.I had been looking for a book onJudge Motely after reading several books concerning the civil rightsmovement. It is remarkable that Judge Motely has not been the subject ofbiographers. Her story is unique.The book would be useful for lawyers,legal buffs and those searching for true role models.It avoids legaleaseand is written in a manner which made it a very easy read. ... Read more

Book Description

This is the true tale of a German lawyer and former member of Hitler's army who becomes an American lawyer and is drafted into the U.S. Army. Subjected to interrogations and posted to units where the army can keep him away from anything important, this private pulls a lot of KP, gets sent to a unit consisting of enemy aliens, and assigned to a Quartermaster Laundry Battalion. When it is determined that he is not a spy, he is shipped to Europe with an airborne unit. Eventually the army uses his background to its advantage, promoting him to second lieutenant and sending him to the War Crimes Unit in Germany to read secret files. He encounters Hermann Goering, Albert Speer and other Nazis when is assigned to Justice Jackson's staff for the War Crimes Trials in Nuremberg. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

"Heroes" before and afterWW II
It seems that the author was extremely successfulduring Hitler's reign. Only active members of the party or enthusiastic "fellow travelers," as they were called after WW.II.would have been sent abroad and given theadvantages related in the book. Does the author or any of his readers realize how much harm was done to Germany and all of the world, one may say , by the opportunistic supportgiven to Hitler by German intellectuals? The author was one of them. He certainlywas not a member of any resistance group(die weisse Rose, Kreisauer Kreis, die bekennende Kirche). After the USA had defeated Germany, it was easy to see to it that prominentNazis and their generals would be hanged.

More amazing than fiction.
Dr. Von Rosenstiel's story may seem unbelievable at first blush, but it is indeed one of the most fascinating stories I've heard from the WWII era. In fact, Von Rosenstiel's captivating story begins well before the outbreak of world war, and even before Hitler's rise to power in 1933. I have had the honor of hearing Dr. Von Rosenstiel speak of his life story on several occasions and can say that the book is just as authentic as the man.

fascinating true stories of an extraordinary life
Werner Von Rosenstiel's life started in Germany in 1911. He grew up and became a lawyer and started work in Hitler's judicial system and quickly realized that he was not able to support Hitler's legal policies. He came to America, where he was tried unsuccessfully as an undesirable alien and was able to join the Army. Still suspected of being a spy, he was given the lowest of jobs, until authorites realized that his knowledge of German and German law was an asset to the American forces. Sent back to Germany to fight on the opposite side from his family, he rescued his sister from the Russians, and is later assigned to organize the German evidence used in the Nueurenberg Trials. This stand alone volume describes the war years and the Trials from a different perspective. Mr Von Rosenstiel tells his extraordianary story in an entertaining and perceptive manner. He makes you feel as though you are right there with him, and he is a delightful companion. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Keeping the Faith
This important work is an unvarnished first-person account of one man's lifelong battle to secure rights for the mentally retarded citizens of Massachusetts. With no holds barred, Ricci chronicles the plight of the mentally retarded in Massachusetts during the second half of the twentieth century. In a style reflective of his unrelenting advocacy, Ricci recounts the painful decision he and his wife made to place their six-year-old son at Belchertown State School in the 1950s, the horrific medieval conditions he discovered and exposed in that institution, his founding of Advocacy Network, that organization's fight against uncaring state bureaucrats, and their hard-won, landmark federal court order to improve the lives of the mentally retarded. Crimes Against Humanity is a must-read for anyone with a social conscience. ... Read more

Book Description

Griffin B. Bell has been so consummately effective in his profession that he has come to be known by the simple moniker of "The Judge."From his roots in depleted cotton land in rural Georgia during the decade before the Great Depression, Judge Bell rose to the epicenter of some of our country's most tumultuous events.In 1959, when Georgia governor Ernest Vandiver made the infamous segregationist pledge, "No, not one," Bell was the governor's chief of staff, urging him to keep Georgia's school open.Several years later, Bell co-chaired the Georgia presidential campaign of John F. Kennedy, Following his strange destiny, Judge Bell found himself on the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals when James Meredith sought admission to the University of Mississippi.While Ross Barnett and other Southern governors were shouting "Interposition!" and precipitating a constitutional crisis, Judge Bell and his colleagues were defending - often at their own peril - the authority of federal law.Bell's moderate position embroiled him in a firestorm of criticism in 1976 when President Jimmy Carter nominated him for Attorney General of the U.S. Bell nevertheless won confirmation and served with distinction, restoring the integrity of a Justice Department thoroughly besmirched by his predecessor John Mitchell.After his resignation from Carter's cabinet, Bell continued to be immersed in the most controversial of legal issues.When E.F. Hutton was rocked by scandal and when the Exxon Valdez covered Prince William Sound with oil, Judge Bell took charge of the international investigations.Author Reg Murphy writes that Griffin Bell's life was a "remarkable confluence of man and moment."Bell seized and shaped the moment - and, in the process, shaped his country's history. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Uncommon - Great History
Excellent writing by someone who obviously lived and played with Bell. Very interesting to a new "Southerner".

Uncommon Story
A well-written account by a Southern journalist who was there of a time in history and one uncommonly gifted lawyer's often underrated pace through it. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Communist Saint
This is a gracefully-written biography of Bram Fischer, a prominent South African lawyer who defended Nelson Mandela and other anti-apartheid activists in the 1950s and 1960s.Fischer was arrested and jailed by the racist South African regime because of his activism and his Communist Party membership.Unlike Mandela, who lived to see the collapse of apartheid, Fischer never entered the promised land:he died of cancer in 1975, at the high point of Afrikaner power.Nevertheless, his saintly personal example, and his inclusive, tolerant approach to politics, influenced a generation of ANC and Communist Party activists, and helped to shape South Africa's current multiracial and democratic constitutional order.This lovely book is a moving testament to a lovely life.Although Clingman is a bit longwinded and uncritical, anyone interested in South African history will learn from and enjoy his tome.Six stars!

A Rare Gift
This biography chronicles the life of an inspiring Afrikaner who, breaking away from the privileges of his family's background, sacrificed everything for his cause.Fischer's spirited dedication to human rights shouldprovide great insipiration to all those who have ever fought for civilrights.The true treasure in this book is Clingman's ability to seesymbolism in even the smallest details of Fischer's life.What aninvaluable gift this book is to the Fischer family and to South Africanhistory.Truly, this book is a fascinating read.

Superbly researched, beautifully written & deeply inspiring
This book is a work of top class scholarship. But when, probably at 4:00am, you finally put it down you'll feel like you've been reading the most perceptive poetry or listening to the most beautiful music. Like thePablo Neruda inspired debut Juluka album (Universal Men) it weaves acommitment to truth, a reverence for what's most nobel in the human spiritand a feel for tragedy and transcendence together with real wisdom and whatcan only be described as melody. And, although this book is written withthe almost clinical economy of style that characterises J.M. Coetzee'swork, there is a passionate undercurrent almost as intense as the moreexplicit passion of a writer like Frantz Fanon.

Bram Fischer, theAfrikaner Communist who is the subject of this book, was never as romantica figure as Che Guevarra, Frederick Douglass or Steven Biko but Clingman isso aware of the drama and promise of everyday life that this book ends upbeing far more engaging than Jon Anderson's recent biography of CheGuevarra.

The book does have its flaws - for example Clingman'sunderstanding of the South African black consciousness movement is poor -but in a strange way the flaws are part of what give this book itscharacter. That's because this book is about struggle and the flaws makethe reader aware of Clingman's stuggle to understand and explain Fischerand his country. So while you're reading about Fischers' struggles andSouth Africa's struggles and being inspired to think about other strugglesClingman's occassional slip ups make you aware of the author's struggle andleave you inspired by his tremendous, although not total, success.

Thisbook is important and valuable in itself. It's also an important work ofhistory which, given the extent to which apartheid and 'postapartheid'mimic the new world order (global apartheid?)is profoundly relevent to lifein 1999.

Buy this book, immerse yourself in its riches until they becomepart of you, and you'll be a better person. ... Read more

Book Description

"Get Me Ellis Rubin!" is the critically acclaimed memoir of one of America's most famous, colorful and controversial defense attorneys. A champion for the little man, this fast-paced account reads like Perry Mason and covers some of the most publicized legal issues of our time, including the world-famous "Television Intoxication" case and the history-making "Battered Daughter Defense." ... Read more

Book Description

Thurgood Marshall's extraordinary contribution to civil rights and overcoming racism is more topical than ever, as the national debate on race and the overturning of affirmative action policies make headlines nationwide. Howard Ball, author of eighteen books on the Supreme Court and the federal judiciary, has done copious research for this incisive biography to present an authoritative portrait of Marshall the jurist.

Born to a middle-class black family in "Jim Crow" Baltimore at the turn of the century, Marshall's race informed his worldview from an early age. He was rejected by the University of Maryland Law School because of the color of his skin. He then attended Howard University's Law School, where his racial consciousness was awakened by the brilliant lawyer and activist Charlie Houston. Marshall suddenly knew what he wanted to be: a civil rights lawyer, one of Houston's "social engineers." As the chief attorney for the NAACP, he developed the strategy for the legal challenge to racial discrimination. His soaring achievements and his lasting impact on the nation's legal system--as the NAACP's advocate, as a federal appeals court judge, as President Lyndon Johnson's solicitor general, and finally as the first African American Supreme Court Justice--are symbolized by Brown v. Board of Education, the landmark case that ended legal segregation in public schools.

Using race as the defining theme, Ball spotlights Marshall's genius in working within the legal system to further his lifelong commitment to racial equality. With the help of numerous, previously unpublished sources, Ball presents a lucid account of Marshall's illustrious career and his historic impact on American civil rights. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Tells what he did
"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.

It's never only black or white
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).

Disappointing in the extreme
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. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

slovos book
excelent book all about slovos fights with apartheit. the only white leader of the a.n.c A FIGHTER TO THE END. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Is This about justice
I have not read the book but wonder about the author who has such a desregard for public safety, public order of the role of the police to protect us from violence. His behaviour during the Gustafsen Lake occupation revealed someone on the edge and held him up to widespread public ridicule.

Galileo vs. Canada
This is Bruce Clark's third book on the legality of Native land claims in North America. His first two books were: Indian Title In Canada (Carswell Law Publishers, Toronto, 1986) and Native Liberty, Crown Sovereignty: The Existing Aboriginal Right of Self-Government in Canada (McGill-Queen's University Press, Montreal, 1990).

Dr. Clark has made a career of defending native land claims in Canada and the US, based on legal arguments that the taking of native lands without purchase or treaty, by US and Canadian federal and/or state and provincial governments, has been unlawful. The argument is so open-and-shut, that courts refuse to hear it, since part of the argument is that the courts do not have jurisdiction. In over 40 cases, the court has refused to hear or respond to the argument. It is based on 18th century British constitutional law, which has not been repealed, and which is still in force in Canada and the USA. Starting with the Jackson administration in the US, the governments have simply decided to ignore the law on this matter. In the 1690s one of the branches of the great Mohican tribe made a treaty with the colony of Connecticut. The colony then allowed settlers onto the land. The Indians objected, saying the purpose of the treaty had been to prevent settlers from moving in. Connecticut felt the purpose was so that it could allow the settlers to move in. Absolutely opposite viewpoints of the same document. Rather than go to war, the Mohicans wanted to find a peaceful rule of law solution. But they did not want to go into the court system that the colony of Connecticut had set up, since doing that would admit that the intruding settlers had legal jurisdiction. And Connecticut would not accept the Mohican court. The Mohicans petitioned Great Britain's Queen Anne to find a solution. On March 9, 1804, as recommended by the Privy Council, Queen Anne issued an Order in Council (meaning that this decision was constitutionally binding on the British Crown and on all colonial governments in North America) asserting three principles: 1) Creation of a third-party court to adjudicate land disputes between Native Peoples and the colonial governments of the European settlers; 2) This court was to be a trial-level court; 3) Appeals against decisions by this court would be heard by the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council. From 1704 when the Mohicans first applied to the Queen to the beginning of the American Revolution in 1776, the case of Mohegan Indians vs. Connecticut was regarded as the single most important case in the history of the British Empire. It guaranteed colonized peoples the right to independent and impartial third-party adjudication in human rights matters. The genius of that court case was that, if it had not (illegally) been ignored, it could have prevented genocide in North America. Dr. Clark has been disbarred by the Ontario Law Society for making these arguments, and has been charged with contempt of court for making these arguments, even though the courts refuse to hear the arguments; hence, there is no basis for the court to say that they are wrong arguments. Dr. Clark's writing of this book is further basis for contempt of court. Like Galileo, Dr. Clark's only escape from imprisonment for making an argument is to renounce that argument. Which he refuses to do.

Law is based on Truth. Arguments are not disproved by the use of force of punishment and jail.

An impressive Native American issues survey and biography.
Justice In Paradise recounts how a commitment to Native rights and an extraordinary passion for the rule of law have determined the course of Bruce Clark's life. From a childhood in an Indian residential school, to the defense of aboriginal rights before the Word Court, to being disbarred, Clark's struggle has led him to fight against the justice system itself. Justice In Paradise explains the legal and philosophical position behind Clark's opposition to the Indian rights industry. Clark argues that the North American legal system causes the genocide of those indigenous peoples who embrace traditional religion and identity and accuses those who administer it with chicanery and abandoning the rule of law. Clark turned his back on a comfortable lawyer's life to defend the rule of law and Native rights across the whole of North America. Justice In Paradise is a candid, fascinating biography that will prove fascinating to students of law, Native American rights, and non-specialist general readers who enjoy reading of men and women who make their mark upon the world with an untiring and activist devotion to their ideals and principles. ... Read more