Book Description
On January 21, 1998, the night before his thirty-eighth birthday, federal prosecutor Stanley Alpert was kidnapped off the streets of Manhattan. This is the story of what happened next. . . .
Alpert was taken by a carful of gun-toting thugs looking to use his ATM card, but when they learned his bank balance the plan changed. They took him, blindfolded with his own scarf, to a Brooklyn apartment, with the idea of going to a bank the next day and withdrawing most of his money. But the later it got, the more the plan changed again . . . and again . . . as his captors alternately held guns to his head, threatened his family, engaged him in discussions of "gangsta" philosophy, sought his legal advice, and, once they learned it was his birthday, offered him sexual favors from their prostitute girlfriends as a "birthday present." All the while, Alpert, still blindfolded, talked with them, played on their attitudes and fears, tried to figure out where their mood swings would take them next, and memorized every detail he could in the event that he ever managed to get out of there alive.
In the meantime, his friends and law enforcement colleagues, worried that they hadn't heard from him, launched a major police and FBI investigation. It, too, would take many twists and turns before it was done-and some of them would be very strange indeed.
Filled with immediacy, drama, and extraordinary characters, told not only from Alpert's memory and notes but from police reports, interviews with NYPD detectives, FBI agents, and witnesses, videotaped confessions, and court records, The Birthday Party reads like a thriller-but every word is true.
Customer Reviews:
Could not put it down.......2007-10-15
The Birthday Party is the best true crime drama I have ever read. Stanley Alpert, a US attorney is kidnapped off the streets of NYC just prior to his 38th Birthday. The story of his escape from this terrifying situation is amazing. But what truly strikes me is to learn of his loving kindness and sense of humor that shine through in many pages in this book. I actually feel as if I know the writer after reading his book. I cant wait to see what he comes up with next.
Thrilling and thought-provoking.......2007-10-14
In addition to being a plain old good read, this story makes one ponder the classic, If I knew I would die (or be kidnapped) tomorrow, would I be doing what I'm doing today? The author's examples of ways he decided to live life fully--buy the sushi he really wants instead of the cheaper special, have a car even on Manhattan--are great exactly because they are mundane: we don't have to run off to an ashram to live more and live now, joy can be found in small things and small tweaks to our current lives. Joy can also be found in doing something meaningful with our work life, such as prosecuting polluters, about which I hope Mr Alpert will write another book.
You'll be glad he lived to tell it........2007-10-11
You're not going to enjoy this book, if all of the following statements are true of you:
1. You regularly skip over newspaper stories about crimes or criminal trials, and don't ever watch any episodes of "Law and Order."
2. You're not comfortable reading about protagonists facing dangerous situations, unless the protagonists are Clark Kent, Clint Eastwood, or detective Spenser types.
3. You, yourself have never been confronted by one or more menacing individuals brandishing deadly weapons, you don't believe it's conceivable that it will ever happen to you, and you've never wondered how you'd react if it does.
4. You can't risk putting yourself in a situation where the story you're reading is riveting enough to interfere with your ability to put the book aside at the end of the chapter and turn out the light.
As you have probably already deduced from the foregoing criteria, "The Birthday Party" is a true-crime story with some unusual twists, written by a victim who resembles you and me more than he resembles Kent, Eastwood or Spenser, and who, against all reasonable odds, faced the dangers posed by the perps and their deadly weapons and lived to tell about it.
You might easily glean as much from the publisher's blurb on the book's cover: "On January 21, 1998, federal prosecutor Stanley Alpert was kidnapped off the streets of Manhattan. This is the story of what happened next..."
Let me tell you just a bit more: The chief perp's street name was "Lucky," which, as you can already easily deduce, in his choice of victim he wasn't. The victim, equally obviously, had to have run in some good luck in order to survive the ordeal inflicted on him via Lucky's gang's kidnap-to-raid-bank-account caper.
But as you'll discover when you plunge in, Mr. Alpert's survival didn't depend only on luck; it required him to deploy some skills, also. And some of the lessons you may derive from thinking about how he did so, may alone be worth the price of the book.
But there is more: it turns out that Lucky and his colleagues also picked a victim who really writes well. Mr. Alpert's style, which I'd describe as a kind of Elmore Leonard meets Donald Westlake (believe it or not, much of his telling of this potentially horrific tale is funny), is so well suited to his story that you may find yourself doing as I did: looking back at the front cover once or twice, to make sure the book wasn't written by him "with" somebody.
I see that "The Birthday Party" is going to come out in paperback next year, and I'm told that there's already been a movie sale. That leads me to ruminate on the final irony with respect to who's been lucky and who's not, in connection with the unusual events surrounding Mr. Alpert's 38th birthday observances. The perps may well end up with reason to regret the unavailability of a reverse "Son of Sam" law, which could ultimately entitle them to share in Stan Alpert's earnings from the book and film versions (maybe also a Broadway musical version, the way things go these days) of "The Birthday Party."
Read it, so you can say, "I knew it when."
an inspiring story of survival.......2007-10-11
Truly an inspirational read! This book was picked as a Book Club selection for our club and we all found it to be a testament to man's will to survive.What could have been a tragic story, turned into a story of hope.
Cliches Galore!.......2007-10-08
This was a fun sort of read, much like eating popcorn. You know there is no nutrition it but something about the crunch satisfies.
Sadly our writer needed a better editor. The writer's urge to rely on chestnuts was rarely denied. It became something of a sport, however, to see how many pages Mr. Alpert could type before he gave into another worn cliche. That combined with his strange "hero-worship" of himself made what might of been a good story probably more self-revealing than this author intended.
Book Description
There are shelves of memoirs about overcoming the death of a parent, childhood abuse, rape, drug addiction, miscarriage, alcoholism, hustling, gangbanging, near-death injuries, drug dealing, prostitution, or homelessness.
Cupcake Brown survived all these things before she’d even turned twenty.
And that’s when things got interesting….
You have in your hands the strange, heart-wrenching, and exhilarating tale of a woman named Cupcake. It begins as the story of a girl orphaned twice over, once by the death of her mother and then again by a child welfare system that separated her from her stepfather and put her into the hands of an epically sadistic foster parent. But there comes a point in her preteen years—maybe it’s the night she first tries to run away and is exposed to drugs, alcohol, and sex all at once—when Cupcake’s story shifts from a tear-jerking tragedy to a dark comic blues opera. As Cupcake’s troubles grow, so do her voice and spirit. Her gut-punch sense of humor and eye for the absurd, along with her outsized will, carry her through a fateful series of events that could easily have left her dead.
Young Cupcake learned to survive by turning tricks, downing hard liquor, partying like a rock star, and ingesting every drug she could find while hitchhiking up and down the California coast. She stumbled into gangbanging, drug dealing, hustling, prostitution, theft, and, eventually, the best scam of all: a series of 9-to-5 jobs. But Cupcake’s unlikely tour through the cubicle world was paralleled by a quickening descent into the nightmare of crack cocaine use, till she eventually found herself living behind a Dumpster.
Astonishingly, she turned it around. With the help of a cobbled together family of eccentric fellow addicts and “angels”—a series of friends and strangers who came to her aid at pivotalmoments—she slowly transformed her life from the inside out.
A Piece of Cake is unlike any memoir you’ll ever read. Moving and almost transgressive in its frankness, it is a relentlessly gripping tale of a resilient spirit who took on the worst of contem-porary urban life and survived it with a furious wit and unyielding determination. Cupcake Brown is a dynamic and utterly original storyteller who will guide you on the most satisfying, startlingly funny, and genuinely affecting tour through hell you’ll ever take.
When it came time for me to talk, I wasn’t sure which parts of my past to tell, which to keep secret, and which to pretend never happened. Uncle Jr. had already seen the welts on my back, so he wasn’t too surprised when I told them about some of the physical abuse I endured at Diane’s. Everyone else hit the roof, except Daddy. He got really quiet and started balling and unballing his fists.
I continued my update. Experience had taught me that adults have trouble accepting the idea of children having sex. I decided that from then on, that part of my life never happened. I picked up the story by telling them about Fly, the Gangstas, and getting shot.
I was dying for a cigarette. So it seemed a good time to announce that I smoked cigarettes—and weed.
After a moment Sam looked at me, smiled, and handed me one of her Marlboros. I preferred menthols, but beggars can’t be choosers. I kicked back, took a long drag, and closed my eyes.
Daddy and Jr. were silent. They seemed a bit shocked and unsure about how to respond.
“Well, Cup,” Jr. said, “it’s a little too late to be trying to raise you now. But those cigarettes will kill you. And weed will only lead you to stronger drugs.”
He didn’t know how right he was. But for me, it was too late to be worrying about stronger drugs—the only worrying I did was whether I could find a connection to get some. So I just smiled, nodded, and took another hit off my cigarette.
The eerie quiet returned.
—from A Piece of Cake
Also available as a Random House AudioBook and eBook.
From the Hardcover edition.
Customer Reviews:
A MUST READ.......2007-10-17
This book is a definite must read. It's very inspirational and inspiring; Cupcake Brown is definitely a strong person who has inspired me through this book. I must say this is the only book I've read more than once. It's just that good!
Speechless.......2007-10-10
How can you not cry at the end of this book? It is truely amazing. After I finished it I went to the authors website and wrote her myself. I am glad that Cup made something of herself. Through her story you know that you yourself can do anything!
Fabulous.......2007-10-10
this book was riveting- it held your attention and you felt as if you knew the characters. I read 120 pages the first day I received the book. I would recommend it to everyone!
Seemed fabricated.......2007-10-05
The book started off very interesting, however as I continued to read a lot of the story seemed fabricated. It is obvious by the way the book reads, that the author has made a lot of the details up. If you're looking for a good auto-biography this is not the book for you.
Insightful and rewarding.......2007-09-29
I don't normally read memoir's, but the cover caught my attention first followed by the brief description of the book and the author. The history of Ms. Brown's life was riveting, insightful, and surprisingly inspiring. I feel as if she wrote this so the reader wouldn't feel pity, but rather could really understand what she was living through. I gained so much understanding of drug addiction and I was inspired by her recovery. So much so, I am incorporating some of her 12 step lessons into my own life.
Buy the book, you won't be let down.
Book Description
If One L is the book to read before law school, Relentless Pursuit is the book to read after-a real-life legal thriller that shows, from the inside, a prosecutor's quest to deliver justice to a family devastated by murder.
What happened to Diane Hawkins and her daughter Katrina-a brutal double murder in which the girl's heart was cut from her body-devastated a Washington, D.C., community and left its mark on everyone involved in the subsequent investigation. Especially moved was federal homicide prosecutor Kevin Flynn. He had handled any number of grisly murders, and was no stranger to the depravity of the human soul. Yet the way Hawkins's family and friends rallied together to help each other through the tragedy-and the generosity they ex-tended to Flynn, whose own father was dying of cancer at the time-turned this case into a personal mission. He was determined to use his position to effect real closure, to right a wrong-to bring justice on behalf of the victims and their families.
Relentless Pursuit is the story of that journey to justice, an intensely gripping beat-by-beat reconstruction of the events as they unfold-the murder, the arrest, the trial, the verdict-told with astonishing candor, and providing a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the life of a dedicated prosecutor. Above all, it's about healing and community, a story in which, in the end, the system works and-for once-justice prevails.
Customer Reviews:
An unusual perspective for a true-crime book........2007-09-29
True crime, sometimes, is far less interesting to read than crime fiction. In fiction, the author has many choices that a true crime writer doesn't. Fiction can place the reader inside the mind of the killer and/or inside the mind of the victim. Seldom is the author of a true crime book given that opportunity. Some writers can speculate with a great deal of seeming accuracy. That's not the road that Kevin Flynn takes in his book.
RELENTLESS PURSUIT is told from the perspective of an Assistant U.S. Attorney in Washington, DC; he is prosecuting a man for the brutal murder of a woman and her daughter
Diane Hawkins and Katrina Harris were murdered in May of 1993. The trial took place over a year later, in August of 1994. This may seem like a speedy trial, all things considered. The family of Diane Hawkins and Katrina Harris didn't think so; they knew right away who had killed these two people and had a difficult time with the slow and measured pace of the legal process. It took cool heads to persuade some members of the family not to take justice into their own hands.
RELENTLESS PURSUIT is not the best true crime out there; Flynn can be redundant and verbose. The story he tells, however, is compelling and fascinating. It is unclear until the verdict is delivered in court whether or not he has done his job as a prosecutor. And the reader does want to know the verdict. While the case is already decided in the minds of the reader (probably) and in Flynn's mind, he makes us all too aware of the realities of a jury trial, the complexities of presenting a good case, and how little things can undermine the best presentation.
Amazing first book.......2007-08-08
This is a true crime written somewhat similarly to Ann Rule. A pair of victims, Diane Hawkins and her daughter, Katrina Harris, are brutally murdered. It is Kevin Flynn's job as a DC prosecutor to put the alleged murderer behind bars. In his tale, Mr. Flynn expresses outrage at their horrific deaths and loses the cool mask of distant prosecutor. He becomes involved with other family members and friends of the victims and contrasts their closeness to his own small family's experiences with his father's impending death and birth of his first child.
This book is clear and well written, although it will take some readers a bit to "get into" the book. Stick with it, it is well worth the read. I have bought this book for numerous friends and all have appreciated this thoughtful, insightful read.
Well-written and compelling book.......2007-04-24
Kevin Flynn is a homicide prosecutor in a city that has one of the highest homicide rates in the country, Washington, D.C. Being surrounded constantly with stories and photographs of death and murder, you would think he would have grown a thick skin, learned to objectify the cases and move through them in a detached manner.
But this case was different. The murders of 40-year-old Diane and 13-year-old Katrina Hawkins left a lasting impression on everyone associated with the case. Their murder investigation was one of the most brutal that police and prosecutors ever worked. Over a year after the crime occurred, during the trial, Detected Combee would still grow quiet when testifying about what he saw in the Hawkins house that day.
But this case is not about the terrible method these two victims were murdered. To quote from the book:
It's a story of extremes: the worst and the best the world can offer, humanity at its most brutal and most noble. It's the story of two families -- mine and another from a world that I thought I knew but didn't -- two families full of ordinary people who did their best under awful circumstances.
Relentless Pursuit does indeed follow the Hawkins case, from the initial night of the murders May 25, 1993 to the prosecution in August 15, 1994. But there is much more to the case than just the horror and the story of how they caught the man responsible.
This is also the story of the Hawkins and Flynn families, which became irrevocably linked together. The Hawkins family suffered one of the worst losses a family can, the loss of both a sister and strong influence in the family, and a child, who had just begun to show her gifts and talents to the world. But through it all, they clung to their faith in God, which also served to help their new-found family member, prosecutor Kevin Flynn.
The Flynn family though, was going through its own trials. Kevin's mother was suffering from depression and shortly after he began work on this monumnetal case, his father was stricken with cancer. Through the entire case, Kevin is required to balance his work and family life, including his wife and child, and try not to let anyone down. And part of that includes the Hawkins, who look to him as the only man that can bring them any measure of justice on Earth.
The book is told in a compelling style, taking us through the case, from the night the murders occurred through the entire case. There are procedural sections to the book, such as descriptions of how certain courtroom processes work, but that does not get in the way to the story, which is what the book is really all about.
Relentless Pursuit is not a book for those looking to learn about how the law really works, but you will learn a great deal about how the defense and prosecution work together and against one another, how much power a judge can wield, and some of the reasons why cases don't work out as cleanly as they do on television.
In the end, this book is just what the quotation above says, it is a story of two families. And it is an excellent book.
Excellent true crime!.......2007-04-11
Thoroughly enjoyed this book - an excellent true crime story carefully and thoughtfully told - the writer's courtroom skill - I call it Flynn's Finesse - not only makes this book a great read but provides the reader with valuable lessons for the day he or she finds himself or herself in the Courtroom as a part of a prosecution or defense team or as a member of the jury.
AWESOME.......2007-03-12
I ran out and bought this book on a Thursday night. I couldn't put it down, I had to read every chance I got. I finished it very late Saturday night. By the end I was ready to read his next book. This is an awesome true crime writer.
Book Description
The moving, inspiring memoir of one of the great women of our times, Shirin Ebadi, winner of the 2003 Nobel Peace Prize and advocate for the oppressed, whose spirit has remained strong in the face of political persecution and despite the challenges she has faced raising a family while pursuing her work.
Best known in this country as the lawyer working tirelessly on behalf of Canadian photojournalist, Zara Kazemi – raped, tortured and murdered in Iran – Dr. Ebadi offers us a vivid picture of the struggles of one woman against the system. The book movingly chronicles her childhood in a loving, untraditional family, her upbringing before the Revolution in 1979 that toppled the Shah, her marriage and her religious faith, as well as her life as a mother and lawyer battling an oppressive regime in the courts while bringing up her girls at home.
Outspoken, controversial, Shirin Ebadi is one of the most fascinating women today. She rose quickly to become the first female judge in the country; but when the religious authorities declared women unfit to serve as judges she was demoted to clerk in the courtroom she had once presided over. She eventually fought her way back as a human rights lawyer, defending women and children in politically charged cases that most lawyers were afraid to represent. She has been arrested and been the target of assassination, but through it all has spoken out with quiet bravery on behalf of the victims of injustice and discrimination and become a powerful voice for change, almost universally embraced as a hero.
Her memoir is a gripping story – a must-read for anyone interested in Zara Kazemi’s case, in the life of a remarkable woman, or in understanding the political and religious upheaval in our world.
Customer Reviews:
A good introduction to Iran and its Society.......2007-06-05
This is a concise book on how the society is affected by revolution and its vagaries in Iran. Written by the venerable Nobel Laureate, it showcases many brutalities done by the regime in the name of tradition and religion. This also shows a woman's struggle to cope with the human rights in such regime. Although written very briefly and possibly in a haste, meaning that scenes jump to one another suddenly and there is no in depth explanation why the society is behaving like this, this book is a primer in civil movement in Iran. I had a long-time suspicion that Iranian law is very messy, making its people hate the regime and it turn Islam itself. This book proves it, which shows how Iranian penal code uses extreme means in the name of Islam, whereas the same laws are very different in other muslim countries.
a good woman.......2007-05-23
Here is a woman who is trying her hardest to be islamic and make excuses for her religion which is a bad one to start with. Very few mulims seem able to look at Mohammed and his life. However, this is a brave woman in the limits of Islam.
WONDERFUL!.......2007-03-22
This book is the perfect book for people looking to read inspirational stories. I would recomend this book to anyone with an open mind.
Good insight into the Iranian view of their own nation.......2006-12-21
This book gives an intelligent and objective view of the turmoil of Iranian life from the 1979 revolution to the last year. It isn't a history book, as mentioned in other reviews, but a memoir as it admits, thus it is more focused on the life and reflections of the author rather than a documentary approach. The author is a devout muslim and seeks to promote the view that Islam and democracy are not incompatible. She is honest in her accounts of her government and how it has treated its citizens, but she is not a shill for promoting the official US line about our relations with Iran. She definitely feels that the US has a good share of blame for the state of things. However, she does seem to avoid, for the most part, the common Iranian party line that all things bad are America's fault. Her account of the reform period of Iranian politics in the late 90's is particularly helpful in understanding how the man on the street over there really felt about the ups and downs of that time.
It is a fairly quick read that will leave you with a clearer understanding of the Iranian people, something much needed as we try to decide how to approach our relations with them.
Interesting.......2006-12-16
Ms. Ebadi has a worthwhile story to tell. She certainly is a courageous woman! I can't catagorize this as a great book because I put it down several times and was not running to pick it up again. I don't understand the title at all. After reading the book I don't see Iran "awakening" at all. I see the author as someone either very clever in evading death, or just plain lucky. I agree with a previous reviewer who felt the author wrong in unfavorably judging Iranians who left after the revolution. Most of them were running for their lives, as perhaps she might have done. The author's own daughter left to study in Canada. It is a good book but I preferred Roya Hakakian's "Journey from the land of No."
Customer Reviews:
A Page Turner!.......2007-01-30
I started reading this book and couldn't put it down. This is the incredibly story of the Latifi family who persevered through the revolution in Iran and their immigration to the United States.
I have spent quite some time in the Middle East and having this account of life and hardship in Iran helped me to understand the mentality and culture of women in Iran better.
I immigrated to the United States myself and even though I didn't come here under political asylum I know how hard it is to try to fit into the American culture and still hold on to your heritage. The bonds of family and the will to succeed show once more that you can achieve in this country whatever you want. You just have to have the will to do so, something that we are too quick to forget. This is a must read!
In the name of Iran.......2006-06-17
This book discusses that how Ms. Latify father was executed due to 1979 revolution in Iran. As a result, this family's life torn apart. Two elder daughters left Iran and made their way to US and eventually one became a doctor and other one became an attorney. Plus, their mother and two brothers came to US and resided in US and earned higher education.
It is not a the whole story !.......2006-05-17
I have finished this book recently and I really felt I need to say something about it! interestingly I am doughter of a teacher and colonel of the last regim too, who retired after the revolution, no problem at all. However, I do not want to say that those who were executed were all guilty. Her father had other chances too.
And sending Afshineh and her sister to Austria in that age and the aftermath of this decision just because the schools were running under the new regime, is so funny! there were and are great number of peolpe in Iran who have studied in that situation but could as well study English and music and anything if they could afford it (and it seems Latifi family well could) and go to study overseas when they finish high school. It was not like that because of the new regime there was no chance of good education. so this is basically causing the problem: Was is really that neccessary to send two girls abroad like that just for education reasons? I guess there was an urge to leave the country for this family that was beyond education.
Another thing is lots of false information like sending the 13 year boys to the military service! that rubbish. My husband who is the same age as the writer never recalls such a thing! and things like that are not exceptional in the book.
As some of the other people mention the book is good if you read it as a "fiction". Of course for those who left Iran after revolution and have no idea about living and growing in post-revolutionary Iran and become a great educated person and not neccessaily religious at the same, it might look "real", as well as non Iranians who do not know Iran very well. For me however and I think for many like me, who went to school and high school in Tehran after revoluton and grew in a family who was not that wealthy that can afford to send me overseas to study! but was very fond of good education (I was sent to the best schools available, English classes and I could go by myself overseas and study and get PhD after high school in Iran and be a successful woman)it does not seem to tell all the "real" story. it is not all of it. Do not take it as an information desk.
A page-turner.......2006-05-02
I just finished this book and loved it. If you like reading about different culture and enjoy non-fiction this is the perfect book for you. Its true, sometimes the author's admission of crying over clothes and Barbies is shocking - but I see it as admission of truth and lack of understanding. The author isn't patting herself on the back for these traits - but showing the reader how, as a child, she didn't fully comprehend the gravity of her family's situation. She was not careless and selfish individual, but a confused and frightened child.
Great Book!.......2006-04-28
I just finished reading this book and I thought it was excellent! It was very well written and a great true story! I felt that Afschinehs story was very interesting and I could see myself reading this book over again. I can't say enough good things about this book!
Product Description
In Scoundrels to the Hoosegow, a veteran prosecutor who is also a consummate storyteller shares more than thirty entertaining legal stories drawn from real life, re-creating, with verve and wit, villains, heroes, and ordinary citizens. In cases both tragic and hilarious, Morley Swingle offers a behind-the-scenes look at the justice system, taking readers from the scene of the crime to the courtroom as he explores the worlds of judges, attorneys, police officers, and criminals. Not since the author of Anatomy of a Murder, Robert Traver, wrote Small Town D.A. fifty years ago has an American prosecutor penned such a candid, revealing, and funny account of the job an altogether satisfying book that sentences the reader to many hours of enjoyment.
Customer Reviews:
Hilarious, Entertaining, and Worth Reading.......2007-08-21
Having spent 5 semesters at Southeast Missouri State University in Cape Girardeau, and being a native of Jefferson County, I recognized some of the people and trials Morley Swingle wrote about and found them hilarious, entertaining, informative, and sometimes disgusting. It is a book worth reading and shows just how low some people will go or how honorable they will be. While the book doesn't necessarily flow from one chapter to the next, it makes it easier to be able to pick up anywhere in the middle of the book and read about a specific case. I only wish Swingle had referenced case and law numbers more. His simple explanations of legal lingo made reading easier and educational. Morley, if you're reading this...I sure am glad I never met you. :-)
The honest truth, as far as it went........2007-06-30
Disclaimer: I am not objective on this topic. I bought this book, but I only read one chapter, "The Case of the Millionaire Murder", that related the murder trial of Bill Pagano. The CSI officer on the case, Jan Vessell, is my mother. As I was away at college at the time of the crime, investigation, and trial, I had never read a complete and objective telling of what happened. Now that I have, I must thank Mr. Swingle for his tenacity and talent at successfully prosecuting a case that nobody in Jefferson County expected him to win.
Sadly, I wish Mr. Swingle had stayed in town, because the story has a typical Jefferson County ending. Were the ones who investigated this crime rewarded for their efforts? No. Wally Gansmann, Jan Vessell, and three other Jefferson County detectives were demoted. In my mother's case, with 13 years service to the department as the first female law enforcement officer in Jefferson County (and all the harassment you can imagine came with that), in spite of 8 years as crime scene investigator, attendee of the same FBI Academy Mr. Swingle attended, she was demoted first to dispatcher, then to jailor. My sister and I finally talked her into resigning from the department in 1993 after she was diagnosed with a bleeding ulcer, no doubt brought on by her attempts to salvage her career from what was left of the machinery left behind by "Boss Hogg".
And this is why Jefferson County is still the laughingstock of the St. Louis Metro area. My hat is off to you, Morley Swingle, for exposing what you could. You did an indescribable service to us. I only wish you could have helped us with the aftermath.
Tales of A top Prosecutor.......2007-06-25
Swingle hits a home run with these stories of the interesting cases he's handled in South East Missouri.
Ranging from the hilarious to the not-funny-at-all, Swingle proves with his intelligence and wit why he's been re-elected as Cape Girardeau Missouri's prosecutor for many years, and will continue to be so.
The stories would be appreciated by Mark Twain, and bear a Twain-like edge along with the humor.
Ranging from a hilarious account of how a rough looking felon tried to pass a check stolen from a State Senator and got a face full of pepper spray for his trouble, to a story about a total monster who killed with no remorse, the stories are intensely interesting.
It's one thing to read a dry news paper account of the check passers efforts to cash in and something quite else to read Swingle's humorous account of a jaded pawnshop worker and a policeman with a sarcastic humor versus versus a hood who's not the brightest bulb in the criminal world but who's very willing to "discuss it" with the police.
Then too, the story of an unstoppable killer takes on a different color when I remember my frightened wife telling me that she heard something under our porch, when we lived in sight of the county jail the killer had just escaped from.
To say the least, the neighbors were not to sure what was going on while I was peering under our porch with a flashlight in one hand and an assault rifle in the other.
There's nothing at all funny about this case, but Swingle gives a good account of how he stopped the "unstoppable" murderer.
Swingle writes with skill and the ability to hold the readers interest, not the easiest job for many writers.
I've had the pleasure of both reading Swingle, reading about Swingle, and actually sitting on a jury in a trial he was prosecuting.
Swingle does the best job yet to date of describing just HOW a county prosecutor decides whether to prosecute, what to prosecute FOR, and how he prepares and presents his case.
Of particular interest is the information on why an honest prosecutor will not prosecute a case.
The man does it all with flair, and I heartily recommend reading his work.
I've been told that he hates to waste time, and when he has a few minutes on his hands, he writes.
Here's hoping there's more to come.
Witty, Clever, Lots of Fun and Imformative.......2007-04-15
To the writer I say hats off and what a lot of fun I had reading this treasure. Great stories that keep you glued and also make it humorous at the end of each short story to give it that neat zing of laughter. The wanting to finish the next unfortunate event for some----but the fulfillment of gratitude for others-----also to see at the end of each story what the outcome of the next Scoundrel will be and how they get themselves a room at the Hoosegow. Thank You
Amazon.com
The day-to-day reality of life as a police officer comes through with unglamorous clarity in this scrupulously honest memoir. Yes, the author recounts some exciting stories of cases cracked and perpetrators nailed. But in recounting three relatives' careers in the New York City Police Department, Brian McDonald spends considerable time delineating personal relationships (particularly with their strong-minded wives) and their progress (or lack of it) within a bureaucracy as hidebound as any other branch of the civil service. McDonald's grandfather refused to participate in Tammany Hall corruption, and as punishment was constantly reassigned for the next 14 years; his father burned out as commander of the toughest precinct in the South Bronx. And his brother's troubled trajectory reflected the turbulent atmosphere of the post-Knapp Commission department, held in low repute by law-abiding citizens as it grappled with an increasingly brazen criminal population. The author is candid about his ambivalent feelings toward his tight-lipped father and the ethos that sees a world "made up of only two camps--cops and bad guys," but grateful for Dad's gift of an Underwood typewriter, which led him to journalism. McDonald's gift in return is a book that portrays policemen neither as heroes nor villains, but as recognizable human beings. --Wendy Smith
Book Description
In this powerful memoir about three generations of New York City policemen, Brian McDonald chronicles a hundred years of dedication, disillusion, heroism, and tragedy behind the blue wall of silence that separates a cop from the rest of the world. His grandfather, Thomas Skelly, entered the department in 1893, when the NYPD was little more than a brutal gang of organized enforcers and Tammany Hall a corrupt political machine that could make or break an honest cop's career. His father Frank's career would span World War II through the 1960s, taking him from street cop to squad commander of the Forty-first Precinct. Better known as "Fort Apache," it was a place from which few cops emerged whole. His brother Frank McDonald, Jr., went on to become a decorated officer, waging an undercover war on drugs and crime. From turn-of-the-century Brooklyn to the South Bronx in the 1970s to the bedroom communities of upstate New York, My Father's Gun combines a rare and intimate family story with turbulent social history.
"A dramatic memoir of three generations of Irish American police officers . . . Haunting." --The New York Times Book Review
"A rich and riveting narrative . . . Nuanced, colorful, frank, free of all the usual cop clichs." --Newsday
Customer Reviews:
Too much politics.......2007-06-15
I was disappointed in the book. Unless you are interested in the political history of the area as it relates to the police department, you will probably be bored. It needed way more cop stories.
Another cop's son.......2006-03-30
I read this book in one day. Brian hits all the points. I hadn't remembered the experience of sneaking into my dad's top dresser draw to lift his gun and being surprise by its weight, until I read the book's opening. My great great grandfather became a NYC Central Park cop upon arrival from Ireland in 1865. Since then, we always had at least one cop in the family until my father's death on St. Patrick's Day 1997.
My great grandfather responded to the General Slocum disaster; my grandfather (a Fordham Law graduate) was a detective who investigated Murder Inc. and other organized crime families; my father was the target of bricks during the 1960s, and I remember being terrified watching the Black Panthers calling for the execution of all cops; and one of my uncles battled the gangs in China town.
This book not only covers most of those events, it also made me remember police picnics and clam bakes, and hanging out as a kid watching my father play pool in the local saloon. Although my family moved "up the line" to northern Westchester, and not "across the river" to Rockland, my family's closest associations were with other cop families.
I have three brothers and three sisters. All seven of us have enjoyed this book.
Furthermore, as other reviewers have noted, this is a well written book.
I urge anyone who grew up in a cop family, as well as anyone looking for a great read to read this book.
Outstanding Glimpse into a Police Family.......2003-06-03
Totally engrossing and well-written,My Father's Gun provides an excellent glimpse into a family that has served in the NYPD for three generations. It documents not just the lives of cops at work but also the often difficult and stressful home lives of their families. An excellent book for anyone considering a career in law enforcement and for anyone who appreciates good writing. Highly recommended
Moving.......2002-08-03
I came to appreciate the difficulties of being an honest and good NYPD cop.
This book helped me realize that all the heroic things cops do are ignored by the media, while the few mistakes are constantly highlighted.
Since 9/11 the media and the liberal left have improved somewhat, but not enough.
The courage and selflessness required to be a NYPD cop are amazing. While the NYPD is not above criticism, I think much of the criticism is misplaced, misleading and a result of misunderstanding.
I dare Al Sharpton to read this book -- maybe it could expand his world view a little bit more.
enjoyable, interesting.......2001-10-19
As a member of NYPD, I have heard alot of talk on this book. also living in Rockland county,(also where the author lived) I can relate to differents points of interest in the book. I living a civil service family life, can compare the different aspects of "the job". My father being an officer of FDNY, me being the first cop. This books goes from the changes in the dept. through scandals and also working now shows what things havent changed. I highly recomend this book to anyone not just cops, it puts in perspective a cops life and what the family endures also. Once you start reading it is a hard book to stop reading, it isn't hard reading the book flows very smooth. I am not reader and for me to read a complete book is good.
Book Description
Based on the longest-running one-man show in San Francisco history -- now coming to Off-Broadway -- a hilarious, poignant, and disarming memoir of growing up black in an all-white suburbIn 1972, when Brian Copeland was eight, his family moved from Oakland to San Leandro, California, hoping for a better life. At the time, San Leandro was 99.4 percent white, known nationwide as a racist enclave. This reputation was confirmed almost immediately: Brian got his first look at the inside of a cop car, for being a black kid walking to the park with a baseball bat.Brian grew up to be a successful comedian and radio talk show host, but racism reemerged as an issue -- only in reverse -- when he received an anonymous letter: "As an African American, I am disgusted every time I hear your voice because YOU are not a genuine Black man!" That letter inspired Copeland to revisit his difficult childhood, resulting in a hit one-man show that has been running for nearly two years -- which has now inspired a book. In this funny, surprising, and ultimately moving memoir, Copeland shows exactly how our surroundings make us who we are.
Customer Reviews:
"You are normal!".......2007-07-10
This book is truly a manifesto for us blacks who grew up post-Jim Crow but still had to deal with the remnants of it afterwards, and who had to fight the double battle of not fittting in with "ghettocentric" mindsets in Black America. For those of us who've had this experience, it's all there. The rejection and humiliation from both sides (white racists and black dogmatists), feeling alone and unaccepted, and the eventual realization that you are who you are and to live life accordingly. Although few of us go to the extremes that Brain Copeland did in his despair over his experiences, it's still quite inspiring. His "you are nornal" soliloquy at the end speaks so eloquently to this situation that I have given this to students of mine who experience the same things and they have cried tears of joy from knowning that someone understands and has articulated their experiences.
You are not alone. You are normal. Thank you Brian.
A Lesson In Humanity.......2007-03-07
No matter your race or upbringing, this book will touch your heart. It presents a good lesson in humanity. As a caucasian, you can never understand the prejudice that African-Americans have had to endure. Copeland's experience was magnified living in such a white community. Although that community has changed over the years, many communities in America have not. Perhaps this book will make a difference in how people treat one another. It may not make a big impact, but as individuals, all we can ever do is try to change our little corner of the world.
Besides being thought-provoking, this book is well written and humorous as well as poignant. Definitely put this book on your must-read list!!
Not a Geniune Black Man: Or, How I Claimed My Piece of Ground in the Lily-White Suburbs.......2007-02-09
I enjoyed this book tremendously. I found Mr. Copeland's incorporation of humor into this serious theme to help me enjoy the book. I felt his and his family's evey pain. Being black in America has not been the easiest life to live and I can relate to some of the delemas that he endured. In my younger days, I, too, was acused of Not being a Genine Black Woman, based mostly on my speech and the music I enjoyed, Broadway Shows and musical movies. As I got older and more black people got to Broadway, it was easier to be accepted. My speech has also been impaired due to a recent stroke. Mr. Copland's experiences made me laugh and cry. I am sorry his mother is not around to see how he has turned out. I brought 2 copies of the book and gave one as a gift. My friend really enjoyed the book also. The book made me want to see him in person on stage.
An eye-opener.......2007-01-17
it was incredible to me the racism experienced by the author, given the time period and the location. i am from california myself, and had always thought that we were fairly "progressive", so was saddened by the author's experiences. it was definitely a good read - i have bought it as gifts for others as well!
Brian Copeland tells it like it was.......2007-01-10
Brian Copeland's Not a Genuine Black Man accurately and poignantly describes growing up in one of America's gilded white suburbs. The book boils with honesty and passion; it shows both the darkest and brightest sides of human nature as well as how the love of a family can inspire a child's belief in himself and determination to succeed. While Brian's humorous story telling might bring a chuckle, his treatment of the subject matter only makes the reality of the blatant and cruel racism he and many others like him endured more painful and chilling. The book evoked many memories for me as well as strong emotional responses from laughter and tears, to pure outrage and anger. I couldn't put the book down and read it in a day. My parents were part of the "white flight" from Oakland in the early 60's and moved to San Leandro when I was 18 years old. At that time there were also several people living in San Leandro who were committed to fair housing and social justice and equality, and Mr. Copeland gives ample credit to these folks who worked so hard to help San Leandro evolve into the rich, ethnically diverse and more socially conscious community it has and continues to become. This book is must reading for all Americans because of the pervasive racism that is our history and also our responsibility to change.
Book Description
In this remarkable and elegant work, acclaimed Yale Law School professor Kenji Yoshino fuses legal manifesto and poetic memoir to call for a redefinition of civil rights in our law and culture.
Everyone covers. To cover is to downplay a disfavored trait so as to blend into the mainstream. Because all of us possess stigmatized attributes, we all encounter pressure to cover in our daily lives. Given its pervasiveness, we may experience this pressure to be a simple fact of social life.
Against conventional understanding, Kenji Yoshino argues that the demand to cover can pose a hidden threat to our civil rights. Though we have come to some consensus against penalizing people for differences based on race, sex, sexual orientation, religion, and disability, we still routinely deny equal treatment to people who refuse to downplay differences along these lines. Racial minorities are pressed to “act white” by changing their names, languages, or cultural practices. Women are told to “play like men” at work. Gays are asked not to engage in public displays of same-sex affection. The devout are instructed to minimize expressions of faith, and individuals with disabilities are urged to conceal the paraphernalia that permit them to function. In a wide-ranging analysis, Yoshino demonstrates that American civil rights law has generally ignored the threat posed by these covering demands. With passion and rigor, he shows that the work of civil rights will not be complete until it attends to the harms of coerced conformity.
At the same time, Yoshino is responsive to the American exasperation with identity politics, which often seems like an endless parade of groups asking for state and social solicitude. He observes that the ubiquity of the covering demand provides an opportunity to lift civil rights into a higher, more universal register. Since we all experience the covering demand, we can all make common cause around a new civil rights paradigm based on our desire for authenticity–a desire that brings us together rather than driving us apart.
Yoshino’s argument draws deeply on his personal experiences as a gay Asian American. He follows the Romantics in his belief that if a human life is described with enough particularity, the universal will speak through it. The result is a work that combines one of the most moving memoirs written in years with a landmark manifesto on the civil rights of the future.
“This brilliantly argued and engaging book does two things at once, and it does them both astonishingly well. First, it's a finely grained memoir of young man’s struggles to come to terms with his sexuality, and second, it's a powerful argument for a whole new way of thinking about civil rights and how our society deals with difference. This book challenges us all to confront our own unacknowledged biases, and it demands that we take seriously the idea that there are many different ways to be human. Kenji Yoshino is the face and the voice of the new civil rights.” -Barbara Ehrenreich, author of Nickel and Dimed
“Kenji Yoshino has not only given us an important, compelling new way to understand civil rights law, a major accomplishment in itself, but with great bravery and honesty, he has forged his argument from the cauldron of his own experience. In clear, lyrical prose, Covering quite literally brings the law to life. The result is a book about our
public and private selves as convincing to the spirit as it is to the
mind.” -Adam Haslett, author of You Are Not A Stranger Here
“Kenji Yoshino's work is often moving and always clarifying. Covering elaborates an original, arresting account of identity and authenticity in American culture.”
-Anthony Appiah, author of The Ethics of Identity and Laurance S. Rockefeller University Professor Of Philosophy at Princeton University
“This stunning book introduces three faces of the remarkable Kenji Yoshino: a writer of poetic beauty; a soul of rare reflectivity and decency; and a brilliant lawyer and scholar, passionately committed to uncovering human rights. Like W.E.B. DuBois's The Souls of Black Folk and Betty Friedan's The Feminine Mystique, this book fearlessly blends gripping narrative with insightful analysis to further the cause of human emancipation. And like those classics, it should explode into America's consciousness.”
-Harold Hongju Koh Dean, Yale Law School and former Assistant Secretary of State for Human Rights
“Covering is a magnificent work - so eloquently and powerfully written I literally could not put it down. Sweeping in breadth, brilliantly argued, and filled with insight, humor, and erudition, it offers a fundamentally new perspective on civil rights and discrimination law. This extraordinary book is many things at once: an intensely moving personal memoir; a breathtaking historical and cultural synthesis of assimilation and American equality law; an explosive new paradigm for transcending the morass of identity politics; and in parts, pure poetry. No one interested in civil rights, sexuality, discrimination - or simply human flourishing - can afford to miss it.”
-Amy Chua, author of World on Fire
“In this stunning, original book, Kenji Yoshino demonstrates that the struggle for gay rights is not only a struggle to liberate gays---it is a struggle to free all of us, straight and gay, male and female, white and black, from the pressures and temptations to cover vital aspects of ourselves and deprive ourselves and others of our full humanity. Yoshino is both poet and lawyer, and by joining an exquisitely observed personal memoir with a historical analysis of civil rights, he shows why gay rights is so controversial at present,
why “covering” is the issue of contention, and why the “covering demand,” universal in application, is the civil rights issue of our time. This is a beautifully written, brilliant and hopeful book, offering a new understanding of what is at stake in our fight for
human rights.”
-Carol Gilligan, author of In a Different Voice
Customer Reviews:
Jewel In A Field.......2007-06-13
Dean Yoshino has given us a lesson using the perfect mixture of poetry and prose in this his latest work. Reading it was like listening to a Aretha Franklin: refreshing! But most importantly, the work will act as a bridge between minority groups; limning aspects of experience that we all--- religious, sexual, and ethnic--- have in common. That is to say, it will help us to understand how the laws of the land apply to all who are pressured to conform to majority norms.
Uneven, but fascinating........2007-06-06
Kenji Yoshino is obviously a skilled writer. He is also a sharp thinker: the concepts covered here require a deft hand and skilled thought in order to not come off as a trite "Be your authentic self" pep talk. His assessment of human culture's demands on its minorities (at least those he is familiar enough with to speak for) are well put. Certain portions (especially in the early chapters) seem excessivly verbose. However, where the book really comes unglued is the uneasy marriage of personal narrative and political discourse. Both are clearly written by someone passionate and well versed in the subject matter. But the blending of two styles, while sometimes quite successful (and touching), can make this less than an easy read at times. Still, if you're not bothered by the blending (or better yet, if you're intrugued by it) this book has more than a few great ideas to chew on. Flawed or not, this is an intriguing and thought-provoking read.
Gay and Lesbian Rights.......2007-05-10
Anyone interested in the state of our country today should read this book about the civil rights movement of today.
The dark side of assimilation.... exposed!.......2007-04-06
This should be required reading for all everyone in civil rights work and all lawmakers. The only place this book falls short is in the areas it doesnt discuss that all women, and straight WASP males need to understand for THEMSELVES about the covering demands made on THEM. Since these are out of Yoshino's experience one can not fault him much on that score. He points those groups in the right direction however. This is a wonderful but painful book. It is meant to provoke thought. It is not a simple tirade against conformity but something deeper. It is a starting point for thinking and discussing our civil rights.
I would also highly recommend the first half of this book to anyone who counsels people on questions of their sexual identity.
If you care about the state of our culture, read this book.......2006-11-10
In Covering, Kenji Yoshino presents a new paradigm for civil rights. By weaving his own personal story of life as a gay, Japanese American man with the legal history of the civil rights struggle of gays and lesbians, Professor Yoshino creates a new, compelling genre of literature. In a bold move that bucked the traditional legal "neutral voice" treatise, Professor Yoshino makes himself and the law available to everyone, including legal scholars. Without a hint of jargon, this book shows how the status and treatment of gays and lesbians has moved from conversion to passing to now covering. His own identity development has passed through similar phases.
Covering is a mechanism through which an individual with some "disfavored" or non-dominant idenity traits downplays those traits in order to retain employment, avoid abuse, and generally navigate through the world. When we all recognize the way that covering affects us, whether it is the Black woman who is refused the right to wear cornrows (a real case involving American Airlines), or Professor Yoshino being told by colleague to be a gay professional, not a professional gay, we can move towards a new vision of civil rights. The author advocates not for the dismantling of all covering demands - some are legitimate - but that we force the discussion why a particular demand is being made.
Notably, Professor Yoshino's paradigm does not exclude anyone; in fact, its power lies in the fact that even the most privileged person (typically white heterosexual men from wealthy protestant families) can relate to the idea that they shouldn't be forced to downplay elements of his identity. We all have skin in the game when we move away from strict group-based identity politics to recognizing the inherent right we all have to express our idenity in non-conformist ways.
One criticism I have, though, is that there is no clear format for these discussions. Although Professor Yoshino states that we need to move away from legal solutions and start with the culutral context, I have a hard time imagining the format for an individual from an oppressed group "discussing" the demand to cover with their oppressor. For example, if someone with flashy rims on their car is stopped and fined under the pretext of some traffic safety regulation, if would be difficult to engage the officer in a discussion of why this law is being unfairly targeted to his attempt at expressing his cultural identity.
Perhaps the best solution is that we all need to read this book. Everyone. Spread the word. Give it as a holiday gift. Start these discussions in your homes, schools, and communities. Under this paradigm, we could all live freer, more fulfilled lives.
Book Description
"My name will survive as long as man survives, because I am writing the greatest diary that has ever been written. I intend to surpass Pepys as a diarist."
When John Frush Knox (1907-1997) wrote these words, he was in the middle of law school, and his attempt at surpassing Pepys—part scrapbook, part social commentary, and part recollection—had already reached 750 pages. His efforts as a chronicler might have landed in a family attic had he not secured an eminent position after graduation as law clerk to Justice James C. McReynolds—arguably one of the most disagreeable justices to sit on the Supreme Court—during the tumultuous year when President Franklin D. Roosevelt tried to "pack" the Court with justices who would approve his New Deal agenda. Knox's memoir instead emerges as a record of one of the most fascinating periods in American history.
The Forgotten Memoir of John Knox—edited by Dennis J. Hutchinson and David J. Garrow—offers a candid, at times naïve, insider's view of the showdown between Roosevelt and the Court that took place in 1937. At the same time, it marvelously portrays a Washington culture now long gone. Although the new Supreme Court building had been open for a year by the time Knox joined McReynolds' staff, most of the justices continued to work from their homes, each supported by a small staff. Knox, the epitome of the overzealous and officious young man, after landing what he believes to be a dream position, continually fears for his job under the notoriously rude (and nakedly racist) justice. But he soon develops close relationships with the justice's two black servants: Harry Parker, the messenger who does "everything but breathe" for the justice, and Mary Diggs, the maid and cook. Together, they plot and sidestep around their employer's idiosyncrasies to keep the household running while history is made in the Court.
A substantial foreword by Dennis Hutchinson and David Garrow sets the stage, and a gallery of period photos of Knox, McReynolds, and other figures of the time gives life to this engaging account, which like no other recaptures life in Washington, D.C., when it was still a genteel southern town.
Customer Reviews:
Blame it all on Brian Lamb of C-SPAN Booknotes.......2007-08-30
The Booknotes discussion some years ago was unforgettable. Later, after reading the book, I found that the author's descriptions of subtle details of segregated Washington, DC in the 1930's..... (Black v. White) (Employer v. Employee) (Rich v. Broke) are a powerful lens, useful in seeing even today's urban customs. DC back then was obviously a disturbing mix of bizarre racial rules, hatreds, affections and above all: -intimacies- (i.e. the boss employs 'servants' & he takes the job description VERY seriously.) A Justice of the Supreme Court from Jim Crow Kentucky is shown to have massive limitations in seeing the promise of a Republic "conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal...." blah blah blah -as you will see after a few minutes with good-ol' Justice McReynolds. What is the measure of a man who poisons nearly ALL interactions with his peers at work and with those of his own household ? What indeed. This a great book, from the tragic, desolate pen of Mr. Knox.
This book is a gem..........2006-04-10
This book is a gem for anyone interested in the Supreme Court or in this era in particular. It is unlike anything else I have read about the Justices who were part of the Constitutional Revolution of 1937. John Knox's memoir provides a glimpse of people rather than historical figures, and that glimpse explains a lot. His style is conversational and easy to read. And the book is hard to put down.
Sheerly fascinating.......2005-02-16
This book is a delight to read, and throws light on the Supreme Court in the momentous court year of 1936-37 when the Court was saved by Justice Roberts breaking away from the conservative wing of the Court and upholding New Deal laws which, if they had been held unconstitutional, might well have resulted in changes to the Supreme Court such as FDR had requested. The account by John Knox of how he came to be Justice McReynolds' law clerk and the odd life had to lead as such clerk is of much interest. I have seldom read a memoir of greater interest than is this one. Knox himself is a most unusual person, having a effrontery which amazes one looking at it from the viewpoint of history. The book is magnificently edited, with citations which enable one in this computer age to look up the cases mentioned and live the time with Knox. Knox's subsequent career is also of interest, and poignant. This book is a winner, and anyone interested in Supreme Court history will find reading this book extremely rewarding
The more things change..........2004-03-13
From the dying days of Russia's Tsarist courts in which the young Kafka sharpened his perception of the absurd, here, similarly is the prophetic voice of a clerk in the blossoming federal judiciary.
Watch carefully over the next decade or so for a similar glimpse behind the curtain of our Oz-esque federal judiciary. The federal bench is a well hidden bastion of intellectual dishonesty and privelege. Coming works of this nature will owe Knox a certain debt. You will read them with a sharper eye for having shared a year with Knox.
After a clerkship ghostwriting for a fat/lazy/corrupt federal district court judge as a "law clerk", this account helped me understand my own mis-steps once I escaped to the saner world of rural criminal defense work.
Our federal courts especially remain a bastion of royalist arrogance. Knox's glimpse should be treasured by anyone encountering the federal courts whether as barrister, litigant or citizen. He speaks a timeless truth against which we are not well armed.
Great on content, just a little dry.......2002-07-20
If you're the ultimate policy wonk on 2nd Amendment law, you'll want to read this book just for John Knox's insights into the character of Justice McReynolds who wrote the decision in U.S. v. Miller, 1939. Unfortunately, Knox was no longer clerking for McReynolds in 1939, so we miss the inside story on that landmark decision, but after you've read this book you'll better understand why Miller makes so little sense.
Books:
- The Brain That Changes Itself: Stories of Personal Triumph from the Frontiers of Brain Science (James H. Silberman Books)
- The Career Fitness Program: Exercising your Options (8th Edition)
- The Guns of August: The Pulitzer Prize-Winning History of the First Month of WWI
- The Life of Kingsley Amis
- The Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Hat: And Other Clinical Tales
- The Mayor of Casterbridge (Modern Library Classics)
- The Mysticism of Paul the Apostle (The Albert Schweitzer Library)
- The Old Man and The Sea
- The Old Man and The Sea
- The Old Man and The Sea
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- Buy Low, Sell High, Collect Early and Pay Late: The Manager's Guide to Financial Survival
- Raising The Past
- El Corazon De La Muerte/Altars and Offerings for Days of the Dead
- History of Vatican II: The Mature Council - 2nd Period and Intersession, A Mature Council, October 1
- Radical Forgiveness, Making Room for the Miracle, 2nd Edition
- The Aeneid
- Reader's digest explores whales, dolphins & porpoises
- Executive Desk Gong
- Global Capitalism at Bay
- Secondhand Bride
General
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
Wish I Could Be There: Notes From a Phobic Life
Christine Falls: A Novel
About Alice
What the Dead Know: A Novel
Then We Came to the End: A Novel
