Black in Selma: The Uncommon Life of J.L. Chestnut, Jr. [Paperback]

J. L. Chestnut (Author), Julia Cass (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0374526885 | ISBN-13: 978-0374526887 | Publication Date: September 1999 | Edition: Reprint

A civil rights classic returns to print.

On March 7, 1965, George Wallace, Governor of Alabama, lined the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma with state troopers to prevent a civil rights march to Montgomery for the black vote. Among those present was a thirty-four-year-old lawyer, J. L. Chestnut, Jr., the only black lawyer in Selma at that time, a man whose own struggle both parallels and exemplifies the growth of the civil rights movement since the early sixties. Journalist Julia Cass met Chestnut while covering the South for The Philadelphia Inquirer and was struck not only by the representative nature of his story but by his deeply perceptive reading of the realities of power and politics in the South. The result of their collaboration is Black in Selma, Chestnut's extraordinary autobiography.

Black-and-White Photographs

J. L. Chestnut, Jr., is the founder of Chestnut, Sanders, Sanders, Turner, Williams & Pettaway, the largest black law firm in Alabama. Julia Cass wrote for The Philadelphia Inquirer and is now at the Buenos Aires Herald in Argentina.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

The infamous 1965 "Bloody Sunday" civil rights march in Selma, Alabama, led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., put that sleepy segregated town into the national spotlight. An important, though lesser-known, figure in those events was J.L. Chestnut--a fiery, hometown, Howard University-trained lawyer who through intelligence, force of will, and (in many cases) luck managed to change the town's laws and attitudes. Black in Selma, his unpretentious autobiography cowritten by Philadelphia Inquirer reporter Julia Cass, recalls Chestnut's lifelong battles with the brutal segregation enforced by whites, as well as underachievement, classism, miseducation, and Afro-pessimism among local blacks. Throughout the book, Chestnut reveals in ribald and revolutionary tones the complexities and contradictions of simultaneously working with the law and outside it, including a riveting moment alongside future congressman John Lewis as they stood eyeball-to-eyeball with a local sheriff who blocked their enteric into a court building. His encounters with activist organizations such as the NAACP, SCLC, and SNCC further illuminate the philosophical intersections and collisions between various factions of the civil rights movement. Overall, J.L. Chestnut's story is about how a people accustomed to injustice grew to fight for freedom with their lives. "After centuries of ducking and dodging," he writes, "black people have come out of the closet--and they liked the air." --Eugene Holley Jr.

From Publishers Weekly

As Selma, Ala.'s first black lawyer, Chestnut has been vitally involved in historic civil rights struggles. He participated in the march which culminated in the signing of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, tried cases for the NAACP, organized the registration of black voters and pursued grassroots activism. This dramatic, outspoken yet modest autobiography, written with Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Cass, is a magnificent testament to what courage, strategy and persistence can accomplish. The book includes candid portrayals of Martin Luther King Jr. ("one hell of a field general"), Stokely Carmichael ("heartthrob African prince"), Adam Clayton Powell, George Wallace, Thurgood Marshall, Jesse Jackson and others. Photos. 50,000 first printing; $50,000 ad/promo; author tour.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Farrar Straus & Giroux; Reprint edition (September 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0374526885
• ISBN-13: 978-0374526887
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.5 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,261,742 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Uncommon, indeed, November 30, 2000

By 

Emily Meyer "eman" (Frederick, MD United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Black in Selma: The Uncommon Life of J.L. Chestnut, Jr. (Paperback)

Perhaps the most uncommon thing about Mr. Chestnut, the first African-American lawyer in Selma, is that he doesn't see himself as that extraordinary.

This book, which was as much about the man as it was about the civil rights movement, was a quick read that I often wished would last a lot longer.

I really enjoyed both the front-line perspective on a movement I only read about in history books, and as a law student, the legal angle was also fascinating.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I love this biography. Fascinating, inspiring & hilarious., April 11, 2004

By 

Sharon (Alabama) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Black in Selma: The Uncommon Life of J.L. Chestnut, Jr. (Hardcover)

I love this biography. J.L. Chestnut, Jr. is a fascinating human being, and this book is filled with amazing and important history as well as hilarious stories from his life. A friend got me to read it one day when I was feeling down. He just asked me to read the first chapter (which is HILARIOUS), and I ended up reading the whole thing in two days -- I couldn't put it down. Throughout it, I was thoroughly inspired. A must read.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book. Easy read and a wealth of information., July 7, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Black in Selma (Hardcover)

This book gave be an insight to the Selma, Al that I had not heard or read about. I am planning to visit Selma one day because of this book. The author makes you feel as if you were in Selma or had been to Selma. I really enjoyed reading this book. Would love to read more work by this author. Has this author published anything lately?