Customer Reviews

Critical Race Theory: The Key Writings That Formed the Movement

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This book is incredible. As a highschool student, I never really realized all of the barriers set up against people of color in the law. I coudldn't figure out why my black friends still didn't have the respect if laws are "neutral." Dorothy Roberts article in this book about the prosecution of drug-addicted pregnant women addresses many touchy issues and brings the problems with the law directly to light. And the introduction to this book clarifies CRT in a very helpful way. An excellent read.

An outstanding collection of law review articles that explore the role of the law in creating and maintaining the American racial hierarchy. In addition to describing the key tenets of Critical Race Theory, the articles in this book address several important social issues, including affirmative action, zoning, and policies related to pregnant women who use drugs. One of the best collections of its kind, this book is crucial reading for anyone who is interested in race, social justice, and/or legal theory!

This collection of insightful essays will change the way that you view law and politics in America. The authors deconstruct the racial, gender, and class dynamics that shape our instutions, particularly our courts. It not surprising that the featured authors launched such a tremendous movement as Critical Race Theory.

I have had this reader for some time now- and have since had a chance to fully appreciate all that it offers. The title couldn't be more accurate- these are the key writings that shaped the Critical Race Theory (CRT) movement. This is a must have for any law student who is looking to explore the scholarship of persons of color who have largely been ignored or excluded in the legal discussions involving civil rights. It is also a great starter book for anyone interested in exploring CRT.

Unfortunately, the force that moves the critical race theory is a yearning for protection from freedom. Protection from words, thoughts, looks, attitudes. It's not a struggle to change those attitudes, but to suppress them. Ultimately, it's a dream of a noble police state. The very thought is abhorrent and the authors should be ashamed.

when your boss, all the media you read or watch, most of your teachers, and some of your own family members tell you using words, or hint through their actions, that you are no good because you are [fill in the blank]. After a million iterations, you'd lose any confidence you might have and you'd live your life allowing [fill in the blank] persons to step all over you. While an insult is less harmful than a bullet, a few hundred insults has roughly the same effect as holding a gun to someone's head because you're basically saying, "obey or die of lonliness and starvation." Now, to fill in the blank, the mobs making these silent threats for the last 300 years has been predominantly (not always) white, male, and wealthy. The people receiving this has been women, people of color, and the poor, not to mention short and fat people.

One of the key points of this book is that words can be as harmful as physical assault, which is why the authors believe that the law should suppress both.

But if the two are equivalent, if hateful words are equivalent to bullets, then logically one can respond to words with bullets. Is that the view the authors really believe in and wish to promote? I sure hope not. But then the entire premise of the book is undermined.