Customer Reviews

Living the Bill of Rights: How to Be an Authentic American

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Americans, since the birth of the country, have in words, stood by the Bill of Rights. Nat Hentoff's book shows us people whose actions display the true meaning of the Bill of Rights. In a very readable style, Hentoff tells the stories of true Americans as they defend the rights that are guaranteed all citizens. One example is the story of Anthony Griffin, a black lawyer, who chose to defend the Ku Klux Klan's right to free speech. Said Griffin, "If you take the First Amendment from the Klan, we, as black folks, will be the next to suffer." While Griffin would not agree with the Klan's point of view, he recognizes that they have the right to voice their opinion no matter how many people are offended. Hentoff's book is notable because it shows us examples of people who live the principles behind the Bill of Rights instead of just talking about them. In addition, you will come to realize how the Bill of Rights is always being challenged by those citizens who try to silence others whose opinions don't agree with theirs. I highly recommend this book to all!

This book is excellent because it refuses to align itself with the either side of the spectrum when dealing the blows. Almost every political book today has a sever right or left slant,its nice to see common sense instead of rhetoric. It shows that Nat Hentoff is not afraid to go against the mindless "Political Correctness" of our day give credit where credit is due, even to a president as popular as Clinton. A must read.

I thought this was a pretty good book, which makes one wonder why I only gave it three stars. It's all summed up in the title to the Introduction, "Tell them stories about how our liberties were won and what keep them alive." That comes from the mouth of Supreme Court Justice William Brennan in a conversation with the author.

All in all, Hentoff does a decent job. The first chapter on William O. Douglas was easily the best of the book. A story of a man who was deeply committed to the Bill of Rights for ALL Americans, not just the ones with popular views.

The only reason I gave the book 3 stars was that I just did not agree with all of the stories selected by Hentoff as giving examples of, in the author's words, "authentic Americans." Chapters 6, 7, and 8 come to mind. Chapters 6 and 7 deal with Dr. Kenneth Clark, an integrationist.

Now, I'm no segregationist, but I firmly believe in the right of people to choose to segregate themselves. I don't agree with it, but I also don't believe in using the force of government to make people live, work, and play together. Hentoff and Dr. Clark disagree.

...

All in all, three chapters devoted to this issue was a bit much, although many of the stories in them were valuable. For example, also in chapter 8, was a story about a high school that required people running for homecoming court to disclose their race. Why? Because the court had to be 1/2 white and 1/2 black. Clearly that is wrong: the government should not use race as a factor if people really are equal before the law.

Finally, Hentoff's views on Clinton do not impact the quality of this book.... Just because Hentoff doesn't like Clinton, does not mean one should give his book bad reviews. Clinton is mentioned 5 times out of a book of more than 200 pages, and Hentoff's points are valid. The Clinton administration has presided over a vast expansion of the war on drugs which greatly curtailed civil liberties (the FBI's Carnivore system comes to mind), and has overlooked Chinese human rights violations, among other things.

Overall, I wish I could've given this book 3.5 stars. I didn't feel it was worth 4. The title of the book, "Living the Bill of Rights," makes it sound like anyone who disagrees with any of the positions promulgated in the stories somehow doesn't care about the Bill of Rights, or isn't "an authentic American." Yet that just isn't true. Many people who opposse forced busing, for example, do so because they believe in freedom of association. Hentoff is walking a fine line, and disagreement is valuable and I encourage it. But the book went just a bit too far.

It's still a valuable contribution, and the majority of the stories should make most people proud to live in a country that has a bill of rights. Hopefully it will also make people more likely to defend it.

This book has a very important premise - an examination of how the Bill of Rights, and restrictions on it, can affect the lives of real people. Here that especially applies to the First Amendment, which is Hentoff's specialty. He has great insights into how lack of knowledge among the public of our inalienable constitutional rights can open the door to true modern tyrants who would like to restrict those rights more and more. By profiling courageous Americans, primarily students and teachers who have been persecuted for exercising their rights of free speech, Hentoff brings an important human focus to constitutional issues that most Americans probably think are far-off, lofty theories that don't really apply in real life.

Unfortunately this book tends to drift away from that important premise, and the premise sometimes has to fight to keep its head above water. In profiles of Supreme Court Justices Douglas and Brennan, while correctly praising their work to preserve the Bill of Rights, Hentoff drifts into hero worship that occasionally gets out of hand. The book really loses its focus in the later chapters, as Hentoff starts with important issues in education, religion, and the prison system but then goes off on politically tainted tirades about current events. Examples include generalizing court-appointed attorneys as "less than amateur," and calling Janet Reno "irrelevant." Meanwhile Hentoff's views on the First Amendment's treatment of freedom of religion appear very inconsistent to me (in terms of ground-level applications for students and teachers), though they may be consistent for him in light of his absolutist views on the subject.

Fortunately, Hentoff imparts many especially insightful and far-reaching quotes and nuggets of wisdom from those involved in constitutional battles. The book is saved overall by the courageous citizens and wise Justices who have done so much to teach us all about our rights. But sometimes you get the feeling that they deserve to be in a more consistent book. [~doomsdayer520~]

It is not easy to oppose the opinion of the community, take stands which offend one's neighbors, all in the name of the freedoms set forth in the Bill of Rights. All too often, people chose the easy way, and conform, figuring the fight simply isn't worth it. After all, even if you are right, is it really worth losing your friends, your job, your place in the community, andhaving your kids harrassed and ostracized--all to stand up for an abstract principle?

Hentoff tells the stories of dozens of people who made that choice--many of whom suffered for it. As he repeatedly notes, those who wrote our constitution did not take the easy path..they risked all to fight for ASmerica's independence.

By giving us examples of those who took the risk, and fought the good fight, Hentoff hopes to inspire others to do the same. Some of his stories involve the famous (his stories about Justice Douglas are the best in the book--although readers are cautioned that many of the "facts" Hentoff cites are taken from Douglas' own questionable autobiography), and several very ordinary people.

I was inspired, and even if you aren't, Hentoff's stories will definitely make you think about the issues.

The idea of America is thoughtfully explained, along with an argument - a convincing one - as to why it should be preserved at all costs.

Every American should understand that the actions of people are what maintain our civil liberties, and not simply our beliefs. Hentoff has illustrated this through several stories of people from all walks of life. His writing style is easy to follow and interesting.

The book is enjoyable and inspiring.

I can't guarantee the authenticity of the rest of the book, however the story about Kathryn Sinclair, beginning on p. 133, did not have its facts checked beforehand. I was in the same honors classes as Ms. Sinclair and two of the other valedictorians. She was ostracized for her behavior in school, rather than her belief in free speech. In fact, the student body chose to have a prayer said at graduation. Ms. Sinclair made a B in Honors English. Rather than accept that as a fair grade, she and her parents threatened to sue the teacher and the school over that grade. The school ended up allowing her to trade the grade for taking a similar class at the local college. She was treated the way she was because the graduating class felt she did not deserve to stand with the legitimate valedictorians, who had earned their 4.0's legitimately. Since I know one part of the work to be sensationalized fiction, I cannot validly give a good recommendation for the authenticity of the rest of the work.

In the interest of full disclosure, I'm only halfway through the book. But I'm really excited to talk about it!

WHAT a thrilling book it is. I've been marginally aware of Hentoff's reputation as an advocate of civil liberties for quite some time, and I probably read a few of his Village Voice pieces when I was a 20something, but that was all I'd read before this.

My oh my, the stories Hentoff tells of real Americans who put the Bill of Rights into action, sometimes at great personal cost, make me feel proud to be part of a country that could have produced such heroes.

Hentoff is a riveting narrator who speaks with feeling, albeit restrained feeling; he never flies into hyperbole or hysteria (which alone is worth several points to me!). When he talks about Supreme Court icons William O. Douglas and William J. Brennan, even though I disagree with some (OK, many) of their Courts' decisions, I got a somewhat better understanding of the reasoning behind those decisions, and of the contributions their Courts made to the preservation of our civil liberties.

And the story of Anthony P. Griffin, the black attorney fired by the NAACP for defending the KKK against the government's unconstitutional demand to see its membership list, is thrilling. Griffin had the foresight to see that if everyone else allowed the government to sucessfully violate the KKK's rights today, that government might well come after the NAACP tomorrow with the same success. And he had the integrity to put his principles before popularity. He didn't HAVE to take the case. When he took it, he'd already had a string of many successful cases, and was enjoying a good career. He could have passed the buck, but he didn't, because he was very clear about his principles were.

Whether or not you or I agree with the views of the people whose stories Hentoff tells is not the point. You probably won't agree with everyone Hentoff writes about, but that's the beauty of freedom of thought and expression in America. If you're a general reader like me, you *will* come out with a greater appreciation of why the Bill of Rights matters, and you will learn about people who put themselves on the line to preserve the liberties that our forefathers fought and died for.

I thought some of the reviews here were overenthusiastic. I was wrong. This is a MUST-read for anyone who loves America, whether they are conservative, liberal or somewhere in between.

Whatever our differences, now matter HOW hateful we may find someone else's ideas, ALL of us living under the protection of the Constitution need to stick together for the preservation of *everyone's* civil liberties. Because it really COULD be you or me tomorrow.

OK, if I'm soap-boxing, blame Hentoff's book! It's THAT good. But I take all the blame for any hyberbole in this review, if you see it as hyperbole. :)

This book should be required reading in every grade school. I learned a great deal reading it and recommend it to everyone.