Once upon a time in Texas ...there were liberal activists of various stripes who sought to make the state more tolerant and more tolerable. David Richards was one of them. In this fast-paced, often humorous memoir, he remembers the players, the strategy sessions, the legal and political battles, and the wins and losses that brought significant gains in civil rights, voter rights, labor law, and civil liberties to the people of Texas from the 1950s to the 1990s. In his work as a lawyer, Richards was involved in cases covering voters' rights, school finance reform, and a myriad of civil liberties and free speech cases. In telling these stories, he vividly evokes the ""glory days"" of Austin liberalism, when a who's who of Texas activists plotted strategy at watering holes such as Scholz Garden and the Armadillo World Headquarters. Likewise, he offers vivid portraits of liberal politicians from Ralph Yarborough to Ann Richards (his former wife), progressive journalists such as Molly Ivins and the Texas Observer staff, and the hippies, hellraisers, and musicians who all challenged Texas's conservative status quo.
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Editorial Reviews
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"[David Richards is] one of the best civil-rights lawyers and one of the best all-purpose battlers for justice this state has ever produced... One man/one vote, school desegregation, freedom of speech, the list of cases with David Richards' name on them as attorney for those getting shafted by unfair and unconstitutional laws goes on and on. So many of them seem self-evident by now. The shame of legal segregation is so clear to us at this point, we forget when it was worth a person's life to work to change it." Molly Ivins, Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Review
[David Richards is] one of the best civil-rights lawyers and one of the best all-purpose battlers for justice this state has ever produced.... One man/one vote, school desegregation, freedom of speech, the list of cases with David Richards' name on them as attorney for those getting shafted by unfair and unconstitutional laws goes on and on. So many of them seem self-evident by now. The shame of legal segregation is so clear to us at this point, we forget when it was worth a person's life to work to change it. (Molly Ivins, Fort Worth Star-Telegram )
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Once Upon a Time In Texas,
By Cherry Kugle (Austin, Texas USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Once Upon a Time in Texas: A Liberal in the Lone Star State (Focus on American History Series,Center for American History, University of Texas at Austin) (Hardcover)
This book is well-written and compelling reading. It provides a overview of the politics in Texas from the time of the "Shivercrats" in the 50's through the upheaval of campus protests in the 60's to the current landscape where Republicans occupy the majority of statewide offices. The author is an attorney who was engaged over his career in Texas in a number of lawsuits seeking equity in voting rights for minorities and in funding among public schools, among other social justice issues.The autobiographical structure of the book provides an engaging contrast between the (potentially dry) discussion of litgation and the personal growth and escapades of the author and his rowdy and adventurous friends. The legal points are explained in terms that non-attorneys can easily grasp and the outcomes of the cases demonstrate that progess can be made, bit by bit, in dragging civilization forward to a more progessive place if you are clever and persistent and sometimes just downright lucky. It is a must read for anyone wanting to understand the political history of Texas, or for students of public affairs seeking insight into the realities of how policies are made and changed. It is also a very enjoyable read for anyone wanting to get a feel for Austin during its best years -- when the music was great and the living was laid back. Some of the anecdotes made me laugh out loud, which is one of the greatest compliments a book can elicit from me. The fact that there is much to be learned from reading it, and that it is a delightful read to boot, earned it a 5-star rating.
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Required reading for insight into Texas politics and culture,
By
This review is from: Once Upon a Time in Texas: A Liberal in the Lone Star State (Focus on American History Series,Center for American History, University of Texas at Austin) (Hardcover)
David Richards is a legend in Texas legal circles, and anyone looking for insight into the lone star state's political culture and history would be hard pressed to find a better introduction. Texas politics has been called a contact sport, and David Richards has been an active participant for a lifetime. The book is filled with insider stories involving everyone from President Johnson and a string of Texas governors (including his former wife Ann Richards) to farm workers. Richards has often taken on powerful interests as a lawyer for labor unions and minorities fighting for civil rights. This is by no means a dry lawyers' casebook, however. Richards has been at the epicenter of liberal culture in Texas; a patron of the long-gone Armadillo World Headquarters and friend to artists, musicians and writers. It is also a memoir of a leader finding balance and enjoyment in life. This is a fun, enjoyable read that personalizes the turbulent times of the last half century in Texas. If you've ever chuckled or been provoked by a Mollie Ivins book or column, you'll want to savor this book.
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Shaggy Dogs Do Exist,
By
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Once Upon a Time in Texas: A Liberal in the Lone Star State (Focus on American History Series,Center for American History, University of Texas at Austin) (Hardcover)
How is it that Texas politics could give the country Lyndon Johnson and George W. Bush, Ralph Yarborough and Phil Gramm? When Ann Richards became governor, the prison system, the juvenile justice system, and the mental health system were all to some degree under the control of federal courts because of state defaults. After her administration, all those systems were back under state control, employment was up and crime was down--yet, she got voted out. Why?If questions like this hold no fascination for you, pass on this book...unless you are up for a string of hilarious shaggy dog stories involving the movers and shakers and noisemakers of Texas. The acid test for humor is whether you will laugh out loud when nobody else is in the room. This book passes so clearly that you might want to take it in small doses if you are prone to aches caused by belly laughs. The reason why a first rate academic press would publish a memoir full of political anecdotes is because those anecdotes illustrate important strategy and tactics in the struggle to drag Texas toward the 21st Century. Where is it writ that you cannot learn important things and have fun at the same time?
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