Customer Reviews

Separate and Unequal: Homer Plessy and the Supreme Court Decision that Legalized Racism

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

An unfortunate book that reviews how the south was able to manipulate the courts and state rights into a legal system the US government did not find fit to change til 1964. It is not an easy read due to its legal content. It does show how the separate but equal rule had been misapplied.

Mr. Fireside does an incredible job turning historical information into an exciting read for anyone interested in this embarrassing court decision. His easy to read style makes the story come alive and it is clear that he spent a great deal of time researching the events in the book. I strongly recommend this book.

I must disagree with the other review. I find this book inherently unreadable. Fireside's arguments are inadequate for the weight of this topic, and rather than give a complete picture of Mr. Plessy and the Supreme Court Justices involved in the decision (as the title may suggest the book will discuss), Professor Fireside spends fully one third of the book examining the fall out from Plessy. None of the product reviews hint that so much time will be spent discussing Brown v. BOE or the left-wing preaching in which Fireside engages towards the end. Homer Plessy, in fact, is such a minor character in this story that his portrait is not even included in the photo insert. Furthermore, any errors in interpretation in typography, however superficial they may be are forgivable, except one. Midway through the book, Fireside accurately states that Justice Brewer recused himself for an unknown reason (even though many claim there was a reason, his daughter's death, to which Fireside makes no allusion), but Fireside later says that Brewer ruled AGAINST Plessy. This self-contradictory drivel is easily edited out, yet it made its way into the book anyway. I will certainly be looking for another Plessy book, and I suggest you do to.