Customer Reviews

Thurgood Marshall: American Revolutionary

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Despite the great number of biographies and reporting about the justices and inner working of the Supreme Court, no recent release tells the true story behind the story -- the human lives behind all the politics and power. However, in a new biography about the first African-American Supreme Court justice, Washington Post writer and Fox News commentator Juan Williams makes Thurgood Marshall come alive beyond the legal arguments and politics. Williams takes the reader throughout the course of Marshall's life, and ironically focuses only the final four chapters on his Supreme Court years.

Using this technique for the life story of most past and present Justices would be a meandering re-telling about growing up in a political family, attending prestigious schools, and making lots of money before landing a coveted job on the high bench. But Marshall's life is so completely different from most of the men (and they have been almost exclusively men) that have wielded this ultimate judicial power over the country. And it is that unique life story that allows Marshall to transform the nation.

Starting with his rise from a meager beginning in Baltimore, Williams guides us through the fascinating history of Marshall's activist family - from the defiant runaway slave for one grandfather to the other grandfather, a surly Civil War veteran who challenged the brutal racism of the local police. It was in this 19th century city of Baltimore, full of free blacks who owned their own businesses and ran their own private schools, that formed the community that gave birth to Thurgood Marshall. These activists, who demanded that their rights be respected even in a time of Jim Crow oppression, would nurture Marshall's social consciousness.

Marshall's childhood is filled with his own battles against the system of segregation that oppressed so many African-Americans across the country. Particularly poignant was the story about Marshall, working as a delivery boy during high school, being pulled off a trolley car and called "Nigger" because he stepped in front of a white woman. Marshall, strong-willed even as a teen, would not take that kind of abuse, and a huge fight broke out between Marshall and the white man who had grabbed him.

But Marshall's struggle against Jim Crow only increased after he went away to college. Attending Lincoln University, he fell into a friendship with the poet Langston Hughes, who was also a student at the all-male school. Their discussions about American society lead Marshall to take stronger views on race. But it wasn't until he graduated college and wanted to attend law school that the revolutionary spirit fully took hold of Thurgood Marshall. The University of Maryland would not allow him to attend because of their racist policies. So Marshall was forced to take the train everyday from Baltimore into Washington to attend law school at Howard University. There, the tough-minded dean, Charles Houston, took the bright young student under his wing and gave Marshall the training and the desire to do something radical - begin the long process of ending segregation.

Williams recounts the many years of Marshall's work with the NAACP, where as the lead attorney he won several notable cases ending discrimination in everything from housing to voting to bussing to teachers salaries. But it was his work in Brown versus Board of Education that really broke the back of segregation and made Marshall, as Williams contends, one of the most important lawyers of the 20th century. Williams goes through several of these historic cases, but the most compelling tales involve Marshall's defense of poor black men who had been accused of rape or murder and are rushed into kangaroo courts by southern, all-white law enforcement. Marshall's triumphs and failures all come out in these stories filled with both great humor and tremendous tragedy.

Thoroughly researched and with an impressive set of interviews, including over half-dozen of Marshall's colleagues on the Supreme Court, we get to see the full side of Thurgood Marshall. From his fights and surprising friendship with FBI director J. Edgar Hoover, to his competition with Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr. It is clear through this parade of the famous and infamous that Thurgood Marshall had such a profound impact on this country. It is unfortunate that at the time of his death, he felt so forgotten and unappreciated.

This lengthy biography covers so many important issues of American life and law. While readers will not find theoretical legal analysis, they will become absorbed in a rich narrative filled with lively characters. But most importantly, this book of Marshall's life brings into focus something that has been lost in recent shouting matches about Louis Farrakhan, affirmative action, and other issues of race that divide us. And that simple truth is that individual rights must be afforded the fullest protections of the law. That was Marshall's life work and that is his legacy.

Williams certainly understands the value of Marshall's great contributions to the long overdue advancement of African-Americans. Often over shadowed by King and Malcom X, Marshall accomplished much with his work in the courts to pave the way for the end of segregation. The sections leading up to Brown were compelling and helped bring the reader back to time that is very different than today, but not too long ago. People unfamilar with the reality of the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s will find this book invaluable. However, the strength of this book is that it paints Marshall not only as a great man, but a man with flaws. His dealings with other leaders, especially his conflicts with other great African-American leaders, his late night drinking, his womanizing all make him more human and more compelling. Not only was Marshall a significant fiqure in the Civil Rights movement, but he was also human, a man that readers can relate to and understand.

This is one of the most wonderful books I ever read. Thurgood Marshall is one of the most dynamic figures of the Civil Rights Movement. Williams not only gives an excellent and engaging account of Marshall's life, he represents the time in a manner that easily imagined. I was not alive during this period of time, but reading Williams' book made me feel as though I had experienced it. So often, when an author truly likes and admires his subject, the work that results is biased and not well-rounded. You can tell when you are reading something that is one-sided and too tributory to be accurate. Williams' admiration for this great man shines through in his book; however, it is by no means a song to Marshall. Williams' is fair in his dedication to not only Marshall's courage and brilliance, but also his fallibility and humanity. This is what brings the history to life. When you finish reading this book, you will feel as though you know Thurgood Marshall.

Thurgood Marshall needs a better book than this one, but in the absence of a more comprehensive, analytical volume, that would be alot longer & cover his thought and his life, this work will have to do. Juan Williams is a very good writer, the prose is "breezy" and the book is a fast read laden with interesting characters & interesting gossip. It shows Marshall's central place in 20th century, indeed US historical, civil rights in various arenas, not just racial justice. He is a very appealing person as well ... someone any reader probably would enjoy having known. I noticed in the forward that Williams was prevented from talking to some of the people closest to Marshall, which is most unfortunate. The book is not an expose but a very favorable view of the man. Marshall's relatives should be kicking themselves for not having shared their views & experiences with Williams. The next biographer will almost certainly be a more critical writer than Williams. Where the book falls down is in its exposition of Marshall's thought & some of the details of his legal work. So we come away, unfortunately, not understanding that Marshall was an intellectual giant, not just a legal-oriented civil rights leader. I enjoyed this book very much but gave it only 3 stars because it is almost entirely missing Marshall's intellectual life.

I (like many people, I bet) usually think of the civil rights struggle mostly in terms of Martin Luther King and bus boycots. This book tells the story of the legal battles that were mainly lead by Thurgood Marshall leading up to and including Brown vs Board of Ed that ended "separate but equal" and the cases after. The book follows Marshall's life to his appointment to a judgeship, the Solicitor General in LBJ's administration to his time on the Supreme Court. However, I found the time period from post WWII to the 60's as the most interesting. The importance of these legal battles is often forgotten. I guess it took MLK to really turn the nation's hearts, but Thurgood was the one who changed the laws. Williams does not deify Marshall and discusses his shortcomings - he was a heavy drinker, cheated on his wives and he his behaviour would be considered sexual harassment today. I am very glad that I expanded my knowledge of the history of the civil rights struggle by reading this book

Juan Williams is a fine writer and manages to bring Thurgood Marshall to life within the pages of this excellent biography. With insight and superb research, Williams helps the reader understand what motivated and caused the Justice to be such a driven and inspiring man. For anyone interested in the history of civil rights in this country, the Supreme Court, or the African American experience, it's a book of incredible substance as well as an entertaining read. I have enjoyed Juan Williams' work on NPR for the past decade and I'm glad to finally get around to reading one of his books. It certainly won't be my last and may actually inspire me to increase my donation to NPR!

Although an informative book, Juan Williams' Thurgood Marshall is an all too common example of a biography where the strength of the subject is forced to shine through weak writing. It is unfortunate that publishers allow the prominence of radio hosts and television pundits almost free reign to chronicle the lives of important historical figures knowing full well that the combination of names will often outweigh the quality of the book.

In this case, Thurgood Marshall is not done justice by Williams. However, considering there are almost no viable alternatives for anyone researching the life of one of the most powerful black man in American history, we must make due.

The chapter on the Justice's political maneuvering - Machiavellian Marshall - is particularly strong and interesting. The period after Marshall graduated from law school but before becoming lead counsel for the NAACP is also a crucial look at the formative part of his legal education. Those, I'm sad to say, are the only parts that really dive into what makes Marshall tick. The reader would be better served by more of them.

American Revolutionary is by no means a fluff piece or a poorly written work. It is however fairly shallow and not the substantive biography that Marshall (and the public) deserve.

Juan's engaging and highly readable book may not be a "comprehensive" Marshall reference, belabored with extensive footnotes & references, but persons interested in Civil Rights, or American history will find the man Turgood Marshall compelling & complex, and the book enjoyable and very informative.

A very competent, but not spectacular, biography. Williams does a wonderful job describing Marshall's early court battles, but his handling of the landmark Brown case is lacking, to say the least (20 pages? Come on!). Williams also seems to relish describing Marshall's heavily criticized final years on the bench, constantly refering to reports of Marshall's laziness and ineptitude. But overall, Williams gives a good introduction for those unfamiliar with Thurgood Marshall and his importance.

I am not going to reiterate the biography of Judge Marshall. Some of the reviews here (all excellent) have said it was "superficial". Perhaps so, but to someone like me who knew very little about Marshall, it was not . There are no holidays celebrating his birth (like MLK) or films about his life like Malcolm X, but he was the giant who through tireless work broke the laws of legal segregation in public facilities that were the law in many states. He was very human...smoked excessively was most likely a "functioning alcoholic". used profanity & was a notorious (but it was kept quiet) womanizer. I still loved the man! A larger than life figure with a huge ego & a man of great "cleverness" in knowing how to deal with the FBI. Hoover met his match in Marshall! I especially found it interesting to read about the personal rivalries within the NAACP & other civil rights groups. Never having been a Kennedy fan of either brother, I was validated by Marshall's opinion of both of them!
He had a choice of going to the opening of the University of Maryland Law School named in his honor but being so bitter about his rejection when a young man, he chose to ignore the invitation.
Sad that in his older years, he became more embittered & reclusive. I felt he was also worn down from the years of traveling & litigations he had to go through. He disparaged the influence of black militancy as harmful (which it may have been) & MLK as "fluff" which wasn't true but perhaps they led the way after Marshall led the legal court battles. Each was a contributor in the never ending struggle. I never realized segregation was actually legal in so many states! I still find it hard to believe that the Supreme Court said separate but equal public facilities were legal! Sort of a no brainer & I can understand why some of the Supreme Court decisions have been wrong. They are just men with a lot of legal learning but you also have be able to apply common sense to the laws. Perhaps common sense isn't that common!
Marshall also had the advantage of living a normal life span (84) while Macolm X & MLK lived only half of a life span. Perhaps the book doesn't give the greatest in depth telling of this great life but for someone like me who had litle knowledge beforehand it was very well written & never dull! I had read the biography of Paul Robeson thinking how wonderful he was but I felt not that much empathy with him after reading about his life. Not so with Marshall. Marshall was obviously much smarter than Robeson in the decisions he made throughout his life.