caffeinated_bookaholic's review against another edition
5.0
Reading about Marshall's life and dedication to justice and equality under law was a very enlightening way to approach the civil rights movement. The part which struck me most was a quote from him talking about why he didn't approve of MLK's methods, because they disregarded the work Marshall and the NAACP had done to ensure the laws were just and evenly applied - he said "I'm working to make sure everyone follows the law, black and white" - and rioting or walking is a tool either side can use against the other. It is interesting on the other side of it to see how many people remember MLK, and how few Thurgood Marshall. Both have their place, I suppose, but it's food for thought.
librarianonparade's review against another edition
4.0
I have to confess, to my shame, that I never really knew who Thurgood Marshall was until I read Devil in the Grove: Thurgood Marshall, the Groveland Boys, and the Dawn of a New America earlier in the year, in which he represented the 'Groveland Boys'. I found the glimpse of his role as chief lawyer for the NAACP in some of the most important civil rights cases fascinating, so when I came across this book I snapped it up to read. Having done so, I would say it is a must-read for anyone remotely interested in the Civil Rights Movement in America.
Thurgood Marshall was involved in almost all of the major civil rights cases of the era, most visibly Brown v. Board of Education, that paved the way for the integration of schools. He represented African-Americans against trumped-up murder charges, assault and rape charges; investigated charges of racism in the armed forces in Korea and Japan; won cases ending segregation on interstate buses, in colleges and universities, in housing contracts and primary elections; made the first challenge against the 'separate but equal' doctrine. After his career in the NAACP he later appointed the first African-American Solicitor General by JFK, and later the first African-American Justice of the Supreme Court.
Thurgood Marshall was arguably one of the most important figures in the Civil Rights Movement; many would argue, and I'm inclined to agree after reading this, that his role was as important, if not more so, as that of Martin Luther King Jr. Whilst King may have lent the movement its Messianic figurehead, Marshall was the one who arguably led the vanguard of change, believing as he did that change in minds and attitudes would necessarily follow changes in law.
Thurgood Marshall was involved in almost all of the major civil rights cases of the era, most visibly Brown v. Board of Education, that paved the way for the integration of schools. He represented African-Americans against trumped-up murder charges, assault and rape charges; investigated charges of racism in the armed forces in Korea and Japan; won cases ending segregation on interstate buses, in colleges and universities, in housing contracts and primary elections; made the first challenge against the 'separate but equal' doctrine. After his career in the NAACP he later appointed the first African-American Solicitor General by JFK, and later the first African-American Justice of the Supreme Court.
Thurgood Marshall was arguably one of the most important figures in the Civil Rights Movement; many would argue, and I'm inclined to agree after reading this, that his role was as important, if not more so, as that of Martin Luther King Jr. Whilst King may have lent the movement its Messianic figurehead, Marshall was the one who arguably led the vanguard of change, believing as he did that change in minds and attitudes would necessarily follow changes in law.
librarianonparade's review
4.0
I have to confess, to my shame, that I never really knew who Thurgood Marshall was until I read Devil in the Grove: Thurgood Marshall, the Groveland Boys, and the Dawn of a New America earlier in the year, in which he represented the 'Groveland Boys'. I found the glimpse of his role as chief lawyer for the NAACP in some of the most important civil rights cases fascinating, so when I came across this book I snapped it up to read. Having done so, I would say it is a must-read for anyone remotely interested in the Civil Rights Movement in America.
Thurgood Marshall was involved in almost all of the major civil rights cases of the era, most visibly Brown v. Board of Education, that paved the way for the integration of schools. He represented African-Americans against trumped-up murder charges, assault and rape charges; investigated charges of racism in the armed forces in Korea and Japan; won cases ending segregation on interstate buses, in colleges and universities, in housing contracts and primary elections; made the first challenge against the 'separate but equal' doctrine. After his career in the NAACP he later appointed the first African-American Solicitor General by JFK, and later the first African-American Justice of the Supreme Court.
Thurgood Marshall was arguably one of the most important figures in the Civil Rights Movement; many would argue, and I'm inclined to agree after reading this, that his role was as important, if not more so, as that of Martin Luther King Jr. Whilst King may have lent the movement its Messianic figurehead, Marshall was the one who arguably led the vanguard of change, believing as he did that change in minds and attitudes would necessarily follow changes in law.
Thurgood Marshall was involved in almost all of the major civil rights cases of the era, most visibly Brown v. Board of Education, that paved the way for the integration of schools. He represented African-Americans against trumped-up murder charges, assault and rape charges; investigated charges of racism in the armed forces in Korea and Japan; won cases ending segregation on interstate buses, in colleges and universities, in housing contracts and primary elections; made the first challenge against the 'separate but equal' doctrine. After his career in the NAACP he later appointed the first African-American Solicitor General by JFK, and later the first African-American Justice of the Supreme Court.
Thurgood Marshall was arguably one of the most important figures in the Civil Rights Movement; many would argue, and I'm inclined to agree after reading this, that his role was as important, if not more so, as that of Martin Luther King Jr. Whilst King may have lent the movement its Messianic figurehead, Marshall was the one who arguably led the vanguard of change, believing as he did that change in minds and attitudes would necessarily follow changes in law.
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