Greenberg (Race Relations in American History, not reviewed), former head of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, recounts the revolutionary and riveting saga of the fight for civil rights in the 1950s and '60s. The author discusses how he, a Jew from the Bronx, dedicated most of his professional life to the advancement of civil rights for blacks. In an expressive and often humorous style, Greenberg recalls the days of segregation, when black and white civil rights attorneys often feared for their lives. The book's strongest points include a full, human portrait of the late Thurgood Marshall, who headed the LDF prior to becoming a federal judge and then a Supreme Court justice. Greenberg brings many of the characters involved in the civil rights struggle to life with personal anecdotes while explaining the issues of constitutional law in a way that laypeople can understand. He provides perspective on the role of Jews in the civil rights movement, saying that it has often been overstated. His account of the drama leading up to the Brown v. Board of Education decision is particularly compelling. He also does not hesitate to criticize President Eisenhower for, in his view, failing to provide strong leadership in integration. Greenberg fully grasps the irony of a protest aimed at him when he was asked to teach a civil rights course at Harvard: The Black Law Students Association there objected to the notion of a white man—also a Jew—teaching such a class. Greenberg, who went on to teach law at Columbia, is neither self-righteous nor sanctimonious as he delineates how legal changes engendered by the NAACP LDF affected daily life in America. Yet, despite past victories, he is only too aware of the continuing, desperate plight of the African-American underclass.
Pub Date: May 17, 1994
ISBN: 0-465-01518-2
Page Count: 592
Publisher: Basic Books
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 1994
This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)
Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996
ISBN: 0-15-100227-4
Page Count: 136
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.
Pub Date: Feb. 23, 1955
ISBN: 0670717797
Page Count: -
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1955
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