The Nader imprimatur is a sure sign of a necessary muckrake, with the accent on public responsibility, and in the aftermath of Watergate, disillusionment with these knaves who have a license to steal—the members of the legal profession—is at an all time high. As co-editor Mark Green, who blew the whistle on The Unseen Power of the Washington Lawyers recently, points out in one of the pieces collected here, the last decade has seen an explosion in the earnings of lawyers, pricing them out of the reach of middle-class as well as poor litigants and reinforcing their venal corporate ties. Only lawyers could document the tales of self-dealing, collusion and misplaced loyalties compiled here—yet apparently few of them have any regard for their Canon of Ethics or a sense of themselves as anything more than guns-for-hire, client instruments. Green et al. attack the ABA in several essays, citing chapter and verse of their shady judgments. There are several strong pieces on access to power through poverty lawyers, the public interest bar and class action suits, a scrutiny of the accountability of both corporate and government attorneys and some finger-pointing at judges of varying degrees of competence and honesty. Reform is the keynote, of course, with a little rhetoric and much solid research. Contributors include Martin Garbus, Rep. John Conyers, Beverly Moore, Fred Harris, Joseph Califano, Ramsey Clark, Victor Rabinowitz, Jack Newfield and John Tunney. A book to make you angry and also reassure you with its advocacy.
Pub Date: Feb. 1, 1975
ISBN: 0690016670
Page Count: 376
Publisher: T.Y. Crowell
Review Posted Online: May 22, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1975
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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