Book Description
If One L is the book to read before law school, Relentless Pursuit is the book to read after-a real-life legal thriller that shows, from the inside, a prosecutor's quest to deliver justice to a family devastated by murder.
What happened to Diane Hawkins and her daughter Katrina-a brutal double murder in which the girl's heart was cut from her body-devastated a Washington, D.C., community and left its mark on everyone involved in the subsequent investigation. Especially moved was federal homicide prosecutor Kevin Flynn. He had handled any number of grisly murders, and was no stranger to the depravity of the human soul. Yet the way Hawkins's family and friends rallied together to help each other through the tragedy-and the generosity they ex-tended to Flynn, whose own father was dying of cancer at the time-turned this case into a personal mission. He was determined to use his position to effect real closure, to right a wrong-to bring justice on behalf of the victims and their families.
Relentless Pursuit is the story of that journey to justice, an intensely gripping beat-by-beat reconstruction of the events as they unfold-the murder, the arrest, the trial, the verdict-told with astonishing candor, and providing a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the life of a dedicated prosecutor. Above all, it's about healing and community, a story in which, in the end, the system works and-for once-justice prevails.
Customer Reviews:
An unusual perspective for a true-crime book........2007-09-29
True crime, sometimes, is far less interesting to read than crime fiction. In fiction, the author has many choices that a true crime writer doesn't. Fiction can place the reader inside the mind of the killer and/or inside the mind of the victim. Seldom is the author of a true crime book given that opportunity. Some writers can speculate with a great deal of seeming accuracy. That's not the road that Kevin Flynn takes in his book.
RELENTLESS PURSUIT is told from the perspective of an Assistant U.S. Attorney in Washington, DC; he is prosecuting a man for the brutal murder of a woman and her daughter
Diane Hawkins and Katrina Harris were murdered in May of 1993. The trial took place over a year later, in August of 1994. This may seem like a speedy trial, all things considered. The family of Diane Hawkins and Katrina Harris didn't think so; they knew right away who had killed these two people and had a difficult time with the slow and measured pace of the legal process. It took cool heads to persuade some members of the family not to take justice into their own hands.
RELENTLESS PURSUIT is not the best true crime out there; Flynn can be redundant and verbose. The story he tells, however, is compelling and fascinating. It is unclear until the verdict is delivered in court whether or not he has done his job as a prosecutor. And the reader does want to know the verdict. While the case is already decided in the minds of the reader (probably) and in Flynn's mind, he makes us all too aware of the realities of a jury trial, the complexities of presenting a good case, and how little things can undermine the best presentation.
Amazing first book.......2007-08-08
This is a true crime written somewhat similarly to Ann Rule. A pair of victims, Diane Hawkins and her daughter, Katrina Harris, are brutally murdered. It is Kevin Flynn's job as a DC prosecutor to put the alleged murderer behind bars. In his tale, Mr. Flynn expresses outrage at their horrific deaths and loses the cool mask of distant prosecutor. He becomes involved with other family members and friends of the victims and contrasts their closeness to his own small family's experiences with his father's impending death and birth of his first child.
This book is clear and well written, although it will take some readers a bit to "get into" the book. Stick with it, it is well worth the read. I have bought this book for numerous friends and all have appreciated this thoughtful, insightful read.
Well-written and compelling book.......2007-04-24
Kevin Flynn is a homicide prosecutor in a city that has one of the highest homicide rates in the country, Washington, D.C. Being surrounded constantly with stories and photographs of death and murder, you would think he would have grown a thick skin, learned to objectify the cases and move through them in a detached manner.
But this case was different. The murders of 40-year-old Diane and 13-year-old Katrina Hawkins left a lasting impression on everyone associated with the case. Their murder investigation was one of the most brutal that police and prosecutors ever worked. Over a year after the crime occurred, during the trial, Detected Combee would still grow quiet when testifying about what he saw in the Hawkins house that day.
But this case is not about the terrible method these two victims were murdered. To quote from the book:
It's a story of extremes: the worst and the best the world can offer, humanity at its most brutal and most noble. It's the story of two families -- mine and another from a world that I thought I knew but didn't -- two families full of ordinary people who did their best under awful circumstances.
Relentless Pursuit does indeed follow the Hawkins case, from the initial night of the murders May 25, 1993 to the prosecution in August 15, 1994. But there is much more to the case than just the horror and the story of how they caught the man responsible.
This is also the story of the Hawkins and Flynn families, which became irrevocably linked together. The Hawkins family suffered one of the worst losses a family can, the loss of both a sister and strong influence in the family, and a child, who had just begun to show her gifts and talents to the world. But through it all, they clung to their faith in God, which also served to help their new-found family member, prosecutor Kevin Flynn.
The Flynn family though, was going through its own trials. Kevin's mother was suffering from depression and shortly after he began work on this monumnetal case, his father was stricken with cancer. Through the entire case, Kevin is required to balance his work and family life, including his wife and child, and try not to let anyone down. And part of that includes the Hawkins, who look to him as the only man that can bring them any measure of justice on Earth.
The book is told in a compelling style, taking us through the case, from the night the murders occurred through the entire case. There are procedural sections to the book, such as descriptions of how certain courtroom processes work, but that does not get in the way to the story, which is what the book is really all about.
Relentless Pursuit is not a book for those looking to learn about how the law really works, but you will learn a great deal about how the defense and prosecution work together and against one another, how much power a judge can wield, and some of the reasons why cases don't work out as cleanly as they do on television.
In the end, this book is just what the quotation above says, it is a story of two families. And it is an excellent book.
Excellent true crime!.......2007-04-11
Thoroughly enjoyed this book - an excellent true crime story carefully and thoughtfully told - the writer's courtroom skill - I call it Flynn's Finesse - not only makes this book a great read but provides the reader with valuable lessons for the day he or she finds himself or herself in the Courtroom as a part of a prosecution or defense team or as a member of the jury.
AWESOME.......2007-03-12
I ran out and bought this book on a Thursday night. I couldn't put it down, I had to read every chance I got. I finished it very late Saturday night. By the end I was ready to read his next book. This is an awesome true crime writer.
Average customer rating:
- Thought Provoking
- Disappointing
- Average Grisham
- About as exciting as the vomit bag
- JG does it again!
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The Street Lawyer
John Grisham
Manufacturer: Doubleday
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ASIN: 0385490992
Release Date: 1998-02-04 |
Amazon.com
John Grisham is back with his latest courtroom conundrum, The Street Lawyer. This time the lord of legal thrillers dives deep into the world of the homeless, particularly their barely audible legal voice in a world dominated by large, all-powerful law firms. Our hero, Michael Brock, is on the fast track to partnership at D.C.'s premier law firm, Sweeny & Drake. His dream of someday raking in a million-plus a year is finally within reach. Nothing can stop him, not even 90-hour workweeks and a failing marriage--until he meets DeVon Hardy, a.k.a. "Mister," a Vietnam vet with a grudge against his landlord--and a few lawyers to fry. Hardy, with no clear motive, takes Brock and eight of his colleagues hostage in a boardroom, demanding their tax returns and interrogating them with a conviction that would have put perpetrators of the Spanish Inquisition to shame. Hardy, a man of few words and a lot of ammunition, mumbles cryptically, "Who are the evictors?" as he points a .44 automatic within inches of Brock's face. The violent outcome of the hostage situation triggers an abrupt soul-searching for the young lawyer, and Hardy's mysterious question continues to haunt him. Brock learns that Hardy had been in and out of homeless shelters most of his life, but he had recently begun paying rent in a rundown building; that means he has legal recourse when a big money-making outfit such as Sweeny & Drake boots him with no warning. When Brock realizes that his profession caters to the morally challenged, he sets out on an aimless search through the dicier side of D.C., ending up at the 14th Street Legal Clinic. The clinic's director, a gargantuan man named Mordecai Green, woos Brock to the clinic with a $90,000 cut in pay and the chance to redeem his soul. Brock takes it--and some of the story's credibility along with it; it's hard to believe that a Yale graduate who sacrificed everything--including his marriage--to succeed in the legal profession would quickly jump at the opportunity for low-paying, charitable work. However, Brock's search for corruption in the swanky upper echelons of Sweeny & Drake (via the toughest streets of D.C.) is filled with colorful characters and realistic, gritty descriptions. In the The Street Lawyer, Grisham once again defends the voiceless and powerless. In the words of Mordecai Green, "That's justice, Michael. That's what street law is all about. Dignity."
Amazon.com Audiobook Review
Award-winning narrator Frank Muller delivers a poignant and candid reading in this unabridged courtroom drama. Muller's first-person delivery embraces Michael Brock's complexities as he grapples with a burgeoning conscience. With Brock's revelation that "I am a human first, then a lawyer," he is transformed from a rigid middle-class male into a compassionate Robin Hood-like character. Muller flawlessly interchanges voices and gives a powerful delivery worthy of character who heroically sacrifices everything to become an advocate for the homeless. (Running time: 11 hours, 12 cassettes) --Gina Kaysen
Book Description
Michael was in a hurry. He was scrambling up the ladder at Drake & Sweeney, a giant D.C. law firm with eight hundred lawyers. The money was good and getting better; a partnership was three years away. He was a rising star with no time to waste, no time to stop, no time to toss a few coins into the cups of panhandlers. No time for a conscience.
But a violent encounter with a homeless man stopped him cold. Michael survived; his assailant did not. Who was this man? Michael did some digging, and learned that he was a mentally ill veteran who'd been in and out of shelters for many years. Then Michael dug a little deeper, and found a dirty secret, and the secret involved Drake & Sweeney.
The fast track derailed; the ladder collapsed. Michael bolted the firm and took a top-secret file with him. He landed in the streets, an advocate for the homeless, a street lawyer.
And a thief.
Customer Reviews:
Thought Provoking.......2007-10-08
I liked this book because I work for attorneys so found the main character to be interesting and quite realistic. I was pulling for him throughout the book and admired him for giving up his cushy job at the big law firm to help out the homeless and down and out people. It made me rethink my priorities some and realize how bad off some people are. This is the first Grisham book I ever read and liked it very much.
Disappointing.......2007-10-02
as a Grisham fan I was disappointed in this book. I also recently read his newest Playing For Pizza and I found that 10 times more fulfilling.
If you're a devot Grisham lover, this may be worth your time. But then again, you'd probably be better off reading pizza. Playing For Pizza: A Novel
Average Grisham.......2007-09-10
In this novel by Grisham, the protagonist is an attorney who has a violent encounter with a homeless person. This sparks him to investigate the facts behind this man and how he lived. Through a series of events, he begins volunteering at soup kitchens and homeless shelters. He is eventual persuaded by a lawyer with a legal clinic to leave his lucrative position at a silk stocking law firm in Washington D.C. to work with the homeless and their legal needs.
Added drama throughout the story was a discovery that his former employer was involved in an illegal housing eviction of a number of impoverished people who were kicked out on the cold wintry streets of D.C. This resulted in one family's untimely demise. Through investigation, he and his colleagues at the legal clinic pursue a law suit against his former law firm to bring justice and media attention to the plight of the homeless of D.C.
I read the whole book in one day and while it's not the best Grisham book I've read, it was certainly entertaining and a quality read.
About as exciting as the vomit bag.......2007-08-02
I got this from the library (thankfully) for a flight. The delightful stick figures on the flight safety brochure had much more personality than the characters in this terrible book. I like most of Grisham's books, but this was awfully written, and the main character was a pompous idiot (probably not a good idea to write in the first person, so we can see how shallow an misguided he is). Anyway, avoid this at all costs, but if you happen to read it on a plane, insist on as many free drinks as possible; it could either make the book tolerable, or maybe help you forget this schlock.
JG does it again!.......2007-07-13
JG does a great job of making you just love the characters. I felt a lot of compassion for this lawyer and wanted to see him come out on top. This lawyer seems just like an average guy. I enjoyed the plot, but if it lacked anything it would be excitement. I am still glad that I read it.
Book Description
"My name will survive as long as man survives, because I am writing the greatest diary that has ever been written. I intend to surpass Pepys as a diarist."
When John Frush Knox (1907-1997) wrote these words, he was in the middle of law school, and his attempt at surpassing Pepys—part scrapbook, part social commentary, and part recollection—had already reached 750 pages. His efforts as a chronicler might have landed in a family attic had he not secured an eminent position after graduation as law clerk to Justice James C. McReynolds—arguably one of the most disagreeable justices to sit on the Supreme Court—during the tumultuous year when President Franklin D. Roosevelt tried to "pack" the Court with justices who would approve his New Deal agenda. Knox's memoir instead emerges as a record of one of the most fascinating periods in American history.
The Forgotten Memoir of John Knox—edited by Dennis J. Hutchinson and David J. Garrow—offers a candid, at times naïve, insider's view of the showdown between Roosevelt and the Court that took place in 1937. At the same time, it marvelously portrays a Washington culture now long gone. Although the new Supreme Court building had been open for a year by the time Knox joined McReynolds' staff, most of the justices continued to work from their homes, each supported by a small staff. Knox, the epitome of the overzealous and officious young man, after landing what he believes to be a dream position, continually fears for his job under the notoriously rude (and nakedly racist) justice. But he soon develops close relationships with the justice's two black servants: Harry Parker, the messenger who does "everything but breathe" for the justice, and Mary Diggs, the maid and cook. Together, they plot and sidestep around their employer's idiosyncrasies to keep the household running while history is made in the Court.
A substantial foreword by Dennis Hutchinson and David Garrow sets the stage, and a gallery of period photos of Knox, McReynolds, and other figures of the time gives life to this engaging account, which like no other recaptures life in Washington, D.C., when it was still a genteel southern town.
Customer Reviews:
Blame it all on Brian Lamb of C-SPAN Booknotes.......2007-08-30
The Booknotes discussion some years ago was unforgettable. Later, after reading the book, I found that the author's descriptions of subtle details of segregated Washington, DC in the 1930's..... (Black v. White) (Employer v. Employee) (Rich v. Broke) are a powerful lens, useful in seeing even today's urban customs. DC back then was obviously a disturbing mix of bizarre racial rules, hatreds, affections and above all: -intimacies- (i.e. the boss employs 'servants' & he takes the job description VERY seriously.) A Justice of the Supreme Court from Jim Crow Kentucky is shown to have massive limitations in seeing the promise of a Republic "conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal...." blah blah blah -as you will see after a few minutes with good-ol' Justice McReynolds. What is the measure of a man who poisons nearly ALL interactions with his peers at work and with those of his own household ? What indeed. This a great book, from the tragic, desolate pen of Mr. Knox.
This book is a gem..........2006-04-10
This book is a gem for anyone interested in the Supreme Court or in this era in particular. It is unlike anything else I have read about the Justices who were part of the Constitutional Revolution of 1937. John Knox's memoir provides a glimpse of people rather than historical figures, and that glimpse explains a lot. His style is conversational and easy to read. And the book is hard to put down.
Sheerly fascinating.......2005-02-16
This book is a delight to read, and throws light on the Supreme Court in the momentous court year of 1936-37 when the Court was saved by Justice Roberts breaking away from the conservative wing of the Court and upholding New Deal laws which, if they had been held unconstitutional, might well have resulted in changes to the Supreme Court such as FDR had requested. The account by John Knox of how he came to be Justice McReynolds' law clerk and the odd life had to lead as such clerk is of much interest. I have seldom read a memoir of greater interest than is this one. Knox himself is a most unusual person, having a effrontery which amazes one looking at it from the viewpoint of history. The book is magnificently edited, with citations which enable one in this computer age to look up the cases mentioned and live the time with Knox. Knox's subsequent career is also of interest, and poignant. This book is a winner, and anyone interested in Supreme Court history will find reading this book extremely rewarding
The more things change..........2004-03-13
From the dying days of Russia's Tsarist courts in which the young Kafka sharpened his perception of the absurd, here, similarly is the prophetic voice of a clerk in the blossoming federal judiciary.
Watch carefully over the next decade or so for a similar glimpse behind the curtain of our Oz-esque federal judiciary. The federal bench is a well hidden bastion of intellectual dishonesty and privelege. Coming works of this nature will owe Knox a certain debt. You will read them with a sharper eye for having shared a year with Knox.
After a clerkship ghostwriting for a fat/lazy/corrupt federal district court judge as a "law clerk", this account helped me understand my own mis-steps once I escaped to the saner world of rural criminal defense work.
Our federal courts especially remain a bastion of royalist arrogance. Knox's glimpse should be treasured by anyone encountering the federal courts whether as barrister, litigant or citizen. He speaks a timeless truth against which we are not well armed.
Great on content, just a little dry.......2002-07-20
If you're the ultimate policy wonk on 2nd Amendment law, you'll want to read this book just for John Knox's insights into the character of Justice McReynolds who wrote the decision in U.S. v. Miller, 1939. Unfortunately, Knox was no longer clerking for McReynolds in 1939, so we miss the inside story on that landmark decision, but after you've read this book you'll better understand why Miller makes so little sense.
Average customer rating:
- Challenges your pre-concieved notions about justice
- A Must Read
- Destiny Unveiled, by Sylvia Clute
|
Destiny Unveiled
Sylvia Clute
Manufacturer: New Founders Press Ltd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0977971007 |
Book Description
In an age of terrorism, the accomplished attorney Christi Daniel desperately searches for better answers to our legal, governmental, and political systems, taking the reader on a journey from the voice of fear to the voice for love. Her mentor through the process, Founding Father George Washington, reveals a world in which harmony, balance and unity can save us from disaster. As Seven Spiritual Principles for Governing a People are unveiled, what seems impossible becomes tangible, within our grasp. Author Sylvia Clute presents a unified approach to law, government, and social order, based on the distinctions between love and fear, as each defines a distinct worldview. Destiny Unveiled is a significant revision and update of Clute's 1997 novel, Destiny, placing the story in the post 9-11 era.
Customer Reviews:
Challenges your pre-concieved notions about justice.......2007-06-21
This book is a delightfully presented script that moves you to re-examine the notions you have about our justice system and about the root causes of the strife that separates us from fellow human beings and from God, the Creator, the One. I was challenged in each chapter to take a look at preconceptions I have had about the way things are. I eventually began to see that the incredible possibilities of changing the way I view the world and the principles that in part were given to us by the Founding Fathers that crafted the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights. By the end of the novel I was able to look at our current state of affairs in an entirely different light and I came away with a desire to learn more and to shine this light for others. Bravo on a wonderfully insightful, imaginative and visionary novel.
A Must Read.......2007-02-02
This book lifted me up with its simplicity, clarity and truth, speaking to
both my deepest longings as a private person and my highest wishes as a
public citizen. A must read for anyone who has said enough with our current state of affairs at home and abroad.
-- Azim Khamisa, author of "From Murder to Forgiveness - A Father's Journey"
Destiny Unveiled, by Sylvia Clute.......2007-01-29
Destiny Unveiled is not only entertaining reading; it is enlightening at a deep and practical level with the potential for both individual and global transformation. I highly recommend it.
Book Description
Jim Rogan was born to a single mother—a cocktail waitress who was later convicted of welfare fraud; his bartender-father abandoned them both before he was born. After a rough-and-tumble childhood in San Francisco's hardscrabble Mission District—where he was raised by his colorful extended family—he became a political junkie at the age of nine, and once received help with his homework from Harry Truman. But Rogan traveled with a tough circle of friends; after years of borderline delinquency he was expelled from high school, became a porn theater bouncer, and then a bartender at a strip joint and a Hell's Angels bar. Along the way, a young Arkansas politician advised him to study law and become a member of a different kind of bar.
In time Rogan scrapped his way through college and law school. He was appointed a Los Angeles County DA, prosecuting members of the notorious Crips and Bloods gangs; then became a judge, a state legislator, and finally a congressman from Southern California. And in 1998, as a Republican member of the House Judiciary Committee, he found himself prosecuting the impeachment of the President of the United States—Bill Clinton, the same Arkansas politician who advised him to go into law and politics two decades earlier.
Rough Edges is a rarity among Washington tales: full of outrageous stories, wild humor, pull-no-punches candor, and downright fun. Replete with character and characters, and told in Rogan's engaging and unswervingly frank voice, Rogan's story is certainly the most freewheeling—and perhaps the most honest—political memoir ever written.
Download Description
"
Jim Rogan was born to a single mother - a cocktail waitress who was later convicted of welfare fraud; his bartender-father abandoned them both before he was born. After a rough-and-tumble childhood in San Francisco's hardscrabble Mission District - where he was raised by his colorful extended family -- he became a political junkie at the age of nine, and once received help with his homework from Harry Truman. But Rogan traveled with a tough circle of friends; after years of borderline delinquency he was expelled from high school, became a porn theater bouncer, and then a bartender at a strip joint and a Hell's Angels bar. Along the way, a young Arkansas politician advised him to study law and become a member of a different kind of bar.
In time Rogan scrapped his way through college and law school. He was appointed a Los Angeles County DA, prosecuting members of the notorious Crips and Bloods gangs; then became a judge, a state legislator, and finally a congressman from Southern California. And in 1998, as a Republican member of the House Judiciary Committee, he found himself prosecuting the impeachment of the President of the United States - Bill Clinton, the same Arkansas politician who advised him to go into law and politics two decades earlier.
Rough Edges is a rarity among Washington tales: full of outrageous stories, wild humor, pull-no-punches candor, and downright fun. Replete with character and characters, and told in Rogan's engaging and unswervingly frank voice, Rogan's story is certainly the most freewheeling - and perhaps the most honest - political memoir ever written.
"
Customer Reviews:
From the 'Hood to the Hill.......2006-01-20
This is a fascinating book about an affable and intelligent man who overcame incredible odds. I tried to envision him as a bouncer on the Sunset Strip but could not. I've seen him speak and he was funny and witty, both traits sorely missing in our stiff Congress. Don't be surprised to see him back in action representing the OC in DC.
Rogan and friends are total hypocrites.......2005-10-22
I lived across the hall from one of Rogan's "Mission buddies" for nearly a year in Culver City.
I figure that the apple doesnt fall far from the tree.
I dont claim to be squeaky clean or innocent by any stretch, but if it "takes one to know one" and Frank DeBrose is Rogan's lifelong friend, then it is a short hop to reality in realizing that this book is perhaps the largest steaming pile of parrot droppings mixed with creative BS ever to find its way to a printing press.
Delightfully written?
Yes.
A grain of truth in the entire book...probably not.
My suspicion is that Clinton or his staff might have had the goods on aspects of Rogan's life that Rogan preferred to keep from public view.
If Rogan's private life is anything like Frank's, and I *suspect* it was, that would be sufficient motivation for his drive to impeach a sitting President.
It would also shed a lot of light on what really lies beneath the slick facade of most "conservative" Republicans in this day and age.
Perhaps it should be listed as a work of fiction.
Shades of greatness, but something was missing.......2005-08-28
On the whole, this was an awe-inspiring story, the type of rags to riches and pull yourself up by your bootstraps book that everybody can appreciate. Mr. Rogan spends far too long though discussing his bartending stories, and far too little time discussing the reasons I bought the book 1) To read more about his time in state government 2)to understand more compleatly the reasons when he became a Republican...his 'switch' was profound and I wanted to better understand how it came to happen and 3) more about his role in the impeachment hearings. On the plus side, the stories about how he became involved in politics and the people he met were frankly awe-inspiring. The world would be better served if more youngsters had a passion for politics like Rogan had. Solid beginning, okay middle, great close, gets this book a 4.
Proof That the American Dream Exists.......2005-08-04
What an amazing life story! I read most of this book on a plane from Washington D.C. to LA. I was actually disappointed when the plane landed because I only had a few more chapters to go and I didn't want to stop reading.
The author tells of his journey from the Mission District in San Francisco to halls of Congress. The book is surprisingly enjoyable considering that the author is a lawyer (and lawyers often write in a yawn inspiring manner). The passengers on my plane kept on turning around to look at me as I laughed out loud or stiffled tears. Republican or Democrat, young or old, rich or poor...you will enjoy this book!
Rough Edges.......2005-04-28
This was by far one of the best books we have read about success in life. Everyone should read it. Fantastic!!!!!
We wish Jim and his family the best in life.
Amazon.com
Here is the quintessential American success story: a young African American boy from an inner-city neighborhood makes good and goes to Harvard Law School, then on to a promising career in a prestigious law firm. In Paul M. Barrett's unsettling The Good Black, however, the rags-to-riches formula goes terribly awry. Barrett's subject is his former college roommate, Lawrence Mungin. As a child in the all-black Bedford Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn, Mungin had learned at his mother's knee that he was "a human being first, an American second, and a black third." Hard work and good grades got him into Harvard. After several years as an associate at law firms in Atlanta and Houston, Mungin signed on with the Washington, D.C., firm of Katten Muchin & Zavis, hoping at last to achieve his dream of full partnership. What he got instead was the end of his career.
The facts of what happened to Lawrence Mungin are indisputable: demeaning work, insulting treatment, zero advancement; what is in question is why he was treated in such a way. When Mungin took his complaint to court, he claimed racial discrimination; Katten Muchin & Zavis didn't deny their mistreatment but insisted that, far from being racially motivated, it was simply the way the firm treated all its employees. Barrett, a reporter for the Wall Street Journal, chronicles Mungin's life, his lawsuit, and the bitter aftermath of the trial in a book that raises more questions than it answers--questions about the American way of doing business that should trouble every American, white or black.
Book Description
A controversial case, a controversial ruling-the compelling story of a black man's journey through a mostly white world
Featuring a new Afterword for the paperback edition
Larry Mungin spent his life preparing to succeed in the white world. He looked away from racial inequality and hostility, believing he'd make it if he worked hard and played by the rules. He rose from a Queens housing project to Harvard Law School, and went on to practice law at major corporate firms. But just at the point when he thought he'd make it, when he should have been considered for partnership, he sued his employer for racial discrimination. The firm claimed it went out of its way to help Larry because of his race, while Larry thought he'd been treated unfairly. Was Larry a victim of racial discrimination, or just another victim of the typical dog-eat-dog corporate law culture? A thought-provoking courtroom drama with the fast pace of a commercial novel, The Good Black asks readers to rethink their ideas about race and is a fascinating look at the inner workings of the legal profession.
"Superb and provocative . . . It will rivet anyone wondering why the struggle to racially integrate corporate America has made such scant progress."-The Washington Post
Customer Reviews:
Told Well.......2006-07-26
I think Paul Barrett does a brilliant job telling the story, particularly in the way he presents every single issue and weakness, not just Mungin's issues or the firm's weaknesses. He does not clearly take Mungin's side throughout the whole book, even in the conclusion. Some might disagree, but the conclusion appears to me as Barrett giving his analysis of Mungin's situation with the firm from the perspective of one with a law degree. To be honest with you, I think Barrett should have represented Mungin--Barrett has a right-on understanding of the case and the situation and makes several points that Mungin's lawyer should have made. As a law student, I had been reading the chapters detailing the courtroom experience, wondering why Mungin's lawyer Hairston was not bottom-lining the situation by saying that Mungin was enthusiastically hired to be a token, not to do work of substance for Katten Muchin. In the end, Barrett hit that point on the head--Mungin was simply a token to Katten Muchin. They brought him in, paid him to do next to nothing and then didn't want to let him go even though there was next to no work for him to do, while they let other whites go...because they knew they would be losing a token and losing in the minority retention game. Mungin's lawyer acted like she couldn't figure any of this out, among other questions she should have been able to answer during the trials, or answered but could have answered better. She had to know that she was going to be questioned about why Katten Muchin would hire Mungin because of race and then discriminate against him. She is part of the reason why he lost one of the two trials surrounding this case, the other parts being there was no in-your-face racism and the judges being conservatives hell-bent against finding racism in the situation. In the other trial, which Mungin did win, it was not at all because his lawyer was so good...it had more to do with the defense lawyer being awful and the jury being black, except for one person. I'll leave those who haven't read the book yet to read it and find out which trial he won and which one he lost.
The problem with proving racism in this situation is not so much that the racism is so subtle as it is that the situation was so complex. It was a huge mess. And Katten Muchin was not the only one making mistakes that added to the complexity, their biggest being letting Dombroff have his way all the time, particularly with starting a bankruptcy department when there is little bankruptcy work in DC...Mungin made TONS of mistakes and, in my opinion, added to his own pain and suffering. He didn't even have to take a job with Katten Muchin, for starters, and there were tons of warning signals that he SHOULDN'T take a job with Katten Muchin. He dismissed every signal, as noted by Barrett. Mungin is someone, as shown throughout the entire book in several different instances, who is too headstrong for his own good and who has awful judgment, from picking law firms to work for right down to picking law firms to take his case. Mungin is described several times by several people, including the author, as arrogant, and that arrogance was a huge part of his downfall. Even Mungin himself knew he was an arrogant son-of-a-gun heading for a fall--he wrote his own autobiography for his eyes only long before the lawsuit saying so. Katten Muchin in DC was a firm with no blacks--he knew this. Katten Muchin in general had issues with retention of minorities, a racial discrimination lawsuit going on in Chicago, a history of sexual harassment complaints. Had he done some research, he would have learned some of these things. It was a firm that was not on his--or many other people's--radar when it was suggested to him. He had other firms wanting to hire him at the time and bring him in as partner, whereas Katten Muchin merely made a vague promise to consider him for partner after one year. Others more in the know about Katten Muchin knew they were having issues, including possible finance or management problems and problems with a jerk DC partner, Dombroff. But Mungin just does not listen.
I believe that no one intentionally discriminated against Mungin, and that's one of the reasons the four lawyers in Katten Muchin he originally singled out in his lawsuit were dismissed. I want to mention here that I am black. I read the situation as unconscious or subsconscious discrimination, which is quite possibly the reason why the lawyers at Katten Muchin originally singled out firmly believed they had done nothing wrong and why the white conservative judges in one of Mungin's lawsuits could not see any wrongdoing that was racially related. The kind of discrimination Mungin experienced is the kind of discrimination blacks experience all the time in various situations and in law firms across the country, not just Katten Muchin. More or less, Mungin was overlooked at the law firm, or, as it was put several times, he "fell through the cracks." Well, white people routinely overlook black people, without even thinking about it or meaning to (I go through this on a daily basis, particularly when I am in school). The majority of whites (and even other non-blacks) in the US just LOOK...RIGHT...THROUGH...BLACKS. And they can't see that they do this or that another white person has done it because it is such a way of life to white people, so ingrained, that they don't realize they do this. That's what Mungin experienced, and his experience was a similar kind of unconscious or subconscious racism as how every day blacks attend schools with whites and yet relatively few whites will speak to them, become friends with them, date them, choose to work with them on assignments or projects, join them at the lunch table, etc...and think nothing of it or see nothing wrong with their actions, or lack of actions. Similarly, Mungin was never invited to meetings. Seemingly, not many people within Katten Muchin knew why he worked there or what he did there. The ones who did, did not seem very interested in helping him out and ultimately decided not to--or "forgot" to--consider him for partner or evaluate his work. Their explanation for not living up to promises to help Mungin was that Mungin was supposed to help himself by bringing in work himself. Hairston never argued this, which she should have, but that was not the point--the point was they PROMISED to and just did not do it. Sure, he should have been out there hustling for work, but these people said they would steer work his way. Instead, they gave DC work to whites in Chicago to do when black Mungin in DC could have done it--AFTER being promised he would get work such as that given to whites all the way in Chicago. Like I said before, they simply did not want Mungin to work, probably did not trust Mungin to work, on complex assignments...though they never said as much because Mungin had never actually screwed up any assignments he'd done, so they wouldn't have a legitimate reason to say it. They couldn't say, "Oh, he's merely our token, so we can claim he's a partner in our DC bankruptcy office when he really isn't and never will be...we just want to look like we have blacks and black partners."
The way law firms work is if a partner likes you enough, they will help you in any way they can--they will give you more work than other associates at the firm. Nobody liked Mungin enough to keep promises made to him. They gave assignments to white males in Chicago because they liked the white males in Chicago. Now, he could very well have been overlooked, not because of race, but because he was in a practice that was absolutely nothing to Katten Muchin. Or, as the firm argued, it might have been because they simply mistreated everyone (though not anyone quite the same way as Mungin), particularly in the DC office where Dombroff harmed many a career, including Mungin's at least to a certain degree if not entirely. Law firms across the board mistreat associates in one way or the other. There's no telling--read and decide for yourself.
I would say it's hard to come away from this book feeling sorry for Mungin because of the brilliant way Barrett lays everything out on the line. Aside from being arrogant and hardheaded, Mungin very much bordered on being the kind of black who just didn't want to be black. He didn't want to be associated with other blacks, not even blacks coming into the law firm. He always seemed ashamed of his background, with the exception of his stint in the Navy and degrees from Harvard. I don't think he dated black females, and it seems as if most of his friends throughout his life were white. He seemed to be of the mindset that if he set himself away from blacks and did things that, in his mind, were respected by whites, whites would accept him and he would have a great career making a lot of money. He was very self-centered and money-hungry and had a lot of characteristics typical of a white male, particularly a white male professional. The book is called "The Good Black" for that reason--he was always desperate to prove to whites that he was a "good black," but I think he did not only look down on dangerous or more negatively stereotypical blacks...as hinted at by the fact that he wanted little or nothing to do with blacks coming in behind him, even as a mentor. He ignored race at all costs, which built up rage inside of him, and this continued at Katten Muchin. He screwed up by letting the white people run over him there, simply because he did not want to be thought of as a "problem black" or confirm that he fits white stereotypes of blacks...for all the good that did. Eventually, his letting the whites run over him hurt him in several ways, from the trial (i.e. why didn't you tell anyone about XY treatment) to his sense of identity. I think the situation with Katten Muchin was exactly what Mungin needed as a wake-up call and to discover who he really is--these kinds of things always happen to the most naive black people, because they are the ones who need these things to happen.
In that sense, I would say the book, while not providing any sort of answer for how we can make race relations better in this country (or, for that matter, make law firms better), does have a happy ending. In the end, he told Barrett something to the effect of, "Don't be surprised if you visit me and I have a wife and kids." He came to know what was really important--not partnership in a law firm, acceptance by whites, looking out for #1 and money...but family and support, self-assurance and true happiness.
Good book, but how compelling is it?.......2003-02-16
As one interested in the law, I really enjoyed this book. But I also found it hard to empathize with the author. I agree that a lot of discrimination within the workplace still exists in the United States, but much of this book came across to me as "whining" why the other guy (who happens to be white) makes 115,000 a year, while he (the black author) "only" makes 95,000 a year. Discrimination? Perhaps, but he is still better off (regardless of if he'll ever make partner at some firm or not) than the vast majority of Americans, or people across the world for that matter. "The Good Black" is just another chapter in America's continuing struggle with race.
If Only Life Were Fair.......2002-02-27
After graduating from Harvard College, Mungin was determined to gain admission to Harvard Law School and to achieve status and wealth by gaining partnership in a big city law firm. Unfortunately, he never made it. Barrett, his Harvard Law School roommate, tells Mungin's story with remarkable insight and sympathy. In truth, Mungin was a less than distinguished law student, a less than enthusiastic lawyer, and a less than happily adjusted person. Yet given his abilities and credentials, it is hard to believe that Mungin would not have made partner at one of the four firms he tried, had he not been black. That is what an entirely black jury in the District of Columbia concluded in awarding him 2.5 million dollars. And yet the racism at Mungin's last firm was subtle and unintended. Mungin should have further persisted if the brass ring was all that counted. Are we as a society to award compensation to everyone who fails to reach their highest ambition when--as JFK found it so easy to say--"life is not fair?" The court of appeals decided otherwise. To my mind, Barrett has, perhaps unintentionally, very powerfully illustrated why.
First Hand Confirmation.......2001-07-29
I knew Larry and the inner workings of the firm to which he refers. His treatment was not a figment of his imagination, and the firm did not treat everyone with equal rudeness. There was and is a subtle distinction in how those of color are treated, particularly at the professional level. Mungin's accountings regarding his discrimination by a powerhouse firm were poignant, as is his self rediscovery. Albeit idealistic, he was most mistaken in his belief that stripping away all point of reference to common stereotypes would assist him in ascent to the top legal echelons.
While I appreciate the objectivity with which Barrett pursued the case and Mungin's cultural dynamic, his perspective can never truly encapsulate the very real experience one encounters at KMZ. The mere fact that a partner "anonymously" characterizes black employees of Ivy standing as "affirmative action failures" indicates the pervasive level of assumptions made regarding one's true capability, or why those students are actually admitted. One has to climb and claw not once or twice, but continually through a maze of prejudgment, dehumanization and subtle disparity in treatment.
Thanks for telling a story which needs to be told, again and again.
Doesn't make it's case.......2001-06-25
It's obvious that Larry Mungin was treated wrong at his law firm. The book details every humiliation that was dished out to him but was it old fashioned racism or was it simply rude and rough lawyer culture? The book is very well written but it never delivers the slam dunk. At the end you still have the question: Racism or hubris?
Book Description
Legendary attorney Edward Bennet Williams was arguably the best trial lawyer ever to practice. Now, for the first time, best-selling author Evan Thomas takes us into the courtrooms of William's greatest performances as he defends "Godfather" Frank Costello, Jimmy Hoffa, Frank Sinatra, The Washington Post, and others, as well as behind the scenes where the witnesses are coached, the traps set, and the deals cut.
In addition to being a lawyer of unprecedented influence, Williams was also an important Washington insider, privy to the secrets of America's most powerful men. Thomas tells the truth behind the stories that made Williams one of the most talked about public figures of his time, including Williams' role in the publication of the Pentagon Papers and the possibility that Williams may have been Watergate's Deep Throat. Based on Thomas's exclusive access to Williams's papers, "The Man to See" is an unprecedented look at the strategies and influence of this exceptional man.
Customer Reviews:
Book Changed My Life: You'll Love This Book!.......2007-01-16
"THE MAN TO SEE" was a great book. Since I'm going to be attending law school this fall (of 2007), I thought it wouldn't hurt to read books by and about lawyers; man, am I glad I included Evan Thomas's "THE MAN TO SEE" because this is without a doubt one of the best biographies I have read in ages. Page by page, you feel caught up in a drama without end. The characters, adventures, and funny stories add so much luster to a larger-than-life figure. By the end of the book, I was sorry to see it all end; I felt like I actually new Mr. Williams! If you're interested in a good biography check out "THE MAN TO SEE." You won't be disappointed.
A great Book.......2002-01-08
This is one of the best biographies ever written. A wonderful piece about an interesting man.
A Magnificent Biography of a Fascinating Man.......2001-12-14
Take a fascinating subject-- Edward Bennett Williams. Add a highly-skilled author with remarkably deep interviewing and archival research skills-- Evan Thomas. Put in a lot of hard work. And presto-- you have Thomas' "The Man To See," one of the most thorough biographies ever written (I have read many hundreds).
Edward Bennett Williams was one of the most dynamic men of the 20th Century-- a great figure of destiny whose life would have seemed emptier had not Evan Thomas been his biographer. EBW was a self-made man in the days where one could still achieve that accolade. He was no spoiled yuppie of family money. Bright, hard-working, forward-thinking, compassionate and disciplined-- and a wonderful rogue!-- this was Edward Bennett Williams. Warts and all, Evan Thomas presents the larger-than-life lawyer who pioneered criminal law practice in postwar America, bringing the constitution into the 20th Century. He sought power for the purpose of doing good, after doing well. Thomas interviewed practically every living person with whom EBW had a conversation or situation.
I am re-reading "The Man to See" for the fourth time in ten years. It remains fresh and fun. What a brilliant book!
Excellent, Excellent book.......2001-09-05
This is one of the best biographies I have ever read. It is a great story about a great man. I read a lot of biographies and I can tell when the author is fauning over his subject - just read some of Robert Slater's books on Jack Welch. Thomas book did none of that. Thomas made you feel that he was giving an accurate and true account of Williams life. Of couse Thomas was helped by selecting a subject that was larger than life, a one of a kind person both in legal talent and raw personality. This book is right up there with "Vince", Michael O'Brien's biography of Vince Lombardi. Interestingly, Lomardi and Williams were very much alike - both very religious yet profane, and above the rest of their competitors in their chosen fields. They were also both like to drink, were emotional and quick to say exactly what they thought or felt about something. I recommend this book to anyone who likes to read biographies about great men.
A tremendous book.......2000-11-26
I have never been more absorbed by a book than by this one. Admittedly my interest was heightened by the fact that Williams was my criminal law teacher at law school, but I found this a fantastic book. Evan Thomas (did you know he is Norman Thomas' grandson?) paints Williams warts and all, and I found it a searing read. The account of Williams' deathly fight with cancer is most poignant. Anyone at all interested in law should read this book, and anyone interested in an amazing life will be enthralled by this account.
Customer Reviews:
This book is not interesting........2007-01-03
This book is all about the author and the minor position he held in a historic event and little about the historic event. His bias is unmistakable and the book unremarkable and not well written.
He (or his editor) used the incorrect word for a juror challenge on page 211, line 24 (preemptory instead of peremptory), a 1st year law student knows better. If someone will pay shipping I will send the book before I toss it in the trash but it is not worth the time I spent to read it.
hoist on his own petard ?.......2000-11-22
Those who are decrying the methods & motives of Ken Starr would do well to read this insider's account of the IranContra case by the New Yorker's legal writer.
Among the familiar elements of the story are politically motivated prosecutions (Toobin wanted to join Judge Walsh's staff because he disagreed with Reagan's Central America policy), press leaks (by Toobin himself) & relatively minor charges (lying to Congress, obstruction, etc.)
What distinguishes the story of IranContra from Whitewater is the absence of political attacks on the special prosecutor by the White House. In fact, at one point Reagan makes a special appointment of Walsh when North challenges the constitutionality of a special prosecutor appointed by Congressional statute.
These days, in the pages of the New Yorker, Toobin attacks everything from sexual harassment law itself to degradation of privacy rights in his effort to delegitimize the Starr investigation. One wonders if he's forgotten the personal experiences that he defly portrays here.
GRADE: C+
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