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A review by thecolorcodedlife
A Perilous Path: Talking Race, Inequality, and the Law by Bryan Stevenson, Loretta Lynch, Sherrilyn Ifill
5.0
tl;dr Review:
A brilliant read that not only lays out the issues intertwined with race, inequality, and the law but provides the groundwork for how we can make things better.
Full Review:
Do you ever read certain books and at different parts just have to sit back and be like “Holy shit” or even the more succinct “Damn”?
That’s how I felt at various points while reading this transcript of the discussion held between Sherrilyn Ifill, Loretta Lynch, Bryan Stevenson, and Anthony C. Thompson. Outside of Lynch and maybe Ifill, these names may or may not ring a bell. To provide some context, Ifill is the president of the NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund, Lynch was the former US Attorney General, Stevenson wrote the book I keep meaning to read (Just Mercy) about the death penalty and is the Executive Director of the Equal Justice Initiative. Last, but not least, Thompson is a professor of clinical law at NYU’s School of Law and is the faculty director at their Center on Race, Inequality, and the Law.
Suffice it to say that these people know about which they speak (unlike certain other current “leaders” of our country). Though my time in law school shined a light on the systematic racism and inequity in our laws and how they are applied, this book took that knowledge one step further.
Not only did this book break down a variety of issues, but it also highlighted the personal and historical experiences of major events like the civil rights movement and segregation, as well as ongoing problems such as poverty and our current legal framework that’s steeped in racism. The book even went further and talked about housing discrimination, the xenophobia currently plaguing our country, how we handle policing, and more as it laid out how these themes are all inextricably linked.
Thankfully, the authors didn’t just provide us the history and knowledge of the ongoing problems. There’s also plenty of discussion on why being informed is critical in these times, but also how we can change things.
While not exactly a light and breezy read, it’s an impactful and important one and I highly recommend it.
I give this book 5 out of 5 thumbs up.
A brilliant read that not only lays out the issues intertwined with race, inequality, and the law but provides the groundwork for how we can make things better.
Full Review:
Do you ever read certain books and at different parts just have to sit back and be like “Holy shit” or even the more succinct “Damn”?
That’s how I felt at various points while reading this transcript of the discussion held between Sherrilyn Ifill, Loretta Lynch, Bryan Stevenson, and Anthony C. Thompson. Outside of Lynch and maybe Ifill, these names may or may not ring a bell. To provide some context, Ifill is the president of the NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund, Lynch was the former US Attorney General, Stevenson wrote the book I keep meaning to read (Just Mercy) about the death penalty and is the Executive Director of the Equal Justice Initiative. Last, but not least, Thompson is a professor of clinical law at NYU’s School of Law and is the faculty director at their Center on Race, Inequality, and the Law.
Suffice it to say that these people know about which they speak (unlike certain other current “leaders” of our country). Though my time in law school shined a light on the systematic racism and inequity in our laws and how they are applied, this book took that knowledge one step further.
Not only did this book break down a variety of issues, but it also highlighted the personal and historical experiences of major events like the civil rights movement and segregation, as well as ongoing problems such as poverty and our current legal framework that’s steeped in racism. The book even went further and talked about housing discrimination, the xenophobia currently plaguing our country, how we handle policing, and more as it laid out how these themes are all inextricably linked.
Thankfully, the authors didn’t just provide us the history and knowledge of the ongoing problems. There’s also plenty of discussion on why being informed is critical in these times, but also how we can change things.
While not exactly a light and breezy read, it’s an impactful and important one and I highly recommend it.
I give this book 5 out of 5 thumbs up.