John J. Abt, with Michael Myerson, Advocate and Activist: Memoirs of an American Communist Lawyer, Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1993. Pp. xviii, 311. $34.95 (ISBN 0-252-02030-8). - Ann Fagan Ginger, Carol Weiss King: Human Rights Lawyer, 1895–1952, Niwot: University Press of Colorado, 1993. Pp. xx, 599. $27.50 (ISBN 0-8708-1285-8).

Abstract

Book Reviews185 over original intent, through various legal doctrines, to points of interest such as the expanding role of law clerks. Schwartz molds them nicely into appropriate points of his story. That he covers so much territory in less than four hundred pages makes this book ideal for classroom use, especially if it becomes available in paperback. Interested readers may find it difficult to trace his references, however. The style used for subsequent citations is sometimes confusing and sometimes incomplete.Even good legal histories can be made tedious by the perceived need to march through countless cases to provide a deep understanding of the development of a particular doctrine. Schwartz has managed to avoid this. He pays significant attention to detail without getting bogged down in legal minutia and strings of cases. One may not agree with the direction in which Schwartz takes his readers, but the fact that he does not camouflage his biases tends to make the book even better reading for a general audience and more useful in the classroom.