I was impressed with James F. Simons’ books about Thomas Jefferson against John Marshall and Lincoln against Roger Taney. I just had to read this one I was impressed with James F. Simons’ books about Thomas Jefferson against John Marshall and Lincoln against Roger Taney. I just had to read this one with Franklin Delano Roosevelt (1882-1945) against Charles Evans Hughes (1862-1948).
The book is well written and researched. Simon provides side by side biographies of these two men and how their divergent positions effected the Great Depression. FDR passed sweeping legislation restructuring America only to have Chief Justice Hughes’ Supreme Court declare the legislation unconstitutional essentially putting a stranglehold on FDR’s economic initiatives.
Professor Simon goes into depth about FDR’s attempt at court-packing. Simon exams carefully all changes in the Court direction with the threat of reform. He also examines Hughes’ own sense of consternation and later decisions in protection of Civil Rights (e.g. Gaines v Canada). Hughes was sympathetic to FDR’s cause but tried his best to maintain consensus on the Court. He followed the letter of the law and thereby forced FDR to rewrite his legislation to conform with the law or have the legislators write new laws. Charles Evans Hughes is considered the second-best Chief Justice after John Marshall.
I read this as an e-book downloaded to my Kindle app on my iPad from Amazon. The book was 482 pages and was published in 2012.
Ball writes in an academic scholarly fashion. The book is well written and meticulously researched. Since Black had his son burn all of his personal pBall writes in an academic scholarly fashion. The book is well written and meticulously researched. Since Black had his son burn all of his personal papers just before his death, Ball Had to rely on documents, letters, and interviews with family, friends, colleagues and law clerks. Ball also scoured the Library of Congress and other government archives.
Ball states be decided to do a biography on Hugo L. Black (1886-1971) as he was one of the six greatest Justices in the history of the Supreme Court. Black served thirty-six years on the Court. Ball discussed Black’s strong points as well as his weak points. Black was dedicated to the law and his study of history and put everything else secondary. Apparently, he was a cruel and strict father as well as a difficult man to work with. He served in the Army during WWI. Black was the product of growing up white in rural Alabama at the turn of the century. Ball goes into depth about his membership in the Ku Klux Klan. It is clear that he only joined to get elected to the Senate. He resigned as soon as he won the election. When reading biographies or history the reader must judge the person by the times he lived, not by ours today. Black should be judged on his support of the civil rights laws he voted for while on the Court. Black was a huge defender of the first amendment. He was considered one of the best writers on the Court. If you are interested in the Supreme Court, this is a must-read biography.
I read this as an e-book downloaded from Amazon to my Kindle app for my iPad. The book is 328 pages. It was published in 1996 by Oxford University Press. ...more
This is not your standard memoir. Dean Rusk (1909-1994) said he would never write a memoir and did not keep a diary or any of his papers. His son, RicThis is not your standard memoir. Dean Rusk (1909-1994) said he would never write a memoir and did not keep a diary or any of his papers. His son, Richard Rusk, had lots of questions about his life and convinced his father to tell him about his life. The result is this book. There is no photography or documentation except for a few copies of speeches or other writings. The first part of the book is done chronologically, but the latter is done by issues or topics.
The book is well written. I found the book most interesting. What I liked the best was his discussion of his life in England as a Rhodes Scholar. He came from a rural Georgia farm to Oxford University with its centuries of traditions. He also discussed the difference between the philosophy of higher education between England and the USA. Rusk spent most of his life working in various roles at the State Department except for a period of time when he was president of the Rockefeller Foundation. He was Secretary of State (1961-1969) under John Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson. I enjoyed his comments and analysis of the various people he worked with as well as the presidents (6) he served. I found his analysis of Truman and Johnson most interesting as well as that of General George Marshall. Rusk discussed and analyzed his good decisions as well as his bad ones. I was surprised he was able to do this in a neutral manner. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book; in many ways it was a trip down memory lane for me. I only wish there were pictures.
I read this as a hardback book purchased from Amazon. It is 672 pages published by Norton Publishing Company. The publishing date is July 1, 1990. ...more
This is a long book at 717 pages. I read the hardback form of the book. Murphy traces the life of Abraham Fortas (1910-1982) from his youth as a poor This is a long book at 717 pages. I read the hardback form of the book. Murphy traces the life of Abraham Fortas (1910-1982) from his youth as a poor Jewish boy from Memphis to his resignation from the Supreme Court. This book not only tells the story of Abe Fortas but also is an excellent study of the workings of Washington.
The book is well written and meticulously researched. Murphy attempts to present an unbiased view of Fortas, but I had an underlying feeling that he did not like Fortas. Murphy spends little time dissecting Fortas’s judicial opinions but spends more time revealing him as one of the legal whiz kids of the 1940s and 50s. I gathered rom the book the biggest problem Fortas had with the powers in Washington was that he was a long-time personal friend of Lyndon Bains Johnson. I must be getting old as I noted through-out the book I found myself saying “Oh, I remember that event or person”. Overall, I found the book interesting and I learned not only about Fortas but about the ins and outs of the workings of government.
I read this as a hardback book published in 1988 by William Morrow and Company. The book is 717 pages and also has photographs. It is well referenced with notes and a good index. ...more
Edwards is a UCLA economics professor. Edwards tells how FDR engineered a default in 1933. FDR did away with the gold standard and made owning privateEdwards is a UCLA economics professor. Edwards tells how FDR engineered a default in 1933. FDR did away with the gold standard and made owning private gold illegal. The changes were argued before the Supreme Court.
The book is well written and researched. Edwards made this complex action understandable to the lay person. FDR took the action at the height of the depression. It was looked upon as a desperate measure. The author explains in detail why Roosevelt did what he did and how he did it. I found the discussion about the hearing before the Supreme Court most interesting. Many experts still associate the recovery from the depression directly to the monetary easing of FDR’s gold policies.
I read this as an audiobook downloaded from Audible. The book is nine hours and one minute. Timothy Andres Pabon does an excellent job narrating the book. Pabon is an actor and Spanish & English voice-over artist. Pabon has won the Earphone Award as well as the 2015 Society of Voice Arts and Science Award. ...more
As a life-long reader, I have to be selective of what books I keep. I wish I had unlimited space to keep them all. I was looking at some books I have As a life-long reader, I have to be selective of what books I keep. I wish I had unlimited space to keep them all. I was looking at some books I have kept since the nineteen sixties for some information/facts I remembered were there. I found the correct book and started going through it to find the key information. But, I found myself ending up re-reading the book again after all these years. It held my attention just as it did in 1969. The book is “The Honeycomb” by Adela Rogers St. Johns (1894-1988). I was looking for a pearl of information she had written about Jack London (1876-1916). I had read her book “Final Verdict”, a biography about her father, Earl Rodgers (1869-1922). Both books have information about one of his most famous cases, the defense of Clarence Darrow on attempted jury bribery. Earl Rodgers was one of the most famous defense attorneys of his day. Adela worked with him when she was a young woman.
“The Honeycomb” is her memoir. Adela had gone from being her father’s assistant to a newspaper reporter at the San Francisco Examiner in 1912 for Hearst. Then she worked for the Los Angeles Herald starting in 1913. She made her name covering the famous trial of Brum Richard Hauptman who kidnapped the son of Charles Lindbergh. She also covered the assassination of Senator Huey Long as well as many other famous new stories. From journalism she moved into writing screenplays and teleplays where she had a long and successful career. She then wrote many novels and biographies. Because of her famous father, she grew up around many highly successful and famous people such as Jack London. She says this had a great influence on her drive to succeed in her chosen career of writing.
“The Honeycomb” is well written and reads like a who’s who of California in the 1900s to the 1960s. I will keep this book on my bookshelf as it is a treasure trove of famous and also little-known facts. I am glad I re-read this book and refreshed my knowledge about this most interesting woman.
The book is 700 pages and was published in 1969 by Doubleday. ...more
I recently read “Code Girls” by Liza Mundy. This book “The Woman Who Smashed Codes” makes a nice addition or compliment to the storyline. Elizabeth SmI recently read “Code Girls” by Liza Mundy. This book “The Woman Who Smashed Codes” makes a nice addition or compliment to the storyline. Elizabeth Smith Friedman is the subject of this book. Mundy also mentioned Elizabeth’s husband, William F. Friedman, and deemed them to be an important team of cryptologists. William F. Friedman was famous in World War Two for breaking Purple, the Japanese cipher machine.
Elizabeth Smith was a college educated teacher who was recruited by George Fabyan to work in his Riverbank Laboratory in 1910. She was hired to work on secret codes. She went on to play a key role in the development of cryptoanalysis in the USA. She met William Friedman at the Riverbank Labs and soon they were married and working together decoding messages for the government during World War One. Between the wars and during prohibition, Elizabeth broke the codes of the smugglers for the Coast Guard and other divisions of the Department of the Treasury. She frequently testified in court. During World War Two Elizabeth worked on decoding messages from spy rings in the North and South America for the Coast Guard. J. Edgar Hoover asked her to set up the Cryptology Division of the FBI.
The book is well written and meticulously researched. At times the book reads more like a spy novel than a biography. Apparently, J. Edgar Hoover took credit for a lot of the work done by Elizabeth. This is another in a series of books about women’s little-known role in science and government work during both wars.
I read this as an audiobook downloaded from Audible. The book is thirteen and a half hours long. Cassandra Campbell does an excellent job narrating the book. Campbell is an actress and voice-over artist as well as an award- winning audiobook narrator. Campbell won the 2011 Audie Award. She also was the Best Voice in fiction for 2009 and 2010. She was Best Voice in Children’s literature for 2009. Audible just announced Campbell as a 2017 inductee in the Audible Narrator Hall of Fame. ...more
What a team Frances Perkins (1880-1965) and Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882-1945) made. Perkins had the ideas and the ambition to accomplish her goals. FDWhat a team Frances Perkins (1880-1965) and Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882-1945) made. Perkins had the ideas and the ambition to accomplish her goals. FDR had the political clout and knowledge to get the job done.
Frances Perkins was the first female cabinet member in American history. She was the Secretary of Labor. She fought into law Section 7 of the National Industrial Recovery Act in 1933. What was the list she told FDR she wanted to accomplish or else she would not take the job? It was as follows: End child labor, a 40-hour work week, minimum wages, unemployment insurance, Social Security, workplace fire safety, improved working conditions and universal or national health care. She accomplished all but the health coverage. FDR also involved her in areas other than labor such as immigration. Perkins was the author of the New Deal.
The book is well written and meticulously researched. I found the book fascinating. It is primarily an academic portrayal of a great legislator and reformer. The author follows Perkins from childhood to death and also touches on some of her ancestors. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and could hardly put it down. The information on the Roosevelts I knew, but most of the information about Perkins was new to me. Some people may not enjoy the academic tenor of the book.
Kristin Downey is a journalist. She shared the 2000 Pulitzer Prize with her group at the Washington Post. I enjoyed reading her 2014 biography, “Isabella The Warrior Queen”.
I read this as an audiobook downloaded from Audible. The book is almost twenty hours long. Susan Ericksen does an excellent job narrating the book. Ericksen is an actress and multi-award-winning audiobook narrator. Over the years, I have enjoyed listening to her read a wide range of books. ...more
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