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Nigel C. - - Reviews

1 to 10 of 10
The American Presidency (A Brief Insight)
The American Presidency (A Brief Insight)
Author: Charles O. Jones
Book Type: Hardcover
  • Currently 5/5 Stars.
 1
Review Date: 1/30/2013


This series is excellent for taking primers (origninally from Oxford University Press) by leading professors and spicing them up with color illustrations and photos. In addition, this title updates the original through the 2008 election. It covers the constitutional duties and powers of the chief executive, reviews the President's role in domestic and foreign policy, covers election results and relations with Congress. It's a quick interesting read for all citizens, not just students.


Courts, Judges, and Politics
Courts, Judges, and Politics
Author: Walter F Murphy, C. Herman Pritchett, Lee Epstein, Jack Knight
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 4/5 Stars.
 1
Review Date: 12/23/2014


Despite its length (a mainstay since the 1st edition in the 1960s), the chapter introductions are highly readable and the selections have been judiciously edited. There is enough material for a year-long course, but professors generally pick their favorites for the semester. My only complaint is the number of typos, a product of too much scanning technology and not enough human editors. The next edition, if ever, should return to hardcover.


Ethical Ambition: Living a Life of Meaning and Worth
Ethical Ambition: Living a Life of Meaning and Worth
Author: Derrick Bell
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 3/5 Stars.
 4
Review Date: 2/5/2009


Bell is a prominent African-American law professor, the first to achieve tenure at Harvard Law School. He uses his life experiences as a springboard to discuss the differences between taking the path of least resistance and doing what is right and ethical. I assign this book to my business students for them to write reaction papers on the individual chapters, which range from passion and courage to faith and relationships.


Gideon's Trumpet
Gideon's Trumpet
Author: Anthony Lewis
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 5/5 Stars.
 1
Review Date: 7/7/2010


A case study of Gideon v. Wainwright, the right to counsel for poor criminal defendants. The book covers U.S. Supreme Court procedures and step-by-step preparation for briefs and oral arguments of the case. The Epilogue covers Gideon's retrial in Florida. The movie is good, but the book is great.


Lethal Passage: The Story of a Gun
Lethal Passage: The Story of a Gun
Author: Erik Larson
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 3.5/5 Stars.
 13
Review Date: 5/7/2011


Excellent case study of a school shooting in Virginia interspersed with the politics of gun control. Paperback includes an Afterword.


Malign Neglect-Race, Crime, and Punishment in America
Malign Neglect-Race, Crime, and Punishment in America
Author: Michael Tonry
Book Type: Hardcover
  • Currently 5/5 Stars.
 1
Review Date: 7/22/2013


Michael Tonry is an international sentencing expert, but this book goes well beyond a focus on punishment for crime. Tonry explores crime rates by race over many years and types of crimes, then delves into a short history of the war on drugs. Unlike other authors, Tonry weighs and explains the ethics and morality of the War on Drugs because of the lopsided effects it has on minority communities. He does spend a couple of chapters on the philosophy of criminal responsibility, which benefits the reader who has knowledge of basic principles of criminal law. This book is an overlooked classic which resonates over time and space (the situation in Mexico; immigration crackdowns).


Mexico Since 1980 (The World Since 1980)
Review Date: 1/30/2013


This book appeals to history and political science buffs who like dense detail in their economic analyses. It does explain the decades of bone-headed policies that led to Mexico's spectacular economic collapse in the 1980s, requiring a new currency. There's a valuable explanation of land title reform and how this is slowly leading to more mortgage lending by banks. The bibliography is lengthy and covers sources in both English and Spanish.


The Oxford History of Mexico
The Oxford History of Mexico
Book Type: Hardcover
  • Currently 5/5 Stars.
 1
Review Date: 1/30/2013


This book is really 20 chapters written in chronological sequence by current history professors. It includes B&W photos and engravings throughout, and a separate color photo section on cultural festivals. Every chapter is interesting and well-written, which explains the book's continued use as a textbook substitute. There's a glossary at the end. If you know nothing about Mexico's history, this is the book to read.


The Proud Decades: America in War and in Peace, 1941-1960
The Proud Decades: America in War and in Peace, 1941-1960
Author: John Patrick Diggins
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 3.3/5 Stars.
 4
Review Date: 2/9/2015


This book is a fast-paced narrative with all the detail you need to understand the philosophical origins of the Cold War and MLK's nonviolence. There is discussion of liberal, centrist, and conservative writers, scholars, and policy-makers. This book is great for U.S. History teachers to supplement their survey texts.


Search and Destroy : African-American Males in the Criminal Justice System
Review Date: 5/13/2011


This book follows up Miller's classic "Last One Over the Wall," about his years heading Massachusetts' juvenile justice system, with a stinging indictment of politicized crime policy and flawed criminological research and interpretation. Miller shows how young, minority males bear the brunt of misguided, heavy-handed law enforcement, especially in the name of the so-called "War on Drugs." Published 15 years ago, but sadly more true than ever.


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