Allow Me to Retort: A Black Guy's Guide to the Constitution
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- Create Date：2022-03-17 11:21:34
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Elie Mystal
- ISBN：1799789276
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Reviews
Mackenzie White
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Spectacular。 I have no words for this book。 It is THAT good！
Kathy
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This unusual book is a masterful anti-racist critique of the US Constitution and how it has been implemented， especially by the Supreme Court， by an important contemporary legal scholar and social critic。 It is clearly written in vernacular English， and so accessible to non-lawyers; the clarity is remarkable， with only a few places where a lawyerly mind would help。 The vernacular includes the same profanity for which Mystal is famous on TV and social media。 This might limit its attraction for so This unusual book is a masterful anti-racist critique of the US Constitution and how it has been implemented， especially by the Supreme Court， by an important contemporary legal scholar and social critic。 It is clearly written in vernacular English， and so accessible to non-lawyers; the clarity is remarkable， with only a few places where a lawyerly mind would help。 The vernacular includes the same profanity for which Mystal is famous on TV and social media。 This might limit its attraction for some， but it didn't bother me at all， as I have heard the words before and the profanity is always warranted。 The book's point is that the Constitution is irredeemably racist， and that this is particularly so because of the dedication of well-organized racist and anti-democratic forces over the centuries since it was written， continuing to this day。 （It is a good companion to another excellent book on the history of anti-democratic forces in our country， which form a direct line from before the Revolution to this day: Democracy in Chains， by Nancy MacLean。 That book is not at all profane， in case that is important to you。） 。。。more
Kim
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Great book written by someone with a wealth of knowledge on the topics。 Humor is sprinkled throughout， turning what could have been a bit of a dry read into a good one。 I listened to the audiobook and highly recommend that， as Mystal did a spectacular job narrating the book。
Cale
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There aren't many books that would list both Roe Vs Wade and The Muppets Take Manhattan in their notes section， but Elie Mystal's approach to constitutional law comes with a side of cultural references to help make the points and prevent the text from becoming too dry。This is my take on Mystal's points:The Constitution is trashThe Bill of Rights make it slightly betterThe Reconstruction Amendments could make things a lot better if the political will to use them was applied。 But it hasn't been， a There aren't many books that would list both Roe Vs Wade and The Muppets Take Manhattan in their notes section， but Elie Mystal's approach to constitutional law comes with a side of cultural references to help make the points and prevent the text from becoming too dry。This is my take on Mystal's points:The Constitution is trashThe Bill of Rights make it slightly betterThe Reconstruction Amendments could make things a lot better if the political will to use them was applied。 But it hasn't been， and probably won't be。There's plenty of evidence provided here， and if you have any doubts about how the system is skewed against minorities and women， this book will stomp on you with its many examples。 I was pleasantly surprised to see solutions offered; they may not be politically feasible today， but they do provide a target for which we as a country should be shooting。 Make no mistake， this is a book written from the perspective of a black man。 As a white male， I am the target for a large number of the criticisms in the book。 That can make it a tough read， but also a necessary one。 I may not have a lot of political power personally， but this book provides a good guide as to where to apply what I've got。 And it provides a number of answers to common talking points （the evisceration of originalism is worth a read all on its own）。 Mystal frames things around the Constitution and amendments， but covers a lot of tangential topics as well。 His writing style is effective at making some fairly complex concepts readable。 I still got lost a couple times， but that's more on me than on the writing。All told， this was an effective criticism of the founding documents of our country， provided in an interesting and entertaining way that can be challenging， but ultimately is making very strong points about how we as a country can move closer to the ideals we espouse， but are currently nowhere near living up to。 。。。more
Jane
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I will be rereading this book。 Why？ Because it articulates arguments I need to have at the tip of my tongue when people defend legal decisions that clearly ensure not everyone is equally protected under our laws， that assume the Constitution is a perfect document instead of one that needs continuous amending， that creat or perpetuate a caste system。 If you think the right people are on our Supreme Court right now， you’ll find this book offensive。 If you prefer polite language， you may also be of I will be rereading this book。 Why？ Because it articulates arguments I need to have at the tip of my tongue when people defend legal decisions that clearly ensure not everyone is equally protected under our laws， that assume the Constitution is a perfect document instead of one that needs continuous amending， that creat or perpetuate a caste system。 If you think the right people are on our Supreme Court right now， you’ll find this book offensive。 If you prefer polite language， you may also be offended。 But keep reading through each chapter， seeing if you can really argue with the arguments being made about where interpretation has gone wrong。 Thanks， NetGalley， for an advance copy in exchange for an unbiased review 。。。more
SarahJessica
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I wish I could write such incisive powerful arguments as Mystal does here。 Who the hell writes a book about con law and manages to make it an actual page turner？ SO FRICKING GOOD。 Must read if we are to reset this experiment we call the U。S。 of A。
Ken
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Amazing！
Rebecca
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Required ReadingMany many years ago during the summer before I entered law school， Loyola sent me a preparatory reading list。 If that is something schools still do， this should be at the top。 It is a clear exposition of what is wrong with the constitution both in its original form and as it has evolved。 （or failed to evolve） over the ensuing years。 The author writes with both humor and passion。
Brian Rothbart
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Elie Mystal doesn't hold any punches in his book， "Allow Me to Retort。" These are issues and ideas that need to be discussed。 Mystal offers an insightful， informative， witty discussion on why the Constitution is "trash"。 I was a little skeptical at first of his characterization， and I still think the document itself is and was an important document。 However， as he has shown， the document was created by White men for mostly White men and in the wrong hands the document does not set out to do what Elie Mystal doesn't hold any punches in his book， "Allow Me to Retort。" These are issues and ideas that need to be discussed。 Mystal offers an insightful， informative， witty discussion on why the Constitution is "trash"。 I was a little skeptical at first of his characterization， and I still think the document itself is and was an important document。 However， as he has shown， the document was created by White men for mostly White men and in the wrong hands the document does not set out to do what it is supposed to do and that is create equality。 Instead， mostly through the courts， they have corrupted the true intent of the document， or as Mystal would argue they do what exactly the White drafters intended。 There have been many， many wrongs done over the years and it is time to help right those wrongs。 Mystal gives some ways that he would help fix the system。 I highly， highly recommend this book even if you don't agree with him。 I'm sure you will learn something and it might just open your eyes to how broke our system is。 It is a system we need to fix。 I just hope it isn't too late。 。。。more
Carrie
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Excellent overview of the Constitution and how it's broken， in part due to how it's currently being interpreted。 I wish the cases he explains in the book had been presented this cogently in my Con Law classes--he breaks them down so clearly。 Elie's Twitter feed helped keep me sane during the nadir of the Trump years， and continues to be required reading。 This book is a wonderful extension of arguments he regularly makes to counter the conservative nonsense du jour。 Excellent overview of the Constitution and how it's broken， in part due to how it's currently being interpreted。 I wish the cases he explains in the book had been presented this cogently in my Con Law classes--he breaks them down so clearly。 Elie's Twitter feed helped keep me sane during the nadir of the Trump years， and continues to be required reading。 This book is a wonderful extension of arguments he regularly makes to counter the conservative nonsense du jour。 。。。more
Matt
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A pungent， provocative analysis of our Constitution from the Black point of viewElie Mystal has written a powerful book here。 In snarky， often funny and always profanity-laced prose fortified by a lawyer's knowledge of the Constitution and Supreme Court precedents， he explains why Black Americans see the nation's foundational legal document in much the same way Frederick Douglass saw the fourth of July。 Every good and decent white person in this country needs to read this book NOW。。。and then sta A pungent， provocative analysis of our Constitution from the Black point of viewElie Mystal has written a powerful book here。 In snarky， often funny and always profanity-laced prose fortified by a lawyer's knowledge of the Constitution and Supreme Court precedents， he explains why Black Americans see the nation's foundational legal document in much the same way Frederick Douglass saw the fourth of July。 Every good and decent white person in this country needs to read this book NOW。。。and then start taking action to fight the ongoing white-conservative supremacist project in any and every way they can。Some readers here suggest Mystal's arguments would be more effective if he dispensed with the four-letter words。 I disagree; I think he has every right， as a Black man living in the United States of America， to be angry about his people's mistreatment at white hands， and that white people need to be shocked out of their complacency in order to persuade them to get their pale asses to work destroying the edifice of racism that， after all， white people built。 As others have observed， white supremacy is a hell of a drug。 。。。more
Tommy Turner
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This book is great。 I wish I would have read this while in law school。 Mystal is a subject matter expert who writes with appropriate indignation。 It’s refreshing when compared to the performatively neutral writing style of “scholars” and ordinary “experts。” Mystal’s simple refusal to accept bad faith arguments or arguments， intentionally designed to obscure historical reality， even in the face of the reality that the law on the ground is inflected with those arguments and historical fiction， is This book is great。 I wish I would have read this while in law school。 Mystal is a subject matter expert who writes with appropriate indignation。 It’s refreshing when compared to the performatively neutral writing style of “scholars” and ordinary “experts。” Mystal’s simple refusal to accept bad faith arguments or arguments， intentionally designed to obscure historical reality， even in the face of the reality that the law on the ground is inflected with those arguments and historical fiction， is revolutionary。 The raw emotion is well deserved and persuasive。 One critique is that Mystal occasionally “fights on their terms” even while criticizing others for doing the same thing。 This tactic is helpful， because it’s true to the reality of legal activism， because denying any outlet for argumentation is not a winning strategy， but it sometimes feels jarring to read Mystal using textual analysis of constitutional texts on the same page that he thoroughly and convincingly argues that the text is irrevocably broken。 That minor critique aside， I wish everyone could read this book and allow it to form them into a better citizen。 。。。more
Megan
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Great book that convincingly and humorously explains why courts should not look to or be bound to follow the original intent of the founders in interpreting the constitution。 Many of the founders were slave holders and all were white men focused on protecting their rights and their white male supremacy。 None of the drafters were Black or Hispanic or female， so why should any of those groups feel at all bound by their original intent。 The author goes through each amendment to discuss what the fou Great book that convincingly and humorously explains why courts should not look to or be bound to follow the original intent of the founders in interpreting the constitution。 Many of the founders were slave holders and all were white men focused on protecting their rights and their white male supremacy。 None of the drafters were Black or Hispanic or female， so why should any of those groups feel at all bound by their original intent。 The author goes through each amendment to discuss what the founders or drafters were thinking and how it has been misused to keep minorities from becoming equal。 The founders did not intend to free slaves or give minorities or women equal rights to their own。 And they don't give up those superior rights without a fight。 Very interesting and entertaining， and infuriating。 。。。more
Rebecca Hunter
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Fantastic， thought-provoking， must-read。
The Suburban Eclectic
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Allow Me to Retort has a laser-focused perspective that is moving and brutal。 Compelling and provoking， but long-winded，
Sandra Armor
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Brilliant audiobook。 I must get a physical copy and go through it again。 I know a lot of this went over my head just listening。 Important stuff here and funny as well。
Angel
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Quick impressions: The author writes in clear language。 Legal terms are explained， but the legalese is fairly minimal。 This is a book anyone can read and learn from it。 Needless to say， some folks may not like being told the truth。 Give them this book anyways; they need to read it then do their work。 （Full review on my blog later）
Mary
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Brilliant
Bethany
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I received a digital galley of this book in exchange for an honest review。 Why are conservatives such jerks？ Why are liberals so spineless？ If you take issue with the very existence of these two questions， then Elie Mystal's book may not be a good fit for you （although you may be the person who needs it the most） -- because both matters will be addressed， and in much， much more engrossing （and colorful） language。 Mystal's book helps explain why the good parts of the Constitution get bastardized I received a digital galley of this book in exchange for an honest review。 Why are conservatives such jerks？ Why are liberals so spineless？ If you take issue with the very existence of these two questions， then Elie Mystal's book may not be a good fit for you （although you may be the person who needs it the most） -- because both matters will be addressed， and in much， much more engrossing （and colorful） language。 Mystal's book helps explain why the good parts of the Constitution get bastardized in interpretation， and the bad parts get， well， worse。 It was brutally honest， refreshing， and terrifying。 This book should be required reading。 。。。more
Raymond
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From the very beginning of this book， Elie Mystal comes out of the gate swinging by saying that the Constitution is not good and is trash， specifically because it has not always applied to everyone living in America （i。e。 Black and Brown people）。 This book is his take on how the Constitution and its interpretation by the Supreme Court looks to him as Black man who also happens to be a lawyer by training。Be prepared， Mystal is unapologetic about his opinions。 He tells you straight up that he is n From the very beginning of this book， Elie Mystal comes out of the gate swinging by saying that the Constitution is not good and is trash， specifically because it has not always applied to everyone living in America （i。e。 Black and Brown people）。 This book is his take on how the Constitution and its interpretation by the Supreme Court looks to him as Black man who also happens to be a lawyer by training。Be prepared， Mystal is unapologetic about his opinions。 He tells you straight up that he is not a fan of originalist/conservative interpretations of various constitutional amendments by the Supreme Court。 Mystal does have a way with breaking down Supreme Court cases so that they are understandable to the average reader。 His trial by jury chapter was very informative。 In it he explains how the 14th Amendment has been used to remove outright bans of Blacks from serving on juries， but reveals that juries are still mostly white。 Lawyers get away with it by using preemptory challenges and justify those challenges by using race "neutral" arguments。 He argues that the 6th Amendment which guarantees a trial by an impartial jury should be used to guarantee racial equity on juries。 Another part of this book that was fascinating was Mystal's examination of the writers and interpreters of the 14th Amendment。 He reveals that alot of those writers held racist views even as they wrote and interpreted an amendment that would guarantee "equal protection" under the laws。 Obviously this should not be surprising， you know， because of "history" but this may be the first time that some readers see the racist part of Justice Harlan's dissent in Plessy v。 Ferguson and not just the antiracist part。 Mystal is also critical of liberals who in his mind do not counteract conservatives judicial playbook。The remainder of his book covers abortion rights （presents a creative use of how abortion bans run counter to the 13th Amendment）， voting rights， gerrymandering， and the 9th/10th Amendments。Finally Mystal， argues for Supreme Court reform， by instituting term limits and adding more justices to the bench， all with the intention of the Court becoming more mainstream than it is now。 If you are looking for an interesting， serious and sarcastic take on the Constitution look no further than Mystal's Allow Me to Retort。Thanks to The New Press and Elie Mystal for a free ARC copy in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Kathryn
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Absolutely fascinating and the exact kind of book on the constitution that I’ve been looking for。 Allow Me to Retort is a hilarious and accessible jumping-off point to more in-depth future reading。
Sarah
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Thank you to New Press and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book in return for an honest review。If you aren't a bleeding-heart liberal， you probably won't truly enjoy this book。 That said， the perspective it provides on the Constitution is valuable no matter what your political persuasion。 Mystal makes the case that the Constitution， though it is relied on so heavily by politicians and judges， is problematic because it was written by white men in power in order to maintain their po Thank you to New Press and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book in return for an honest review。If you aren't a bleeding-heart liberal， you probably won't truly enjoy this book。 That said， the perspective it provides on the Constitution is valuable no matter what your political persuasion。 Mystal makes the case that the Constitution， though it is relied on so heavily by politicians and judges， is problematic because it was written by white men in power in order to maintain their power and in the context of a country reliant on slave labor。 The systemic racism that plagues today's United States， then， is very much a planned feature of our society rather than an accidental occurrence。 。。。more
Susie Dumond
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In this book， political commentator Elie Mystal takes on the U。S。 Constitution， a document deeply flawed and entrenched in racism， but also frequently misunderstood。 Looking at the Constitution from beginning to end， Mystal pushes back against conservative interpretations of the country's founders intentions and instead argues for a reading of the Constitution that works toward the nation's stated values。 This certainly isn't a book designed to convince anyone on the far right， but I appreciate In this book， political commentator Elie Mystal takes on the U。S。 Constitution， a document deeply flawed and entrenched in racism， but also frequently misunderstood。 Looking at the Constitution from beginning to end， Mystal pushes back against conservative interpretations of the country's founders intentions and instead argues for a reading of the Constitution that works toward the nation's stated values。 This certainly isn't a book designed to convince anyone on the far right， but I appreciate that honesty。 Instead， Mystal focuses on how to push back against repressive， racist policies and political arguments。 And at the same time， it's also deeply funny and so smart。 I laughed out loud multiple times， which is something I didn't really expect from a book analyzing the Constitution！ 。。。more
Jim Razinha
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A few housekeeping notes to start。。。 Disclosure #1: I received a post-publication （pub。 date January 11， 2022） review copy of this from the publisher The New Press through NetGalley。 Disclosure #2: I don't watch news channels， lurk on the interweb pages of those channels save to read an article， "follow" any of the news personalities。 I admit I have never heard of Mr。 Mystal before reading this。 I don't have a preconceived bias in that， however。。。 Disclosure #3: Mr。 Mystal's editorials do hit my A few housekeeping notes to start。。。 Disclosure #1: I received a post-publication （pub。 date January 11， 2022） review copy of this from the publisher The New Press through NetGalley。 Disclosure #2: I don't watch news channels， lurk on the interweb pages of those channels save to read an article， "follow" any of the news personalities。 I admit I have never heard of Mr。 Mystal before reading this。 I don't have a preconceived bias in that， however。。。 Disclosure #3: Mr。 Mystal's editorials do hit my confirmation biases （"If you go to a good school and have access to good professors and good books and you come out as a Republican， I’m prejudiced against you。 I assume you’re defective， in some way。" and "It’s a classic liberal mistake: conservatives used a tool for evil， so instead of using that same tool for good， let’s never use tools。 Sometimes， I swear， it can seem like liberals spend all their time inventing ways to get their asses kicked。"）， and I can find little fault in his analyses。Now。。。 Mr。 Mystal has a ax to grind。 A big ax。 A rightfully earned from experience， and unfortunately unjustly inherited， righteously indignant ax that makes Paul Bunyan's look like a campfire hatchet。 And he drapes his analyses with language so colorful that Joseph abandoned his coat。 "Everybody has seen the gleaming， air-brushed face of the Constitution。 I’m going to tell you what this m**********r looks like after it has had its foot on your neck for almost 250 years。" Nearly all of the people who need to read this book won't。 And those who do need to and read it despite it rubbing their wrong positions raw with truth may not be able to get past the base， coarse no-f**ks-given gloves off Samuel L。 Jackson assault on their senses in Mystal's dismantling of "conservative" arguments with respect to their defense of the Amendments。 Note: that is one fault I do have: stop calling them "conservative" （I'm not partial to "liberal" anymore， either。） Mystal saysThe Constitution was so flawed upon its release in 1787 that it came with immediate updates。 The first ten amendments， the “Bill of Rights，” were demanded by some to ensure ratif ication of the rest of the document。 All of them were written by James Madison， who didn’t think they were actually necessary but did it to placate political interests。 Video gamers would call the Bill of Rights a “day one patch，” and they’re a good indication that the developers didn’t have enough time to work out all the kinks。 And yet conservatives use these initial updates to justify modern bigotry against all sorts of people。（I tend to skip over the C-word in print。。。 and cringe when I hear it。。。 but I forgive those who use it， if they make good sense otherwise。） And Mystal also says: "My goal is to expose what the Constitution looks like from the vantage of a person it was designed to ignore。 My goal is to illustrate how the interpretation of the Constitution that conservatives want people to accept is little more than intellectual front for continued white male hegemony。" And， he is clear in The Constitution is not gospel， it's not magic， and it's not even particularly successful if you count one civil war， one massive minority uprising for justice that kind of worked against tons that have been largely rebuffed， and one failed coup led by the actual president， as “demerits。” It was written by a collection of wealthy slavers， wealthy colonizers， and wealthy antislavery white men who were nonetheless willing to compromise and profit together with the slavers and colonizers。If you pay attention to history， particularly recent history， this book should hiss you off。 Rather， the points made should。 If the book does and you disagree with those points， well then there is no hope for you。Bottom line: "Never accept the conservative interpretation of the Constitution。 Never accept the conservative limitations placed on our political， civil， and social rights。 They have literally always been wrong， and they are wrong now。 Justice is not one constitutional option among many — it is a requirement of a free and equal society。" Too many notes。 Selected soundbites:"Madison put the Ninth Amendment in to counteract what he knew small- minded people would do to the rest of the document， and so small- minded conservatives have to pretend it’s not even there in order to achieve their goals of retarding progress。" And "Unlike their stance on the Ninth Amendment， originalists pay a lot of attention to the Tenth Amendment。" The Tenth is the one that ticks me off a lot。On Miranda and why it is a poor band-aid （my term）: "Your constitutional rights aren’t supposed to change depending on whether you know they exist。" How does this not keep SCOTUS awake at night？ Oh， yeah。 "Conservative"More Miranda: "Once the police recite the Miranda warnings， they are free to go back to lying， intimidating， and coercing confessions。 This takes us right back to the idea of Fifth Amendment rights being a litmus test for legal education， instead of inalienable rights given to all regardless of their knowledge of the law。"And more: "There are too many people in law enforcement who treat the right against self-incrimination like a technical obstacle to overcome， instead of an ancient right that is not to be violated。"Juries: "I’m often surprised by how much faith people place in juries as a check on arbitrary， despotic uses of state power。 I mean， do people just not know how arbitrarily despotic juries can be？ I cannot reliably get a random sampling of twelve people to read a whole article before calling me an asshole based on my headline。" Data show how easily influenced they are。 Not to mention predisposition that is either not uncovered during voir dire， or deliberately included by the selecting attorney。Voting rights: "It doesn’t matter if the conservatives call themselves Democrats （as they did after the Civil War） or Republicans （as they have since the New Deal or so）。 It doesn’t matter if the conservative legal theorists say they’re in favor of federalism or judicial restraint or originalism and textualism。 Their goals are and have been the same no matter what they are calling themselves this morning。 They want the right to vote to be limited to the people who agree with them。 They want to exclude fairness from the question of due process。" Harsh but true。The context is too much to unpack here but he covers in lengthy detail how the Fourteenth Amendment has been under attack by SCOTUS since it was ratified。 Despite all of the evidence that the people who wrote the Fourteenth Amendment did not at all intend to authorize interracial marriage， Calabresi argues that the “original public meaning” of the Fourteenth totally included the equal protection of marriage， because of the dictionary definition of the words used。 That’s no different than looking up an eighteenth- century list of “punishments” and determining that since slavers used to shove fireworks up the backsides of misbehaving slaves and light them， that such a punishment is neither cruel nor unusual。 But， this is what passes for intellectualism in the modern conservative movement。About his own children: "I’ll keep trying to get them to think about rules substantively instead of procedurally。 I’ll keep trying to make them into the kinds of people who are outraged at unfairness， instead of desensitized to the suffering of others。 I’ll do whatever I can think of to make sure they grow up to be anything other than like Clarence Thomas。" Thank you。"Gun rights are not about self- defense。 They literally never have been。 Gun rights are about menacing， intimidating， and killing racial minorities， if necessary。" Prove me wrong。And a jumping off point: Find and read Jamal Greene's "How Rights Went Wrong"。 。。。more
Drea
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Smart， well-researched， witty， （did I already say SMART？） book from am MSNBC contributor that I admire。 This book is witty and has me laughing while reading about the author’s complex， nuanced takes on the Constitution。 I ate up every page with a spoon。 Current in examples， I was able to learn so much I didn’t know while feeling I had someone out there who has the same beliefs I do。 There was a lot of highlighting as I read。 This would be an excellent book discussion choice - so much to discuss！ Smart， well-researched， witty， （did I already say SMART？） book from am MSNBC contributor that I admire。 This book is witty and has me laughing while reading about the author’s complex， nuanced takes on the Constitution。 I ate up every page with a spoon。 Current in examples， I was able to learn so much I didn’t know while feeling I had someone out there who has the same beliefs I do。 There was a lot of highlighting as I read。 This would be an excellent book discussion choice - so much to discuss！ Heartfelt thanks to The New Press for the advanced copy。 Highly recommend！ 。。。more
LaShanda Chamberlain
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Thanks in advance to NetGalley & New Press for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book。 I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book。 Prior to reading this book， I thought I knew a lot about the US Constitution & the laws in this country。 In the last several years， I have found myself becoming a history buff。 This book was very eye-opening。 Mystal used candor & wit to tackle a deep topic。 As a result of reading this book， I have a deeper understanding of our Constitution & our legal syste Thanks in advance to NetGalley & New Press for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book。 I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book。 Prior to reading this book， I thought I knew a lot about the US Constitution & the laws in this country。 In the last several years， I have found myself becoming a history buff。 This book was very eye-opening。 Mystal used candor & wit to tackle a deep topic。 As a result of reading this book， I have a deeper understanding of our Constitution & our legal system。 I have often heard elections have consequences， Mystal beautifully explains how these consequences impact large segments of our population。 We need more books like this。 Often， books on this subject tend to be dry & boring。 Not this book！ Mystal breaks things down in a simple & easy to understand manner。 I highly recommend this book！ 。。。more
ElphaReads
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Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of this book！I've been following Elie Mystal on social media for awhile now， and I knew that his book ALLOW ME TO RETORT was going to be super insightful as well as bitingly funny。 Mystal makes fantastic arguments about why our constitution is flawed， how the conservative movement has twisted it to fit their bigoted narratives， and how it has always served white supremacy。 As well as how these things could be rectified at least a bit。 He's pis Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of this book！I've been following Elie Mystal on social media for awhile now， and I knew that his book ALLOW ME TO RETORT was going to be super insightful as well as bitingly funny。 Mystal makes fantastic arguments about why our constitution is flawed， how the conservative movement has twisted it to fit their bigoted narratives， and how it has always served white supremacy。 As well as how these things could be rectified at least a bit。 He's pissed， he's hilarious， he's incredibly smart and makes fantastic arguments to back up all his claims， and I found this book insightful as well as entertaining。 。。。more
Carlo
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Nice！
Sylvia Spruck Wrigley
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Allow Me To Retort by lawyer Elie Mystal is an eye-opening look at our constitutional rights as US citizens and how those rights are being eroded。 This book is easily accessible and goes over the amendments to the constitution with easy-to-follow explanations and examples。 Mystal does not attempt to hide his antipathy towards the Republican party but he also holds Democrats to task for misunderstanding and mis-applying the law。 Biting， witty and mostly sarcastic， Mystal doesn't allow your attent Allow Me To Retort by lawyer Elie Mystal is an eye-opening look at our constitutional rights as US citizens and how those rights are being eroded。 This book is easily accessible and goes over the amendments to the constitution with easy-to-follow explanations and examples。 Mystal does not attempt to hide his antipathy towards the Republican party but he also holds Democrats to task for misunderstanding and mis-applying the law。 Biting， witty and mostly sarcastic， Mystal doesn't allow your attention to wane for even a minute。 This is the kind of book that you can thoroughly enjoy reading and feel ten times smarter by the end of it。 If only Elie Mystal taught Civics in high schools， we might see a generation ready to fight for our rights and guide our politicians attitudes towards the constitution。 。。。more
Kat
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