Allow Me to Retort: A Black Guy's Guide to the Constitution
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- Author：Elie Mystal
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Summary
The MSNBC commentator and legal editor of The Nation turns his razor-sharp wit and legal acumen on our founding document and finds it to be 。 。 。 well， awfully white "Mystal possesses a vocabulary and penchant for stringing words together that makes other writers envious。 He can bring you to your knees with the power of the written word。" --Donna McGill， Lawcrossing。com
According to commentator and lawyer Elie Mystal， Republicans are wrong when they tell you the First Amendment allows religious fundamentalists to discriminate against gay people who like cake。 They're wrong when they tell you the Second Amendment protects the right to own a private arsenal。 They're wrong when they say the death penalty isn't cruel or unusual punishment， and they're wrong when they tell you we have no legal remedies for the scourge of police violence against people of color。
In fact， Mystal argues， Republicans are wrong about the law almost all of the time， and now， instead of talking about this on cable news， Mystal explains why in his first book。
Allow Me to Retort is an easily digestible argument primer， offered so that people can tell the Republicans in their own lives why they are wrong。 Mystal brings his trademark humor， snark， and legal expertise to topics as crucial to our politics as gerrymandering and voter suppression， and explains why legal concepts such as the right to privacy and substantive due process are constantly under attack from the very worst judges conservatives can pack onto the courts。
You don't need to be a legal scholar to grasp how stop-and-frisk is an unconstitutional policy of racial discrimination。 You just need to read Mystal's book to understand that the Fourteenth Amendment once made the white supremacist policies adopted by the modern Republican Party illegal--and it can do so again if we let it。
According to commentator and lawyer Elie Mystal， Republicans are wrong when they tell you the First Amendment allows religious fundamentalists to discriminate against gay people who like cake。 They're wrong when they tell you the Second Amendment protects the right to own a private arsenal。 They're wrong when they say the death penalty isn't cruel or unusual punishment， and they're wrong when they tell you we have no legal remedies for the scourge of police violence against people of color。
In fact， Mystal argues， Republicans are wrong about the law almost all of the time， and now， instead of talking about this on cable news， Mystal explains why in his first book。
Allow Me to Retort is an easily digestible argument primer， offered so that people can tell the Republicans in their own lives why they are wrong。 Mystal brings his trademark humor， snark， and legal expertise to topics as crucial to our politics as gerrymandering and voter suppression， and explains why legal concepts such as the right to privacy and substantive due process are constantly under attack from the very worst judges conservatives can pack onto the courts。
You don't need to be a legal scholar to grasp how stop-and-frisk is an unconstitutional policy of racial discrimination。 You just need to read Mystal's book to understand that the Fourteenth Amendment once made the white supremacist policies adopted by the modern Republican Party illegal--and it can do so again if we let it。
Reviews
Angel
，
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）
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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I want to preface my review by stating that this will not be a book for everyone。 However， that being said。。。 I think this is absolutely a book that all of America should read。 I think this should be required reading for all high school civics classes。 （Oh how I wish that civics classes were still taught！）I read this book twice and in the second read through， I noted things I did not the first time through。 And yes， I am contemplating reading it a third time！ The writing is compelling， frank， an I want to preface my review by stating that this will not be a book for everyone。 However， that being said。。。 I think this is absolutely a book that all of America should read。 I think this should be required reading for all high school civics classes。 （Oh how I wish that civics classes were still taught！）I read this book twice and in the second read through， I noted things I did not the first time through。 And yes， I am contemplating reading it a third time！ The writing is compelling， frank， and yes， Elie speaks plainly - even bluntly - from his unbelievable well of knowledge。 Elie shares things that I did not know。 Things I was never， ever taught in school （and I am old enough that I had a Civics class！） He made me see our constitution in a new light。。。 and I am in agreement with him， that if we just applied the constitution equally for ALL people， life would be better for those who today， find that it means everyone but them。 I highly recommend this book！I would like to thank Netgalley and The New Press for this ARC。 。。。more
Ian Carrillo
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I don't think Allow Me To Retort adds much to the legal or political scholarship， but it's a fun read nonetheless。 It alternates between a call to burn and replace the constitution and a diatribe that the constitution would be fine if Republicans didn't keep fucking it up。 It's low on truly radical proposals， medium on legal analysis， and high on a passionate and funny sense of catharsis; it may be the same liberal rant we've heard time and time again， but at least it's witty and quick。Thanks to I don't think Allow Me To Retort adds much to the legal or political scholarship， but it's a fun read nonetheless。 It alternates between a call to burn and replace the constitution and a diatribe that the constitution would be fine if Republicans didn't keep fucking it up。 It's low on truly radical proposals， medium on legal analysis， and high on a passionate and funny sense of catharsis; it may be the same liberal rant we've heard time and time again， but at least it's witty and quick。Thanks to The New Press for sending us an ARC。 。。。more
Chris
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My only objection is that I didn’t write this book myself。 Title is a bit of a misnomer （but understandable upon a quick sampling） - this should be everyone’s guide to the Constitution。 If you’re conservative， you likely won’t enjoy。 If you’re moderate or liberal， you also may not enjoy。 （And if you’re opposed to cursing， this just isn’t the book for you。） But enjoy it or not， Mystal is right…mostly （some of his Second Amendment analysis is incomplete）。 Most Americans wrongly assume that the Con My only objection is that I didn’t write this book myself。 Title is a bit of a misnomer （but understandable upon a quick sampling） - this should be everyone’s guide to the Constitution。 If you’re conservative， you likely won’t enjoy。 If you’re moderate or liberal， you also may not enjoy。 （And if you’re opposed to cursing， this just isn’t the book for you。） But enjoy it or not， Mystal is right…mostly （some of his Second Amendment analysis is incomplete）。 Most Americans wrongly assume that the Constitution as written acts as the highest law of the land。 Instead， each section， and every amendment， has extensive case law that fine tunes and even changes or cancels wording found upon a plain reading of the doc。 Anyone who’s taken a Con Law class already knows this， although most Con Law classes are taught from a ‘there’s two sides’ perspective， which Mystal unceremoniously stomps to death within a few pages。 Mystal makes the above clear， and distills multiple semesters of Con Law into a couple hundred pages while peppering his writing with enough pop culture references， from the Godfather to Game of Thrones， to keep things light， a tough balancing act considering the gravity of the subject matter and how easily this could have devolved into a bitter screed。 Its a quick read that pulls you along， but also does a good job of deep diving when necessary。Every chapter has something， even the epilogue - I assumed there would be a quick recap of material already presented， but Mystal provides some solutions to the problems he’s previously identified。 He’s honest about the ones that aren’t feasible， and hopeful but refreshingly realistic about the plausibility of others。 Tbh， I was anti court packing right up until the last few pages of this book， despite being fully aware of what’s at stake and the history of the size and composition of the court。 Mystal is brief and to the point， laying out the issue， the most obvious objections…and then makes the most obvious and salient counterpoint to that objection。 Democracy is literally at risk。 The right has historically court packed and pulled a number of other tricks to maintain relatively constant control over who gets appointed， and we’re still living with， and striving for civil rights against， that resulting composition （which more often than not pushes an oligarchical minority-rule set of values）。 So pack away， and accept the risk that the other side may do likewise when the shoe is on the other foot。 If this is your introduction to the Constitution， it’s a great place to start， and won’t go over your head。 If you’re well versed on Constitutional matters， you won’t be bored。 。。。more
Sarah-Hope
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I found Elie Mystal's Allow Me to Retort a laugh riot of blended outrage and humor。 That， of course， means I generally agree with him—about our Constitution's weaknesses and the way in which court rulings on constitutionality are not so much exercises in justice as they are opportunities used to maintain the status quo。At the beginning， Mystal describes the Constitution as "a document designed to create a society of enduring white male dominance， hastily edited in the margins to allow for what b I found Elie Mystal's Allow Me to Retort a laugh riot of blended outrage and humor。 That， of course， means I generally agree with him—about our Constitution's weaknesses and the way in which court rulings on constitutionality are not so much exercises in justice as they are opportunities used to maintain the status quo。At the beginning， Mystal describes the Constitution as "a document designed to create a society of enduring white male dominance， hastily edited in the margins to allow for what basic political rights white men could be convinced to share" and its content as being "scrawled out over a sweaty summer by people making deals with actual monsters who were trying to protect their rights to rape the humans held in bondage。" He points out that "A 5-4 ruling on the Supreme Court directly affects the likelihood of me getting shot to death by the police while driving to the store。 It directly affects whether my kids can walk to the bus stop unmolested and unafraid of the cops driving by。" The writing is brilliant， the reasoning razor-edged。 I appreciate Allow Me to Retort because it echoes things I already believe， shows me new ways to understand the things I believe， and pushes me to think beyond my beliefs。 This isn't a book that will change the thinking of those already settled in a different set of beliefs。 But it sure feels good to have an indignation and outrage I share described with such precision。 And to be able to laugh along with raging and weeping。I received a free electronic review copy of this title from the publisher via NetGalley; the opinions are my own。 。。。more
Lauren
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I love Elie Mystal and so I expected to love this book。 Spoiler alert - I did。 I have over 70 highlights in my ebook and my only regret with getting an advance copy is that I could not listen to Mystal read this to me himself as only he could。 He uses his biting wit， super smarts， and no F^&*s given approach to give a broad overview of the U。S。 Constitution - what key parts mean， why originalists have gotten things so wrong， and how white supremacy is baked into our constitution and the courts t I love Elie Mystal and so I expected to love this book。 Spoiler alert - I did。 I have over 70 highlights in my ebook and my only regret with getting an advance copy is that I could not listen to Mystal read this to me himself as only he could。 He uses his biting wit， super smarts， and no F^&*s given approach to give a broad overview of the U。S。 Constitution - what key parts mean， why originalists have gotten things so wrong， and how white supremacy is baked into our constitution and the courts that interpret it。 His writing is approachable， funny， and powerful。 It's impossible to pick my favorite parts， so here are some highlights to give you a taste of what is in store in one of the most rollicking， irreverent constitutional law books I have ever read。 He opens with this: "Our Constitution is not good。 It is a document designed to create a society of enduring white male dominance， hastily edited in the margins to allow for what basic political rights white men could be convinced to share。 The Constitution is an imperfect work that urgently and consistently needs to be modified and reimagined to make good on its unrealized promises of justice and equality for all。"All true， and he uses this book to support this argument with straightforward and easy to understand examples that are good for lawyers and non-lawyers alike！ Here's another: "The astute reader will have noticed that a central theme of this book is that conservatives are irredeemable assholes who consistently act in bad faith to uphold white supremacy and patriarchy over the objection of most minorities， women， and decent people。" <-- yup。 "The law is a collection of subjective decisions we -- well， white people -- have made over the years to protect people and activities they like， and to punish people and activities they don't like。" -- is this 100% accurate？ I don't think so。 And this book suffers the most where it embraces its hyperbole and doesn't delve into nuance。 But overall， I appreciate Mystal's sharp take and his views helped me develop my own。 Overall， I 100% recommend this book to anyone fed up with the Federalist Society or who is angry about the current Supreme Court or who is looking for a conlaw 101 or refresher with no holds barred。 I wish I had this book as a 1L in law school to counter some of what we were taught and how。 Thank you， Elie， and thank you， Netgalley， for the ARC。 。。。more
Viper Spaulding
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Baring all the bias for everyone to see！If you've ever wondered how a "Christian" nation could be so inherently racist for more than 240 years， then you owe it to yourself to bring to this book your very open mind as you take a peek into what our Constitution looks like through the lens of a man who knows how it's been used to support and defend racism throughout our country's history。 The author takes us through history as he demonstrates case after case， event after event， bigot after bigot al Baring all the bias for everyone to see！If you've ever wondered how a "Christian" nation could be so inherently racist for more than 240 years， then you owe it to yourself to bring to this book your very open mind as you take a peek into what our Constitution looks like through the lens of a man who knows how it's been used to support and defend racism throughout our country's history。 The author takes us through history as he demonstrates case after case， event after event， bigot after bigot along this nation's road that led to painting "Black Lives Matter" on the pavement in front of the White House。I recognize that I'm far too pale-skinned to truly understand where he's coming from， so I accept that those points of his with which I disagree are probably evidence of my own bias more than his。 This is an easy book to read comprehensively， with plenty of straight talk and scathing humor， but it's a difficult book to process emotionally because it demands that we each examine our own roles and challenge ourselves to walk in the other's shoes before we relax comfortably in our belief that we know what our Constitution says， and means。 Critical thinking， especially in the political arena， is woefully absent from too much of our citizenry today， but books like this one go a long way towards correcting that deficiency。 If you vote （and you should） you owe it to our very democracy to educate yourself as much as you can。 Start with this book to expand your understanding of what this nation stands for， and what it should be。 I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book。 。。。more
Cassandra Manning
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As a liberal， I found the points in this book to be right in line with my opinion， but also marvel at the simple， easy-to-agree-with points that Mystal makes。 Defending the principles enshrined in our laws and not the random text of the laws themselves， understanding that even the Constitution had a ‘day one patch’ to make it agreeable at the time， and that these principles need to apply to each citizen， not one class， are some of my favorites from this book。 If you’re looking at an in-depth exa As a liberal， I found the points in this book to be right in line with my opinion， but also marvel at the simple， easy-to-agree-with points that Mystal makes。 Defending the principles enshrined in our laws and not the random text of the laws themselves， understanding that even the Constitution had a ‘day one patch’ to make it agreeable at the time， and that these principles need to apply to each citizen， not one class， are some of my favorites from this book。 If you’re looking at an in-depth examination of the Constitution with a relatable feel， this is the book for you。 。。。more
Robin
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Elie Mystal， Allow Me to Retort A Black Guy’s Guide to The Constitution， The New Press， New York， 2022。Thank you NetGalley for providing me with this uncorrected proof in exchange for an honest review。Elie Mystal’s title is apt for this book which combines uncomfortable and sometimes abrasive language with arguments （or retorts） that certainly encourage a rethink of the American Constitution and the Amendments。 Some readers will not like the abrasive quality of the language; others will find it Elie Mystal， Allow Me to Retort A Black Guy’s Guide to The Constitution， The New Press， New York， 2022。Thank you NetGalley for providing me with this uncorrected proof in exchange for an honest review。Elie Mystal’s title is apt for this book which combines uncomfortable and sometimes abrasive language with arguments （or retorts） that certainly encourage a rethink of the American Constitution and the Amendments。 Some readers will not like the abrasive quality of the language; others will find it energising。 Mystal certainly maintains the forceful presence he radiates in television debate when it is translated to the page。 I found myself having to pick my way through some of the debate。 Regardless of my reservations， I found this book a worthy contribution to discussion of the American Constitution; the role of wealthy white men in its writing， interpretation， decisions about the Amendments and interpretations in the courts; and the way in which black and coloured Americans and women can be neglected in the law。 And， indeed， Elie Mystal has every right to question my reservations about his language。 With such a story to tell， with its horrific unpeeling of the discrimination that remains， despite the Amendments， his language cannot be other than strong。 So， cast aside reservations， and read this illuminating， but distressing ‘Retort’。Mystal clarifies the way in which the American Constitution was devised， the philosophy behind it， and the way it works。 He concentrates on demonstrating how the Amendments， purportedly designed to overcome its shortcomings， and to introduce elements of fairness that were not considered in the original document do little to alleviate the discrimination suffered by Black Americans。 Although he concentrates on the latter， he does not ignore the similarities in some instances that impact on women。 One example – the jury of peers: has there been any jury of twelve Black Americans which has judged a white man？ A jury of twelve women which has judged a man？ How many ‘peers’ of twelve white men have judged a Black American？ A woman？Mystal’s discussion of the right to self defence is particularly acute and helps explain the tortuous defence （fortunately unsuccessful） made by the Defence lawyer in the recent Ahmaud Abery case。 Similarly， each Amendment is ‘unpacked’， debated， clarified， and unfortunately found wanting – if the desired outcome is a non-discriminatory document。 Mystal does not argue for new amendments， he wants a rejection of the ‘conservative interpretation of what the Constitution says， and adopt[ion of] a morally defensible view of what our country means’。 The arguments he makes throughout this thoughtful book are a beginning to that process。In the Epilogue Mystal deliberates upon the Supreme Court， appointments to the Court， and possible ways to ensure that it works to uphold democratic values。 Should its powers be defined and limited？ Should it be restructured and reformed？ Be more representative？ Should term limits be imposed？ Should the Supreme Court be expanded？ These are questions that make for a thoughtful epilogue indeed。There are detailed notes， information about Elie Mystal， and a list of other title from The New Press。This book is at the same time a lively and enthralling discussion of the American Constitution and the Amendments， and a history of the appalling discriminatory treatment it endorses。 Allow Me to Retort is an excellent read， and， as Elie Mystal would probably retort， accept the language， more， embrace it， as it honours the story he tells。 。。。more
Charles Francis
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This book is an insightful and thought provoking look at the Constitution and how it has shaped our democracy。 The author's intellectual challenges， wit， and frankness should have both the left and the right start to think about what the framers of the constitution， primarily James Madison， really meant or did not mean。It is well written， direct， humorous （there are examples and analogies that will have you on the floor） and sobering。 Mystal makes no excuses and pulls no punches in his total dis This book is an insightful and thought provoking look at the Constitution and how it has shaped our democracy。 The author's intellectual challenges， wit， and frankness should have both the left and the right start to think about what the framers of the constitution， primarily James Madison， really meant or did not mean。It is well written， direct， humorous （there are examples and analogies that will have you on the floor） and sobering。 Mystal makes no excuses and pulls no punches in his total disdain for how the constitution has been weaponized by those on the far right and not supported enough by those on left。 This should be a required reading for every politician， no matter where you serve or aspire to serve。 。。。more
Sahitya
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I’ve only been following the author’s interviews and social media for a couple of years now but he has always impressed me with his wit as well as knowledge。 So when I saw this book on netgalley， I had to get the advance copy immediately。 And I’m so glad I did。 As an outsider who has only lived in America for about a decade， anything I know about it’s constitution， politics or law is recently learnt， mostly through books or TV。 But I have to say， I’ve never read anything law related that is so a I’ve only been following the author’s interviews and social media for a couple of years now but he has always impressed me with his wit as well as knowledge。 So when I saw this book on netgalley， I had to get the advance copy immediately。 And I’m so glad I did。 As an outsider who has only lived in America for about a decade， anything I know about it’s constitution， politics or law is recently learnt， mostly through books or TV。 But I have to say， I’ve never read anything law related that is so accessible to common public like this book before。 Elie uses his usual humor and candidness to elaborate not just how each of the amendments in the constitution should be interpreted and what their original intents might have been， he also elucidates the various ways in which conservatives and white supremacists and racists have misinterpreted and misused the same amendments and laws to get what they want， discriminate who they want to without fear， cement racism and police brutality against Black people as the norm of the land， and continue to dilute the effectiveness of any constructive law left right now with the help of their conservative majority on the Supreme Court。 He is absolutely right when he says that any law even when passed in good faith can and will be misused because a significant population of the country have been made to believe that they can only survive if they can discriminate against all marginalized groups with impunity and enforce their fake morality on everybody。 The book does present a bleak picture。 Despite whatever progress has been made over the decades， its seems obvious these days that things are not going in the right direction anymore。 And that helplessness and anger does reflect in the author’s writing。 He doesn’t mince his words when he questions even the moral standing of a constitution written by a “collection of slavers and colonizers”。 And he understands that they were great men of their times， but it doesn’t mean that we cling to an eighteenth century racist， sexist and bigoted originalist reading of the document。 He clearly believes that an honest interpretation of the constitution and its rightful enforcement can still bring about a progressive change to the country， but whether that is a possibility or a pipe dream is something we all have to wait to see。 In the meantime， if you know someone who uses some magical words from the constitution to justify their bigoted and discriminatory beliefs， do use the points made in this book to question them right back and challenge their worldview。 。。。more
Darryl Barney
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i received an advanced copy from Netgalley。 unsponsored review。 as a con law nerd， Elie’s candid and witty analysis was refreshing and enjoyable mostly。 （often funny！） maybe a little too anecdotal for my taste， lacking gravitas in some ways， i think Elie stated his case well enough here - centering his personal qualms with the constitution and subsequent bill of rights。 that said， i can appreciate and agree with most， if not all， of Elie’s solutions to the deeply rooted constitutional issues， fr i received an advanced copy from Netgalley。 unsponsored review。 as a con law nerd， Elie’s candid and witty analysis was refreshing and enjoyable mostly。 （often funny！） maybe a little too anecdotal for my taste， lacking gravitas in some ways， i think Elie stated his case well enough here - centering his personal qualms with the constitution and subsequent bill of rights。 that said， i can appreciate and agree with most， if not all， of Elie’s solutions to the deeply rooted constitutional issues， from formation to judicial interpretation， that negatively and disproportionately （still and likely will forever） oppress Black people。 this is a good， albeit superficial at times， analysis （or con law 101 picking？） of the US’ founding and most cherished guide to who “we” are as a nation。 i probably would give a higher rating to a deeper and more creative analysis from Elie （which it is obvious he is capable of）， as opposed to， what read as the chapters went on， a novice [respectfully] partisan take down。 maybe more jurisdictional challenges furthering Elie’s fundamental points？ comparison to other countries’ founding documents Elie found more equitable？ more attention to justice’s’ dissents？ i give it 3。5 stars。 。。。more
Dan
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My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher The New Press for an advanced copy of this current events memoir。According to some the Constitution is a living， breathing， always changing and adapting thing， similar to a Supreme Court decision that gave corporations more rights than woman have over their own bodies。 Also these same people when the living argument doesn't work switch to the Constitution should stay just like the Founders wrote it， strict adherence to their centuries old thoughts， and in My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher The New Press for an advanced copy of this current events memoir。According to some the Constitution is a living， breathing， always changing and adapting thing， similar to a Supreme Court decision that gave corporations more rights than woman have over their own bodies。 Also these same people when the living argument doesn't work switch to the Constitution should stay just like the Founders wrote it， strict adherence to their centuries old thoughts， and inflexible， as inflexible as the meat that ate in their dining rooms， lit only by candles or whale blubber， and served by slaves。Elie Mystal， MSNBC commentator， Constitutional scholar， and I hope a huge lover of comics and other fun things cause he drops so many references， and more importantly writer of Allow Me to Retort: A Black Guy’s Guide to the Constitution addresses this issues and calls them out， for their double-dealing and well lying。 Using both humor， pop culture references and his own amazing legal acumen， Mr。 Mystal points out the fallacies， crookedness， deception， and out right lying that makes up most of the arguments， and unfortunately legal decisions that effect us all。 Mr。 Mystal has a very bleak view of the future， and reading along you tend to agree。 America seems to have no grasp of its past， even from months ago， and no clear idea what the future of this country will be， or even an idea of what is slowly being eroded away。 Many might argue （FOX fans） that Mr。 Mystal is crass and rude， and therefore his arguments are moot。 They will probably add a "So there"， to the end of that comment。 Yes he is crass because that is the point。 We are at the point where being polite， and holding the door， only gets people excluded and the door slammed shut on their faces and fingers。 This country has left a sizeable majority of its people behind and the rest of us are just starting to notice。 Unfortunately Mr Mystal has experienced that America， and that he can even joke about it makes him a stronger person than I。 And he is very funny。 And humor is a weapon against the powerful， because you can always add "just kidding" at the end。 It work almost as well as "Well those people， not you"。I won't say this book is vital， but you know what after the last couple of weeks I will say。 This is a good primer on what to say to those Uncles we hate that are in our family， those people we have to work with， and well too many people who won't bother reading this book because he's a liberal。 Mr。 Mystal is actually worse than a liberal。 He cares enough to get this mad and write this book。 Only love allows a person to point out the flaws in something， not caring about the consequences， and I am sure there will be a lot of grief from both right and left poured on Mr。 Mystal。 He just wants us and the Constitution to be better， and to try just a little harder。 。。。more
Jennifer Landry
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This was just great。 I have followed Elie for years and I just knew I would love this book。 As he says in the beginning， this isn't a book of legalese， this is a book of things you can tell those people in your life who like to throw around the constitution as why they can do a variety of horrible things。 Our constitution has been misconstrued and misinterpreted for a very long time。 Even worse， it has been waved in the air to rationalize bad behavior。 This quote is a great peek at the approach This was just great。 I have followed Elie for years and I just knew I would love this book。 As he says in the beginning， this isn't a book of legalese， this is a book of things you can tell those people in your life who like to throw around the constitution as why they can do a variety of horrible things。 Our constitution has been misconstrued and misinterpreted for a very long time。 Even worse， it has been waved in the air to rationalize bad behavior。 This quote is a great peek at the approach Elie takes to evaluating each piece of the Constitution， especially the amendments:"The other difference one will notice about this book is that I treat the law as an argument。 People are told that the law is an "objective" thing， almost like it's a form of physics。 But it's not: the law is a collection of subjective decisions we have made over the years to protect people and activities they like， and to punish people and activities they don't like。"Thank you to Net Galley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
David Wineberg
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“Conservatives don’t take constitutional amendments as a denouncement of their racism; they take them as challenge to become more creative in their bigotry。” –Elie MystalTrying to walk a mile in someone else’s shoes is about the best description of Elie Mystal’s Allow Me to Retort。 In it， he examines all the amendments of the Bill of Rights， and shows with unprecedented clarity and power， exactly how they affirm and support white supremacy。 He does it with history， with analysis， with humor and “Conservatives don’t take constitutional amendments as a denouncement of their racism; they take them as challenge to become more creative in their bigotry。” –Elie MystalTrying to walk a mile in someone else’s shoes is about the best description of Elie Mystal’s Allow Me to Retort。 In it， he examines all the amendments of the Bill of Rights， and shows with unprecedented clarity and power， exactly how they affirm and support white supremacy。 He does it with history， with analysis， with humor and with sarcasm。 And a lot of four letter words。 Basically， the fix is in and Blacks are the losers。 By law。 This is how America works， if you’re Black。The founding documents were of course written by wealthy white slaveowners， with a view to maintaining their own status and keeping democracy in check。 Mystal sees this reflected in seemingly every clause。 Worse （and the object of most of his attacks）， conservatives focus on the clauses that hurt Blacks and ignore the clauses that would promote fairness。 Between the ulterior motives of the documents and the overt supremacy of conservatives， there’s plenty to expose and complain about。 And Mystal has made a career of it。Mystal is a non-practicing lawyer， so he reads court decisions with a different， and often more cynical eye。 And it doesn’t take much to match up the events of the day with laws that entrap， the laws that get abused， and the laws that get ignored。 He spends a lot of time pleading for consideration of the 14th amendment （along with the ninth and the nineteenth）， which all by themselves could level the playing field， he says。 But Supreme Court decisions routinely ignore them， as the Federalist Society plants more and more of its conservative lawyers on the bench in lifetime appointments， specifically to interpret the constitution the way white supremacists want。 You would think the Constitution is in no way an à la carte menu， where you get to pick which amendments are activated and which get bypassed。 But that’s what Mystal sees in America。This also puts conservatives in a bind of self-contradictions: “If you don’t agree with me – if you don’t think that the Fourteenth Amendment provided for the full political， civil and social equality of women – then how in hell are you against the ERA？ How can you possibly think that women don’t already have equal rights because of your limited originalist interpretation of the Constitution， but also don’t think the Constitution should be changed to right this clear wrong that you interpretation has created？ Unless， at core， you don’t think women should have equal rights at all。”He takes no guff from anyone: “What kind of white nonsense system leaves cops free to racially discriminate if a ‘reasonable’ cop didn’t know their particular method of discrimination was unconstitutional？” This is the kind contradiction that centuries of abusive decisions have tortured the constitution into its present disgrace。 It’s not the constitution’s fault。 Mystal still believes in it totally。 But what the courts have done to it is criminal in itself。 And this comes out again and again as he goes through the amendments， what they intended， how they were first analyzed and how the courts have changed their meaning， sometimes into something completely unrecognizable， or not even considered at all。As for policing， he wants cops to stop frisking Blacks， and stop badgering them to confess to crimes they did not commit （as they do all too often， to be exonerated 40 years later if they’re lucky）。 In talking about Miranda Rights and cops pressuring suspects to confess or at least self-incriminate anyway， Mystal says: “If the Fifth Amendment recognizes the right against self-incrimination， then we should stop asking people to incriminate themselves。 Why is that hard to understand？” Or: “My issue is with white people who refuse to keep their goddamn cops on a leash。 There are no good cops or bad cops。 There are just s----y white people。”But there’s more to it that he doesn’t acknowledge。 For example， police might be much more human if the forces didn’t seek to hire highly trained ex-military， who miss killing people at will。 That the federal government has been busy militarizing local police forces with old materiel。 That 20% of police are addicted to steroids in an unending race to be the beefiest on the force。 This is behind a lot of the gratuitous police violence we now see daily。 So it’s just not as simple as Mystal makes it。 Similarly， the whole Constitution suffers from being the law of the land。 The next time， Americans should enshrine principles， not laws。 For one thing， this will prevent the whole idiotic and hypocritical originalist argument from ever tainting the law again。 It would also allow laws based on the constitution to be updated as needed （instead of the essentially impossible constitutional amendments process）， so the business of state militias and the right to bear arms would find their proper place in the scheme of things。 But again， for what we have today， Mystal is as direct， clearheaded and piercing as anyone can be or has been。He says he believes the amendments “could redeem this whole bigoted and misogynist enterprise。 But white people won’t let them。 It really is that simple。 I say the Fifteenth Amendment must mean that the votes of Black people cannot be suppressed by Voter ID laws， and white people tell me no。 “I say that Black political power cannot be gerrymandered away by racist white legislatures， and white people tell me no。“I say that the Fourteenth Amendment’s grant of equal protection of laws must protect me from racial harassment by the cops， and entitles me to equal pay for my talents， and promises me that my peaceful protest will be treated with the same permissiveness that cops accord to a mob of white insurrectionists storming the nation’s Capitol， and white people tell me no， no， no。“These amendments are a tonic white people refuse to drink。 They can cure the Constitution of its addiction to white male supremacy， if white people would just take the medicine。”It affects the day to day lives of Blacks far more than it does whites， often making life impossible， which is presumably the warped intent: “As a Black man in this country， I am prey， and the cops are my predators。 My country and the courts have authorized these people to hunt me。 My country and the courts refuse to place restraints on them to make them less likely to murder me。 My country and the courts have left me in a Hobbesian state of nature， but in this jungle the police are far more powerful and terrifying than I will ever be。 Like a gazelle running from a lion， once the hunter catches up with me I’ve functionally already lost my battle for survival and existence is at their mercy。 There is no point in kicking at them， because kicking them only pisses them off。” This is a tiny part of The Rules that every Black child must learn in order to survive out in the open。 It’s no way to live。The chapters of Allow me to Retort are life lessons， fully developed right in their titles:-Canceling Trash people is not a constitutional crisis-Bigotry is illegal even if you’ve been ordered to by Jesus-It’s not unusual to be cruel-Reverse racism is not a thing-You know this thing can be amended， right？-The right to vote shall be abridged all the damn time It’s a straight to the point， non-legalese portrait of the weaknesses the founding documents provide as I have ever read， and that is far more than my rightful share。 And it packs the added punch of slamming the feckless arguments of conservatives at every turn， from the hypocrisy of Supreme Court justices to the cop on the beat。On equality before the law: “Of course， states did pass laws discriminating against Black folks， because if there’s one thing about racists， it’s that they’re never satisfied with being ahead。 They need total subjugation of Black people to make them feel good about themselves。”On cruel and unusual punishment: “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。”On liberals missing the forest for the trees: “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。” （Mystal’s italics） But his fattest target remains conservatives:-“I know too well what courts can do to a freaking amendment they don’t like。 I am too aware that an amendment that the president refuses to enforce， or one that Congress refuses to flesh out with legislation， is not a solution – it’s merely a suggestion。 Amendments are just as useless in the face of dedicated white supremacy as anything else。”-“When the Supreme Court is controlled by conservatives， even a constitutional amendment cannot stop it from denying equal rights and social justice to all。 Nothing decent can overcome a conservative court。 That’s something that modern liberals and progressives should always remember。”-Conservatives “do not allow a free and fair election on their actual platform。 They use the judiciary， the least transparent and least responsive branch of government， to push through their antebellum values， and rely on ignorance to mask their true agenda。” That’s what America looks like if you’re Black。If there’s anything to complain about in Allow me to Retort， it is Elie Mystal’s choice of words。 He is a potty mouth。 His language is， shall we say， presidential。 Why he would lower himself to the level of Donald Trump in a highly thought through analysis of constitutional issues is puzzling。 He would do much more damage avoiding the race to the bottom。 I could have offered readers many more cut-to-the-point quips， but they are so laced with four-letter words as to be irredeemable。 I know where it comes from; he inherited this from his father， a county level civil servant whose career seems to have been dedicated to preventing gerrymandering， and where he was the only Black man of any power and position at all。 He needed to speak up and out， forcefully and shockingly。 This is honest， but no excuse。 Mystal has the credentials and the credibility。 He has chosen to be a mass media pundit rather than a constitutional lawyer because it suits him and his cause。 He would be even more effective if he could restrict himself to intellectual arguments and tone down the colorful but unhelpful four letter words on nearly every page。 Yes， the book is hugely entertaining。 But yes， I think it would have more impact without all the references to bodily functions amidst constitutional ethics。So where is Mystal going with all this？ For his two boys， “I’ll keep trying。 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 by 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。”David WinebergIf you liked this review， I invite you to read my book The Straight Dope。 It’s an essay collection based on my first thousand reviews and what I learned， including chapters on the Constitution and racism。 Right now it’s FREE for Prime members， otherwise — cheap！ Reputed to be fascinating and a superfast read。 https://www。amazon。com/Straight-Dope-。。。 。。。more
Crystal Palmisano-dillard
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