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Root and Branch
- Charles Hamilton Houston, Thurgood Marshall, and the Struggle to End Segregation
- Narrated by: Dominic Hoffman
- Length: 10 hrs and 3 mins
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Publisher's summary
The riveting story of the two crusading lawyers who led the legal battle to end segregation, one case and one courtroom at a time
The Supreme Court's decision in Brown v. Board of Education is widely considered a seminal point in the battle to end segregation, but it was in fact the culmination of a decades-long legal campaign. Root and Branch is the epic story of the two fiercely dedicated lawyers who led the fight from county courthouses to the marble halls of the Supreme Court, and, in the process, laid the legal foundations of the civil rights movement.
Charles Hamilton Houston was the pioneer: After becoming the first African-American on the Harvard Law Review, he transformed the law school at all-Black Howard University into a West Point for civil rights advocacy.
One of Houston's students at Howard was a brash young man named Thurgood Marshall. Soon after Marshall's graduation, Houston and Marshall opened the NAACP's legal office. The abstemious, proper Houston and the folksy, easygoing Marshall made an unlikely duo, but together they faced down angry Southern mobs, negotiated with presidents and senators, and convinced even racist judges and juries that the Constitution demanded equal justice under law for all American citizens.
Houston, tragically, would die before his strategy came to fruition in the Brown suit, but Marshall would argue the case victoriously and go on to become the first African-American Supreme Court justice - always crediting his mentor for teaching him everything he knew. Together, the two advocates changed the course of American history.
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- Narrated by: Sean Runnette
- Length: 13 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
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The Fall of the House of Zeus tells the story of Dickie Scruggs, arguably the most successful plaintiff's lawyer in America. A brother-in-law of Trent Lott, the former U.S. Senate majority leader, Scruggs made a fortune taking on mass tort lawsuits against "Big Tobacco" and the asbestos industries. He was hailed by Newsweek as a latter-day Robin Hood and portrayed in the movie The Insider as a dapper aviator-lawyer.
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The title says it all - The fall of Scruggs
- By Placeholder on 03-11-12
By: Curtis Wilkie
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The Gay Revolution
- The Story of the Struggle
- By: Lillian Faderman
- Narrated by: Donna Postel
- Length: 29 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
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The Gay Revolution begins in the 1950s, when law classified gays and lesbians as criminals, the psychiatric profession saw them as mentally ill, the churches saw them as sinners, and society victimized them with irrational hatred. Against this dark backdrop, a few brave people began to fight back, paving the way for the revolutionary changes of the 1960s and beyond.
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An outstanding book.
- By David Farley on 10-21-15
By: Lillian Faderman
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None of the Above
- The Untold Story of the Atlanta Public Schools Cheating Scandal, Corporate Greed, and the Criminalization of Educators
- By: Shani Robinson, Anna Simonton
- Narrated by: Lisa Renee Pitts
- Length: 10 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
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An insider’s account of the infamous Atlanta Public Schools cheating scandal that scapegoated black employees for problems caused by an education reform movement that is increasingly a proxy for corporate greed.
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A well constructed story
- By Sumo Steve on 03-21-19
By: Shani Robinson, and others
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A People's History of the Supreme Court
- The Men and Women Whose Cases and Decisions Have Shaped Our Constitution
- By: Peter Irons, Howard Zinn - foreword
- Narrated by: David Drummond
- Length: 28 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
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A comprehensive history of the people and cases that have changed history, this is the definitive account of the nation's highest court.
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Really enjoyed this book
- By Paul on 02-19-20
By: Peter Irons, and others
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Parting the Waters
- America in the King Years 1954-63
- By: Taylor Branch
- Narrated by: Prentice Onayemi, Janina Edwards
- Length: 45 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
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Hailed as the most masterful story ever told of the American civil rights movement, Parting the Waters is destined to endure for generations. Moving from the fiery political baptism of Martin Luther King, Jr., to the corridors of Camelot where the Kennedy brothers weighed demands for justice against the deceptions of J. Edgar Hoover, here is a vivid tapestry of America, torn and finally transformed by a revolutionary struggle unequaled since the Civil War.
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Excellent
- By Judith Princz on 05-15-19
By: Taylor Branch
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After Lincoln
- How the North Won the Civil War and Lost the Peace
- By: A. J. Langguth
- Narrated by: Tom Perkins
- Length: 13 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
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With Abraham Lincoln's assassination, his "team of rivals" was left adrift. President Andrew Johnson, a former slave owner from Tennessee, was challenged by Northern Congressmen, Radical Republicans led by Thaddeus Stephens and Charles Sumner, who wanted to punish the defeated South. When Johnson's policies placated the rebels at the expense of the freed black men, radicals in the House impeached him for trying to fire Secretary of War Edwin Stanton.
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Mediocre
- By Rodney on 10-14-14
By: A. J. Langguth
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The Defender
- How the Legendary Black Newspaper Changed America; from the Age of the Pullman Porters to the Age of Obama
- By: Ethan Michaeli
- Narrated by: William Hughes
- Length: 22 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
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Giving voice to the voiceless, the Chicago Defender condemned Jim Crow, catalyzed the Great Migration, and focused the electoral power of black America. Robert S. Abbott founded the Defender in 1905, smuggled hundreds of thousands of copies into the most isolated communities in the segregated South, and was dubbed a "Modern Moses", becoming one of the first black millionaires in the process.
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There's an unexpected genius here
- By Porter on 01-19-19
By: Ethan Michaeli
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Arc of Justice
- A Saga of Race, Civil Rights, and Murder in the Jazz Age
- By: Kevin Boyle
- Narrated by: Lizan Mitchell
- Length: 17 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
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The grandson of a slave, Dr. Ossian Sweet moved his family to an all-white Detroit neighborhood in 1925. When his neighbors attempted to drive him out, Sweet defended himself, resulting in the death of a white man and a murder trial for Sweet. There followed one of the most important (and shockingly unknown) cases in Civil Rights history. Also caught up in the intense courtroom drama were legal giant Clarence Darrow and the newly formed National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).
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Gripping narrative
- By Chris on 04-13-09
By: Kevin Boyle
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The Great Dissent
- How Oliver Wendell Holmes Changed His Mind and Changed the History of Free Speech in America
- By: Thomas Healy
- Narrated by: Danny Campbell
- Length: 10 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
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Free speech as we know it comes less from the First Amendment than from a most unexpected source: Supreme Court justice Oliver Wendell Holmes. A lifelong skeptic, he disdained all individual rights, including the right to express one's political views. But in 1919, it was Holmes who wrote a dissenting opinion that would become the canonical affirmation of free speech in the United States.
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How a 78 year old man can learn & change his mind
- By Jean on 09-23-13
By: Thomas Healy
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Conviction
- The Murder Trial That Powered Thurgood Marshall's Fight for Civil Rights
- By: Denver Nicks, John Nicks
- Narrated by: Ron Butler
- Length: 6 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
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On New Year's Eve, 1939, a horrific triple murder occurred in rural Oklahoma. Within a matter of days, investigators identified several suspects: convicts who had been at a craps game with one of the victims the night before. Also at the craps game was a young black farmer named W. D. Lyons. Political pressure mounted to find a villain. The governor's representative settled on Lyons, who was arrested, tortured into signing a confession, and tried for the murder. The NAACP's new Legal Defense and Education Fund sent its young chief counsel, Thurgood Marshall, to take part in the trial.
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What a piece of history 💕
- By Private on 01-12-21
By: Denver Nicks, and others
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Scorpions
- The Battles and Triumphs of FDR's Great Supreme Court Justices
- By: Noah Feldman
- Narrated by: Cotter Smith
- Length: 14 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
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They began as close allies and friends of FDR, but the quest to shape a new Constitution led them to competition and sometimes outright warfare. Scorpions tells the story of four great justices: their relationship with Roosevelt, with each other, and with the turbulent world of the Great Depression, World War II, and the Cold War. It also serves as a history of the modern Constitution itself.
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A MOST HONOURABLE SWANSONG
- By Dudley H. Williams on 05-27-12
By: Noah Feldman
What listeners say about Root and Branch
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Brooklynshops
- 05-31-19
The Legal Campaign To The Beginning of the End of school Segregation
This is an impressive book provided the best explanation of the NAACP legal effort to end segregation I have ever read. Over the last few years., I have enjoyed a determined reading campaign and now have dozens of excellent histories, biographies and other policy and process books. This is among the best. There is plenty of history and well-deserved celebration of legal giants who dedicated their lives to this fight here but I appreciated most the clear non-legalese strategy explanations.
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- Philo-sophia
- 01-26-12
Superb story
Would you listen to Root and Branch again? Why?
Yes, the book was so mesmerizing I will have to buy it to add it to my library. Courageous men.
Who was your favorite character and why?
It would be wrong of me to pick only one: Charles Hamilton Houston and Thurgood Marshall
If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?
Root and Branch
Any additional comments?
For most of us who try to find the right books that will provide solace and excitement sometimes the task is daunting. We find authors we thoroughly enjoy and even remain loyal through some books which are not as engaging and force us to wonder if we’ve wasted our money. Root and Branch, by Rawn James, is undoubtedly one of the best biography(s) and history book written. This book was better than a number of suspense/thrillers I’ve read/listened to in the past 21 years. I’m impressed with his ability to remove himself from the story and keep out all biases, report only the facts. He retells the story of some of America’s greatest men, civil rights activists, lawyer’s, and hero’s the country has ever produced. Not to mention their strong character, convictions, and duty to justice.
I originally ordered the book in an audio format and listened to the story as I worked and drove about. I’m so impressed that I am to purchase the book and make it a part of my library.
We start with Charles Hamilton Houston as a child growing up in Washington, D.C.; in a life of affluence not easily afforded to African-American’s of his time. We journey with him as he struggles through the segregated Army in the First Great War (WWI), as he goes on to become the first African-American to serve on the Harvard Law Review. He transforms Howard Law School to become an impressionable institution of judicial character, meeting Thurgood Marshall and winning their first case together; going on to cement a lifetime of mentorship and friendship. We listen as the men go on to challenge the hardships and segregation of the Jim Crow Era and solidify a place for all people at the table of educational equality.
I am extremely impressed with Mr. James’ literary abilities; his historical accuracy and prowess. Great Job!
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4 people found this helpful
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- Tommy Harris
- 06-04-17
Great historical read
This is a great book that fully captures the lives and meaningful contributions of 2 important figures in the journey to secure equality through the court system.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Andre Dowdell
- 09-28-18
Outstanding!
An outstanding book that shows the development of proper representation for African Americans for protection to have a chance to have a trial in court and not a lynching by mob and the heart aching processes for legal representation in this nation. But the march has not ended for lawyers, NACP, and the Legal Defense Fund...
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1 person found this helpful
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- Kimberly Varnado
- 01-15-24
A Must Read For Every Human Living In The US
The narrator was amazing. I was engaged from start to finish. The book was a well-written account of the lives of two legal giants and the network of awesome attorneys and citizens they organized to overturn a terrible law. They sacrificed so much so that future generations would thrive. Thank you❤️
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- T.H.
- 10-17-16
Just finished.
Performance is not great. Names mispronounced, etc. Loudoun (lau-done) County pronounced "loo-down", for example....Story is a good one, though oft repetitive.
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1 person found this helpful