

Literature and Poetry
Jo Freeman Reviews: The Trial of Lee Harvey Oswald, A Novel by William Alsup
Jo Freeman Reviews: "You read dialogue and details and personal stories that you won’t find in official testimony. Reading the Warren Commission volumes might not be exciting, but this book is. The questions and answers in the trial have to be fiction, because Oswald never went on trial. But.... you still feel like you have a front row seat in the court room. There are plenty of conspiracy theories, both real and fictional... These were enhanced by the fact that Oswald had trained as a Marine marksman and then defected to Russia. He married a Russian woman and returned to the US. The author had his pick of theories to complicate the “trial,” without picking any of them.... There were also quite a few mysteries. People disagreed over whether they heard three, four, or five shots. They also disagreed over where they came from. Why were only two bullets found? The lawyers in the book debate these mysteries as they try to figure out what really happened." more »
Jo Freeman Reviews: The Moment: Changemakers on Why and How They Joined the Fight for Social Justice
Jo Freeman Reviews: After publishing his last book in 1921, based on memories and interviews with civil rights icon C.T. Vivian, Steve Fiffer wanted to do more like it. He felt that many lesser-known people had stories that needed to be told. His publisher concurred. It does help to start with an interested publisher. At that time it was NewSouth books. By the time the book came out in November 2022, NewSouth had become an imprint of the University of Georgia Press.
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Jo Freeman's Review of Yippie Girl: Exploits in Protest and Defeating the FBI
Jo Freeman Reviews: "This is a sexy book – multiple meanings intended. It should appeal to women who want to know more about feminism and to anyone curious about the Sixties counter-culture. In 1968 the Yippies nominated a pig for President at the Republican National Convention and planned a Festival of Life at the Democratic Convention. Chicago refused to grant permits. Instead, the cops attacked a couple of thousand revelers. That in turn led to the Trial of the Chicago Seven, which attracted more media attention than the Festival-that-didn’t-happen. Judy has much to say about all of these happenings, and more." more »
Jill Norgren Reviews On Account of Sex: Ruth Bader Ginsburg and the Making of Gender Equality Law; Lady Justice, Women the Law and the Battle to Save America; Justice on the Brink and
Jill Norgren reviews three must read books about law and justice: In Philippa Strum’s On Account of Sex: Ruth Bader Ginsburg and the Making of Gender Equality Law we learn how Ginsburg did notorious work before she became “the notorious RBG.” Ginsburg was one of the many activist women lawyers in the U.S. who have worked on behalf of issues of justice. In Lady Justice: Women, the Law, and the Battle to Save America Dahlia Lithwick introduces readers to several more, women attorneys who, during and after the Trump years, have sought justice for immigrants, would-be voters, and anti-fascist protestors among others. Rounding out these must-reads is Justice on the Brink, journalist Linda Greenhouse’s account of the U.S. Supreme Court during its 2020-2021 term when three new conservative Trump nominees along with Justices Roberts, Thomas, and Alito took full control of SCOTUS. more »