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A review by sandrinepal
Fight of the Century: Writers Reflect on 100 Years of Landmark ACLU Cases by Michael Chabon, Ayelet Waldman
4.0
Well, who knew case law could be so friggin' riveting? This collection of essays revisits a number of cases either argued by the ACLU, or for which they filed amici curiae briefs (no, I did not know what that meant either, until I read this). The audiobook offers the added bonus of an all-star cast of readers. Salman Rushdie read by Sir Patrick Stewart? Umm, yes please! This feels wrong, because each of those 40 essays is a treasure, but here are my faves, in no particular order:
The Dirtiest, Most Indecent, Obscene Thing Ever Written
Michael Chabon
United States v. One Book Called "Ulysses"
I can't decide what my favorite thing is in this essay. One strong contender is the fact that items seized by Customs for contravening the Tariff Act would become the "defendant" in the resulting suit. That has yielded such gems as
United States v. Forty Barrels & Twenty Kegs of Coca-Cola (1916),
United States v. One Solid Gold Object in Form of a Rooster (1960),
and my personal top choice:
United States v. 11 1/4 Dozen Packages of Articles Labeled in Part Mrs. Moffat's Shoo-Fly Powders for Drunkenness (1941). Where can one get those powders?
Another choice cut about this essay is of course the nail-biting tale of how Bennett Cerf (co-founder of Random House) and Morris Ernst (chief legal counsel for the ACLU at the time) lured New York district court judge John Woolsey into writing the poster decision for literary free expression. In our new age of book banning, we need more of those heroes.
A Short Essay About Shorts
Daniel Handler
Hannegan v. Esquire
In 1974, Postmaster General Robert Hannegan tried to revoke Esquire magazine's mail rate on the grounds that he found the illustrations of Varga girls obscene. Daniel Handler (aka Lemony Snicket; consider me sold) tells us of his own civil disobedience in 6th grade and I am in full dress-code-enforcement PTSD.
The Ambivalent Activist, Jane Roe
Lauren Groff
Roe v. Wade
This felt poignant because it was published before the decision was overturned. You can sense in Groff's writing which way the wind was blowing. The focus on Jane Roe (Norma McCorvey) makes for an interesting new look into a famous case and the curious trajectory of its plaintiff. I'll just leave you with this thought that had never occurred to me. In the time it took for the case to make its way through the legal channels, Jane/Norma had the baby. There is a 53-year old woman out there who is the Roe v. Wade baby.
Who's Your Villain?
Anthony Doerr
Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District
In the early 2000s, a prison warden turned PTA president stages a school district coup leading to the adoption of an anti-evolution biology textbook. Doerr dissects Of Pandas and People and what leads one to defend their truth.
The Dirtiest, Most Indecent, Obscene Thing Ever Written
Michael Chabon
United States v. One Book Called "Ulysses"
I can't decide what my favorite thing is in this essay. One strong contender is the fact that items seized by Customs for contravening the Tariff Act would become the "defendant" in the resulting suit. That has yielded such gems as
United States v. Forty Barrels & Twenty Kegs of Coca-Cola (1916),
United States v. One Solid Gold Object in Form of a Rooster (1960),
and my personal top choice:
United States v. 11 1/4 Dozen Packages of Articles Labeled in Part Mrs. Moffat's Shoo-Fly Powders for Drunkenness (1941). Where can one get those powders?
Another choice cut about this essay is of course the nail-biting tale of how Bennett Cerf (co-founder of Random House) and Morris Ernst (chief legal counsel for the ACLU at the time) lured New York district court judge John Woolsey into writing the poster decision for literary free expression. In our new age of book banning, we need more of those heroes.
A Short Essay About Shorts
Daniel Handler
Hannegan v. Esquire
In 1974, Postmaster General Robert Hannegan tried to revoke Esquire magazine's mail rate on the grounds that he found the illustrations of Varga girls obscene. Daniel Handler (aka Lemony Snicket; consider me sold) tells us of his own civil disobedience in 6th grade and I am in full dress-code-enforcement PTSD.
The Ambivalent Activist, Jane Roe
Lauren Groff
Roe v. Wade
This felt poignant because it was published before the decision was overturned. You can sense in Groff's writing which way the wind was blowing. The focus on Jane Roe (Norma McCorvey) makes for an interesting new look into a famous case and the curious trajectory of its plaintiff. I'll just leave you with this thought that had never occurred to me. In the time it took for the case to make its way through the legal channels, Jane/Norma had the baby. There is a 53-year old woman out there who is the Roe v. Wade baby.
Who's Your Villain?
Anthony Doerr
Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District
In the early 2000s, a prison warden turned PTA president stages a school district coup leading to the adoption of an anti-evolution biology textbook. Doerr dissects Of Pandas and People and what leads one to defend their truth.