Race, Crime, and the Law

"This is an admirable, courageous and meticulously fair and honest book. Motivated by the belief that ''inherited debates between liberals and conservatives . . . have become increasingly sterile,'' Mr. Kennedy stands a chance of fulfilling his goal of reorienting discourse about race and the law. The book is persuasive, clearly written and accessible to nonlawyers -- although they may lack the patience for its intricacy, dispassion and occasional stylistic stodginess. Beneath the book's complexity, its ultimate exhortation is simple: this subject could benefit from less rhetoric and greater candor. Though that may be too much to expect from most parties to the debate, it is not too much to expect from judges -- Mr. Kennedy's ultimate audience and, one hopes, his future colleagues....Few will dispute the dire need for people willing to ''foreswear 'either/or' dichotomies.''Kennedy, Randall is the author of 'Race, Crime, and the Law', published 1998 under ISBN 9780375701849 and ISBN 0375701842.