Black Justice in a White World: A Memoir

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

Seventy-six-year-old former New York Supreme Court Justice Wrightdubbed "Turn 'em Loose Bruce" by critics who thought his bail terms too generoushas written not so much a memoir as a miscellany of recollections. He tells us little about his days in the court system, perhaps because he addressed that topic in his previous book, Black Robes, White Justice. Born in Princeton, N.J., the son of a black man and a white woman, Wright learned lasting lessons about America's racial ugliness; he gained a scholarship to the university there, but was rejected after his race was discovered. Similar treatment from Notre Dame launched his skepticism of Christianity. He went on to two black universities and to Fordham Law School, from which he was drafted in WWII. He was an unenthusiastic soldier, a rebel, and he remembers combat with astringent dismay. Wrightwho says he'd like to be remembered as a "minor poetstuds his narrative with his poetry, which gives the book a self-indulgent feel. He skates over his law-school days, then segues to his experience representing black jazz musicians, which, he says, helped him later as a judge to understand conflicts and addictions. Unfortunately, the rest of this book does not elaborate on this potentially compelling material. Photos not seen by PW. (Oct.)

Library Journal

A former justice in three different levels of the New York city and state courts, Wright came to the bench in a less-than-conventional manner by not greasing the political wheels usually associated with judicial appointments. He proceeded to make a name for himself doing unconventional things: relaxing bail policies for criminal defendants, threatening district attorneys with dismissals if cases were not ready on time, and making statements about racial prejudice in the police ranks and the DA's office. His memoir reveals how both he and his contemporary black professionals long endured the American version of apartheid in such diverse areas as the educational system, the military, the entertainment industry, the legal profession, and the criminal justice system. A good work for students seeking to understand the complex relationships between race and society, as well as the magnitude of effort that remains before racial bias is eliminated in the United States.-Philip Young Blue, New York State Supreme Court Criminal Branch Lib., New York

Booknews

The New York Supreme Court Justice tells the story of his career, his travels, and his personal life. Includes b&w photos. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.