The COURAGE of THEIR CONVICTIONS by Peter Irons (Non-F)

Peter Irons account of 16 courageous & determined Americans that fought their way to the Superior Court should be mandatory reading as a means to instill a sense of justice & inspire us all to take a staunch stand to see that justice is severed.  First published in 1988, the cases are monumental.  Their impacts are felt in our daily lives.  The cases involve a Japanese American in WA who fought against internment in WWII, Brown v. the Board of Education & its enforcement in AK, a case in MD in the 1960's involving a non-violent protest at a segregated lunch counter, the Scopes trial case   Who are the individuals at the heart of the cases?  What did they have to endure?  What stirred them to take a stand?  What was their experience like and how did they maintain their tenacity?  Irons cover major cases of the 20th C which help lay the groundwork for social justice.  Iron's let's the individual tell their stories and this is what makes this historic American civil liberties book so reviting and so inspiring.  Most importantly, there is a never ending need to fight to maintain our civil liberties.  As Americans we do a court of law to maintain order & justice but the onus is on the individual, and it does come down to courageous individuals with convictions.  Current case in point right now in Yaphank, NY, homeowners learn they are only allowed to sell their homes to buyers of German heritage and their neighbors are required to sponsor the buyers.  The "Rasin in the Sun" case  from 1945, "Shelly v. Louis Kraemer fighting a restrictive racial covenant from 1911 in MO is presented in this book.