Speak Now: Marriage Equality on Trial

Author: Yoshino, Kenji

Number Of Pages: 384

Details:

A renowned legal scholar tells the definitive story of Hollingsworth v. Perry, the trial that stands as the most potent argument for marriage equality Speak Now tells the story of a watershed trial that unfolded over twelve tense days in California in 2010. A trial that legalized same-sex marriage in our most populous state. A trial that interrogated the nature of marriage, the political status of gays and lesbians, the ideal circumstances for raising children, and the ability of direct democracy to protect fundamental rights. A trial that stands as the most potent argument for marriage equality this nation has ever seen. In telling the story of Hollingsworth v. Perry, the groundbreaking federal lawsuit against Proposition 8, Kenji Yoshino has also written a paean to the vanishing civil trial--an oasis of rationality in what is often a decidedly uncivil debate. Above all, this book is a work of deep humanity, in which Yoshino brings abstract legal arguments to life by sharing his own story of finding love, marrying, and having children as a gay man. Intellectually rigorous and profoundly compassionate, Speak Now is the definitive account of a landmark civil-rights trial.

— Winner, Stonewall Book Award

Reviews:

A Boston Globe Best Book of 2015Winner of the 2016 ABA Silver Gavel Award for Books

“A valuable contribution….Above all, Yoshino both illuminates and lauds the trial, the ‘truth-finding mechanism’ that puts claims of social convention, distinctions between groups and academic expertise to the test of the adversarial process.”  —SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE

"An astute exegesis of the Perry trial [and] a tenderhearted memoir...Lucid, subtle and illuminating...A friend-of-the-court brief meant for the global court of public opinion."

— NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW"Stirring...Yoshino writes elegantly and compellingly about the background and lead-up to the case...A story that's both timely and durable."

— BOSTON GLOBE

“Precision and compassion are frequently opposed, but Kenji Yoshino writes with almost fanatical clarity about the vulnerabilities of the human heart.  His hard-won ability to imbue intellectual conundrums with moral certainty, his meticulous reporting on legal mechanisms and procedures, and his willingness to acknowledge his personal interest in  Perry without indulging it to boost his arguments are all signs of his penetrating mind and dignified spirit. His exquisite restraint and quiet eloquence imbue this book, which is as much a triumph of poetry as it is of legal reasoning.”  

— ANDREW SOLOMON, author of

Far from the Tree  

“Kenji Yoshino combines, in a breathtakingly beautiful way, the personal and legal aspects of the battle for marriage equality. The result is a poignant and powerful book that triumphs both as a human drama and a celebration of the judicial process. By the end, I had tears in my eyes.”           

— WALTER ISAACSON, author of

The Innovators  

“ Speak Now is a beautifully and scrupulously written account of why facts matter, why trials matter, and why courts are well situated to unearth complex truths. It’s also a story of why love matters and how the law – at its best – makes love visible to the rest of us."

— DAHLIA LITHWICK, legal correspondent,

Slate  

“ Kenji Yoshino’s Speak Now proves anew that marriage is that sacred place where love meets law. This glorious human rights story, elegantly recounted by one whose own life has been transformed, should change forever the global conversation about the real meaning of same-sex marriage.” —HAROLD HONGJU KOH, Sterling Professor of International Law, Yale Law School  

“In this marvelously intricate tale of ‘two civil ceremonies’—a marriage and a trial—Kenji Yoshino offers brilliant insights into the ways a well-run civil trial can serve as an engine of cultural awakening.”

— LAURENCE TRIBE, Carl M. Loeb University Professor, Harvard University  

“Not only a compelling and deeply felt account of the...

EAN: 9780385348805

Release Date: 21-04-2015

Languages: English

Item Note: Great shape- pages are unmarked and sharp.Has a remainder mark. Hardcover Used - Very Good Ships fast! 2015

Item Condition: UsedVeryGood

Binding: Hardcover