"Kirkpatrick's study is rich in history and suggestive in its pursuit of other models for thinking about law's social meanings... Kirkpatrick's book is worth reading and pondering for the ways that it makes one connect American legal history to these pressing issues."
Jon Goldberg-Hiller, Law and Politics Book Review "The book features adept forays into jurisprudence at the same time that ... Read moreit captures the cultural diversity and local character of political violence in the US. Here the challenges posed by Thoreau and Rosa Parks become a platform from which to jump into the bloody world of John Brown and Timothy McVeigh. Kirkpatrick warns that conventional treatment of violence as outside of law is a sort of denial that leaves us vulnerable."
J. Brigham, Choice "[O]ne of the great strengths of this book is its ability to relate illuminating historical examples of uncivil and civil disobedience to a wider tradition of political and legal theory...This is an original, highly readable, and rewarding book."
April Carter, Perspectives on Politics "This well-written book not only provides significant insights into the motives of southern lynch mobs and others but also raises necessary and troubling questions about the nature of democracy in America. It is an important work that should be widely read."
Brent J. Aucoin, Journal of Southern History Show Less