The Story of My Life

by Clarence Darrow

Book Overview

In The Story of My Life recounts, and reflects on, his more than fifty years as a corporate, labor, and criminal lawyer, including the most celebrated and notorious cases of his day: establishing the legal right of a union to strike in the Woodworkers' Conspiracy Case; exposing, on behalf of the United Mine Workers, the shocking conditions in the mines and the widespread use of child labor; defending Leopold and Loeb in the Chicago "thrill"...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0306807386
• ISBN13: 9780306807381
• Release Date: August 1996
• Publisher: Da Capo Press
• Length: 508 Pages
• Weight: 1.25 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 5.5" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

One of the best

Highly worthwhile. You will feel like this was written specifically for you. Fascinating philosophic analyses by Darrow which are relevant even today. Even if you disagree with him, you will appreciate Darrow's thoughtful insights into issues that continue to haunt America and the world, such as the impact of money on justice, capital punishment, the wisdom of the criminal justice system as applied, and on. A true treasure and you should get it while it is still in reprint. It will be a book you will keep for future reference.

thehobophilosopher

We don't hear or read all that much about Clarence Darrow these days. He was clearly what is termed a "liberal." Actually the American derisive version of the term "liberal" may have been coined in his honor. Clarence once gave a speech at a prison where he lectured on his theory of the nature and origin of crime and its treatment and cure. When he was done a reporter interviewed some of the prisoners who were in attendance. They all thought that Clarence was a very kind and understanding man but even they, as criminals, couldn't bring themselves to be quite so understanding about their own criminal natures as Mr. Darrow was. Though he was an agnostic or even possibly an atheist, he believed in destiny or fate when it came to the determination of an individual's life. He felt that a man or human being was no more capable of deterring his destiny than a planet hurdling through space could alter its direction or change its course. If there is a God and consequently a devil, I have no doubt that at the Final Judgment, Clarence Darrow will be on hand to bring before the Almighty the case for the Devil and his right to be evil. I can hear him now: "Didn't you know, my God Almighty, when you created the devil that he would be evil and do evil things? And since you must have known the devil would be evil when you created him can you truly consider Yourself to be "All Just" in condemning him now? What kind of an omniscient, infinitely loving God are you? What kind of infinite justice are you pretending to practice here anyway?" Clarence Darrow only defended people. He was called "The Attorney for the Damned." He never prosecuted. And there is no doubt, if you were in need of defense, Clarence was one man that you wanted on your side. Clarence was seventy-five when he sat down to write this book and his thoughts and ideas are as clear and cogent as ever. Clarence was certainly the kind of grandfather any child would love to have. There would never be any question of his support and love for you ... ever. Not that he would agree with what you did or why you may have done it - but there is no doubt in my mind that he would be there "in your defense." So Clarence believed that everything had a plan, was determined and that we were all subject to our own personal destiny. But he did not believe that there was a "planner." Nor did he believe that the plan was fair, honest or decent. There was a plan and it was determined but it had no direction; it occurred spontaneously, moment by moment; and it was without moral integrity. It was unjust and arbitrary. It was a plan as devised by an unthinking "mother nature" whose guiding force was science, evolution and chance. That you would end up where you would end up was assured. But your position was not designed by a responsible, thoughtful Nature; nor was it governed by fair play or moral rectitude. It would be the way that it would be and it would be that way whether you liked it or not and regardless of righ

Fighting the good fight.

Darrow takes the reader through some of his most famous cases and explains the philosophy with which he approached his career and the law in general. Any reader interested in the history of the period should find his accounts fascinating: Eugene Debs, John P. Altgeld, the MacNamara Case, the Loeb-Leopold murders, and the famous Scopes "monkey trial" case are just some of the points touched upon in the Darrow autobiography. Darrow is a clean and competent writer, if not an artistic one. The prose is easy to read and understand. In places, the book can get frustrating because he leaves a topic well before the reader has lost interest. Future publishers would do well to publish this book together with some pointers for further reading. The Da Capo Press edition is published with a very strange little introductory essay by Alan Dershowitz. In it, he seems more interested in rehabilitating the memory of Bryan than he does in introducing the book. The reader may want to skip it until after finishing the main book itself. Beyond the obvious lawyer/law student audience, I would also recommend this book to readers interested in labor politics, the early history of the 20th century in the US, and social justice.

A Must Read Book for Lawyers-Want-to-Be

This book successfully captured the life of Clarence Darrow, who is no doubt one of the greatest attorneys of the early 20th century. His abilities to defend the indefensible are most extrordinary. I will certainly recommend this book to anyone espeically pre-law or law school students.

written in the comfortable style that is darrow's hallmark

definitely an excellent read. for those who have read "clarence darrow for the defence" and enjoyed it, this book may very well make you feel like you are visiting an old friend.