We Wont Go Back CL

by Charles Lawrence, Mari J. Matsuda, III Lawrence, Charles R.

Book Overview

In the compassionate yet frank meditation, two of America's leading voices on affirmative action make the convincing case that it is time for a more humane understanding of this controversial policy.... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0395791251
• ISBN13: 9780395791257
• Release Date: January 1997
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
• Length: 314 Pages
• Weight: 1.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.3" x 9.4"

Customer Reviews

Very enlightening!

I really can't understand why this book has come out in paperback edition, so that more people might read it. I read it when it first came out and made me do a lot of thinking not just about affirmative action, but more about just how does any society go about providing ways to bring about real opportunities for various groups of people to access to good education and employment in the midst of adverse social, economic, and political conditions. The author's chapter "On Meritocracy" was especially insightful. It talks about the need for a "community-based" definition of qualified, rather than an elitist-based definition. This means that when we talk about a community-based definition, we're not looking at just a person's educational credentials, but her ability to contribute to the community in which she will be working. Does her background or experience with that community mean more than her scores on educational tests or her access to priviledged edcuation. In this regard, the authors write that, "Historically, the demand for affirmative action came from communities with unmet needs. Ghettos, left without basic services because of white flight, needed doctors, lawyers, merchants, and teachers who were unafraid to serve there. Ethnic communities found that, without community-based scholars, their history, their culture was ignored or misinterpreted by outsiders..." Without affirmative action, what we get are people who qualified based on certain instutional credentials, but they lack real talent or history with the communities they serve.It's really too bad that affirmative action debate has subsided, for it really helps us to grapple with how we build an equitable society where people are not held back because of their lack of previlege or because their racial, economic, or social background.

Thoughtful responses to right-wing criticisms

I am a second-year student at Southwestern University School of Law in Los Angeles. I read the book because I was looking for solid responses to the usual arguments against affirmative action -- and I definitely found such responses in this excellently written book. As I read a book, I collect in a computer file quotes or passages that I wish to remember. I must have transcribed nearly one-third of this book. The authors present strong, fair-minded arguments to support the return to affirmative action. One of their main theses, and a unique perspective, is to redefine merit from merely a test score to a myriad of qualities -- qualities that insure a successful and productive person and also that benefit all of society. The authors also point out that without affirmative action for women and minorities, we are still operating under the status quo affirmative action -- affirmative action for white males.This book is a must-read for all progressive people who sincerely believe in a return to affirmative action. We must now make our voices heard!

Fairly good on A.A., though hardly as unusual as they claim

This book is certainly of interest for its individual stories, and I remain committed to supporting A.A. Unfortunately, the two authors are rather chillingly smug; is it so remarkable that an African-American and an Asian-American who have both benefitted from A.A. are both in favor of it? However, as an Indian-American, I have seen serious problems which A.A. presents to Asian-Americans, which economically and educationally priviledged white and Asian-American women pay lip service to but do not confront directly. As a feminist I found most of this book compelling. Nevertheless, they should not be so glib in speaking of 'women and minorities' in that manner because it feeds the stereotyping conducted by conservative critics of the Left's position on A.A. At some point we, as women of all races, have to confront the genuine problems of classism within the ranks of feminism, especially the priviledged feminist elite. Prop 209 could have been defeated in California, were it not for middleclass white women pre empting the much more urgent protests conducted by minorities. 'Women and minorities' is a useful phrase, particularly when addressing political unfairness. But Affirmative Action should *never* be an excuse for the feminist elite (especially academic feminists, who hardly speak for all of us!) to use discrimination as a soap box for their own interests. White women as well as Asian-American women, are well represented as students in most of prestigious academia; it is in teaching jobs that there are still problems of representation. This is ultimately a somewhat sanctimonious book, and is obviously only going to please people who already share their views; it won't convert a soul, and so I can't help wondering why they would risk diluting the field (there are a lot of books coming out of the debate over A.A.) in this manner.

Outstanding personal insights into affirmative action.

This book covers the history of affirmative actions programs in our country and the positive impacts they have had on all our people. Affirmative action is for everyone and the authors show that. One author comes from an Asian-American background and the other author from an African-American background. They are both keen observers of the American race puzzle. Both are lawyers and sharp when it comes to legal references. This book was a pleasure to read and gave me hopeful feelings about the future of our great nation. Good ammunition for those of us who are defenders of a multi-cultural society. We are not alone and the best arguments are ours. I met Mari Matsuda at a university gathering. She is a wonderful speaker as well as a gifted writer. I look forward to meeting her co-author Charles Lawrence.