Uncommon Sense: The Achievement of Griffin Bell
Murphy, a vice-chair of the National Geographic Society, pays homage to former U.S. Attorney General Griffin Bell while offering glimpses into Southern legal history. Murphy chronicles Bell's life from his Depression-era youth in Americus, GA, to his service at the Department of Justice under President Carter and his subsequent return to private practice in Atlanta. Unfortunately, Murphy's approach is casually journalistic, not scholarly; apart from a few interviews with Griffin's associates, he shies away from documentary history and sometimes (curiously) writes in a first-person, editorial way. Unsuccessful as a narrative writer, Murphy overuses saccharine and overwrought phrases to paint an uncritical portrait of Bell and a lopsided view of Southern civil rights history. Libraries with comprehensive Southern history collections may want to purchase, but all others should take a pass; those who would rather read Bell's own words should try to locate his out-of-print Taking Care of the Law (1986).ASteven Anderson, Gordon Feinblatt Rothman Hoffberger & Hollander, Towson, MDCopyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.