Splendid ... Adams’s book explores class as well as race, with a richness and sophistication that recall J. Anthony Lukas’s 1985 masterpiece, Common Ground, which told the story of the struggle over the desegregation of Boston’s public schools at around the same time.
Adams, a Detroit native who teaches law at the University of Michigan, does not propose a new understanding of the facts or the law, but her book is passionate and well researched ... It can also get a little in the weeds ... We get a full appreciation for the complexities of the campaign for racial justice from the book.
A forceful, insightful account ... In her thorough, compelling summary of the 41-day trial, Adams shows how the plaintiffs painstakingly established that school segregation was primarily a result of residential segregation ... Adams is an excellent guide through these complex proceedings, writing with authority and clarity.
In this comprehensive and well-documented history, legal scholar and Detroit native Adams brings the issues and people surrounding the case to life and explains its ongoing impact.
Adams is also a consummate storyteller with an in-depth understanding of her subject. She deftly illuminates the complex history and significance of the 1974 Supreme Court case Milliken v. Bradley.
