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PREVIEW — ALLOW ME TO RETORT BY ELIE MYSTAL


ALLOW ME TO RETORT: A BLACK GUY'S GUIDE TO THE CONSTITUTION




by
Elie Mystal
4.13  ·  Rating details ·  15 ratings  ·  9 reviews
The MSNBC commentator and legal editor of The Nation turns his razor-sharp wit
and legal acumen on our founding document and finds it to be . . . well, awfully
white "Mystal possesses a vocabulary and penchant for stringing words together
that makes other writers envious. He can bring you to your knees with the power
of the written word." --Donna McGill, Lawcrossing.com

Acc The MSNBC commentator and legal editor of The Nation turns his razor-sharp
wit and legal acumen on our founding document and finds it to be . . . well,
awfully white "Mystal possesses a vocabulary and penchant for stringing words
together that makes other writers envious. He can bring you to your knees with
the power of the written word." --Donna McGill, Lawcrossing.com

According to commentator and lawyer Elie Mystal, Republicans are wrong when they
tell you the First Amendment allows religious fundamentalists to discriminate
against gay people who like cake. They're wrong when they tell you the Second
Amendment protects the right to own a private arsenal. They're wrong when they
say the death penalty isn't cruel or unusual punishment, and they're wrong when
they tell you we have no legal remedies for the scourge of police violence
against people of color.

In fact, Mystal argues, Republicans are wrong about the law almost all of the
time, and now, instead of talking about this on cable news, Mystal explains why
in his first book.

Allow Me to Retort is an easily digestible argument primer, offered so that
people can tell the Republicans in their own lives why they are wrong. Mystal
brings his trademark humor, snark, and legal expertise to topics as crucial to
our politics as gerrymandering and voter suppression, and explains why legal
concepts such as the right to privacy and substantive due process are constantly
under attack from the very worst judges conservatives can pack onto the courts.

You don't need to be a legal scholar to grasp how stop-and-frisk is an
unconstitutional policy of racial discrimination. You just need to read Mystal's
book to understand that the Fourteenth Amendment once made the white supremacist
policies adopted by the modern Republican Party illegal--and it can do so again
if we let it. ...more


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Hardcover, 240 pages
Expected publication: January 11th 2022 by The New Press
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ISBN
1620976811 (ISBN13: 9781620976814)
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Nov 28, 2021 David Wineberg rated it really liked it  ·  review of another
edition

“Conservatives don’t take constitutional amendments as a denouncement of their
racism; they take them as challenge to become more creative in their bigotry.”
–Elie Mystal

Trying to walk a mile in someone else’s shoes is about the best description of
Elie Mystal’s Allow Me to Retort. In it, he examines all the amendments of the
Bill of Rights, and shows with unprecedented clarity and power, exactly how they
affirm and support white supremacy. He does it with history, with analysis, with
humor and
“Conservatives don’t take constitutional amendments as a denouncement of their
racism; they take them as challenge to become more creative in their bigotry.”
–Elie Mystal

Trying to walk a mile in someone else’s shoes is about the best description of
Elie Mystal’s Allow Me to Retort. In it, he examines all the amendments of the
Bill of Rights, and shows with unprecedented clarity and power, exactly how they
affirm and support white supremacy. He does it with history, with analysis, with
humor and with sarcasm. And a lot of four letter words. Basically, the fix is in
and Blacks are the losers. By law. This is how America works, if you’re Black.

The founding documents were of course written by wealthy white slaveowners, with
a view to maintaining their own status and keeping democracy in check. Mystal
sees this reflected in seemingly every clause. Worse (and the object of most of
his attacks), conservatives focus on the clauses that hurt Blacks and ignore the
clauses that would promote fairness. Between the ulterior motives of the
documents and the overt supremacy of conservatives, there’s plenty to expose and
complain about. And Mystal has made a career of it.

Mystal is a non-practicing lawyer, so he reads court decisions with a different,
and often more cynical eye. And it doesn’t take much to match up the events of
the day with laws that entrap, the laws that get abused, and the laws that get
ignored. He spends a lot of time pleading for consideration of the 14th
amendment (along with the ninth and the nineteenth), which all by themselves
could level the playing field, he says. But Supreme Court decisions routinely
ignore them, as the Federalist Society plants more and more of its conservative
lawyers on the bench in lifetime appointments, specifically to interpret the
constitution the way white supremacists want. You would think the Constitution
is in no way an à la carte menu, where you get to pick which amendments are
activated and which get bypassed. But that’s what Mystal sees in America.

This also puts conservatives in a bind of self-contradictions: “If you don’t
agree with me – if you don’t think that the Fourteenth Amendment provided for
the full political, civil and social equality of women – then how in hell are
you against the ERA? How can you possibly think that women don’t already have
equal rights because of your limited originalist interpretation of the
Constitution, but also don’t think the Constitution should be changed to right
this clear wrong that you interpretation has created? Unless, at core, you don’t
think women should have equal rights at all.”

He takes no guff from anyone: “What kind of white nonsense system leaves cops
free to racially discriminate if a ‘reasonable’ cop didn’t know their particular
method of discrimination was unconstitutional?” This is the kind contradiction
that centuries of abusive decisions have tortured the constitution into its
present disgrace. It’s not the constitution’s fault. Mystal still believes in it
totally. But what the courts have done to it is criminal in itself. And this
comes out again and again as he goes through the amendments, what they intended,
how they were first analyzed and how the courts have changed their meaning,
sometimes into something completely unrecognizable, or not even considered at
all.

As for policing, he wants cops to stop frisking Blacks, and stop badgering them
to confess to crimes they did not commit (as they do all too often, to be
exonerated 40 years later if they’re lucky). In talking about Miranda Rights and
cops pressuring suspects to confess or at least self-incriminate anyway, Mystal
says: “If the Fifth Amendment recognizes the right against self-incrimination,
then we should stop asking people to incriminate themselves. Why is that hard to
understand?” Or: “My issue is with white people who refuse to keep their goddamn
cops on a leash. There are no good cops or bad cops. There are just s----y white
people.”

But there’s more to it that he doesn’t acknowledge. For example, police might be
much more human if the forces didn’t seek to hire highly trained ex-military,
who miss killing people at will. That the federal government has been busy
militarizing local police forces with old materiel. That 20% of police are
addicted to steroids in an unending race to be the beefiest on the force. This
is behind a lot of the gratuitous police violence we now see daily. So it’s just
not as simple as Mystal makes it.

Similarly, the whole Constitution suffers from being the law of the land. The
next time, Americans should enshrine principles, not laws. For one thing, this
will prevent the whole idiotic and hypocritical originalist argument from ever
tainting the law again. It would also allow laws based on the constitution to be
updated as needed (instead of the essentially impossible constitutional
amendments process), so the business of state militias and the right to bear
arms would find their proper place in the scheme of things. But again, for what
we have today, Mystal is as direct, clearheaded and piercing as anyone can be or
has been.

He says he believes the amendments “could redeem this whole bigoted and
misogynist enterprise. But white people won’t let them. It really is that
simple. I say the Fifteenth Amendment must mean that the votes of Black people
cannot be suppressed by Voter ID laws, and white people tell me no.
“I say that Black political power cannot be gerrymandered away by racist white
legislatures, and white people tell me no.
“I say that the Fourteenth Amendment’s grant of equal protection of laws must
protect me from racial harassment by the cops, and entitles me to equal pay for
my talents, and promises me that my peaceful protest will be treated with the
same permissiveness that cops accord to a mob of white insurrectionists storming
the nation’s Capitol, and white people tell me no, no, no.
“These amendments are a tonic white people refuse to drink. They can cure the
Constitution of its addiction to white male supremacy, if white people would
just take the medicine.”

It affects the day to day lives of Blacks far more than it does whites, often
making life impossible, which is presumably the warped intent: “As a Black man
in this country, I am prey, and the cops are my predators. My country and the
courts have authorized these people to hunt me. My country and the courts refuse
to place restraints on them to make them less likely to murder me. My country
and the courts have left me in a Hobbesian state of nature, but in this jungle
the police are far more powerful and terrifying than I will ever be. Like a
gazelle running from a lion, once the hunter catches up with me I’ve
functionally already lost my battle for survival and existence is at their
mercy. There is no point in kicking at them, because kicking them only pisses
them off.” This is a tiny part of The Rules that every Black child must learn in
order to survive out in the open. It’s no way to live.

The chapters of Allow me to Retort are life lessons, fully developed right in
their titles:
-Canceling Trash people is not a constitutional crisis
-Bigotry is illegal even if you’ve been ordered to by Jesus
-It’s not unusual to be cruel
-Reverse racism is not a thing
-You know this thing can be amended, right?
-The right to vote shall be abridged all the damn time

It’s a straight to the point, non-legalese portrait of the weaknesses the
founding documents provide as I have ever read, and that is far more than my
rightful share. And it packs the added punch of slamming the feckless arguments
of conservatives at every turn, from the hypocrisy of Supreme Court justices to
the cop on the beat.

On equality before the law: “Of course, states did pass laws discriminating
against Black folks, because if there’s one thing about racists, it’s that
they’re never satisfied with being ahead. They need total subjugation of Black
people to make them feel good about themselves.”

On cruel and unusual punishment: “Determining that since slavers used to shove
fireworks up the backsides of misbehaving slaves and light them, that such a
punishment is neither cruel nor unusual. But, this is what passes for
intellectualism in the modern conservative movement.”

On liberals missing the forest for the trees: “It’s a classic liberal mistake:
conservatives used a tool for evil, so instead of using that same tool for good,
let’s never use tools. Sometimes, I swear, it can seem like liberals spend all
their time inventing ways to get their asses kicked.” (Mystal’s italics)

But his fattest target remains conservatives:
-“I know too well what courts can do to a freaking amendment they don’t like. I
am too aware that an amendment that the president refuses to enforce, or one
that Congress refuses to flesh out with legislation, is not a solution – it’s
merely a suggestion. Amendments are just as useless in the face of dedicated
white supremacy as anything else.”

-“When the Supreme Court is controlled by conservatives, even a constitutional
amendment cannot stop it from denying equal rights and social justice to all.
Nothing decent can overcome a conservative court. That’s something that modern
liberals and progressives should always remember.”

-Conservatives “do not allow a free and fair election on their actual platform.
They use the judiciary, the least transparent and least responsive branch of
government, to push through their antebellum values, and rely on ignorance to
mask their true agenda.”

That’s what America looks like if you’re Black.

If there’s anything to complain about in Allow me to Retort, it is Elie Mystal’s
choice of words. He is a potty mouth. His language is, shall we say,
presidential. Why he would lower himself to the level of Donald Trump in a
highly thought through analysis of constitutional issues is puzzling. He would
do much more damage avoiding the race to the bottom. I could have offered
readers many more cut-to-the-point quips, but they are so laced with four-letter
words as to be irredeemable.

I know where it comes from; he inherited this from his father, a county level
civil servant whose career seems to have been dedicated to preventing
gerrymandering, and where he was the only Black man of any power and position at
all. He needed to speak up and out, forcefully and shockingly. This is honest,
but no excuse. Mystal has the credentials and the credibility. He has chosen to
be a mass media pundit rather than a constitutional lawyer because it suits him
and his cause. He would be even more effective if he could restrict himself to
intellectual arguments and tone down the colorful but unhelpful four letter
words on nearly every page. Yes, the book is hugely entertaining. But yes, I
think it would have more impact without all the references to bodily functions
amidst constitutional ethics.

So where is Mystal going with all this? For his two boys, “I’ll keep trying.
I’ll keep trying to get them to think about rules substantively instead of
procedurally. I’ll keep trying to make them into the kinds of people who are
outraged by unfairness, instead of desensitized to the suffering of others. I’ll
do whatever I can think of to make sure they grow up to be anything other than
like Clarence Thomas.”

David Wineberg


If you liked this review, I invite you to read my book The Straight Dope. It’s
an essay collection based on my first thousand reviews and what I learned,
including chapters on the Constitution and racism. Right now it’s FREE for Prime
members, otherwise — cheap! Reputed to be fascinating and a superfast read.
https://www.amazon.com/Straight-Dope-...
...more
flag 6 likes · Like  · see review
✨ Anna ✨ | ReadAllNight Sounds like a book we really need right now! I know how
we got here; but most days I still can't believe we are here, especially two
decades into the Sounds like a book we really need right now! I know how we got
here; but most days I still can't believe we are here, especially two decades
into the 21st century. ...more
28. November, 10:51 Uhr · flag

Cheri Blomquist Whoa, I haven't read the book, yet, but it is comments like this
that make me mistrust books like this and the entire Left-wing side of America
on, we Whoa, I haven't read the book, yet, but it is comments like this that
make me mistrust books like this and the entire Left-wing side of America on,
well, just about everything: "The founding documents were of course written by
wealthy white slaveowners, with a view to maintaining their own status and
keeping democracy in check."

This is only a partial truth (most did but definitely not all), and it
interprets the motivation of our Founding Fathers in a way that intentionally
promotes leftist ideology rather than presents an honest representation of their
hearts and minds from their own 18th-century (not 21-st century) perspectives.
It also makes little sense to accuse them of creating a "white" document when
they were all Anglos/European and therefore white. What else should we expect?
If the constitution had been written by Asians or Africans or American Indians,
wouldn't it be reflective of their race and culture? I'll take these complaints
seriously when someone presents an alternative constitution that is both
respectful of all races, that lifts up the downtrodden without bringing the
strong down, and that protects our nation against Marxist ideology and bloated,
overreaching government (controlled by any party). ...more
11 hours, 40 min ago · flag



Dec 11, 2021 Sahitya rated it really liked it
Shelves: 2021-read, 4-star, non-fiction, politics-feminism-religion
I’ve only been following the author’s interviews and social media for a couple
of years now but he has always impressed me with his wit as well as knowledge.
So when I saw this book on netgalley, I had to get the advance copy immediately.
And I’m so glad I did.

As an outsider who has only lived in America for about a decade, anything I know
about it’s constitution, politics or law is recently learnt, mostly through
books or TV. But I have to say, I’ve never read anything law related that is so
a I’ve only been following the author’s interviews and social media for a couple
of years now but he has always impressed me with his wit as well as knowledge.
So when I saw this book on netgalley, I had to get the advance copy immediately.
And I’m so glad I did.

As an outsider who has only lived in America for about a decade, anything I know
about it’s constitution, politics or law is recently learnt, mostly through
books or TV. But I have to say, I’ve never read anything law related that is so
accessible to common public like this book before. Elie uses his usual humor and
candidness to elaborate not just how each of the amendments in the constitution
should be interpreted and what their original intents might have been, he also
elucidates the various ways in which conservatives and white supremacists and
racists have misinterpreted and misused the same amendments and laws to get what
they want, discriminate who they want to without fear, cement racism and police
brutality against Black people as the norm of the land, and continue to dilute
the effectiveness of any constructive law left right now with the help of their
conservative majority on the Supreme Court. He is absolutely right when he says
that any law even when passed in good faith can and will be misused because a
significant population of the country have been made to believe that they can
only survive if they can discriminate against all marginalized groups with
impunity and enforce their fake morality on everybody.

The book does present a bleak picture. Despite whatever progress has been made
over the decades, its seems obvious these days that things are not going in the
right direction anymore. And that helplessness and anger does reflect in the
author’s writing. He doesn’t mince his words when he questions even the moral
standing of a constitution written by a “collection of slavers and colonizers”.
And he understands that they were great men of their times, but it doesn’t mean
that we cling to an eighteenth century racist, sexist and bigoted originalist
reading of the document. He clearly believes that an honest interpretation of
the constitution and its rightful enforcement can still bring about a
progressive change to the country, but whether that is a possibility or a pipe
dream is something we all have to wait to see.

In the meantime, if you know someone who uses some magical words from the
constitution to justify their bigoted and discriminatory beliefs, do use the
points made in this book to question them right back and challenge their
worldview. ...more
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Nov 29, 2021 Jennifer Landry rated it it was amazing  ·  review of another
edition
This was just great. I have followed Elie for years and I just knew I would love
this book. As he says in the beginning, this isn't a book of legalese, this is a
book of things you can tell those people in your life who like to throw around
the constitution as why they can do a variety of horrible things. Our
constitution has been misconstrued and misinterpreted for a very long time. Even
worse, it has been waved in the air to rationalize bad behavior. This quote is a
great peek at the approach This was just great. I have followed Elie for years
and I just knew I would love this book. As he says in the beginning, this isn't
a book of legalese, this is a book of things you can tell those people in your
life who like to throw around the constitution as why they can do a variety of
horrible things. Our constitution has been misconstrued and misinterpreted for a
very long time. Even worse, it has been waved in the air to rationalize bad
behavior. This quote is a great peek at the approach Elie takes to evaluating
each piece of the Constitution, especially the amendments:

"The other difference one will notice about this book is that I treat the law as
an argument. People are told that the law is an "objective" thing, almost like
it's a form of physics. But it's not: the law is a collection of subjective
decisions we have made over the years to protect people and activities they
like, and to punish people and activities they don't like."

Thank you to Net Galley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
...more
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Oct 14, 2021 Crystal Palmisano-dillard rated it really liked it  ·  review of
another edition
I am ignorant when it comes to the in and outs of law. This book was an
education for me in more ways than one, but it was never dry or dull.

I appreciate the author's candor and personality he injected into the writing.

Overall it's frustrating to see just how much the constitution (or laws in
general) can be manipulated so easily. I am ignorant when it comes to the in and
outs of law. This book was an education for me in more ways than one, but it was
never dry or dull.

I appreciate the author's candor and personality he injected into the writing.

Overall it's frustrating to see just how much the constitution (or laws in
general) can be manipulated so easily. ...more
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Dec 05, 2021 Dan rated it really liked it
My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher The New Press for an advanced copy of
this current events memoir.

According to some the Constitution is a living, breathing, always changing and
adapting thing, similar to a Supreme Court decision that gave corporations more
rights than woman have over their own bodies. Also these same people when the
living argument doesn't work switch to the Constitution should stay just like
the Founders wrote it, strict adherence to their centuries old thoughts, and in
My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher The New Press for an advanced copy of
this current events memoir.

According to some the Constitution is a living, breathing, always changing and
adapting thing, similar to a Supreme Court decision that gave corporations more
rights than woman have over their own bodies. Also these same people when the
living argument doesn't work switch to the Constitution should stay just like
the Founders wrote it, strict adherence to their centuries old thoughts, and
inflexible, as inflexible as the meat that ate in their dining rooms, lit only
by candles or whale blubber, and served by slaves.

Elie Mystal, MSNBC commentator, Constitutional scholar, and I hope a huge lover
of comics and other fun things cause he drops so many references, and more
importantly writer of Allow Me to Retort: A Black Guy’s Guide to the
Constitution addresses this issues and calls them out, for their double-dealing
and well lying. Using both humor, pop culture references and his own amazing
legal acumen, Mr. Mystal points out the fallacies, crookedness, deception, and
out right lying that makes up most of the arguments, and unfortunately legal
decisions that effect us all. Mr. Mystal has a very bleak view of the future,
and reading along you tend to agree. America seems to have no grasp of its past,
even from months ago, and no clear idea what the future of this country will be,
or even an idea of what is slowly being eroded away.

Many might argue (FOX fans) that Mr. Mystal is crass and rude, and therefore his
arguments are moot. They will probably add a "So there", to the end of that
comment. Yes he is crass because that is the point. We are at the point where
being polite, and holding the door, only gets people excluded and the door
slammed shut on their faces and fingers. This country has left a sizeable
majority of its people behind and the rest of us are just starting to notice.
Unfortunately Mr Mystal has experienced that America, and that he can even joke
about it makes him a stronger person than I. And he is very funny. And humor is
a weapon against the powerful, because you can always add "just kidding" at the
end. It work almost as well as "Well those people, not you".

I won't say this book is vital, but you know what after the last couple of weeks
I will say. This is a good primer on what to say to those Uncles we hate that
are in our family, those people we have to work with, and well too many people
who won't bother reading this book because he's a liberal. Mr. Mystal is
actually worse than a liberal. He cares enough to get this mad and write this
book. Only love allows a person to point out the flaws in something, not caring
about the consequences, and I am sure there will be a lot of grief from both
right and left poured on Mr. Mystal. He just wants us and the Constitution to be
better, and to try just a little harder.


...more
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Dec 08, 2021 Darryl Barney rated it really liked it  ·  review of another
edition
i received an advanced copy from Netgalley. unsponsored review.

as a con law nerd, Elie’s candid and witty analysis was refreshing and enjoyable
mostly.
(often funny!) maybe a little too anecdotal for my taste, lacking gravitas in
some ways, i think Elie stated his case well enough here - centering his
personal qualms with the constitution and subsequent bill of rights. that said,
i can appreciate and agree with most, if not all, of Elie’s solutions to the
deeply rooted constitutional issues, fr i received an advanced copy from
Netgalley. unsponsored review.

as a con law nerd, Elie’s candid and witty analysis was refreshing and enjoyable
mostly.
(often funny!) maybe a little too anecdotal for my taste, lacking gravitas in
some ways, i think Elie stated his case well enough here - centering his
personal qualms with the constitution and subsequent bill of rights. that said,
i can appreciate and agree with most, if not all, of Elie’s solutions to the
deeply rooted constitutional issues, from formation to judicial interpretation,
that negatively and disproportionately (still and likely will forever) oppress
Black people.

this is a good, albeit superficial at times, analysis (or con law 101 picking?)
of the US’ founding and most cherished guide to who “we” are as a nation. i
probably would give a higher rating to a deeper and more creative analysis from
Elie (which it is obvious he is capable of), as opposed to, what read as the
chapters went on, a novice [respectfully] partisan take down. maybe more
jurisdictional challenges furthering Elie’s fundamental points? comparison to
other countries’ founding documents Elie found more equitable? more attention to
justice’s’ dissents?

i give it 3.5 stars. ...more
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Dec 15, 2021 Robin rated it really liked it
Elie Mystal, Allow Me to Retort A Black Guy’s Guide to The Constitution, The New
Press, New York, 2022.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with this uncorrected proof in exchange for
an honest review.

Elie Mystal’s title is apt for this book which combines uncomfortable and
sometimes abrasive language with arguments (or retorts) that certainly encourage
a rethink of the American Constitution and the Amendments. Some readers will not
like the abrasive quality of the language; others will find it Elie Mystal,
Allow Me to Retort A Black Guy’s Guide to The Constitution, The New Press, New
York, 2022.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with this uncorrected proof in exchange for
an honest review.

Elie Mystal’s title is apt for this book which combines uncomfortable and
sometimes abrasive language with arguments (or retorts) that certainly encourage
a rethink of the American Constitution and the Amendments. Some readers will not
like the abrasive quality of the language; others will find it energising.
Mystal certainly maintains the forceful presence he radiates in television
debate when it is translated to the page. I found myself having to pick my way
through some of the debate. Regardless of my reservations, I found this book a
worthy contribution to discussion of the American Constitution; the role of
wealthy white men in its writing, interpretation, decisions about the Amendments
and interpretations in the courts; and the way in which black and coloured
Americans and women can be neglected in the law. And, indeed, Elie Mystal has
every right to question my reservations about his language. With such a story to
tell, with its horrific unpeeling of the discrimination that remains, despite
the Amendments, his language cannot be other than strong. So, cast aside
reservations, and read this illuminating, but distressing ‘Retort’.

Mystal clarifies the way in which the American Constitution was devised, the
philosophy behind it, and the way it works. He concentrates on demonstrating how
the Amendments, purportedly designed to overcome its shortcomings, and to
introduce elements of fairness that were not considered in the original document
do little to alleviate the discrimination suffered by Black Americans. Although
he concentrates on the latter, he does not ignore the similarities in some
instances that impact on women. One example – the jury of peers: has there been
any jury of twelve Black Americans which has judged a white man? A jury of
twelve women which has judged a man? How many ‘peers’ of twelve white men have
judged a Black American? A woman?

Mystal’s discussion of the right to self defence is particularly acute and helps
explain the tortuous defence (fortunately unsuccessful) made by the Defence
lawyer in the recent Ahmaud Abery case. Similarly, each Amendment is ‘unpacked’,
debated, clarified, and unfortunately found wanting – if the desired outcome is
a non-discriminatory document.
Mystal does not argue for new amendments, he wants a rejection of the
‘conservative interpretation of what the Constitution says, and adopt[ion of] a
morally defensible view of what our country means’. The arguments he makes
throughout this thoughtful book are a beginning to that process.

In the Epilogue Mystal deliberates upon the Supreme Court, appointments to the
Court, and possible ways to ensure that it works to uphold democratic values.
Should its powers be defined and limited? Should it be restructured and
reformed? Be more representative? Should term limits be imposed? Should the
Supreme Court be expanded? These are questions that make for a thoughtful
epilogue indeed.

There are detailed notes, information about Elie Mystal, and a list of other
title from The New Press.
This book is at the same time a lively and enthralling discussion of the
American Constitution and the Amendments, and a history of the appalling
discriminatory treatment it endorses.

Allow Me to Retort is an excellent read, and, as Elie Mystal would probably
retort, accept the language, more, embrace it, as it honours the story he tells.
...more
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Dec 12, 2021 Charles Francis rated it it was amazing  ·  review of another
edition
This book is an insightful and thought provoking look at the Constitution and
how it has shaped our democracy. The author's intellectual challenges, wit, and
frankness should have both the left and the right start to think about what the
framers of the constitution, primarily James Madison, really meant or did not
mean.

It is well written, direct, humorous (there are examples and analogies that will
have you on the floor) and sobering.

Mystal makes no excuses and pulls no punches in his total dis This book is an
insightful and thought provoking look at the Constitution and how it has shaped
our democracy. The author's intellectual challenges, wit, and frankness should
have both the left and the right start to think about what the framers of the
constitution, primarily James Madison, really meant or did not mean.

It is well written, direct, humorous (there are examples and analogies that will
have you on the floor) and sobering.

Mystal makes no excuses and pulls no punches in his total disdain for how the
constitution has been weaponized by those on the far right and not supported
enough by those on left. This should be a required reading for every politician,
no matter where you serve or aspire to serve. ...more
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Dec 22, 2021 Cassandra Manning rated it it was amazing
As a liberal, I found the points in this book to be right in line with my
opinion, but also marvel at the simple, easy-to-agree-with points that Mystal
makes. Defending the principles enshrined in our laws and not the random text of
the laws themselves, understanding that even the Constitution had a ‘day one
patch’ to make it agreeable at the time, and that these principles need to apply
to each citizen, not one class, are some of my favorites from this book. If
you’re looking at an in-depth exa As a liberal, I found the points in this book
to be right in line with my opinion, but also marvel at the simple,
easy-to-agree-with points that Mystal makes. Defending the principles enshrined
in our laws and not the random text of the laws themselves, understanding that
even the Constitution had a ‘day one patch’ to make it agreeable at the time,
and that these principles need to apply to each citizen, not one class, are some
of my favorites from this book. If you’re looking at an in-depth examination of
the Constitution with a relatable feel, this is the book for you. ...more
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Kat Ryker My only comment is your first sentence. You see, and understand, how
far this world is divided now, don't you? Because you are a liberal, you agree
wi My only comment is your first sentence. You see, and understand, how far this
world is divided now, don't you? Because you are a liberal, you agree with him,
shutting out any other viewpoint and in fact, being intolerant of any other.
That's exactly what this book does, shows the intolerance. Keep in mind that the
intolerance you and the author show are the reason there is discrimination in
this world. Nice of you to blame our founding fathers, who didn't have to deal
with any of this. You are judging this Constitution of ours to be "white" except
that the thought itself is racist. I, for myself, am an independent who leans
left most times. This book made me ill. ...more
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