A Lawyer's Journey: The Morris Dees Story

Morris Dees was born to a sharecropper family. Rising from white Southern poverty, Mr. Dees went to law school and became a fighter for justice on behalf of the poor. I have met Mr. Dees. He was the keynote speaker at my law school graduation. His Southern Poverty Law Center once assisted my Firm on a case when it turned out that one of our opponents was an active Klansman. Mr. Dees is passionate about his work with the SPLC, and its "Klanwatch" which has expanded to monitor all domestic hate groups. This book discusses several of Mr. Dees' more high-profile and more personally meaningful cases. It's an important document that sheds light on an aspect of our national character that brings out the worst in many and the best in some like Mr. Dees and his associates.

A Lawyer's Journey: The Morris Dees Story by Morris Dees with Steve Fiffer is an autobiography which reads like a novel. It is Morris' story of growing up in a share-cropper's family on a cotton farm in Mississippi in the post Depression years. He worked in the fields with the black laborers, whom he heard talking among themselves as no other white ears could hear. With a compassionate father who treated negroes kindly in a period and place when other whites treated them cruelly or unfairly, Morris' character was developed to be sympathetic to the underlings of society. He grew up to be a successful lawyer and founded the Southern Poverty Law Center, which fairly and without charging represents poor clients so they can receive just treatment in a legal system which still favors the rich, white accused. The book is a compelling and poignant read and one you cannot put down. It will pull your heart strings and educate you to cruel realities in America today. An excellent book you won't want to miss

I supported the Southern Poverty Law Center without knowing its history, because I liked what it stood for, especially the Teaching Tolerance program. Reading this book helped me see the progression of the Center. I recommend it for anyone wishing to know more about the inside story of desegration in the South. It's a fascinating read, especially for amateurs interested in the law.