Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness: The Memoirs of Ralph J. Temple

Temple, who died in August 2011, was a well-known ACLU lawyer whose career spanned iconic battles of the 1960s, ’70s, and beyond. Temple’s expertise was representing individuals who had chosen to place themselves in the path of history or who were victims of discrimination and injustice. The highlights of his career include representing African-Americans in St. Augustine, Fla., attempting to enforce the 1964 Civil Rights Act; defending the right of Quakers to peacefully protest against the Vietnam War on the Capitol steps; and the ACLU’s effort to fight President Carter’s ban on Iranian demonstrations at the White House during the 1979 Iranian hostage crisis. He is best at recounting his pointed dialogues with adversaries, the honesty and bravery of his witnesses, and the secrets of his sidebar conversations with often hostile judges. These legal war stories will give readers a realistic view of what a civil rights lawyer faced in championing unpopular causes. Readers who like the nitty-gritty of the courtroom will enjoy Temple’s insightful accounts of his trials. Although Temple is a spirited writer, the memoir has elements of a vanity effort, especially in describing his later years, including a review of his grandchildren’s elementary school play and his thoughts on his own mortality. (Mar.)