“This first biography of Chambers captur[es] his personality, character, and self-effacing determination. . . . Though books on legal topics are hardly known for their readability, this one is an exception. More than a simple biography of a lawyer, this account chronicles an entire law firm and how civil rights are achieved in the real world. Verdict: Essential.” — Library Journal, Starred Review
“An excellent resource for understanding how the civil rights struggle played out in less-heralded venues.” — Publishers Weekly
“Rosen and Mosnier provide a painstakingly researched account of a civil rights lawyer and icon of the last quarter of the 20th century. Highly recommended.” — CHOICE
“A remarkable story well told. . . . [and] one that anyone interested in North Carolina history, and particularly the struggle for racial equality, should read.” — Rob Christensen, News and Observer
“An enticing and readable biography of Chambers, and history of the law firm he led.” — Cliff Bellamy, Durham Herald-Sun
“[This] carefully researched biography dives deep into the prominent litigator’s life and work, highlighting the battles he and his colleagues fought for racial justice both in and out of the courtroom and the impact of those actions on American civil rights. . . . Will inspire anyone who makes it their mission to improve the lives of those around them.” — Chapel Hill Magazine
“This meticulously researched book has much to offer specialists in civil rights history and anyone who teaches about Swann.”—Journal of Southern History
“[An] excellent biography . . . . Julius Chambers succeeds because it delineates the thought and action of a monumental legal mind and is a cautionary tale.”—Journal of American Studies
“A compelling biography that not only sheds light on an unsung figure of the freedom struggle but also illustrates how the gains of the civil rights era were both expanded and challenged in the post-civil rights era. It is a much needed addition to the historiography of the Civil Rights Movement in the courtrooms.”—Journal of African American History
“This is a terrific book. Telling the story of Chambers and his law firm, Rosen and Mosnier have added a chapter that has long been missing from the history of the North Carolina civil rights movement. Many other historians have touched on aspects of Chambers’s life and work, but no one has ever done it this well, or in such detail.” — Davison M. Douglas, William and Mary Law School
