Book Review

Submitted by kmr on Sat, 01/27/2007 - 11:11am

Via Ex:

Book Review

The Speaker: The North Carolina House of Representatives, by Ann Lassiter (23 pps, GBC bound, Legislative Printing Office, Raleigh, North Carolina)

Though Ms. Lassiter's $75,000 advance for this book has been the talk of the capital, it is her unconventional prose and keen eye for detail that makes this remarkably easy-to-read history something special.

With a full twenty-three pages of amazing prose (except for the big Who quote on page six) The Speaker is replete with odd choices of capitalization, some noun-verb problems and a few tense shifts here and there. With each leaf, Ms. Lassiter keeps us guessing which sharp corner of the English language she'll round off next.

Her take on events is stunningly even-handed. Of the "jovial, extremely grateful, compassionate and always young at heart" Speaker Philip Godwin, she writes:

In 1963, Godwin sponsored the Speaker Ban Law. He believed that North Carolinians had the right to determine how state dollars were spent at public universities and also had the responsibility to protect democracy against the threat of Communism.

The ending is sad even as it tries to be hopeful. Here, she stretches out:

That beauty has long been destroyed by politics. Like so many other places where people work, there is coldness, an impersonal lifestyle that has taken over.

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I hope you'll be gentler

Submitted by James on Sat, 01/27/2007 - 11:53am.

when MY book gets published . . .

J

PS Very nice review, by the way. Love the sharp corners.

:)

Do good. Be nice. Have fun.

There's a card with your name on it

Submitted by James on Sat, 01/27/2007 - 11:55am.

just a few seats away from me . . . wish you were here.

Do good. Be nice. Have fun.

hmm

Submitted by Blue South on Sat, 01/27/2007 - 12:07pm.

So in one day a reporter from the N&O can find the following:

She reports that Black and Republican Rep. Richard Morgan became co-speakers in 2003 in a one-vote victory, when in fact the margin was much greater, 89-31. She also erred about Liston Ramsey's tenure as House speaker, and has him serving in the chamber in 2003. Ramsey died two years earlier, which she correctly noted.

And she spent 2 years putting this together????

Draft Brad Miller -- NC Sen ActBlue :::Petition

"Keep the Faith"

Seems like another thing Brad Miller could have done better

Submitted by Oliver Queen on Sat, 01/27/2007 - 2:47pm.

That would be an interesting list ...

Back to the issue at hand, I'm inclined to dislike Jim Black for this, but then again, he bought me fried chicken.

I always wanted to be the avenging cowboy hero—that lone voice in the wilderness, fighting corruption and evil wherever I found it, and standing for freedom, truth and justice. - Bill Hicks

lucky

Submitted by Blue South on Sat, 01/27/2007 - 3:35pm.

I dont think I ate that day.

I was actually thinking about this earlier. And I am glad that our state has made such great gains in education the last few years. Because the author wouldnt pass the 10th grade writing test that every student in the state is required to take.

Draft Brad Miller -- NC Sen ActBlue :::Petition

"Keep the Faith"

So, you liked it, eh?

Submitted by Betsy Muse on Sat, 01/27/2007 - 2:10pm.



Robin Hayes lied. Nobody died, but thousands of folks lost their jobs.



***************************
Vote Democratic, the ass you save may be your own.

want to read a history

Submitted by gfc on Sun, 01/28/2007 - 10:45am.

If you are interested, in reading a recent history of the General Assembly, see my comment at
http://www.exileonjonesstreet.com/2007/01/27/morning-post-spoiler-alert/...

Good stuff

Submitted by kmr on Sun, 01/28/2007 - 11:26am.

I learned a ton.
This gets props in the column. It's a real history with a lot of scholarship ta boot. There's a really good breakdown of how proposals to improve the GA have been implemented over the years.

modernization and reform

Submitted by gfc on Sun, 01/28/2007 - 12:20pm.

Thanks Kirk. The one major reform for the NCGA suggested in 1971 but not implemented by 2004 was ethics, that was dealt with in the 2006 ethics reform legislation. I’m going to do a revised version of my 98-page piece (probably half the length) later this year and update the stuff to 2007. The favorite quote I uncovered in doing my research was from then Lt. Governor Pat Taylor, who responded to the 1971 study ranking the NC General Assembly 47th in the nation:

"I haven't seen [the report] But I rate whoever did it is 47th in their ability to evaluate legislatures"

my whole thesis is at http://www.geocities.com/gercohen1/thesis.doc

oh, yes, the General Assembly reimbursed my $900 tuition.

Great quote

Submitted by James on Sun, 01/28/2007 - 12:23pm.

I look forward to reading this stuff, since I place myself 90 millionth in my ability to understand the minds of "public servants" like Pat Taylor.

Do good. Be nice. Have fun.