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*Starred Review* In 2008, when California’s Proposition 8
banned same-sex marriage, gays and gay-rights advocates had a
hard decision to make. Should they bypass the tedious
state-by-state strategy and force the issue to the U.S. Supreme
Court, or would they ruin their chances if they moved too soon?
Pulitzer Prize–winning reporter Becker had unprecedented access
for five years to the astonishing legal drama that witnessed a
massive shift in public and political opinions about gay rights
and marriage equality. The unlikely legal team was lead by Ted
Olson and David Boies, who had been nents in the Bush v. Gore
lawsuit. Becker details the behind-the-scenes strategizing of the
legal team, movement activists, lobbying groups, political
figures, celebrity backers, and others as the case wound its way
from California to Washington, DC. Becker profiles the couples
named in the court case and their personal struggles to have
their relationships legally recognized and protected by marriage,
to enjoy the same rights as heterosexuals. She also chronicles
the political drama that led to reversals on the issue among
several political figures, including President Barack Obama,
first elected on the very night that the California ban was
enacted. Becker’s chronicle of a legal battle reveals deeper
changes in the cultural and political landscape of a nation
grappling with old prejudices and changing public opinion that
continue to resonate. --Vanessa Bush
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Review
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Praise for Jo Becker's Forcing the Spring
The New York Times Book Review
“A stunningly story… Maybe because she’s such a
versatile reporter, Becker saw the big picture. The fight for
marriage equality did not end in a total victory on the Supreme
Court steps but triumphed in a higher court, the court of public
opinion. It may not be the story she set out to tell, but it’s a
great one nonetheless.”
Entertainment Weekly
"A stunning account of the legal battles stemming from Prop 8...
Drawing on five years of unlimited access to Olson and Boies'
team, [Becker] has crafted an engrossing narrative filled with
details gleaned from fraught backroom conversations and private
emails. Though some critics allege that Becker highlights certain
key figures at the expense of others, the history she re-creates
using material as dry as court records and judges' written
opinions is as taut and suspenseful as a novel. She also zeroes
in on human moments. Forcing the Spring stands as not just the
definitive account of the battle for same-sex marriage rights but
a thrilling and compassionate one, too. Grade: A"
The Washington Post
“Forcing the Spring is a riveting legal drama, a snap in
time, when the gay rights movement altered course and public
opinion shifted with the speed of a bullet train... Becker’s most
remarkable accomplishment is to weave a spellbinder of a tale
that, despite a finale reported around the world, manages to keep
readers gripped until the very end.”
Richard Socarides, The New Yorker
“Becker’s account of the hearings, and her analysis of the
complicated legal theories involved in the long appeals process,
are excellent. Her writing about the four plaintiffs in the
case—the true emotional heroes of this book—is particularly
affecting... If you are interested in the story of how a
Hollywood political consultant and a conservative lawyer joined
forces in 2009, in the belief that they could really make a
difference, and, no doubt, gain some notoriety for themselves and
their cause, helping to dramatically change the way Americans
thought of gay people and the way gay people thought of
themselves—this book is for you. The real story it tells is how
seemingly small moments, occurring by happenstance, when combined
with boldness and imagination, can help to change the course of
history.”
Jonathan Capehart, The Washington Post
“A riveting account of how California’s Proposition 8, which
outlawed same-sex marriage there, went from voter passage in 2008
to Supreme Court invalidation in 2013. The incredible access the
New York Times investigative reporter had with the principals
involved and others will satisfy that political-junky thirst for
the backstory swirling around historical events… Becker gives
readers an insider’s view of what they watched in real time over
four and a half years. Her interviews and observations are
presented in a riveting fashion that reminded me of Taylor
Branch’s Parting the Waters, the first of three books on Martin
Luther King and the Civil Rights movement.”
Elizabeth Birch, The Bilerico Project:
“Becker takes the reader on an extraordinary journey inside a
single piece of test case litigation, a riveting tale with a full
cast of colorful characters, the very best of which are the four
authentic and down-to-earth plaintiffs...Rarely has an episode of
one piece of LGBT work been captured in such sharp and
detail. The story unfolds like a journal, revealing an unlikely
cast of characters that literally orchestrate the death of a very
painful episode of California's history...No one should miss
reading this book!”
Kirkus (STARRED review)
“[A] gripping narrative... [Becker’s] momentum is resolutely
forward, her writing so brisk and urgent that even though we know
the outcome, the tension in the courtroom scenes and the
intervals of waiting for decisions remains taut, even
nerve-wracking. Becker’s access gives us ins into other
aspects of the story, as well—the deliberations within the Obama
administration, the pro–gay marriage statements of Vice President
Biden that seemed to animate the president, and the thinking in
the Justice Department. She gives a gripping account of the trial
in the U.S. District Court (with some fine analysis of the role
of Judge Vaughn Walker, gay himself), some of which she
reproduces directly from court records. Becker follows the case
from there to the U.S. Court of Appeals and then the Supreme
Court, where we listen to the oral arguments and follow the
sometimes-twisted thinking of the justices. First-rate reporting
informs this thrilling narrative of hope.”
Publishers Weekly (STARRED review)
"Channeling the extended legal battle over California's
Proposition 8 ban on same-sex marriage into an engaging
narrative, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Becker presents a
thorough, perceptive read. Beginning with private conversations
among friends and moving all the way to the Supreme Court, Becker
constructs the legal story with the privilege of generous access
to the plaintiffs and legal team that fought for marriage
equality. Along the way, everyone from President Obama to
director/actor Rob Reiner and current Human Rights Campaign
President Chad Griffin find their way into the action. Becker
navigates the vast a of legal history, backroom
conversations, media wrangling, and personal stories with an ease
that makes what could otherwise be a demanding or partisan story
into learned political journalism. While the tendency to paint
the fight for gay marriage as the pinnacle of gay rights might
dismay those involved in other aspects of the political struggle,
Becker's ins into the legal process are evenhanded. In the
end, the book stands testament to good political writing and a
wealth of information made alive through prose."
Jeffrey Toobin, author of The Nine and The Oath
“Jo Becker’s Forcing the Spring is a superb behind-the-scenes
account of the legal battle to bring marriage equality to the
nation. Drawing on extraordinary access to the internal
deliberations of the plaintiffs’ team, Becker shows how law,
politics, and personality combined to create a landmark in the
history of the Supreme Court—and of the United States.”
Benjamin Todd Jealous, former president and CEO of the National
Association for the Advancement of Colored People
“Jo Becker’s Forcing the Spring provides the definitive insider
account of one of the great civil rights struggles of our times.
It is an important and moving historical account that reads like
a page-turning legal thriller. This is a must-read for anyone who
wants to move our nation forward.”
David Von Drehle, author of Rise to Greatness: Abraham Lincoln
and America’s Most Perilous Year and Triangle: The Fire That
Changed America
“The movement for marriage equality has been an extraordinary
example of historic change at hyper speed. Jo Becker, a gifted
journalist, had unparalleled access to the legal drama as well as
the human stories of love and courage, and she weaves her witness
into a fast-paced narrative of lasting importance.”
David Finkel, author of Thank You for Your Service and The Good
Soldiers
“Jo Becker is one of America’s very best journalists, and this
book showcases her at her finest. Meticulously reported and
passionately written, Forcing the Spring not only illuminates the
fight in America for marriage equality, it’s also a thrilling and
exhilarating page-turner.”
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