Left Bank Books presents the president of the National Bar Association and one of the most distinguished civil rights attorneys working today, Ben Crump, as he reflects on the landmark cases he has battled—including representing Trayvon Martin’s family—and offers a disturbing look at how the justice system is used to promote injustice in his memoir, Open Season.

ben crump, open season

Benjamin Crump firmly believes in the Constitution and its legal protections—that civil rights legislation covers all Americans, not just those privileged by race, wealth, or pedigree. A fierce and passionate advocate, he has devoted his career to fighting for justice for America’s marginalized. Open Season is his inspiring journey working on some of the most egregious cases that have shocked the nation, including those of Trayvon Martin and Michael Brown.

Shaped by his first-hand experience handling civil litigation matters in state and federal courts throughout the country, Open Season reveals the often hidden and systemic injustices minorities face, and illuminates how discrimination in the courthouse devastates real families and communities. Chronicling some of his most memorable legal battles, this brilliant litigator shockingly makes clear how our system is devised for certain people to lose and others to win, and, using evidence and facts, exposes how it is legal to harm—with the intent to destroy—people of color.

America must live up to its promise to protect the rights of its citizens equally, Crump maintains. Thoughtful, well-reasoned, and powerfully persuasive, Open Season details one man’s life mission preserving the hard-won justice for all.

Through a steadfast dedication to justice and service, renowned civil rights and personal injury attorney Ben Crump has established himself as one of the nation’s foremost lawyers and advocates for social justice. He has worked on some of the most high-profile cases in the U.S., representing the families of Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, and Stephon Clark, among others. He has been nationally recognized as the 2014 NNPA Newsmaker of the Year, The National Trial Lawyers Top 100 Lawyers, and Ebony Magazine Power 100 Most Influential African Americans. In 2016, he was designated as an Honorary Fellow by the University of Pennsylvania College of Law. He is the founder and principal owner of Ben Crump Law.

Purchase of Open Season from Left Bank Books will be required to enter the signing line.

Left Bank Books Presents
An Evening with Pete Souza
Barack Obama’s Chief Official White House Photographer
Author of  SHADE: A Tale of Two Presidents

Shade is a portrait in contrasts, telling the tale of the Obama and Trump years through visual juxtapositions that begin on Inauguration Day and move through the release of the Mueller report. Some call this “throwing shade.” Souza calls it telling the truth. These photographs serve as a rejoinder to the chaos, abuses of power, and destructive policies of the Trump administration. Shade is both a potent comment on the state of our nation and an urgent call to act now to bring about a return to better days—the days when Americans had a president they could trust and believe in.

The hardcover edition of SHADE followed the first 500 days of Donald Trump’s presidency. The softcover edition adds 60 new pages where the hardcover ended, adding photos and commentary on hot button issues such as: North Korea, Michael Cohen, Brett Kavanaugh, Immigration crisis, Robert Mueller’s investigation, and Russian collusion.

Pete Souza was the Chief Official White House Photographer for
President Obama and the Director of the White House Photo Office.