Guinier brings book tour home

As College senior Adam Korengold eagerly handed Lani Guinier a copy of her new book for an autograph, she smiled warmly and asked him what his name was. "It's kind of strange," he said, referring to his name. "Don't even talk about strange names," the University law professor said, laughing. "It's a fine name." As part of a three month promotional tour for her new book The Tyranny of the Majority, Guinier held a book signing at The Book Store yesterday. Guinier became a major public figure last year when President Clinton nominated her to the position of Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights. Shortly after, critics labelled her anti-democratic and called for the withdrawal of her nomination because she said the government needed to readjust its use of majority rule. President Clinton then withdrew Guinier's nomination, claiming he reread her papers and did not agree with her ideas. Guinier claims critics judged her theories without thoroughly studying her ideas. Writing the book, which includes several of Guinier's controversial articles, gave her a chance to clarify her views, she said. "I saw it as an opportunity to have my ideas, which were at the heart of the controversy, available," Guinier said. "I thought that the same essays that got me into trouble would get me out of trouble once people actually read them. "To me, democracy means one large scale conversation," she added. "By writing my book I now feel that in a small way I am broadening that conversation." Many members of the University community and the Philadelphia area came to the book signing. Some gave gifts and others gave their business cards. Bobby Seale, a co-founder of the Black Panthers who now lives in Germantown, arrived unexpectedly to give Guinier support. "I voted for Clinton," Seale told Guinier. "But when I heard what he did to you I thought he must be out of his mind." For Graduate School of Education student Mary Boxley White, meeting Guinier gave her a chance to speak with someone who represents her life experiences. "I feel like I've met Guinier before," White said. "I see her eating in the White Dog Cafe and her office is near my classes. "[And] I can really identify with what she's gone through," he added. "Trying to become a professional black woman in America is a difficult task."

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