Your Honor, Your Honor
A Journey through Grief to Restorative Justice
Leonia J. Lloyd’s inspiring memoir is about confronting crucial social issues from a position to help.
Leonia J. Lloyd’s inspiring memoir Your Honor, Your Honor is about her, and her twin sister’s, achievements as models, teachers, lawyers, and judges.
Lloyd and her sister, Leona, were born in 1949 and were raised in Detroit. Their parents, who had experienced racism in their youths, encouraged them to work hard and pursue their dreams. Lloyd discusses Motown music, the civil rights movement, and the 1967 Detroit riot as influencing forces that led both women to inspire and encourage others through their teaching and legal careers. They modeled together, worked with renowned artists together, and were both elected as judges. Absorbing accounts of these exciting events, and of a legal incident that led them to fear for their lives, are included, as are clear photographs from pivotal moments (the twins’ first birthday; at work at their law office; on a trip to Mexico) that showcase the women’s bond.
Five sections cover the stages of Lloyd’s life: her childhood, college years, legal career, Leona’s passing, and the present. Internally, each section is chronologically organized and thorough in its details. Most of those remembered in the book are noted for their resilience; many faced social and personal challenges. The twins themselves stand out as determined women who stood up for what was right when they were faced with racism and sexism. They also combated the challenges posed by their mother’s mental illness and their father’s alcoholism.
In straightforward terms, Lloyd recalls serving as a drug treatment court judge and a veterans’ treatment court judge, and her experiences result in insights about how substance abuse should be confronted by the system. The text avoids legal jargon in discussing such issues; instead, the facts are covered in an accessible manner, emphasizing the lessons that can be learned from them. Lloyd declares that strong community responses are a necessary component of fighting addiction, covering organizations that help and declaring that justice around addiction should be about saving and changing lives, rather than incarcerating those addicted to drugs and alcohol. Later, in covering Leona’s passing, Lloyd also gives advice to others who are grieving—namely, that they seek help like counseling to deal with their losses.
Leonia J. Lloyd’s memoir Your Honor, Your Honor is about confronting crucial social issues from a position to help; its insights on overcoming personal challenges are many, too.
Reviewed by
Edith Wairimu
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book and paid a small fee to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. Foreword Reviews and Clarion Reviews make no guarantee that the publisher will receive a positive review. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
