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Dr. James L. Hecht is a graduate of Cornell University, and he received a PhD in chemical engineering from Yale University. After spending thirty-one years with DuPont, Hecht retired to academic appointments with the University of Delaware, Temple University, and the University of Denver. He has written for over twenty publications, including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Washington Post. Hecht authored his first book in 1970, Because It Is Right: Integration in Housing, based on his experience as president of a fair housing group. The book was widely used by fair housing groups throughout the country and led to an important Supreme Court decision.
Reviewed by Jack Magnus for Readers' Favorite
Making A Difference: Reflecting on the Past, Thinking of the Future is a non-fiction memoir written by James L. Hecht. Hecht began his career as a chemical engineer with DuPont, but he has since held a number of academic appointments and advisory roles. He is also the author of Because It Is Right: Integration in Housing, which was influential in establishing equal housing protections regardless of race. He served in a leadership capacity with HOME (Housing Opportunities Made Equal) as well. Hecht was a Manhattan boy, whose family while not wealthy, was more fortunate than many other American families at the time. He was fifteen years old when Pearl Harbor was attacked, and he was determined to go over and fight the enemy despite his loss of vision in one eye as an infant. While he was initially given a 4-F classification, making him unable to enlist because of a physical handicap, he was later able to serve in a non-combat capacity. Hecht and his wife, Amy, were instrumental in changing the National Park Service's less than stringent safety standards after their nine-year-old son, Andy, tripped on a boardwalk surrounding a thermal pool at Yellowstone Park, and died. Their efforts resulted in a substantial decline in the percentage of tourist deaths in National Parks. They also spearheaded efforts to improve health care in Nepal.
James L. Hecht's non-fiction memoir, Making A Difference: Reflecting on the Past, Thinking of the Future, introduced me to one of the more fascinating people I've had the good fortune to read about. I was so impressed with his early efforts to reverse the segregation in housing and loved reading about how those changes were successfully implemented. Hecht discusses his and Amy's efforts to make the National Parks system a safer place for tourists thoroughly and in language that covers the legal aspects of his discussion without resorting to legalese. Hecht has indeed made a difference in the world, and his visionary ideas continue to make a lot of sense. His memoir is written in an engaging and conversational style that had me feeling as though I were getting to know him a bit more fully with each succeeding anecdote or idea. Making A Difference: Reflecting on the Past, Thinking of the Future is most highly recommended.
