My Grandfather's Son: A Memoir Reviews

• One of the most interesting autobiographies ever

  
  By A3PGIRULVPBJ1 on 2007-10-01
  Even if you do not agree with everything Justice Thomas believes, this book will still keep you reading until the end. I could not put it down. Thomas writes in such a personal and down to earth style that you really feel like you know him as a person. His life story is amazing and the events he details really come to life. I am so glad I got an early copy and read it before the inevitable partisians show up here and lambast it simply because they disagree with the author. I for one can read something that does not echo my thoughts, but sadly others cannot. If you love non-fiction and also multi-layered stories than give this book a try. It really is unforgettable no matter your political party.
  
  

• A much-needed glimpse at the life of Justice Thomas

  
  By A2U6UA38BOK5NO on 2007-10-01
  Not since his confirmation hearing have we heard directly from Justice Thomas about his life, background and formative experiences. This autobiography is a much-needed retrospective and, in many ways, a refutation of those critics who question his intellect and depth.
  
  Justice Thomas takes us from his humble beginnings in the racist Deep South, raised by a tough love grandfather, to his days as a seminarian, to college and law school, and to government service that ultimately led him to the US Supreme Court.
  
  Most important, he provides his account of the Anita Hill fiasco. I think any objective reader will be hard pressed to read this account and not come away with a sense that what happened to Justice Thomas ranks among one of the most low down, dirty things our elected officials have done to any one individual.
  
  Whether or not one agrees with his judicial philosophy, this autobiography is an important book. It reveals a very thoughtful, complex, almost anguished man in such a way that I think both critics and supporters will be surprised. Regardless of one's point of view, Justice Thomas can and should be viewed as an example to people of all colors that economic disadvantage can be overcome.
  
  

• An Excellent Racist

  
  By AC04O7AYHEKJ5 on 2007-10-01
  The one-star review by "bookbuyer" titled "an excellent liar" provides, unintentionally, strong support for Justice Thomas's assertions in his book that racism today is alive and well. Specifically, the book review is smeared with the racist innuendos that "he is the most mediocre person on the court not even smart enough to ask his own questions. But then he doesn't really need to since he knows how he is supposed to vote in return for being on the court." All that was left out is the sly wink that Justice Thomas traded his vote for a bucket of fried chicken and a slice of watermelon. Everyone should read the Justice's book to understand why such slurs must be called for what they are and will no longer be tolerated in civilized society.
  
  

• Excellent and very honest memoir

  
  By A1QFM9CFEUXZK5 on 2007-10-05
  I went out of my way to purchase this book the other day-- I usually buy everything from Amazon but didn't want to wait this time.
  
  I was not disappointed. Thomas' memoir is very good. Born into poverty, he's raised by his grandfather who taught him to take responsibility for himself and his future and to always be honest with himself and others. He succeeds at a time when few black people do despite facing many obstacles. However, with the support his grandfather had given him, he was able to succeed. It is interesting to note that while his grandfather was very moral and strict, he was also not very demonstrative and didn't offer praise freely. He didn't show pride when Thomas was accepted into Harvard or Yale and was disappointed that Thomas did not stay in Georgia to practice law. He missed his grandson's wedding and graduation. However, he still taught Thomas life lessons, and he was a wonderful and strong role model.
  
  I know the negative reviews here are from those who didn't read the book but just like to bring conservative authors' ratings down a notch. It's a nasty tactic, and completely unfair. But, it's typical, unfortunately. And, Clarence Thomas goes into this in his book. These negative voters don't come out with intellectual debate, they begin a smear campaign. It's a shame, but that's been their M.O. for years. Justice Thomas pulls no punches here. He names names, too, which I completely appreciated. I didn't have much respect for Joe Biden before, but I have much less respect for him now. When I was growing up in Ohio, Howard Metzenbaum was well-liked. He sure pulled the wool over everyone's eyes because he's actually not a nice person at all.
  
  Towards the end of the book, Clarence Thomas finally talks about Anita Hill. What I read there was a real eye-opener. And, if you had any questions at all about her behavior you should buy this book. Clarence Thomas is able to substantiate his defense regarding her accusations by naming very many credible witnesses who found Anita's testimony and previous actions in the past unbelievable. Anita had no such credibility and was not able to prove her allegations.
  
  The life lesson Thomas wants to share with all of us is this: We are responsible for ourselves. We are responsible for our futures. We are NOT victims and we can create our own destiny. Martin Luther King's dream included a day when all people would be judged by the content of their character rather than the color of their skin. That's what Justice Thomas has tried to do and that's how he's tried to live. This is a very good book and one I would recommend to people of all ages. This is a timely story-- very motivating and a perfect example of the American Dream.
  
  

• A Chronicle of the American Dream

  
  By A25AMBAAZLNTQT on 2007-10-11
  Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas is normally so quiet--on the bench and about his public life--that he almost has been perceived as reclusive. Finally, thoroughly, and happily, he has spoken (written) with "My Grandfather's Son: A Memoir."
  
  Thomas chronicles his rise from poverty, his upbringing by his grandfather who taught him lessons of personal responsibility, and his up-and-down road to the Supreme Court. All the while Thomas honestly depicts the barriers he faced and the hurdles he had to overcome.
  
  Of course, Thomas also finally speaks about the Anita Hill charges. With candor about the pain and with substantiating evidence about the facts, his side of the story is finally told.
  
  But the greater message of the book is the story of how Thomas moved beyond suffering and prejudice and bias to live the America dream. It is a story filled with hope and dignity. It is a story worth telling and worth reading.
  
  Reviewer: Bob Kellemen, Ph.D., is the author of Beyond the Suffering: Embracing the Legacy of African American Soul Care and Spiritual Direction , Spiritual Friends, and Soul Physicians.
  
  
  
• Best Autobiography This Year
  By A145OC5LG4EE6H on 2007-10-01
  This is by far one of the best autobiographies I have read. For someone at his level in our government, still in office, to be as humble and brutally honest about himself and his life is very surprising yet refreshing. Anyone who rips into this book and claims that they didn't get any value from it is simply basing their opinion on partisanship or they didn't read the book. It is a must read for everyone regardless of your political persuasion. I couldn't nor did I want to put it down.
  
  
• An American life
  By A1CI1H8DSIONKU on 2007-10-03
  This book is the 21st century version of President Grant's celebrated autobiography. Written in a plainspoken, straightforward tone, the book traces Justice Thomas' rise from a hardscrabble childhood in the Jim Crow South to the pinnacle of American public life. Justice Thomas doesn't spare the reader the difficult points in his life, and his message seems to be, "if I could do it, you can too." He comes across as someone who does not shy away from asking tough questions, and will not settle for empty slogans as answers. Regardless of what one thinks of his approach to judging, this is a riveting tale well told, and a hard book to put down -- it offers a window into the soul of a complicated and often misunderstood American. The book isn't just (or primarily) for law junkies; it's a fascinating glimpse into an American life before, during, and after the civil rights revolution of the 1960s, told from a fresh and unusual perspective. Contrary to what some of his critics seem to believe, Justice Thomas did not arrive in this country from outer space; he is very much a product of his place and time. The book ends with his arrival at the Supreme Court, after some electrifying chapters on his confirmation hearings. Presumably his written opinions pick up the tale from there on. This is an important and interesting book, and one I suspect will still be on library shelves (or their cyber-equivalents) a century from now.
  
  
• Road To The Court
  By A2TVJ0YDW3QO63 on 2007-10-02
  'My Grandfather's Son: A Memoir' by Clarence Thomas is a great story that tells the tale of a black man who overcame many odds to reach the pinnacle of his field by becoming of the few minority members and youngest people to ever join the Supreme Court.
  
  From his humble beginnings in the south to switching to the Republican party in the 80s and working for Ronald Reagan to being nominated by the first President Bush, this is a great read for anyone interested in the Supreme Court, overcoming adversity, and the triumphs that a minority can reach.
  
  Obviously one of the biggest pieces of interest of this book revolves around the Anita Hill fiasco during the conformation hearings back in 1991. Whether you believe Thomas or not (he strongly denies said charges), it's still an interesting look at history and a reminder of how nasty and difficult getting to the Supreme Court can be.
  
  Perfect for all history and political buffs, and a nicely written biography from someone that hasn't been in the news too much in the past 15+ years. Key topics are affirmative action, abortion, and the law in general.
  
  ***** RECOMMENDED
  
  
• Growing Up Wise
  By ACMI20780UMMI on 2007-10-01
  
  Honest, humble and unusually transparent: this book does not disappoint! Author Clarence Thomas explains his origins and shares his pathways, not sparing us the mistakes, poor judgment and missteps along the way.
  
  An unusually rare glimpse at Beltway life from someone who seems unusually unaffected. Refreshing! Regardless of your view about whether or not Thomas was Borked in the hearings, you'll find a lot to cheer in this new book.
  
  When you are raised by a caring, intelligent adult you do not start from "nowhere." Instead, you have the kind of head start that can take you to "anywhere" including the Supreme Court of the United States.
  
  Great reading for parents, students, news junkies and social scientists. A big step forward in understanding what motivates this justice.
  
  Dr. David Frisbie
  The Center for Marriage & Family Studies
  Author of Raising Great Kids on Your Own: A Guide and Companion for Every Single Parent
  
  
• Best Writer on Supreme Court
  By AKC6SZU6P0HZV on 2007-10-04
  Lawyers who read Supreme Court opinions know that Clarence Thomas is the most skilled craftsman of written opinions on the Court. His autobiography confirms that his writing ability is not limited to written legal opinions, but extends to popular biography.
  
  This is an inspiring book. What surprised me was how similar Thomas' upbringing was to that of other African-Americans who fall on the liberal side of political questions. If you assumed that Thomas didn't experience what it is like growing up black in a segregated Southern city (Savannah) you'll learn something new here. The story of his plastic St. Jude statue, and the racism that surrounds it, chokes me up even now.
  Also inspiring is his story about his yearbook, and the photo caption inserted there by his classmates.
  
  What occurred to me while reading it is that Thomas had "the black experience" and merely came to a different conclusion on how equality is going to be achieved.
  
  This book is readable, enjoyable, educational, and fun. I highly recommend it.
  
  
  
• My Thoughts Confirmed
  By AN3HDPI6R2NOD on 2007-10-02
  This book validates convictions I've had for years about liberal racism. Democrats today are enslaving blacks in chains of ideology just as surely as they once enslaved them in chains of iron.
  
  
• It Changed My Perception
  By A3CBUUQ04K48D5 on 2007-10-08
  Often we make judgments based upon preconceived views and ideology. I, too, had misconceived notions about Clarence Thomas. I heard that he was a traitor to his race. However, by reading this book, I gained insight into one of the most misunderstood people in our society. As an African American, I can say that his message of self-reliance is very pertinent and needed. The irony of this "so-called traitor"--is that his message of self-reliance is similar to the views held by Malcolm X, Marcus Garvey and Frederick Douglas. This is a must read for all Americans, especially African Americans.
  
  
• A Wonderful Memoir
  By A1CVM427QH52BL on 2007-10-08
  The hero of this book is not Clarence Thomas. It is his grandfather who raised him and his brother from childhood. His mother was an illegitimate child, just as he was himself. The grandfather later married and, when his daughter, Justice Thomas' mother, was struggling to raise three children in the slums of Charleston, he took the boys in and raised them to be fiercely independent men. The grandfather and his wife had a neat and clean, though small, house and later he built a second house on family farm land outside the cty. He kept the boys working on that farm in the summer, much to their anger, to keep them away from other boys who were at risk of serious trouble in the streets of Charleston. Justice Thomas' early life was one of hard work and hard study under the nuns in Catholic school. His grandfather scraped up the school fees to keep his boys out of the evil atmosphere that dragged so many young black men into trouble. For years, Justice Thomas and his grandfather had a tense relationship as neither could express his feelings well and the grandson only realized years later what a debt he owed to this harsh but loving man. The confirmation story, and the alleged "anger" are near the end of the book. The rest is an inspiring story of love and discipline and a life that should impress anyone who reads it with the open mind. The book now goes to my daughter and it should be required reading for the pampered children of the middle class who have had few obstacles in their way thus far in life.
  
  
• Disappointing Screed
  By A13FBTZ8SO8T3D on 2007-10-03
  With nearly a third of the book exacting revenge on Anita Hill, I found this unfortunate tale a missed opportunity to examine where one's sense of the Constitution and the rule of law abides. Thomas's story is an amazing account of his rise from poverty and racism to Yale, the federal judiciary and finally the Supreme Court. The early going of the book is riveting, and clearly his virtually superhuman effort and determination to accomplish unprecedented goals is inspirational.
  However, once Anita Hill arrives on the scene, the focus is all about slamming her. It really is a function that less, well said, would have buried and settled it forever. For any one who remebers the whole sordid mess, it was categorically an insult and a blemish one everyone involved. Lynched? Probably. Still, that indignity would have been more devastatingly excorriated had Thomas not veered this side of stereotypical misogyny.
  Thus there is likely a great story to tell here, but he isn't apparently the best one to tell it. His time on the bench thus far is not covered at all, and there is precious space devoted to his perception of the Constitution and the rule of law, to what cases he adjudicated in the federal system that formed or gave voice to his understanding of the Constituion, to the reasons he believes in conservatism and what challenges that posed him as an African American. The economic pressures he was under even up to his nomination are barely dealt with, and for anyone married under financial pressure, that stuff gets inside your way of thinking and your perception quickly. He has suffered one failed marriage, the Hill debacle and countless challenges. In some cases he seems to have learned something from the dialectic, in others there is only anger. That somehow diminishes the man and the office.
  At the conclusion of the book, there is only the anger, in some cases against a white liberal he can't even remember. Maybe the salacious parts of the story are what interested Harper Collins (i.e. Rupert Murdoch) most. If so, is this just another case of a black man's frustration stoked to the financial gain of a white capitalist? I couldn't presume to comment.
  It is a tragedy though that Thomas does not in this book rise above the Hill story. There is so much more he could have said that this is an opportunity missed. There is something very heroic about Thomas, he just may not be his own best advocate, and that's a principle every law student learns.
  
  
• Compares Liberals to Lynch Mobs
  By A1Y0W8TVN00PN5 on 2007-10-04
  What a disgrace this book is. Thomas is so twisted by the testimony of Anita Hill that he cannot let it go, AND has the audacity to compare the white liberals who opposed his nomination to the lynch mobs of the South.
  
  That is all you need to know to realize that this is a man with an agenda, an agenda that includes resegregating schools, destroying Affirmative Action, which he benefitted from, and giving the president the powers of a dictator. I feel badly for him, but I feel worse for the people his radical conservative beliefs will hurt. He climbed up the ladder and is now kicking it over, so no one can follow him up.
  
  The book and the man are a disgrace.
  
  
• Revisionist Ramblings
  By A15ZRN3IZ9NN6P on 2007-10-04
  I suppose one could argue that it is in the nature of autobiographies, but I'm so tired of the kinds of self-serving revisionist ramblings exemplified by this book. Thomas' tenure on the Supreme Ct. has been sadly unremarkable . . . . His angry efforts to defame Anita Hill and rewrite the history of his unbecoming and unacceptable behavior is just sad, and shows a continuing lack of honesty and character - traits that I'd hope would be reflected in our highest court. Yet, it seems clear the current configuration of justices belies that ideal. I'd think that his grandfather would be rolling in his grave to see how his grandson has squandered an amazing opportunity to positively affect lives and our nation.
  
  
  
  
• Inspiring
  By AC0P366IH8PPO on 2007-10-02
  This book is one of the best I have read in several years. My grandchildren will be required, by me, to read this book. What a testimony to what we also teach in our family. You can be anything you set your mind to be and working hard does have its payoff. Anyone who sees anything else in this book is stretching . . .
  
  
• Wonderful man, wonderful book
  By A2BVX42UGT3K4 on 2007-10-02
  Highly recommended. Great autobiography of a true and honest American. His life story will inspire you. A book every young person should read. The true story of a man who started with very little and by hard work and perseverence, is now one of the wisest and most honorable persons to ever serve on our Supreme Court. History will show him to be one of the greatest Supreme Court Justices to ever serve in this land. You will be glad you bought the book!!!
  
  
• Please read the book
  By A2FVCK56LKZX04 on 2007-10-02
  To the guy who posted Anita Hill's NY Times Op-Ed in whole - do you at least have the shame to read to book? You obviously haven't yet.
  
  Self serving? You preceded that charge with the point that he practically cannot be removed from office. Self serving how?
  
  Anita Hill cannot get professional accomplishment, even with you and the MSM trying to role out the red carpet for her. She managed to leave Oklahoma for a job at Brandeis, but who doubts she'd be a dean somewhere if she wasn't as much an empty suit as she's made herself out to be?
  
  And for the record, Harry Reid... Clarence Thomas is smarter than you will ever be. And has more integrity. Land deals anyone?
  
  
• The Most Decent and Inspiring Man in Washington
  By A2B4CLZ4K4QKC4 on 2007-10-04
  This is a deeply moving account of how a man learned to have extraordinary virtue and insight, only to confront the evil hypocracy of a liberal establishment that hates black people who think for themselves, but survived to serve his country with great distinction. The disdain of liberals for "uppity" blacks is reflected in the negative reviews of this inspiring book about an inspiring man. I will read this book again and again and I will require my children to read it: first, to teach them about the primary importance of character; second, to remind them that character is not the product of material resources; and, finally, to prevent them from committing the error of believing, like some reviewers, that the color of a man's skin, rather than his faith, intellect and experience, should dictate his ideas.
  
  
• Inspriational and motivational
  By ADVLRJS633OTD on 2007-10-03
  While one can argue, with perhaps some justification, that this is a one-sided picture of Thomas, the book is truly inspirational. Regardless of your color or politics, you can gain the motivation to aspire to your highest desires. This book can help you to accomplish that.
  
  Whether he did what Hill accused him of is not the concern of this review nor should it shade the value of the book. He may indeed be guilty of what she said he did. Or, he may not.
  
  But one can still get motivation and inspiration from the words of someone who literally came from nothing to set on the bench of the highest court of the land.
  
  His decision to return to his roots is something most people do as they age. For that reason, I think it was good that he waited until close to his sixth decade of life to write this book.
  
  Highly recommended.
  
  
• Self-made with the Help of his GrandPa
  By AN40GTQV10ILT on 2007-10-01
  Clarence Thomas is an inspiration to every American,or at least he should be in my opinion. However, some Blacks resent his straight talk and his white Wife. He is a thinking Negro's Negro in the style of Bill Cosby! He is not afraid to take his fellow Blacks to task, while most of us Whites are simply too afraid to speak out. Hell, Jesse Jackson would be on our door steps with the idiot Al Sharpton not far behind were many whites to speak plainly. Frankly, I am afraid to speak out and that's is not something I am too proud of!It is easy to call anyone a racist.
  
  We have let affirmative action "spoil" American Blacks; addded welfare and so many more entitlements, that now we face a different crisis.
  
  Some of my best friends are Black...thru & thru...and I respect them for working hard and representing their race so very well. Most have more degrees and more serious education than any of my White friends or relatives.
  
  My advice to young Blacks is the same as to young Whites: Work hard, act responsibly, get all the education you can, and put your personal integrity first in all you do. The Golden Rule will serve all races well!
  
  
  
• An Honest Man's Story of Struggle, A Personal Story Well-Written
  By AAF65UMPW9GEB on 2007-10-09
  This is a story of a man and his journey to the highest court in the land. In the telling of it, he is unabashed about his accomplishments without being self-aggrandizing, and he is honest in his portrayal of those who opposed him along the way. He identifies those in government who act exactly as we know many in government act; his portrayal of senators Biden and Metzenbaum is precisely like the reader knows these multifaceted (read "two faced") politicians are - and it makes delightful reading. He tells his side of the Anita Hill controversy with no punches about his feelings, but most effectively. His side is effective because he uses verifiable evidence supporting his claims (telephone logs of calls made to but mainly from her, the dubious backgrounds of those who support her story, and by pointing out that she claimed backing from reputable employees who served under Thomas who "evaporated" under scrutiny). I have not ever seen these points disputed, far less disproved. Surely, were there something there, these vicious critics of Thomas would not let them go unchallenged!
  This is an autobiography. Thomas does not discuss his SCOTUS activities nor any particular agenda in judicial matters. He seems to studiously avoid such matters. Instead, it is a fascinating story of a man making his way in the world, and working through the particular set of problems that God alloted him. He did well in meeting the challenge.
  
  
• Censorship at Amazon
  By A3HK2N4K5HCABL on 2007-10-14
  Originally I headlined this as: "The Ace Card" (Or is it `Race' Card? Perhaps, only Justice Thomas really knows.) Whatever, it sure looks like this man did a pretty clever job in bashing the very "liberal" programs that assisted him up the ladder in the first place, yet knows when to pull out the Race card whenever it may suit him.
  
  Case in point?
  
  Those dismal hearings of 16 years ago. There he was, waxing eloquent about his credentials and integrity in the face of an accusation from a brilliant black woman in her own right, a woman who was reluctant to appear at those hearings in the first place and when it got too hot in the kitchen, what did our Republican "Individual"-"I'm-a-Man-before-you-label-me-a-Black-Man" do?
  
  He pulls out the RACE CARD--and with all the appropriate language to trigger the White Man's Guilt.
  
  You remember: the bit about a Democratic (?) Lynch Mob and the Democrats on that panel(I am an Independent & am wishing there was a Third Party in this country!) collapsed, caved in and gave the Republican Black man the job.
  
  What bunk!
  
  But here we have this book, (and I read sections at a time in a few afternoon's sittings; substantive it is not) and yes, Thomas does a great job at painting the canvas on his humble, rural origins, I'll hand him that, but the rant on this woman, Anita Hill, to this day, is not only shocking after so many years, but just as angry and vitriolic as if it happened last week. True to what seems to be his real character, Thomas comes off as arrogant, smug, self-righteous and actually, quite distasteful.
  
  I'm sorry, if the man were really innocent his tone would be, if not forgiving, at least, more relaxed, if not, philosophical. But the anger is as fresh as ever, and one can only wonder: the man got the job! He has a lifetime appointment, though, I believe most would agree that he's just not material for it, yet here he is, looking like the cat who ate the proverbial canary.
  
  See for youselves. Give it a read. Even if it serves as the character study you weren't expecting and its author had not intended.
  
  
• Liberals hate blacks who don't need them
  By AM4OZ9E02I240 on 2007-10-02
  His confirmation hearing was a national disgrace. I'm sending a copy to my son in college.
  
  
• It was glued to my hands
  By A1IR1Y715OFYYK on 2007-10-04
  I could not put this book down. History, truth, justice, I read it in one day. Whoooaa what a life.
  
  Timothy Kendrick
  author
  PTSD: Pathways Through the Secret Door
  
  
  
• Remarkable Story to Read of Journey from Pinpoint, GA to U.S. Supreme Court Justice
  By A1OX82JPAQLL60 on 2007-10-10
  I like others totally enjoyed this remarkable read. If taken at face value, the value that the author states for writing it: to provide clear story of his life rather than let others take a shot at it, then this serves the vital function of providing history with such.
  
  How can anyone decisively determine the accuracy of such? Especially the incident with Ms. Hill? Those on both sides will certainly try and argue their side. The invaluable contribution of this memoir is for history, he has stated here clearly and in some detail his side of the story for posterity. Quite honestly, I can find info in this memoir which both sides could utilize to support their case. I choose to for the moment at least take Thomas' side, sensing his honesty and openness to admit and detail his failures and shortcomings rather than hide them. Further, if the confirmation process in question here was as self-serving as he writes about it with its only goal in the self-destruction of this man's reputation for idealogical goals only, than that is truly one of the most despicable moments in our legislative history. I'm sure many American citizens agree that the media circus that such hearings have taken in the past only confirm the suspicions held that this is the case.
  
  Truly touching in this recollection of a most interesting life of some hopes realized is this man's rise from broken family to self-sufficiency. The resolve of grandparents to raise from such a modest sustenance is inspirational and at the same time shameful on the part of white race and what has been done to the people of color.
  
  Further shameful is the other side of racism which Thomas exposes, that of people of color doing in their own who try and think for themselves. Stephen Carter comes to mind here as well, as well as some friends of mine who have stated this same experience and concern in their lives.
  
  Especially appreciative of Thomas' candor in exposing his fall from faith and return during his time of crisis.
  
  I enjoy this read and recommend it highly for our country to read, ponder and discuss. It expresses a very neglected side of our country that needs to gain a wide hearing and fair shake, which I doubt it will from certain corners who do not care about truth anymore.
  
  
• Pathetic Racist Reviewers try to Negate a Successful Black Man!
  By A24MKLXM6QHEUC on 2007-10-02
  This man is smart, successful, educated and knowledgeable. Too bad some of the reviewers on Amazon have enough time away from their bong to leave such negative remarks! He is BLACK , get over it...it is 2007!!!
  
  
• Splendid career, splendid autobiography....
  By A243GGYZ33QB28 on 2007-10-04
  Thomas survived a Liberal high-tech lynching, featuring a vicious attack on his personal life. But he has survived much more, rising from the absolute bottom to become (oh how Liberals hate this) the most powerful Black man in America. This is splendid; well-written; pulls no punches. Five stars because you can't give it six.
  
  
• unvarnished
  By A2Y7E3E65PFRCE on 2007-10-07
  What an amazing book.
  
  It is remarkable that Clarence Thomas gives so much of himself in such an open, honest manner. He reveals his soul to the core.
  
  He does NOT discuss the Supreme Court, but rather ends the tome soon after his confirmation.
  
  Most of the book is about his early life, from childhood through college. He reveals the depth of his soul searching as he found that conventional thoughts were wrong. The pain and isolation when he failed to conform. His anger and frustration. His difficulty in coping. All of the emotion, angst and sorrow are dripping from certain passages as is his admiration for "Daddy", the grandfather who raised him. The only omission is the thought process that made him leave his wife and child.
  
  Only the very end deals with the hearings. His disgust for the accurately described "lynching" is, like the rest of the book, undisguised. Interestingly enough, his anger towards Anita seems to be tempered at most, if not nonexistent. Despite her outrageous lies it is as though he considers her a victim of the Senators that used her.
  
  I have never read a book that is this open, honest and revealing.
  
  Anyone with a shred of humanity will be moved by this unvarnished memoir.
  
  
  

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