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My Grandfather's Son
Provocative, inspiring, and unflinchingly honest, My Grandfather's Son is the story of one of America's most remarkable and controversial leaders, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, told in his own words. Thomas speaks out, revealing the pieces of his life he holds dear, detailing the suffering and injustices he has overcome, including the polarizing Senate hearing involving a former aide, Anita Hill, and the depression and despair it created in his own life and the lives of those closest to him. In this candid and deeply moving memoir, a quintessential American tale of hardship and grit, Clarence Thomas recounts his astonishing journey for the first time.
289 pages, Hardcover
First published December 1, 2007
About the author
Clarence Thomas
30 books86 followersClarence Thomas (J.D., Yale Law School, 1974; A.B. English literature, College of the Holy Cross (Worcester, Massachusetts), 1971) is an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, having served since 1991; since the retirement of Justice Anthony Kennedy, Thomas has been the senior-most Associate Justice on the Court. Justice Thomas is the second African American to serve on the nation's highest court, after Justice Thurgood Marshall, whom he succeeded.
Thomas grew up in Georgia, and graduated from college and law school in New England. In 1974, he was appointed an Assistant Attorney General in Missouri (primarily handling tax matters), and subsequently practiced law there in the private sector. In 1979, he became a legislative assistant to Missouri Senator John Danforth, and in 1981 was appointed as Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Education. The following year, Thomas became Chairman of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, in which position he served for eight years until joining the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit in 1990.
Nominated to the Supreme Court by President George H.W. Bush in 1991, Thomas's confirmation hearings were bitter and intensely fought.
Since joining the Court, Thomas has taken an originalist approach to judging, seeking to uphold what he sees as the original meaning of the Constitution and statutes. Moreover, he has often approached federalism issues in a way that limits the federal government's power and expands power of state and local governments, while his opinions have generally supported a strong executive within the federal government.
Thomas grew up in Georgia, and graduated from college and law school in New England. In 1974, he was appointed an Assistant Attorney General in Missouri (primarily handling tax matters), and subsequently practiced law there in the private sector. In 1979, he became a legislative assistant to Missouri Senator John Danforth, and in 1981 was appointed as Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Education. The following year, Thomas became Chairman of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, in which position he served for eight years until joining the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit in 1990.
Nominated to the Supreme Court by President George H.W. Bush in 1991, Thomas's confirmation hearings were bitter and intensely fought.
Since joining the Court, Thomas has taken an originalist approach to judging, seeking to uphold what he sees as the original meaning of the Constitution and statutes. Moreover, he has often approached federalism issues in a way that limits the federal government's power and expands power of state and local governments, while his opinions have generally supported a strong executive within the federal government.
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January 2, 2008
I really enjoyed this book. If someone had asked me a month ago if I would like to read Thomas' autobiography, I would have looked at them like they were crazy! :)
But, I saw him interviewed recently on EWTN by Raymond Arroyo and I was stunned by how humble and self-effacing this Supreme Court justice was. In 1991, when he was confirmed to the SC, I was newly married and politically naive. I pretty much thought Anita Hill was a poor victim to this brutal man...just what the media wanted me to believe.
The focus of this lovely book is Thomas' love and gratitude towards his grandparents who raised him and ultimately made him the man he is today. I love good anecodotal stories and this one is full of them. Thomas' childhood from his birth, to moving in (at age 6) with his grandparents carrying all his belongings in a paper grocery sack, to attending Yale Law School, all these events are told with an eye to detail and with a brutal honesty. He does talk A LOT about the challenges of his race and how it has affected his life and that of his family. The extra challenges he faced because of the color of his skin were real yet he was raised by his grandfather to accept the challenges and work hard to overcome them, if possible.
Thomas doesn't pussy-foot around with his opinions but always comes across as being as fair and honest as he can in his opinions. You can tell from his writing that he is a devout Catholic Christian--no calumny going on here. But, he does tell you how disappointed he is in some government officials who did not keep their word--he names them--I like that kind of honesty.
Ultimately, I am very grateful to have a man like Clarence Thomas sitting on our country's highest court--Enough said--go read it!
But, I saw him interviewed recently on EWTN by Raymond Arroyo and I was stunned by how humble and self-effacing this Supreme Court justice was. In 1991, when he was confirmed to the SC, I was newly married and politically naive. I pretty much thought Anita Hill was a poor victim to this brutal man...just what the media wanted me to believe.
The focus of this lovely book is Thomas' love and gratitude towards his grandparents who raised him and ultimately made him the man he is today. I love good anecodotal stories and this one is full of them. Thomas' childhood from his birth, to moving in (at age 6) with his grandparents carrying all his belongings in a paper grocery sack, to attending Yale Law School, all these events are told with an eye to detail and with a brutal honesty. He does talk A LOT about the challenges of his race and how it has affected his life and that of his family. The extra challenges he faced because of the color of his skin were real yet he was raised by his grandfather to accept the challenges and work hard to overcome them, if possible.
Thomas doesn't pussy-foot around with his opinions but always comes across as being as fair and honest as he can in his opinions. You can tell from his writing that he is a devout Catholic Christian--no calumny going on here. But, he does tell you how disappointed he is in some government officials who did not keep their word--he names them--I like that kind of honesty.
Ultimately, I am very grateful to have a man like Clarence Thomas sitting on our country's highest court--Enough said--go read it!
July 22, 2011
One of my heroes, a man who had to struggle for what he wanted to achieve. He didn't blame others for whatever mistakes he may have made. He took personal responsibility for them. It was a shame what his enemies put him through, but he's a Supreme Court justice.
December 1, 2020
Listened and reviewed - May 2014? - Justice Thomas reads this book himself. Very sober, deliberate style. It might even be considered a bit boring in the beginning. But gradually and steadily it builds into a gripping tale of perseverance and strong, thoughtful and independent character.
At the end of the 2nd of 9 CDs (12 hours), he is about a 20 or 21 year old junior at Holy Cross College, and he just discovered "Ann Rand." He says he did not accept all the tenets of Rand's philosophy of Objectivism, but it made much sense of the world. It was clear that he got some major benefits from reading her novels Atlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead, particularly the latter, for the importance and advantages of being an individualist. He read Fountainhead at a time when he was just starting to reject the socialist ideas so prevalent on campus and among his few fellow black classmates and protesters. Yes, protesters, he did quite a bit of that and was quite radical.
The portrait of his grandfather and the ideas and habits Thomas learned from this "barely literate man who had only a third grade education," but became a proud, independent businessman, who raised Clarence Thomas and his brother with his loving wife, when Thomas's mother was just not able to do so, is truly inspirational. As the title of the book alludes, this influence of his grandfather is the main theme of the book.
There are many interesting parts to the book for me, and anyone who wants to know more about this, arguably, most libertarian of all the Supreme Court justices now sitting, (review written before Justice Gorsuch was seated) or even of the last 50-70 years or so, might enjoy his descriptions of:
1. How the strain of confirmation hearings and scandalous behavior by the Democrats therein drove him toward a much more religious based life.
2. What was his full history with Anita Hill and how her story did not match many, many independently verifiable facts.
3. How affirmative action at Yale haunted him his whole career and his consequent low opinion of Yale Law School and many of its graduates.
4. Just how poor his birth family was and how he happened to be raised by his grandparents.
5. How conscious he is of (some of) his libertarian beliefs.
6. Major and some more minor incidents and challenges in his life which molded his character and opinions. He experienced some very significant struggles: with personal finances, with his racial and personal identity, with alcohol, with his first marriage, with his rage against injustice, with the lessons his grandfather "daddy" tried to teach him.
But what I missed not hearing in the book was:
1. Any discussion of Supreme Court cases since his confirmation,
2. More details on his judicial philosophy or outlines of his theory of justice,
3. What other economists did he read, or pay attention to besides Thomas Sowell and Walter Williams (since economics is my main thing), who I knew were his friends.
I highly recommend the book for younger people especially, who do not know the story of Thomas and those terrible confirmation hearings (even worse than the Bork hearings, though possibly not quite as horrible as the Kavanaugh hearings). But not just for that, rather for the story of a man determined to live a life of meaning and truth, as best he sees it. The struggle of his life is palpable in this book. The strong, positive lessons he learned over half a lifetime from his grandfather, are precious.
P.S. I actually met and interacted with Clarence Thomas on several occasions. The first was when I read an interview of him by Juan William in a magazine when he was head of the EEOC in the late 80s. I was so impressed with some facts revealed in the story: that he had a Gallatin "Don't Tread on Me" flag behind his office desk and that one of his favorite books was Ayn Rand's The Fountainhead, and took ideas I cherished very seriously, that I wrote him. He responded very quickly by calling me. I was pretty shocked, but I at least had the presence of mind to ask him if he ever came to town, Chicago, would he like to give a speech? He said sure, he actually had a case that would be bringing him to Chicago in a few months. With further discussions it was agreed that he would talk about private education alternatives, a subject very near and dear to his heart, to an audience invited by The Heartland Institute, where I worked as their Development Director. As I remember, he talked totally from no notes and very much captivated the audience. We had a wonderful little dinner afterwards with a few others, including a local friend of his and mine, Lee Walker, of the New Coalition for Economic and Social Change, who later started working with Heartland.
I am writing this PS on 14 April 2016 partly because I just found out about the upcoming HBO show "Confirmation" which, by the write-up I read at "inverse.com", looks to be a highly biased, and probably quite false, attack on Thomas, as are so many from the main stream media.
I hope my review above inspires at least some to consider the facts of the confirmation hearings and Thomas's life, as presented by Thomas himself.
P.P.S. 2020-05-21 Looking forward to watching the new documentary on Thomas "Created Equal" https://www.justicethomasmovie.com/ - Enjoyed it very much. Nice complement to the Autobiography.
At the end of the 2nd of 9 CDs (12 hours), he is about a 20 or 21 year old junior at Holy Cross College, and he just discovered "Ann Rand." He says he did not accept all the tenets of Rand's philosophy of Objectivism, but it made much sense of the world. It was clear that he got some major benefits from reading her novels Atlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead, particularly the latter, for the importance and advantages of being an individualist. He read Fountainhead at a time when he was just starting to reject the socialist ideas so prevalent on campus and among his few fellow black classmates and protesters. Yes, protesters, he did quite a bit of that and was quite radical.
The portrait of his grandfather and the ideas and habits Thomas learned from this "barely literate man who had only a third grade education," but became a proud, independent businessman, who raised Clarence Thomas and his brother with his loving wife, when Thomas's mother was just not able to do so, is truly inspirational. As the title of the book alludes, this influence of his grandfather is the main theme of the book.
There are many interesting parts to the book for me, and anyone who wants to know more about this, arguably, most libertarian of all the Supreme Court justices now sitting, (review written before Justice Gorsuch was seated) or even of the last 50-70 years or so, might enjoy his descriptions of:
1. How the strain of confirmation hearings and scandalous behavior by the Democrats therein drove him toward a much more religious based life.
2. What was his full history with Anita Hill and how her story did not match many, many independently verifiable facts.
3. How affirmative action at Yale haunted him his whole career and his consequent low opinion of Yale Law School and many of its graduates.
4. Just how poor his birth family was and how he happened to be raised by his grandparents.
5. How conscious he is of (some of) his libertarian beliefs.
6. Major and some more minor incidents and challenges in his life which molded his character and opinions. He experienced some very significant struggles: with personal finances, with his racial and personal identity, with alcohol, with his first marriage, with his rage against injustice, with the lessons his grandfather "daddy" tried to teach him.
But what I missed not hearing in the book was:
1. Any discussion of Supreme Court cases since his confirmation,
2. More details on his judicial philosophy or outlines of his theory of justice,
3. What other economists did he read, or pay attention to besides Thomas Sowell and Walter Williams (since economics is my main thing), who I knew were his friends.
I highly recommend the book for younger people especially, who do not know the story of Thomas and those terrible confirmation hearings (even worse than the Bork hearings, though possibly not quite as horrible as the Kavanaugh hearings). But not just for that, rather for the story of a man determined to live a life of meaning and truth, as best he sees it. The struggle of his life is palpable in this book. The strong, positive lessons he learned over half a lifetime from his grandfather, are precious.
P.S. I actually met and interacted with Clarence Thomas on several occasions. The first was when I read an interview of him by Juan William in a magazine when he was head of the EEOC in the late 80s. I was so impressed with some facts revealed in the story: that he had a Gallatin "Don't Tread on Me" flag behind his office desk and that one of his favorite books was Ayn Rand's The Fountainhead, and took ideas I cherished very seriously, that I wrote him. He responded very quickly by calling me. I was pretty shocked, but I at least had the presence of mind to ask him if he ever came to town, Chicago, would he like to give a speech? He said sure, he actually had a case that would be bringing him to Chicago in a few months. With further discussions it was agreed that he would talk about private education alternatives, a subject very near and dear to his heart, to an audience invited by The Heartland Institute, where I worked as their Development Director. As I remember, he talked totally from no notes and very much captivated the audience. We had a wonderful little dinner afterwards with a few others, including a local friend of his and mine, Lee Walker, of the New Coalition for Economic and Social Change, who later started working with Heartland.
I am writing this PS on 14 April 2016 partly because I just found out about the upcoming HBO show "Confirmation" which, by the write-up I read at "inverse.com", looks to be a highly biased, and probably quite false, attack on Thomas, as are so many from the main stream media.
I hope my review above inspires at least some to consider the facts of the confirmation hearings and Thomas's life, as presented by Thomas himself.
P.P.S. 2020-05-21 Looking forward to watching the new documentary on Thomas "Created Equal" https://www.justicethomasmovie.com/ - Enjoyed it very much. Nice complement to the Autobiography.
September 12, 2021
Happy Grandparents' Day! (Sheer coincidence that I finished My Grandfather's Son on Grandparents' Day but a pretty dang good one.)
I wish I had read this book before going to law school. I've certainly benefited from reading it now. But I think it would have given me much needed insight about the nature of the law before I jumped into it. I didn't know any attorneys. I felt perpetually behind the curve. And while I quickly came to appreciate that everyone felt that way to some degree, it always felt like an uphill climb.
It therefore really echoed with me when Justice Thomas talks about getting into Yale Law School and his relatives responded with: "That's nice, when are you going to be done with school?"*
Justice Thomas thrived despite starting from nothing and having a family who did not understand his direction in life. In fact, he thrived despite not necessarily having a direction himself. He simply was faithful with what came his way and because of that, made it to the Supreme Court. And when he did get there, his response was: "Whoop-dee damn-do." (Someone put that on my gravestone.)
The tone throughout this memoir is one of gratitude to his grandparents and disgust for the political powerplays that attempted to ruin his life simply because he disagreed with their ideologies.
Justice Thomas is known for being thick-skinned. He doesn't give interviews. He rarely asks questions from the bench. He doesn't court popularity. And in this memoir, we get a glimpse of what it took to get him to that point. He went through a crucible and came out stronger for it.
This is not an easy or fast read. In fact, it took me over a month to get through it and that was after owning it for over a year. I blame the lengthy chapters. But it is worth pushing through and reading this one to the end.
I would also add I enjoyed reading it alongside Maverick: A Biography of Thomas Sowell and Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story. While the three men ended up in different spheres in basically three different generations, their stories hold some powerful parallels.
*In fairness to my family, this was not their response when I got into law school.
I wish I had read this book before going to law school. I've certainly benefited from reading it now. But I think it would have given me much needed insight about the nature of the law before I jumped into it. I didn't know any attorneys. I felt perpetually behind the curve. And while I quickly came to appreciate that everyone felt that way to some degree, it always felt like an uphill climb.
It therefore really echoed with me when Justice Thomas talks about getting into Yale Law School and his relatives responded with: "That's nice, when are you going to be done with school?"*
Justice Thomas thrived despite starting from nothing and having a family who did not understand his direction in life. In fact, he thrived despite not necessarily having a direction himself. He simply was faithful with what came his way and because of that, made it to the Supreme Court. And when he did get there, his response was: "Whoop-dee damn-do." (Someone put that on my gravestone.)
The tone throughout this memoir is one of gratitude to his grandparents and disgust for the political powerplays that attempted to ruin his life simply because he disagreed with their ideologies.
Justice Thomas is known for being thick-skinned. He doesn't give interviews. He rarely asks questions from the bench. He doesn't court popularity. And in this memoir, we get a glimpse of what it took to get him to that point. He went through a crucible and came out stronger for it.
This is not an easy or fast read. In fact, it took me over a month to get through it and that was after owning it for over a year. I blame the lengthy chapters. But it is worth pushing through and reading this one to the end.
I would also add I enjoyed reading it alongside Maverick: A Biography of Thomas Sowell and Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story. While the three men ended up in different spheres in basically three different generations, their stories hold some powerful parallels.
*In fairness to my family, this was not their response when I got into law school.
January 15, 2008
I must say that this book is as pivotal, revolutionary and impacting as the The Auto-Biography of Malcom-X, a book I read in college at Grambling State University over 15 years ago. Malcom X’s story had a tremendous impact on my life.
I am proud to say that this book is a must read for anyone who says that they are concerned with the plight of Black folks in America. ......Clarence Thomas epitomizes The Courage TO Be as Paul TIllich profoundly purports in his book of the same title. As I read the story of Clarence Thomas, I came to some resolution of the pain, insecurity and angry as a young Blackman in America and become inspired and motivated knowing that this brother.... Again, I say proudly----this BROTHER--has had the same thoughts, fears, concerns anger and hopes about his lot in this country. Clarence took the Bull by the Horns and rode him, received the cards that were dealt and played them, and walked the stony road barefooted and didn't say a mumbling word. He didn't say a mumbling word because he was built for it by a Grandfather who was Strong, Proud, Revered, Independent, Pro-Black, VERY BLACK(literally-an injustice that we still don't address today) and Unapologetically and Confrontationally American!
I challenge anyone who questions the notion of How Black He Is by examing their own personal lives compared to his contrasting the level of discipline that his grandfather fostered for the hopes of him realizing that America did not owe him anything.....better yet...American belongs to him! I felt quite stupid as I reminisced on my own bandwagon attitude as shouted the immature comments of Uncle Tom, Handkerchief Head, Boot licking, and Butt kissing NEGRO which was the common ridiculous lamentations by many of my radical and liberal Black Revolutionary friends of the past 15 years.....
Friends that are not taking care of their children, smoking weed, selling drugs, and broke from not fostering any since of economic security for themselves. I must say that Justice Thomas "fans the smoke" and "breaks the mirrors" of those in the so-called Leaders in the Black Community who says they are for the people.
I wonder if any of these Self-Anointed Saviors for a community whom they depend on for their relevance can take the level of criticism that Brother Thomas has received for the past 10 plus years...."Every day I'm Hustling" is the mantra of the so-called Black Community today!!!!!This books is prophetic critique and examinination of those who are Hustling Our Communities......Not by throwing slurs that rhyme...but by the hard work, discipline, and academic rigor that our ancestors fostered for us to be the as the standard in a country who looks at us a mediocre and disinherited.
Go Ahead Kick-Azz Tom!
November 27, 2021
This is a must read for any person who reads Thomas' SCOTUS opinions and think "WTF IS HE THINKING"? A very important back story on Justice Thomas' difficult and and poverty-stricken personal history. Raised by his grandfather to believe that personal responsibility is the ONLY way to succeed in your life, he is a true believer of the "pull-yourself-up-by-the-bootstraps" philosophy.
His opinion in Grutter v. Bollinger (the University of Michigan/affirmative action cases) makes much more sense in light of this upbringing. Thomas spent years studying Catholism in seminary and got accepted to Harvard Law (declined to accept admission) and Yale Law school. He states he still keeps his diploma from Yale in a box in his basement because it became very apparent that a law degree from Yale meant one thing for a white person, and another thing for a black person. (He placed a 25 cent sticker on it reflecting what he thought his degree was worth.) He opposes welfare because he saw first hand what reliance upon an "entitlement" system did to his own sister. (Is it easier to risk everything on only the possibility of success or the assured collection of a steady check?)
He spent over a decade at the EEOC turning the agency around and was a huge advocate for the disabled. He wants an EQUAL playing ground for everyone, not an imbalanced and preferential treatment for segments of society because it is impossible to live down the true or untrue thoughts that "Oh, he got ___ because he's black."
He also writes that there's nothing more dangerous than a liberal white person who takes a paternalistic approach to the "poor minority who doesn't really know what's right for themselves." He says he was seriously wronged in the Anita Hill fiasco and repeatedly in college and in his professional career. I can't count how many times I've seen editorial cartoons or op-eds that claim that Thomas is a traitor to his race since "he used affirmative action" to get accepted to Yale and "quotas" to get a seat on the highest court. How exactly can Thomas live that down or prove that thinking wrong?
I still am left in the dark about his dissents in the habeas corpus cases where he thinks the executive can incarcerate anyone (even US citizens). For someone who is so vocal about being oppressed by well-intentioned governmental policies, one would think Thomas would see the danger in denying habeas.
But the book clears up his dissents in 1. Gonzales v. Raich where he wanted to allow CA to proceed with the legalization of medicinal marijuana and his concurrence in 2. US v. Lopez where he said the federal government did not have authority to outlaw guns near schools and 3. US v. Morrison where he said that Congress does not have authority to pass the Violence Against Women Act. (All his opinions were based on the old-school interpretation of the Commerce Clause.)
While I still do not agree with many of Thomas' political opinions, I have gained a greater respect for the man and a greater understanding of his beliefs.
His opinion in Grutter v. Bollinger (the University of Michigan/affirmative action cases) makes much more sense in light of this upbringing. Thomas spent years studying Catholism in seminary and got accepted to Harvard Law (declined to accept admission) and Yale Law school. He states he still keeps his diploma from Yale in a box in his basement because it became very apparent that a law degree from Yale meant one thing for a white person, and another thing for a black person. (He placed a 25 cent sticker on it reflecting what he thought his degree was worth.) He opposes welfare because he saw first hand what reliance upon an "entitlement" system did to his own sister. (Is it easier to risk everything on only the possibility of success or the assured collection of a steady check?)
He spent over a decade at the EEOC turning the agency around and was a huge advocate for the disabled. He wants an EQUAL playing ground for everyone, not an imbalanced and preferential treatment for segments of society because it is impossible to live down the true or untrue thoughts that "Oh, he got ___ because he's black."
He also writes that there's nothing more dangerous than a liberal white person who takes a paternalistic approach to the "poor minority who doesn't really know what's right for themselves." He says he was seriously wronged in the Anita Hill fiasco and repeatedly in college and in his professional career. I can't count how many times I've seen editorial cartoons or op-eds that claim that Thomas is a traitor to his race since "he used affirmative action" to get accepted to Yale and "quotas" to get a seat on the highest court. How exactly can Thomas live that down or prove that thinking wrong?
I still am left in the dark about his dissents in the habeas corpus cases where he thinks the executive can incarcerate anyone (even US citizens). For someone who is so vocal about being oppressed by well-intentioned governmental policies, one would think Thomas would see the danger in denying habeas.
But the book clears up his dissents in 1. Gonzales v. Raich where he wanted to allow CA to proceed with the legalization of medicinal marijuana and his concurrence in 2. US v. Lopez where he said the federal government did not have authority to outlaw guns near schools and 3. US v. Morrison where he said that Congress does not have authority to pass the Violence Against Women Act. (All his opinions were based on the old-school interpretation of the Commerce Clause.)
While I still do not agree with many of Thomas' political opinions, I have gained a greater respect for the man and a greater understanding of his beliefs.
October 28, 2022
This is an American Hero.
It is absolutely amazing how the left tried to ruin this good man because of his judicial philosophy. (He had never ruled on a abortion case before his nomination)
Amazing upbringing in poor rural south by his grandparents. Hard work, strict discipline, frugality and integrity. A life spent as the perfect example for every human being , not just black, not just men, but for every human being.
The Left’s smear machine Democrat senators (including a very dishonest Joe Biden) , the liberal media, hyper-leftist activist groups that just absolutely trashed him, assumed everything Anita Hill said was real, everything from him was suspect. Despicable.
The Left’s playbook was written on Bourke, doubled down on Thomas, and tripled on Kavanauh … absolutely despicable how these men were damaged by unsubstantiated and uncorroborated (false) allegations.
It is absolutely amazing how the left tried to ruin this good man because of his judicial philosophy. (He had never ruled on a abortion case before his nomination)
Amazing upbringing in poor rural south by his grandparents. Hard work, strict discipline, frugality and integrity. A life spent as the perfect example for every human being , not just black, not just men, but for every human being.
The Left’s smear machine Democrat senators (including a very dishonest Joe Biden) , the liberal media, hyper-leftist activist groups that just absolutely trashed him, assumed everything Anita Hill said was real, everything from him was suspect. Despicable.
The Left’s playbook was written on Bourke, doubled down on Thomas, and tripled on Kavanauh … absolutely despicable how these men were damaged by unsubstantiated and uncorroborated (false) allegations.
June 24, 2016
2.5 stars. First, the good. The opening 50 pages or so are spectacular. Justice Thomas grew up in rural poverty in tiny Pinpoint, GA. The details are fascinating, especially about how his family coped with living in a segregated society. His tales about his grandparents and their discipline (especially from his grandfather) are told so lovingly and with such heart. It's clear that Justice Thomas believes that he owes so much of his life and success to the lessons he learned from his grandfather.
But the rest...oof. I came out feeling overwhelmingly that this is not a human being who has a judicial temperament. Like, at all. At one point he said he was surprised that his temper became an issue during his judicial hearings, because he ever yelled at anyone at work. Respectfully, I think there's a bit more to a judicial temperament than just not screaming at people.
I was annoyed at his inconsistencies and rants. He had this strong view that his Yale degree was worthless because people viewed him as an affirmative action admittee. Yet he voluntarily noted his race on his application (and when he later met a black student who HADN'T, said he wished he'd done the same). Maybe some of the people hiring after Yale just didn't like his personality, ya know? He also proudly noted that he never went on welfare when poorly paid in the government, but he signed up for a law school loan repayment co-op, so other people would pay part of his loans. How is that better than going on welfare? It's a little self-serving to view yourself as better than people who get public benefits when other people are still paying part of your debts.
I also didn't believe his story of the Anita Hill situation for a second, even reading his account. She had 3 corroborating witnesses and his denials came off as self-serving and untrue to me. Definitely need to watch Confirmation next.
Overall, glad I read it, but ended feeling not reassured that Justice Thomas is on the Supreme Court. :(
But the rest...oof. I came out feeling overwhelmingly that this is not a human being who has a judicial temperament. Like, at all. At one point he said he was surprised that his temper became an issue during his judicial hearings, because he ever yelled at anyone at work. Respectfully, I think there's a bit more to a judicial temperament than just not screaming at people.
I was annoyed at his inconsistencies and rants. He had this strong view that his Yale degree was worthless because people viewed him as an affirmative action admittee. Yet he voluntarily noted his race on his application (and when he later met a black student who HADN'T, said he wished he'd done the same). Maybe some of the people hiring after Yale just didn't like his personality, ya know? He also proudly noted that he never went on welfare when poorly paid in the government, but he signed up for a law school loan repayment co-op, so other people would pay part of his loans. How is that better than going on welfare? It's a little self-serving to view yourself as better than people who get public benefits when other people are still paying part of your debts.
I also didn't believe his story of the Anita Hill situation for a second, even reading his account. She had 3 corroborating witnesses and his denials came off as self-serving and untrue to me. Definitely need to watch Confirmation next.
Overall, glad I read it, but ended feeling not reassured that Justice Thomas is on the Supreme Court. :(
January 18, 2016
Clarence Thomas is a man who has succeeded because of his intellect, astonishing work ethic, persistence, drive, and faith. In his memoir, "My Grandfather's Son", he details the life that these qualities created. The fact that he seems to not be bitter is testament to his personal faith and integrity. I picked up the book knowing very little about Thomas' life before the infamous confirmation hearings. Everything that happened before than is vastly more interesting. The section on his youth and upbringing by his grandparents made me cringe at times, simply because his grandfather seemed so driven to push his "sons". However, what is truly remarkable is how Thomas looks back at this strict upbringing and does not whine about how his grandparents raised him, or on the things he missed out. Rather he looks back and realizes the positives, accepts the negatives, and acknowledges the fact that all of these things helped make him the person he is. This memoir is not flashy diary revelations, and narcissistic prose, but rather an honest and heartfelt look back on the highs and lows of an interesting (and historic) life.
Many of the detractors of this memoir attack it because of Thomas' personal views. That speaks poorly of them. In the often dry world of autobiography, this text reads quickly, and easily. Thomas does not try to vaunt his considerable intelligence by writing over his audience's heads, nor does he wash over his own failings. Honesty and readability in a memoir. It is refreshing and interesting.
Read this text to learn about an important American life. Check the politics at the door.
Many of the detractors of this memoir attack it because of Thomas' personal views. That speaks poorly of them. In the often dry world of autobiography, this text reads quickly, and easily. Thomas does not try to vaunt his considerable intelligence by writing over his audience's heads, nor does he wash over his own failings. Honesty and readability in a memoir. It is refreshing and interesting.
Read this text to learn about an important American life. Check the politics at the door.
February 8, 2023
I read this for my upcoming book club. I'd probably give this 3-1/2 stars but will bump it to 4 because I really came away feeling as if Clarence Thomas was painstakingly giving us the truth. I was also fascinated by how normal his life was growing up black in the South. That is using "normal" in the way that meant he saw poverty, prejudice, and unfairness which led to him becoming an angry young black man. A sad "normal," in other words. However, that also made his application of logic to the status quo, on many levels, all the more impressive. The book in itself is also rather normal in that it is written the way I think a lot of autobiographies would be if we wrote them — straight forward and with little details that come to mind and make the story feel real.
February 8, 2008
Justice Thomas's book, "My Grandfather's Son", was to me an enthralling and incredibly introspective story on how one of the most enigmatic public figures in our nation's recent history got to where he is today.
For a long time, Clarence Thomas has been a mystery to me (and I am sure to many others as well). In "My Grandfather's Son" though, Justice Thomas opens the shutters to his life (his words, not mine) and bares his soul. He talks openly about what it was like to be abandoned by his father and raised by his "Daddy" (his maternal grandfather). It was illuminating to read Thomas's feelings about his grandfather as he contemplated and compared his strict almost loathsome upbringing juxtaposed agianst his grandfather's affection for Thomas's own son, Jamal.
Thomas talks about his collegiate radicalism and the anger and rage that fueled his politics. Most impressively though, Thomas dicusses in detail the evolution of his ideology. He states that he had been "sneering at the simplemindedness of his [grandfather's] philosophy of self-reliance, but now it was making sense to [him] again." He also asked, "If I was truly serious about helping other people, I'd have started by helping myself, and the first thing I had to do was chain the beast of rage and resentment that threatened to wreck my acedemic career and my life. Of course I had every reason to be outraged by the experience of blacks in America, but I had no right to confuse their collective sufferings with my own personal experiences."
Maybe that is why I enjoyed reading about Justice Thomas's life ... I realized just how much of an individual he truly is. He talked about reading "Atlas Shrugged" and "The Fountainhead" and how Ayn Rand's philosophy of Objectivism (radical individualism) seared him to his core. He realized how hollow the leftist's "Do-Your-Own-Thing" mantra truly was, labeling it superficial and strictly limited. Thomas himself stated, "Merely because I was black, it seemed, I was supposed to listen to Hugh Maskela instead of Carole King, just as I was expected to be a radical, not a conservative. I no longer cared to play that game ... The black people I knew came from different places and backgrounds - social, economic, even ethnic - yet the color of our skin was somehow supposed to make us identical in spite of our differences. I didn't buy it. Of course we had all experienced racism in one way or another, but that did not mean we had to think alike."
Thomas's consevrativism does not make him an "Uncle Tom". In fact, his conservativism is an informed and thoughtful reaction to the true problems facing the African-American community. As far as I am concerned, the black community ought to revere Justice Thomas as a hero as well as other African-American individualists such as Thomas Sowell, Jay Parker, and even Juan Williams and Bill Cosby.
Some have viewed Justice Thomas's book as a personification of his bitterness. However, I believe it is much more complicated than that. It is clear from the last couple chapters that what Anita Hill did was despicable. But even more contemptible are those who put her up to it, the lefist special interest groups and women's groups. Simply put, the Anita Hill allegation was about abortion rather than sexual harassment. It is clear to me now that Thomas's assessment of Hill is undoubtedly true ... she was/is an ambituous woman marked by immaturity. Thomas states in his book that Ms. Hill touted her Yale Law degree as reason enough to qualify her for a promotion. This is noteworthy because in an October 2, 2007 editorial in the NYT written by Anita Hill she again refutes Thomas's claim that she was a below-average employee by balllyhooing again that she "had gone to Yale Law School" - as if that alone makes someone a qualified employee.
Bravo to Justice Thomas!!! He is an American Treasure. If I am ever in a Wal-mart parking lot late one night and I see a larger custom-built RV in the back corner of the lot, I may just knock on the door and shake his hand and tell him thank you to his face.
For a long time, Clarence Thomas has been a mystery to me (and I am sure to many others as well). In "My Grandfather's Son" though, Justice Thomas opens the shutters to his life (his words, not mine) and bares his soul. He talks openly about what it was like to be abandoned by his father and raised by his "Daddy" (his maternal grandfather). It was illuminating to read Thomas's feelings about his grandfather as he contemplated and compared his strict almost loathsome upbringing juxtaposed agianst his grandfather's affection for Thomas's own son, Jamal.
Thomas talks about his collegiate radicalism and the anger and rage that fueled his politics. Most impressively though, Thomas dicusses in detail the evolution of his ideology. He states that he had been "sneering at the simplemindedness of his [grandfather's] philosophy of self-reliance, but now it was making sense to [him] again." He also asked, "If I was truly serious about helping other people, I'd have started by helping myself, and the first thing I had to do was chain the beast of rage and resentment that threatened to wreck my acedemic career and my life. Of course I had every reason to be outraged by the experience of blacks in America, but I had no right to confuse their collective sufferings with my own personal experiences."
Maybe that is why I enjoyed reading about Justice Thomas's life ... I realized just how much of an individual he truly is. He talked about reading "Atlas Shrugged" and "The Fountainhead" and how Ayn Rand's philosophy of Objectivism (radical individualism) seared him to his core. He realized how hollow the leftist's "Do-Your-Own-Thing" mantra truly was, labeling it superficial and strictly limited. Thomas himself stated, "Merely because I was black, it seemed, I was supposed to listen to Hugh Maskela instead of Carole King, just as I was expected to be a radical, not a conservative. I no longer cared to play that game ... The black people I knew came from different places and backgrounds - social, economic, even ethnic - yet the color of our skin was somehow supposed to make us identical in spite of our differences. I didn't buy it. Of course we had all experienced racism in one way or another, but that did not mean we had to think alike."
Thomas's consevrativism does not make him an "Uncle Tom". In fact, his conservativism is an informed and thoughtful reaction to the true problems facing the African-American community. As far as I am concerned, the black community ought to revere Justice Thomas as a hero as well as other African-American individualists such as Thomas Sowell, Jay Parker, and even Juan Williams and Bill Cosby.
Some have viewed Justice Thomas's book as a personification of his bitterness. However, I believe it is much more complicated than that. It is clear from the last couple chapters that what Anita Hill did was despicable. But even more contemptible are those who put her up to it, the lefist special interest groups and women's groups. Simply put, the Anita Hill allegation was about abortion rather than sexual harassment. It is clear to me now that Thomas's assessment of Hill is undoubtedly true ... she was/is an ambituous woman marked by immaturity. Thomas states in his book that Ms. Hill touted her Yale Law degree as reason enough to qualify her for a promotion. This is noteworthy because in an October 2, 2007 editorial in the NYT written by Anita Hill she again refutes Thomas's claim that she was a below-average employee by balllyhooing again that she "had gone to Yale Law School" - as if that alone makes someone a qualified employee.
Bravo to Justice Thomas!!! He is an American Treasure. If I am ever in a Wal-mart parking lot late one night and I see a larger custom-built RV in the back corner of the lot, I may just knock on the door and shake his hand and tell him thank you to his face.
September 7, 2022
Every American should read My Grandfather’s Son by Clarence Thomas. I guess, given his profession involves clear writing, I should not have been surprised by the order, poignancy and even poetry of Justice Thomas’ prose in sharing his life story.
“I am not sure if Justice Clarence Thomas or even his most admiring reviewer quite grasps yet what the justice has produced in his new autobiography My Grandfather’s Son. Ask serious readers and writers who care about the issue of race in America since emancipation, and most will agree that certain books have to be read: Richard Wright’s Native Son, Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man, The Autobiography of Malcolm X, and Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird among them … No matter what you think you know about Clarence Thomas, you don’t know the half or tenth of it unless and until you have read this book.” – Hugh Hewitt in Townhall, October 11, 2007
As a reader, part of what I loved about Clarence Thomas’ narration of his life’s story is the inclusion of each of the titles Mr. Hewitt mentions and how they interacted with his thinking to shape his experiences. Having been but a young branch when Justice Thomas was confirmed during Bush the elder’s administration in 1991, I had heard a lot about Clarence Thomas, but I didn’t know much of him. This was an opportunity to hear from him in his own words. Even in the early chapters, I was struck by the humble tone of his writing. He is clear about the hardships of his life, his successes, his failures, and his role as one Black American trying to make good. Along the way, he honors many from his family and acquaintance who helped him. Some of those helpers, most noticeably God Himself, loved Clarence Thomas enough to serve him even when he was angry, resistant, and confused.
Clarence Thomas had a hard start in life. Abandoned by a father who loved his mother enough to make babies with her, but never enough to live with any of them, he was the fifth of six children. After being pushed away from his hometown of PinPoint, Georgia, by a tragic house fire, Thomas eventually found some stability with his grandparents, Myers & Christiane Anderson of Savannah, in whose home he grew up with his younger brother, Myles. Thomas gives an honest, but not bitter, account of racism in the south and his struggles as a groundbreaking young black man. His contrast of the poverty of PinPoint with the poverty of urban Savannah was noteably insightful – a perspective not easily seen or appreciated by someone (like me) who hasn’t lived his experiences.
Clarence Thomas’ struggles through his education and early career are dutifully accounted, as well as his continued personal trials, which centered around finances and marriage. Thomas left his wife and son; he was later divorced. Yet he praises his ex-wife as he articulates his failures. I’ve never read an account of a marriage that is so honoring to the former spouse, the mother (and grandparents), of the son they had together. Eventually, his son comes to live with him and their relationship is restored, even as Thomas remarries. Throughout the entire account, the text is awash in humility. When accounting his deepest valleys, Thomas is wise and straightforwardly simple. As a reader, I don’t *want* to violate the subject’s privacy (or that of their family) in reading of their experience, and Thomas maintains a dignity throughout telling his story that is both fitting and admirable.
The last chapters of the book cover Thomas’ life in Washington DC. His over decade of work at the Department of Education and Equal Employment Opportunity Commission are interlaced with wrestling over his political convictions, leading him to change from Democrat to Republican. I was somewhat disappointed that there are only tidbits on the development of Thomas’ jurisprudence, but I suppose two things respond from the text: 1) The purpose of the memoir was to tell his story, not get bogged down in his intellectual development, and 2) Thomas wasn’t aiming to be a judge. He was a hardworking American who was selected for a judicial appointment, which he worked for just over a year before being appointed to the Supreme Court of the nation.
As awful as things become for Thomas in his confirmation hearings, the Washington DC he describes is markedly different from today. Not all government employees are from one party (even though he is in Washington during the Reagan and Bush years) yet they can work efficiently together (sometimes a Democrat and a Republican are married!), people don’t necessarily know the political leanings or voting patterns of others, and most Blacks identify as Democrat. In the politically polarized 2020s, all these facts taken for granted in the 1980s have been overturned. What hasn’t changed are the dirty tricks of Washington politics targeting conservatives (see the Bork nomination prior to Thomas and the Kavanaugh nomination after), the deceitfulness of those interested in wielding political power for their own advantage, the darkness that seeks to tear apart the American system, or the equivocation of then Senator now President Joseph R. Biden. After reading My Grandfather’s Son, Thomas’ graciousness withstanding, I have a better understanding of older folks' expressed incredulity when Biden was proposed as a serious, unifying candidate for President.
Justice Clarence Thomas is an American hero. He has lived an honorable life, not just through it’s first forty years which are covered in My Grandfather’s Son, but in the days, weeks, and years since his 1991 appointment as well. He has not grasped for influence, but through long and difficult work has experienced influence swing to him. He has given of his prodigious intellect, energetic health, and diligent career to serve our national interests.
Since the publication of My Grandfather’s Son in 2007, Created Equal: Justice Thomas in His Own Words, was released first as a documentary film of roughly two hours in 2021, and then as a 300-ish page book in 2022. I was confused by this title of the new work, as My Grandfather’s Son *is* as far as I can tell, Clarence Thomas’ own words. Additionally, when searching for Created Equal Biography on Amazon, I expected to come up with books, documentaries, etc on the Founders and the Declaration of Independence. Instead, my search revealed a biography of Clarence Thomas (Created Equal: Justice Thomas in His Own Words), a book by Dr. Ben Carson (Created Equal: The Painful Past, Confusing Present, and Hopeful Future of Race in America), as well as a children’s book, Created Equal: The Lives and Ideas of Black American Innovators. These themes resonate with Dr. Martin Luther King, who “had a dream” that Americans would be judged on the content of their character instead of the color of their skin. Thomas, Carson and other Black Conservatives don’t want to overthrow America. They want lawfulness, equal opportunity, orderly excellent service in government, and the extension of the American dream to all Americans. They want us to live out our founding principles by embracing our God-given rights and participating in a government by the people and for the people – principles embodied by Lincoln in his marvelous Gettysburg Address. Yet Black Conservatives are opposed by a vicious contingent that wants to tear down America and transform her to an all-together different, inferior, proven to fail, form. May the Thomas’, the Carson’s and Black Innovators live long and prosper in America, that the overflow of their lives will enrich the entire country. God Bless America
The excellent documentary, Created Equal: Justice Thomas in His Own Words, brought this book to my attention. Here's the link to the DVD:
https://www.justicethomasmovie.com/
“I am not sure if Justice Clarence Thomas or even his most admiring reviewer quite grasps yet what the justice has produced in his new autobiography My Grandfather’s Son. Ask serious readers and writers who care about the issue of race in America since emancipation, and most will agree that certain books have to be read: Richard Wright’s Native Son, Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man, The Autobiography of Malcolm X, and Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird among them … No matter what you think you know about Clarence Thomas, you don’t know the half or tenth of it unless and until you have read this book.” – Hugh Hewitt in Townhall, October 11, 2007
As a reader, part of what I loved about Clarence Thomas’ narration of his life’s story is the inclusion of each of the titles Mr. Hewitt mentions and how they interacted with his thinking to shape his experiences. Having been but a young branch when Justice Thomas was confirmed during Bush the elder’s administration in 1991, I had heard a lot about Clarence Thomas, but I didn’t know much of him. This was an opportunity to hear from him in his own words. Even in the early chapters, I was struck by the humble tone of his writing. He is clear about the hardships of his life, his successes, his failures, and his role as one Black American trying to make good. Along the way, he honors many from his family and acquaintance who helped him. Some of those helpers, most noticeably God Himself, loved Clarence Thomas enough to serve him even when he was angry, resistant, and confused.
Clarence Thomas had a hard start in life. Abandoned by a father who loved his mother enough to make babies with her, but never enough to live with any of them, he was the fifth of six children. After being pushed away from his hometown of PinPoint, Georgia, by a tragic house fire, Thomas eventually found some stability with his grandparents, Myers & Christiane Anderson of Savannah, in whose home he grew up with his younger brother, Myles. Thomas gives an honest, but not bitter, account of racism in the south and his struggles as a groundbreaking young black man. His contrast of the poverty of PinPoint with the poverty of urban Savannah was noteably insightful – a perspective not easily seen or appreciated by someone (like me) who hasn’t lived his experiences.
Clarence Thomas’ struggles through his education and early career are dutifully accounted, as well as his continued personal trials, which centered around finances and marriage. Thomas left his wife and son; he was later divorced. Yet he praises his ex-wife as he articulates his failures. I’ve never read an account of a marriage that is so honoring to the former spouse, the mother (and grandparents), of the son they had together. Eventually, his son comes to live with him and their relationship is restored, even as Thomas remarries. Throughout the entire account, the text is awash in humility. When accounting his deepest valleys, Thomas is wise and straightforwardly simple. As a reader, I don’t *want* to violate the subject’s privacy (or that of their family) in reading of their experience, and Thomas maintains a dignity throughout telling his story that is both fitting and admirable.
The last chapters of the book cover Thomas’ life in Washington DC. His over decade of work at the Department of Education and Equal Employment Opportunity Commission are interlaced with wrestling over his political convictions, leading him to change from Democrat to Republican. I was somewhat disappointed that there are only tidbits on the development of Thomas’ jurisprudence, but I suppose two things respond from the text: 1) The purpose of the memoir was to tell his story, not get bogged down in his intellectual development, and 2) Thomas wasn’t aiming to be a judge. He was a hardworking American who was selected for a judicial appointment, which he worked for just over a year before being appointed to the Supreme Court of the nation.
As awful as things become for Thomas in his confirmation hearings, the Washington DC he describes is markedly different from today. Not all government employees are from one party (even though he is in Washington during the Reagan and Bush years) yet they can work efficiently together (sometimes a Democrat and a Republican are married!), people don’t necessarily know the political leanings or voting patterns of others, and most Blacks identify as Democrat. In the politically polarized 2020s, all these facts taken for granted in the 1980s have been overturned. What hasn’t changed are the dirty tricks of Washington politics targeting conservatives (see the Bork nomination prior to Thomas and the Kavanaugh nomination after), the deceitfulness of those interested in wielding political power for their own advantage, the darkness that seeks to tear apart the American system, or the equivocation of then Senator now President Joseph R. Biden. After reading My Grandfather’s Son, Thomas’ graciousness withstanding, I have a better understanding of older folks' expressed incredulity when Biden was proposed as a serious, unifying candidate for President.
Justice Clarence Thomas is an American hero. He has lived an honorable life, not just through it’s first forty years which are covered in My Grandfather’s Son, but in the days, weeks, and years since his 1991 appointment as well. He has not grasped for influence, but through long and difficult work has experienced influence swing to him. He has given of his prodigious intellect, energetic health, and diligent career to serve our national interests.
Since the publication of My Grandfather’s Son in 2007, Created Equal: Justice Thomas in His Own Words, was released first as a documentary film of roughly two hours in 2021, and then as a 300-ish page book in 2022. I was confused by this title of the new work, as My Grandfather’s Son *is* as far as I can tell, Clarence Thomas’ own words. Additionally, when searching for Created Equal Biography on Amazon, I expected to come up with books, documentaries, etc on the Founders and the Declaration of Independence. Instead, my search revealed a biography of Clarence Thomas (Created Equal: Justice Thomas in His Own Words), a book by Dr. Ben Carson (Created Equal: The Painful Past, Confusing Present, and Hopeful Future of Race in America), as well as a children’s book, Created Equal: The Lives and Ideas of Black American Innovators. These themes resonate with Dr. Martin Luther King, who “had a dream” that Americans would be judged on the content of their character instead of the color of their skin. Thomas, Carson and other Black Conservatives don’t want to overthrow America. They want lawfulness, equal opportunity, orderly excellent service in government, and the extension of the American dream to all Americans. They want us to live out our founding principles by embracing our God-given rights and participating in a government by the people and for the people – principles embodied by Lincoln in his marvelous Gettysburg Address. Yet Black Conservatives are opposed by a vicious contingent that wants to tear down America and transform her to an all-together different, inferior, proven to fail, form. May the Thomas’, the Carson’s and Black Innovators live long and prosper in America, that the overflow of their lives will enrich the entire country. God Bless America
The excellent documentary, Created Equal: Justice Thomas in His Own Words, brought this book to my attention. Here's the link to the DVD:
https://www.justicethomasmovie.com/
June 14, 2023
I can't hope to add much to a book that already has hundreds of reviews. All I can say about Clarence Thomas's memoir My Grandfather's Son is that anyone who thinks they know who Justice Thomas is should read this book. The Clarence Thomas everyone thinks they know, either the hero of the right or the demon of the left, is not to be found in these pages. Who readers will find is a real, flawed man, simultaneously troubled and gifted, principled and adrift, a man who has overcome great obstacles in his life, more than a few of his own creation.
To those who respect him, this makes Clarence Thomas both more real and endearing. To others, his detractors or those for whom the existence of such a prominent black non-liberal is uncomfortable, Clarence Thomas remains problematic, which explains the behavior and rhetoric of the likes of Joy [sic] Reid. Despite what some would have you believe, Clarence Thomas is not some sellout who became a reactionary defender of the status quo. The ugliest treatment, says Thomas, that he has received in his life has come not from the avowed racists of the Jim Crow-era Georgia of his youth, but from the liberals, mostly white, who sought to destroy him for daring to step outside the ideologically-mandated box all "authentic" blacks must be confined to. But never did he allow this to cause him to forget his roots, or fail to defend the cause of the underprivileged. So much that has been said of this man, from the accusations of Anita Hill to the idiotic fulminations of Twitter leftists, has been based on a desire to rid the country of a black conservative, an entity that is decidedly not to be permitted.
It's hard not to feel sympathy for Thomas, even at the end of the book and his triumph (over Joe Biden among others) in his confirmation battle. His story has the feel of a tragedy, and knowing what has happened in the 20 years since this book was published does little to lessen that feeling. Still, Thomas has triumphed, and in so doing has become an icon to millions. True, many of those millions do not understand him. But they appreciate him, which is more than can be said of those who have mischaracterized the man and his life because their worldview is too small to admit the implications of such a life.
If nothing else, those who would ostentatiously pontificate on Clarence Thomas should read this book before doing so. That those who claim to care about social justice, and who slovenly follow the leftist program of interpretation and remediation, will do the same is probably too much to hope.
To those who respect him, this makes Clarence Thomas both more real and endearing. To others, his detractors or those for whom the existence of such a prominent black non-liberal is uncomfortable, Clarence Thomas remains problematic, which explains the behavior and rhetoric of the likes of Joy [sic] Reid. Despite what some would have you believe, Clarence Thomas is not some sellout who became a reactionary defender of the status quo. The ugliest treatment, says Thomas, that he has received in his life has come not from the avowed racists of the Jim Crow-era Georgia of his youth, but from the liberals, mostly white, who sought to destroy him for daring to step outside the ideologically-mandated box all "authentic" blacks must be confined to. But never did he allow this to cause him to forget his roots, or fail to defend the cause of the underprivileged. So much that has been said of this man, from the accusations of Anita Hill to the idiotic fulminations of Twitter leftists, has been based on a desire to rid the country of a black conservative, an entity that is decidedly not to be permitted.
It's hard not to feel sympathy for Thomas, even at the end of the book and his triumph (over Joe Biden among others) in his confirmation battle. His story has the feel of a tragedy, and knowing what has happened in the 20 years since this book was published does little to lessen that feeling. Still, Thomas has triumphed, and in so doing has become an icon to millions. True, many of those millions do not understand him. But they appreciate him, which is more than can be said of those who have mischaracterized the man and his life because their worldview is too small to admit the implications of such a life.
If nothing else, those who would ostentatiously pontificate on Clarence Thomas should read this book before doing so. That those who claim to care about social justice, and who slovenly follow the leftist program of interpretation and remediation, will do the same is probably too much to hope.
June 10, 2020
One of my favorite books that I have ever read. A strongly written memoir authored by my favorite SCOTUS justice, Justice Thomas’ story has left me inspired and motivated. Thomas’ life up to his confirmation to the Supreme Court is one that shows how small steps are necessary in becoming a leader and how challenging the accuracy of conventional thought is required when deciding what to stand for.
July 26, 2016
“And now you know the rest of the story.”
This autobiography by Clarence Thomas is amazing. Looking at both sides now, I have to say Clarence Thomas’ credibility has risen off the charts for me. Back in 1991, I watched the confirmation hearings and wondered a few times, “Wow, could he really have said these things?” even though I was rooting for him to be nominated. I did think Anita Hill sounded a little too slick, but once in a while I questioned it. While watching these hearings, I was in awe of the complete calm and coolness of Clarence Thomas through all the bashing. His admirable conduct in front of the world made me think “If he can handle this, he can handle anything on the Supreme Court, no problem."
Now, after reading My Grandfather’s Son, I am amazed at his upbringing. He certainly did not grow up with a silver spoon in his mouth! This autobiography brought me to tears, made me laugh and most importantly let me see the whole picture of Clarence Thomas. Now, I know there are the opponents of him that scoff and swear and would never touch this book with a ten-foot pole, but I think these critics would be surprised at how he came to be the person he is today. His story is a real eye-opener and very inspiring!
In the preface of this book he stated, “I wanted to leave behind an accurate record of my own life as I remember it.” I am very glad he did because he educated me about his perspective growing up in America. Loved this book, and recommend it to everyone!
This autobiography by Clarence Thomas is amazing. Looking at both sides now, I have to say Clarence Thomas’ credibility has risen off the charts for me. Back in 1991, I watched the confirmation hearings and wondered a few times, “Wow, could he really have said these things?” even though I was rooting for him to be nominated. I did think Anita Hill sounded a little too slick, but once in a while I questioned it. While watching these hearings, I was in awe of the complete calm and coolness of Clarence Thomas through all the bashing. His admirable conduct in front of the world made me think “If he can handle this, he can handle anything on the Supreme Court, no problem."
Now, after reading My Grandfather’s Son, I am amazed at his upbringing. He certainly did not grow up with a silver spoon in his mouth! This autobiography brought me to tears, made me laugh and most importantly let me see the whole picture of Clarence Thomas. Now, I know there are the opponents of him that scoff and swear and would never touch this book with a ten-foot pole, but I think these critics would be surprised at how he came to be the person he is today. His story is a real eye-opener and very inspiring!
In the preface of this book he stated, “I wanted to leave behind an accurate record of my own life as I remember it.” I am very glad he did because he educated me about his perspective growing up in America. Loved this book, and recommend it to everyone!
August 12, 2008
My Constitutional Law professor loaned this to me. I found it interesting. There's actually a lot inspiring about Justice Thomas's story. Unfortunately it's told with a lack of self awareness. For example, here's his description of a meeting with Women Employed (p. 165):
"About a hundred mostly white women showed up. They gave every impression of being successful, and judging by the questions they asked me, they were smart and sophisticated as well. Yet I couldn't understand how angry they seemed to be about their lot in life."
The same adjectives apply to Thomas. He is as successful as a human being can be, yet, if the book is any indication, he remains seething with resentment.
And there are inconsistencies. He admits that he drank so much that he couldn't honestly say whether he'd ever used illicit drugs (p. 221), but he criticizes his opponents for accusing him of abusing drugs (p. 264). The fact that he acknowledges being so drunk that he can't remember what he did calls into question denials of anything that happened during the period when he was drinking.
Still, I started with a more negative impression than I ended with. I've ordered Anita Hill's memoir. It will be interesting to compare them.
"About a hundred mostly white women showed up. They gave every impression of being successful, and judging by the questions they asked me, they were smart and sophisticated as well. Yet I couldn't understand how angry they seemed to be about their lot in life."
The same adjectives apply to Thomas. He is as successful as a human being can be, yet, if the book is any indication, he remains seething with resentment.
And there are inconsistencies. He admits that he drank so much that he couldn't honestly say whether he'd ever used illicit drugs (p. 221), but he criticizes his opponents for accusing him of abusing drugs (p. 264). The fact that he acknowledges being so drunk that he can't remember what he did calls into question denials of anything that happened during the period when he was drinking.
Still, I started with a more negative impression than I ended with. I've ordered Anita Hill's memoir. It will be interesting to compare them.
July 2, 2022
Though the man was not his father, the boy called him Daddy;
the man who stood in the gap left by the one who abandoned the boy and his mom.
By Daddy's firm hand, the boy became a good man;
today, proud to be known as his grandfather's son.
I penned this short bit of verse in response to a "poetry prompt" for a twitter length poem about fathers. When I saw the prompt, I immediately thought of what I had read about Justice Thomas, and the influence his grandfather had upon his life. I was a little less than two-thirds through the book, but I had already come to admire much of what I had learned of the author and his "Daddy."
This is my second book to read this year by a black author, and each has helped me better understand why the issues of slavery and racism still cast a dark shadow over the landscape of our culture. As Thomas makes very clear, racism is far from being a thing of the past in our nation. It dogged his footsteps from his childhood to his nomination to become a Supreme Court Justice. I was brought to tears as I listened to the author describe the opposition he faced to his nomination in 1991 as a public "lynching by technology" of another black man. I am convinced that Thomas was right, and for that I am ashamed that it was conducted by members of the legislative arm of my nation.
As I made my way chapter by chapter through this work, my respect for Justice Thomas increased. From his childhood, he was taught to take responsibility for his own life, to work hard, to be a person of integrity. These were lessons he took with him as he navigated his way through his final years of high school, then through his college years and beyond. The difficulty of these times were often increased because of Thomas' commitment to be his own man, to live by his own principles, and his resistance to being treated any better or worse than anyone else merely because of the color of his skin.
Thomas is extremely transparent concerning his struggles, fears and failures through those turbulent time. He is honest about his regrets, decisions that alienated him from his grandfather, and the better decisions he would make in time.
I decided to read this "on a whim" after seeing it on someone else's reading list. I didn't even connect it to the fact that the Supreme Court would release its decision on Dobbs v. Jackson before I was done. In hindsight, I am grateful for the timing. His concurring opinion on the decision was a fitting epilog to the book I had just finished.
For its history, its clarity, its writing, and the story it tells, this is a solid 5-star read. I highly recommend it. I only wish I had read it when it was first published.
the man who stood in the gap left by the one who abandoned the boy and his mom.
By Daddy's firm hand, the boy became a good man;
today, proud to be known as his grandfather's son.
I penned this short bit of verse in response to a "poetry prompt" for a twitter length poem about fathers. When I saw the prompt, I immediately thought of what I had read about Justice Thomas, and the influence his grandfather had upon his life. I was a little less than two-thirds through the book, but I had already come to admire much of what I had learned of the author and his "Daddy."
This is my second book to read this year by a black author, and each has helped me better understand why the issues of slavery and racism still cast a dark shadow over the landscape of our culture. As Thomas makes very clear, racism is far from being a thing of the past in our nation. It dogged his footsteps from his childhood to his nomination to become a Supreme Court Justice. I was brought to tears as I listened to the author describe the opposition he faced to his nomination in 1991 as a public "lynching by technology" of another black man. I am convinced that Thomas was right, and for that I am ashamed that it was conducted by members of the legislative arm of my nation.
As I made my way chapter by chapter through this work, my respect for Justice Thomas increased. From his childhood, he was taught to take responsibility for his own life, to work hard, to be a person of integrity. These were lessons he took with him as he navigated his way through his final years of high school, then through his college years and beyond. The difficulty of these times were often increased because of Thomas' commitment to be his own man, to live by his own principles, and his resistance to being treated any better or worse than anyone else merely because of the color of his skin.
Thomas is extremely transparent concerning his struggles, fears and failures through those turbulent time. He is honest about his regrets, decisions that alienated him from his grandfather, and the better decisions he would make in time.
I decided to read this "on a whim" after seeing it on someone else's reading list. I didn't even connect it to the fact that the Supreme Court would release its decision on Dobbs v. Jackson before I was done. In hindsight, I am grateful for the timing. His concurring opinion on the decision was a fitting epilog to the book I had just finished.
For its history, its clarity, its writing, and the story it tells, this is a solid 5-star read. I highly recommend it. I only wish I had read it when it was first published.
March 22, 2021
This book really is a great eye-opener to what it is like growing up with racism and how he was able to overcome it. There are some really great stories in here and some very inspirational messages.
A few things that struck me in this book:
He talks about applying for Yale and not mentioning that he was black because he didn't want to feel like he didn't make it on his own merit. This is a lesson he learned from his grandfather, who refused to accept help from the government because "welfare takes away your manhood". Thomas's grandfather really is the most inspirational character in this book.
It's also interesting to read about how he was inspired by reading Thomas Sowell. He says that Sowell inspired him by showing that there are black people who do think differently and can argue for what they believe in using cool rationality.
It was also interesting to read the story of the false accusations brought against him by his opponents to stop his SCOTUS confirmation (it is the same playbook used recently with the false accusations brought against Justice Kavanaugh). It really shows the length Washington will go to stop a black man who steps out of line and thinks in a way that's different than black people are supposed to think.
Highly recommended if you're interested in stories about growing up with anti-black racism in America.
A few things that struck me in this book:
He talks about applying for Yale and not mentioning that he was black because he didn't want to feel like he didn't make it on his own merit. This is a lesson he learned from his grandfather, who refused to accept help from the government because "welfare takes away your manhood". Thomas's grandfather really is the most inspirational character in this book.
It's also interesting to read about how he was inspired by reading Thomas Sowell. He says that Sowell inspired him by showing that there are black people who do think differently and can argue for what they believe in using cool rationality.
It was also interesting to read the story of the false accusations brought against him by his opponents to stop his SCOTUS confirmation (it is the same playbook used recently with the false accusations brought against Justice Kavanaugh). It really shows the length Washington will go to stop a black man who steps out of line and thinks in a way that's different than black people are supposed to think.
Highly recommended if you're interested in stories about growing up with anti-black racism in America.
September 20, 2022
One of the best books I have ever read. This should be a must-read for pre-law, political science and philosophy majors. It should be a must-read for those of us from the Deep South. It should be a must-read for anyone falsely accused. It should be a must-read…period.
February 10, 2022
Clarence Thomas is a great man. I'm grateful for his presence on the Supreme Court. There were only a couple of things that made me wince. One was what he wrote about his first marriage: "I could not will myself to be a loving husband." Ouch. What a blind spot. On the one hand, he's correct. Sinners cannot, without the Spirit's empowerment, will themselves to do what is right. But he's said quite a bit about taking responsibility, and he doesn't seem to grasp that here was a huge one. He's also been very critical of his grandfather's harshness, though he recognizes that he himself should have been more forgiving. A perfect example of what Pastor Wilson always says — that we judge others by their actions and ourselves be our (oh so pure and understandable and excusable!) motives. Also, he says this almost as an aside in the context of training for a marathon. He shows real grit and never-give-upism in the context of that physical challenge, but doesn't seem to realize that the same attitude is what's called for in his marriage. Another wince came a little bit later, when he approvingly cites "The Greatest Love of All." 🙄 So...not a perfect man, but a great man all the same. His endurance through the brutal confirmation process was heroic. I'm embarrassed to look back at what I thought of it at the time. I was all too willing to carelessly #believeher.
A great man...but not so great a narrator. A very undynamic performance. But I'm still glad he read it rather than an actor.
A great man...but not so great a narrator. A very undynamic performance. But I'm still glad he read it rather than an actor.
January 19, 2021
Wow. Just ... wow. What an inspirational story. Clarence Thomas's life is truly an amazing testimony to family and faith. He doesn't hold anything back. He's clear about his own failings, his bad decisions, and his fight against anger and radicalism in his school years. Thomas talks about deep south racism when it was *real.* When rope lynchings still happened. (As opposed to the character lynching he was subjected to later on.) He talks about rebelling against the grandfather who raised him and about learning to appreciate him. He talks about rebelling against God and finding Him again. He talks about the people who supported him and those who did their best to stand in his way. (I was surprised on both accounts.) This book was released in 2007, so probably written in 2005, but it's amazing how many of the people mentioned are still entrenched in the power circles of D.C. If you like stories of those who have overcome, stories about character vs culture, and/or stories of those who have made it in the murky waters of politics, you'll love this book.
Read
June 9, 2021During the Kavanagh confirmation hearings, life-GOP-ers in my circle, just rolled their eyes and said "it's always like that." During the ACB nomination (during which such allegations were nonexistent, as far as I could tell) I got curious. And picked this one up first because other stories of his (re: racism) had been referenced in some previous books I had perused in the last 24 ish months.
I appreciated his view of the Reagan administration(couldn't help thinking of Carson). As well as his semi-insider view of the Catholic Church.
I have reached the conclusion that there is a benefit to having both autobiographies and biographies. You can't separate his point of view(which is valuable) from the emotions he feels (which inform his view) from facts(which are also valuable) in an autobiography. Yet, to know the whole man, these are crucial. But you also need the emotionless view of an outsider.
So I can't say what happened or didn't happen. Only two people know that.
No star rating given, in keeping with my resolve to stop rating autobiographies.
I appreciated his view of the Reagan administration(couldn't help thinking of Carson). As well as his semi-insider view of the Catholic Church.
I have reached the conclusion that there is a benefit to having both autobiographies and biographies. You can't separate his point of view(which is valuable) from the emotions he feels (which inform his view) from facts(which are also valuable) in an autobiography. Yet, to know the whole man, these are crucial. But you also need the emotionless view of an outsider.
So I can't say what happened or didn't happen. Only two people know that.
No star rating given, in keeping with my resolve to stop rating autobiographies.
March 2, 2024
Feel like I need to add context to this rating.
I could not disagree more with most of Thomas’ positions. I find many of his opinions abhorrent. I particularly find a deep irony in his description of government intrusion on his right to privacy during his confirmation hearings, given his questioning of whether a right to privacy exists at all in his concurrence in Dobbs.
With all that said, this memoir was moving and helped to contextualize the man behind many of those opinions. Having read Sotomayor’s memoir recently, it was very interesting to compare their world views and writing styles. This book was informative and engaging, so I feel it deserves a high rating, despite the damage I feel Thomas has wrought (and continues to do) on the Supreme Court.
I could not disagree more with most of Thomas’ positions. I find many of his opinions abhorrent. I particularly find a deep irony in his description of government intrusion on his right to privacy during his confirmation hearings, given his questioning of whether a right to privacy exists at all in his concurrence in Dobbs.
With all that said, this memoir was moving and helped to contextualize the man behind many of those opinions. Having read Sotomayor’s memoir recently, it was very interesting to compare their world views and writing styles. This book was informative and engaging, so I feel it deserves a high rating, despite the damage I feel Thomas has wrought (and continues to do) on the Supreme Court.
April 1, 2022
I admired Justice Thomas before I read this, and I admire him even more after. This was not a man predestined for the Ivy League; he grew up in very real poverty, fatherless and practically motherless—save for his grandparents, whose impact on Clarence and his brother is aptly reflected in the title and even more aptly in his life. This is memoir at its finest and highest expression: honesty, humility, regret, perseverance, and hopefulness. (Bonus: I split this one between hardback and audiobook, as I do for many of my reads, and if you opt for audio, Thomas himself is the narrator, and a fine one at that!)
July 15, 2012
Read it and unlike so many autobiographies - sort of - believed it. Saw him speak a few times at the Churchill dinners in DC. Awfully glad he's on the court.
December 11, 2019
Loved this autobiography. Clarence had a rough start in life but ended up living with his grandpa (“Daddy”) who (despite very little money and intense prejudice in their community) did everything he could to help Clarence learn to work hard and make something of his life. Clarence tells it like it is but doesn’t fall into the victim mentality, despite the racial prejudice he faced throughout his life. He feels very strongly that affirmative action is not in the best interest of blacks: while attending Yale Law School, he felt that people considered him less smart because he had easier requirements to be admitted. It was interesting to hear about how he met Anita Hill, worked with her, helped her find a better job, politely responded to her phone calls over the years, and then out of nowhere she turned on him and made up allegations of harassment to try to keep him off of the Supreme Court. It’s a horrible, dishonest tactic the Democrats use against judicial nominees, but thankfully Thomas (and later Kavanagh) prevailed through the horror of it all. Thomas is by no means perfect (e.g. drank a lot while younger, divorced his first wife) but he has sure tried hard to overcome mistakes and weaknesses to become a man of integrity who does much good for our country now. Very inspirational book!
“Then he looked me in the eye and said, ‘Clarence, as a member of a group that has been treated shabbily by the majority in this country, why would you want to give the government more power over your personal life?’ That stopped me cold. I thought of what Daddy had said when I asked him why he’d never gone on public assistance. ‘Because it takes away your manhood”... Real freedom meant independence from government intrusion, which in turn meant that you had to take responsibility for your own decisions. When the government assumes that responsibility, it takes away your freedom -- and wasn’t freedom the very thing for which blacks in America were fighting?” -p. 73
“Daddy had told me that while life was hard, enough elbow grease would make it easier...But he’d said something else as well: ‘Son, give out but don’t give up. Get up every day and put one foot in front of the other.’” -p. 175
“Then he looked me in the eye and said, ‘Clarence, as a member of a group that has been treated shabbily by the majority in this country, why would you want to give the government more power over your personal life?’ That stopped me cold. I thought of what Daddy had said when I asked him why he’d never gone on public assistance. ‘Because it takes away your manhood”... Real freedom meant independence from government intrusion, which in turn meant that you had to take responsibility for your own decisions. When the government assumes that responsibility, it takes away your freedom -- and wasn’t freedom the very thing for which blacks in America were fighting?” -p. 73
“Daddy had told me that while life was hard, enough elbow grease would make it easier...But he’d said something else as well: ‘Son, give out but don’t give up. Get up every day and put one foot in front of the other.’” -p. 175
August 3, 2022
Supreme Court justice Clarence Thomas tells the story of his childhood, youth, and adult life leading up to the horrific confirmation hearing. He finished the book with a walk down the Supreme Court steps with the Chief Justice, but reflects on that walk about how his life was so profoundly changed because of the hard work of his grandparents.
I was in tears at that homage.
This book is really worth reading--I learned a lot about the challenges growing up in Southern Black poverty during Jim Crow laws, and what Thomas lived through.
His grandparents really did make a difference, though Thomas acknowledges he didn't realize how much until nearly too late.
I was in tears at that homage.
This book is really worth reading--I learned a lot about the challenges growing up in Southern Black poverty during Jim Crow laws, and what Thomas lived through.
His grandparents really did make a difference, though Thomas acknowledges he didn't realize how much until nearly too late.
December 29, 2022
A riveting read. Justice Thomas's ascent from the deep, segregated South to a member of the Supreme Court of America is inspiring. I especially enjoyed his explanation of his opinions on the politics of race in America, which I think are as relevant today as they were in the 70s and 80s. Everything from Thomas's ethics to an inner look at the political machine that opposed his confirmation to the Supreme Court was absorbing. The cherry on top was how Justice Thomas worked the thread of his relationship with Jesus (and its ups and downs) into this autobiography. Easy recommendation.
November 20, 2023
Applaud the accomplishments, especially coming from a very poor and racist upbringing. Seems like a decent man. Simple guy with simple interests. I don’t necessarily agree with him on half his ideologies, but I make that claim about most people. However, was he really qualified for the Supreme Court after working at the EEOC? And only 1 year as a federal judge? The book was ok, but somewhat boring.
May 16, 2021
I loved it. A remarkable man and inspiring story.
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