My Grandfather's Son: A Memoir | 
 enlarge | Author: Clarence Thomas
Publisher: Harper
Category: Book
List Price: $26.95
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Rating:  307 reviews
Sales Rank: 12937
Media: Hardcover
Pages: 304
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.2
Dimensions (in): 8.9 x 6.2 x 1.3
ISBN: 0060565551
Dewey Decimal Number: 921
EAN: 9780060565558
ASIN: 0060565551
Publication Date: October 1, 2007
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Product Description
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 was born in rural Georgia on June 23, 1948, into a life marked by poverty and hunger. His parents divorced when Thomas was still a baby, and his father moved north to Philadelphia, leaving his young mother to raise him and his brother and sister on the ten dollars a week she earned as a maid. At age seven, Thomas and his six-year-old brother were sent to live with his mother's father, Myers Anderson, and her stepmother in their Savannah home. It was a move that would forever change Thomas's life. His grandfather, whom he called "Daddy," was a black man with a strict work ethic, trying to raise a family in the years of Jim Crow. Thomas witnessed his grandparents' steadfastness despite injustices, their hopefulness despite bigotry, and their deep love for their country. His own quiet ambition would propel him to Holy Cross and Yale Law School, and eventually?despite a bitter, highly contested public confirmation?to the highest court in the land. 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, and pays homage to the man who made it possible. Intimately and eloquently, Thomas speaks out, revealing the pieces of his life he holds dear, detailing the suffering and injustices he has overcome, including the acrimonious and 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. My Grandfather's Son is the story of a determined man whose faith, courage, and perseverance inspired him to rise up against all odds and achieve his dreams.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 302 more reviews...
 Great book, great man November 23, 2008
Adele Pauley (Decatur, GA)
This is the story of the triumph of the human spirit and the cause of righteousness. Clarence Thomas deserves the best of America, because he is the best of America.
Outstanding November 22, 2008
Matthew S. Donovan
It's amazing that Clarence Thomas is ignored by most as a black role model. He grew up dirt poor in jim crow era georgia, yet became a success through hard work and a sense of responsibility. He makes a strong case for why he feels affirmative action and other race based quotas do more harm than good. I recommend this book for fellow african americans who are tired of the media telling us we should look up to jesse jackson and al sharpton.
One of the Finest Autobiographies Ever. November 11, 2008
Bernard Chapin (CHICAGO! USA)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
My Grandfather's Son is more than a memoir. It is one of the finest autobiographies ever penned. Moreover, how ironic it is that a man we associate with dispassionate objective reasoning could produce one of the most emotionally moving books imaginable. I was deeply moved by his narrative throughout. I once knew a man like the author's grandfather, Myers, and he too cast a shadow far greater than his physical size. Thomas's tale is infinitely believable as he failed to fully appreciate the one he called "Daddy" until after he passed. The lessons granddad taught are ones which should be internalized by children today and I'd recommend reading aloud to them passages from the early chapters as a means for inspiration. Myers was a master of the art of self-sufficiency and gave Clarence the mental fortitude to persevere in the face of incredible odds. Thomas's life is far more compelling than Barack Obama's and his last three chapters--"Approaching the Bench," "Invitation to a Lynching," and "Going to Meet the Man"--flow as if they were embedded in a movie. The sham of his last Senate confirmation, as an associate justice of the Supreme Court, was horrifying both in retrospect and while it occurred. The leftist activist groups and their Congressional minions tried to subject him to a "high-tech lynching" but he stood up to their menace. In my opinion, Clarence Thomas is a hero of the highest order and may be remembered as one of the finest justices in history. As of right now, My Grandfather's Son is the best book I've read in 2008.
 Eye-opening November 6, 2008
Rebecca Mack (Princess Anne, MD)
Folks who like and dislike the justice should read this book with an open mind. They might gain a new appreciation for their own circumstances. It was most informative and enlightening.
 Lamentations I:12 October 30, 2008
J. Edwards (Owings Mills, Maryland)
0 out of 5 found this review helpful
My Grandfather's Son could be renamed the Book of Lamentations. Justice Thomas laments about alleged slights, slurs, and hurts that he faced most of his life- "to suffer old hurts, endure old pain, and revisit old doubts. At times, I was surprised by how fresh my feelings still were." He writes as if he is the only person who was ever teased as a child. The first forty plus pages reflect a childhood of insults. The situations don't get better as his life evolves.
Many years before the confirmation hearing, people are disrespecting Thomas. One would think that he was born with a scarlet letter on his forehead. It's incredulous that a man nearly 60 years old, who triumphed during a contentious confirmation hearing to be appointed to a life-time job, and correctly predicted that he would outlive some of his most ardent critics, would present himself as the quintessential victim.
Thomas is so absorbed with his victimization that the book dishonors his grandfather. He isn't presented as a sympathetic or nurturing person. Rather, he is simply among many people who were mean to Thomas. Perhaps, this meanness contributed to his anger. He can't get a handle on his anger. It seems that neither God nor Dick, the quadriplegic colleague during Thomas's stint in the Office of Missouri's Attorney General, can influence Thomas to tame it, although he credits both with helping him to get rid of his anger.
Anger is the pervasive tenor of the book. It's uncanny because Justice Thomas lavishly quotes scriptures and makes religious allegories. Although the Zeus-like god has blessed Thomas to vanquish his enemies, which Thomas sees as a manifestation of his righteousness, he doesn't count his blessings. He sits in a barren wasteland that is populated by apparitions of hate and anger that he created.
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