My Grandfather's Son : A Memoir by Clarence Thomas Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of My Grandfather's Son : A Memoir
Book Review: Inspirational to the core, Well written
Summary: 5 Stars
I loved this book because it tells of a life that fought the good fight and didn't give up... and then won the battle. From the time he was a child all the way to the supreme court, his hardships and difficult trials he faced and how he over came them time and time again. Clarence Thomas story is one of the greatest in American history and you will not be disappointed in this book.. Loved it!Book Review: Excellent autobiography!
Summary: 5 Stars
This book really gave me a glimpse into what Justice Thomas felt like growing up with segregation and then fighting throughout his life for equality. He is extremely sincere and honest about his shortcomings in life so the reader really feels as though they got to know him. I didn't understand the rage and resentment that he felt against discrimination because I didn't grow up in that environment. I think this book is a must-read for everyone, especially white people (like me) that don't understand why some people are voting for Barack Obama just because he's part African. I've always believed that should be the least important of aspect of the decision. Thomas' solution to inequality is for all people to be given the same opportunities, not favoring any race, white or black, and that really got the liberals angry with him (and they're still angry at him today) for not accepting their handouts.Book Review: Inspiring story of overcoming hardship and something about a soda can
Summary: 1 Stars
Thomas recounts in vivid detail all the injustices and hardship suffered by his grandparents, parents and himself over the last century and how all of that attracted him to Republican conservativism, which embraced the ideals of racial equality, eradicating poverty and affirmative action - ideals which helped Thomas reach the heights of success. Huh?
He seems keenly aware of the fact that he did not possess the legal expertise or the intellectual depth to sit on the highest court in the land. But after spending time with the other underqualified and highly over-rated justices on the court such as Scalia and Rehnquist, Thomas came to realize that he had nothing to feel bad about. The one regret he has is the advent of C-SPAN, which provides an unwelcome measure of public exposure to the court. He worries that the blind reverence and assumption of supreme intelligence which the public held for the judges for over 200 years has come to an end. Instead, the public now has C-SPAN to show them that the court is really nothing more than a collection of simple-mided political suck-ups with giant egos who do strange things with soda cans and who will approve the torture and dismemberment of their own mothers and children at Guantanamo Bay if it will get them appointed to the court.
Although he still harbors a great deal of anger over his historic and divisive confirmation hearings, he hopes to find the infamous coke can, which he dreams of selling one day for a certain fortune at e-bay.
Book Review: A genuine and compelling portrait
Summary: 5 Stars
As a general rule I take what I read in a memoir with a grain of salt. It is only natural for people to put their best forward when writing about themselves for public consumption. In this case however I found myself accepting Thomas' words at face value. Whether it was his writing style or the way he spoke so openly about his human failings I did not question the honesty of his accounts or the sincerity of his emotions.
His life growing up in poverty was a compelling story. His angry youth was unsettling, but understandable and the struggles of his adult life make him all the more admirable. I always had difficulty reconciling the quiet humble man of the senate hearings with the accusations leveled against him, and though his views reflected my own conservative values I knew that the reality was that only he and Anita Hill knew the truth. After reading this book I no longer have any doubt that Clarence Thomas, with all of his human failings, is an honorable man and was an outstanding choice for The Supreme Court of The United States of America.
Book Review: Humble, but admirable
Summary: 4 Stars
Readers looking for a defense of Mr. Thomas's legal theories or time on the bench will have to look elsewhere. The book is the simple, straightforward story of a man's rise from shocking poverty to one of the most prestigious positions in the United States, and those he views shaped him throughout his life. In that sense, it is a useful companion piece to Mr. Thomas's personal friend Thomas Sowell's own autobiography, which the reviewer recommends even more highly.