About this title: Provocative, inspiring, and unflinchingly honest, this is the life storyof one of America's most remarkable and controversial leaders, SupremeCourt Justice Clarence Thomas, in his own words.
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Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Harper Perennial
Date Published: 2008
ISBN-13:9780060565565ISBN:006056556X
Description: Fine. New books small to none shelf wear An appparently unread copy in perfect condition. Dust cover is intact pages are clean and not marked by notes or folds of any kind. This is suitable for presenting as a gift. ******PLEASE NOTE****** Orders placed after Dec. 7 cannot be guaranteed delivery before Christmas unless you select EXPEDITED shipping! Thank you & Happy Holidays! read more
Description: New. 006056556X Brand New Book With Remainder Mark. May Have Slight Shelf Wear. In-Stock Now For Immediate Secure Packaging & Delivery. read more
Description: Fine. 006056556X NEW/UNREAD! ! ! Text is Clean and Unmarked! --Be Sure to Compare Seller Feedback and Ratings before Purchasing--Has a small black line on bottom/exterior edge of pages. May have light shelf wear to cover from storage, if any. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Harper Perennial
Date Published: 2008-10-01
ISBN-13:9780060565565ISBN:006056556X
Description: Excellent. No jacket. Sale for Charity. Proceeds go to fund our Social Service programs. All items are donations and are used, but are carefully checked for condition. This book looks like it just came from the bookstore. read more
Description: Fine. 0061374733 Ships next business day. **Large Print Edition** NEW/UNREAD! ! ! Text is Clean and Unmarked! --Be Sure to Compare Seller Feedback and Ratings before Purchasing--Has a small black ink mark on bottom/exterior edge of pages. May have light shelf wear to cover from storage, if any. read more
Binding: Softcover
Publisher: Perennial
Date Published: 2008-10-01
ISBN-13:9780060565565ISBN:006056556X
Description: NEW. Softcover. From an inventory that is 100% brand-new, 100% direct from the publishers' distribution channel. We carry NO pre-owned, NO remaindered. We pack in CARDBOARD to ensure the pristine quality is maintained. (Bubble-wrap alone is NOT sufficient to protect from USPS equipment. ) Guaranteed brand-NEW, protected with CARDBOARD, your satisfaction is guaranteed. BKLUVID: 9780060565565. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Harper Perennial
Date Published: 2008
ISBN-13:9780060565565ISBN:006056556X
Description: New. Brand New! Buy with confidence-your satisfaction is guaranteed at B-Logistics! Due to the large scale of our operation, we do not have access to the specific contents/condition of our items. Please note that Expedited shipping is not available at this time. read more
Binding: Softcover
Publisher: Harperluxe
Date Published: 2007-12-01
ISBN-13:9780061374739ISBN:0061374733
Description: NEW. Softcover. From an inventory that is 100% brand-new, 100% direct from the publishers' distribution channel. We carry NO pre-owned, NO remaindered. We pack in CARDBOARD to ensure the pristine quality is maintained. (Bubble-wrap alone is NOT sufficient to protect from USPS equipment. ) Guaranteed brand-NEW, protected with CARDBOARD, your satisfaction is guaranteed. BKLUVID: 9780061374739. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: HarperLuxe
Date Published: 2007
ISBN-13:9780061374739ISBN:0061374733
Description: New. Brand New! Buy with confidence-your satisfaction is guaranteed at B-Logistics! Due to the large scale of our operation, we do not have access to the specific contents/condition of our items. Please note that Expedited shipping is not available at this time. read more
Description: Brand New. Brand new. Never played or owned. May have a remainder mark. 5.80 x 5.30 x 1.50 in. 9.6 oz. In this surprisingly candid memoir from the soft-spoken and controversial Supreme Court Justice, Clarence Thomas provides a revealing look at his formative years, the shaping of his political views, and his rise from poverty in rural Jim Crow Georgia to becoming a member of the highest judicial body of the United States. Abandoned by his father at a young age, Thomas was raised by his ... read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Harper Perennial
Date Published: 2008
ISBN-13:9780060565565ISBN:006056556X
Description: Good. Used Condition-GOOD can be a well cared for Book that is in great condition to a Book that may show some signs of wear. GOOD Books sometimes are permanently marked; have some spine or page creases; exibit signs of aging or an ExLibrary copy. ** Sometimes grease pencil or permanent marking on cover. May contain limited notes and or highlighting. 100% Satisfaction guaranteed on all purchases. ** SHIPS FROM USA-Domestic Delivery takes 5-14 days ** read more
"I couldn't put this one down. This black supreme court judge tells his story of being raised by his grandparents in poverty in the racially-heated deep South in the 1950's. His gruff and tough-love grandpa taught him to work harder than hard and to always refuse government handouts, saying, "It takes away from your manhood."
Extremely bright and hard working, he eventually went to Yale Law School where he became a self-proclaimed radical liberal. He loathed whites treatment toward blacks but began to take his first few baby steps towards conservatism when, during a debate with a Yale roommate about state-required seat belts and bike helmets, his friend said, "Clarence, why would you, a member of society who has been bullied and pushed around by whites, want to give the government even MORE control over your life? Real freedom means freedom from government intrusion. Isn't freedom the thing blacks are struggling for?" This simple logic smacked Thomas in the head like a 2x4.
When mandated school busing became the vogue, Thomas was livid with the government social engineers who would send black children into hostile white environments; places even black parents wouldn't dare tread.
He saw government programs of quotas, affirmative action and welfare destroying the blacks. He said, "History has proven that in order for the people to be lifted from poverty they need work skills, education and business experience. These opportunities are slow in developing. Methods that are more direct and immediate; job quotas, charity, subsidies, and preferential treatment tend to undermine self reliance and pride of achievement." Thomas believed blacks could never hope to improve their lot unless they took responsibility to improve themselves. This was not something that could be accomplished by mandated government programs.
In spite of his developing anti-liberal ideology concerning government programs, he felt like other blacks; no respectable black could ever vote for a Republican. But that was about to change.
As his ideology began to shift from typical black liberalism to conservatism, it set him on a collision course with traditional civil rights groups and, he argues, poisoned the atmosphere around his eventual appointment to the Supreme Court. His refusal to accept "the liberal pieties that had done so much damage to blacks in America," he writes, "meant that I had to be destroyed." And destruction of Clarence Thomas was the liberals' sole agenda when it came to his Senate Supreme Court nomination approval.
I rememer listening to the radio's live broadcast of those hearings twenty years ago, and wanting to put my fist through the radio as I listened to the merciless accusations of liberal senators bent on defeating Thomas. Even through the radio waves, I could sense the integrity, logic, brillance, honesty and extreme pain of this man being squeezed through a sordid wringer in those hearings. It was so interesting for me to now read of Thomas' own account of those dark days.
"One day in my third year of law school I was walking down the stairs and I round the corner passing Justice Thomas and the Dean walking up the stairs. It was sort of a shock since I had no idea he was coming to the school. It was certainly cool to walk right past a supreme court justice. By the way, he has a very deep voice and is really short.
Because of this very brief encounter I had some extra interest in reading this book which was fascinating. I had fallen into the trap of largely believing the conventional wisdom about Justice Thomas which I now know was a huge mistake.
He has an interesting take on race issues that has altered my take and added to my understanding in this area.
While I don't necessarily share his judicial or legal philosophy I have a much greater respect for him now and admire what he has done.
The book seems to be very honest. Justice Thomas strikes me as someone who continues to be quite angry and bitter about things that have happened to him. He has overcome a great deal and is a fascinating individual."
"This book showed up in the mail from a book club I belong to. I didn't order it but decided why not give it a read. Of course I watched some of the senate hearings when Justice Thomas was nominated for the bench. And, in shameful honesty, I also got caught up in the soap opera of Anita Hill's testimony and Justice Thomas' response. Beyond that I admit I knew nothing about the man.
As a general rule I do not read movie reviews before going to the movies. Why should I let someone else decide for me whether I will like something based on their biases? The same can be said for My Grandfather's Son. Having read My Grandfather's Son before seeing any reviews was invaluable. I was able to meet a man I did not know. A man who was willing to reveal all the hidden nooks and crannies of his life. This is what autobiography should be. Thomas makes no effort to gloss over or ignore his own failures in life. Nor does he wallow in them. Instead, he simply tells his life story. Few of us would be nearly so willing to lay our soul on the table for others to dissect. I guess once one has endured that circus called confirmation, nothing else can seem so bad.
I now feel like I know Clarence Thomas. He is a man aware of his failings and humbled by his successes. Justice Thomas you are indeed your grandfather's son."
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