Genealogy Books - My Grandfather's Son: A Memoir

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Customer Rating:

Summary: Great book, great man
Comment: 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.

Customer Rating:

Summary: Outstanding
Comment: 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.

Customer Rating:

Summary: One of the Finest Autobiographies Ever.
Comment: 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.

Customer Rating:

Summary: Eye-opening
Comment: 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.

Customer Rating:

Summary: Lamentations I:12
Comment: 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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