 | |
| Author | Clarence Thomas |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Harper |
Publication date | October 1, 2007 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | Hardcover Audiobook |
| Pages | 304 (1st ed.) |
| ISBN | 978-0-06-056555-8 (1st ed., hardcover) |
| OCLC | 166295089 |
| LC Class | KF8745.T48 A3 2007 |
My Grandfather's Son: A Memoir is the 2007 memoir of Clarence Thomas, an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court.
The book spans all of Thomas's life to the present, beginning with his early childhood in the Deep South and his mother's decision to send him and his brother to be raised by her father and stepmother as she felt unable to care for them.[1] He tells of his upbringing by his grandparents, his time in college and law school, and his career in government. Particular attention is focused on his Supreme Court confirmation hearings. Although the memoir offers little of Thomas's emotional distress over divorcing his first wife, it expounds on his intellectual evolution to conservatism, and the financial troubles that plagued him up through the late 1980s. It also includes a confession about his previously unknown struggle with alcohol.[2]
My Grandfather's Son was praised for its frank tone and well-written style.[citation needed] However, it was also criticized as being too partisan for a sitting Supreme Court Justice and for over-emphasizing claims of victimhood. Much of the media attention centered on his chapters on the confirmation hearings, one of which was titled "Invitation to a Lynching."[3] Thomas received a $1.5 million advance for the book, which hit number one on the New York Times non-fiction best-seller list.[4][5]
- ^ William Grimes (October 10, 2007). "The Justice Looks Back and Settles Old Scores". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-08-02.
- ^ Jan Crawford Greenburg (September 30, 2007). "Clarence Thomas: A Silent Justice Speaks Out. Part IV: My Grandfather's Son". ABC News. Retrieved 2008-08-02.
- ^ Kevin Merida (October 1, 2007). "To Cite a 'Mockingbird'". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2008-08-02.
- ^ Frank Rich (October 7, 2007). "Nobody Knows the Lynching's He's Seen". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-08-02.
- ^ Dwight Garner (October 21, 2007). "TBR: Inside the List". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-08-02.