My Grandfather's Son: A Memoir

Thomas, Clarence

Published by Harper, an imprint of Harper Collins Publishers, New York, 2007

About this Item

New condition black boards with gold spine lettering contained in a fine condition non price-clipped color photographic dust jacket. Includes Author Dedication and Preface. Illustrated with a section of black-and-white photographic plates. First edition, ninth printing. "My first trip to Washington had been to protest the Vietnam War. But now I was part of the decision-making apparatus of the federal government - the tiniest possible part, to be sure, but a part all the same. I was no longer on the outside looking in. You can't live in Washington for very long without becoming cynical about politicians and their motives. But I've never doubted the greatness of a country in which a person like me could travel all the way from Pinpoint to Capital Hill." - from the rear outer dust jacket. "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. [The book] is the story of a determined man whose faith, courage, and perseverance inspired him to rise up against all odds and achieve his dreams." - from the inner front and rear jacket flaps. Seller Inventory # 008590

Bibliographic Details

Title: My Grandfather's Son: A Memoir

Publisher: Harper, an imprint of Harper Collins Publishers, New York

Publication Date: 2007

Binding: Hardcover

Illustrator: Feingold, Deborah (jacket photograph); Staehle, Will (jacket design)

Condition: New

Dust Jacket Condition: Fine