My Grandfather's Son / by Clarence Thomas (Harper Audio, 2007) Unabridged on 9 compact discs, read by the author. ISBN 9780061373459

My Grandfather's Son, Clarence Thomas' memoir, traces his life from his childhood to his confirmation hearing before becoming Supreme Court Justice. I remember that hearing with disgust, especially disgust for Sen. Howard Metzenbaum, who seemed to be hunting frantically for some way of derailing the denomination and finally introduced Anita Hill to the nation. With all the sleaze and mudslinging, I found it hard to discern any truth at all. The hearings and new coverage are a matter of public record. Thomas has made no comment on his own side of the controversy until now.

Unfortunately, many of the online reviews reveal only what the reviewer thought about the hearing. Too many of them do not ever reveal whether the author actually read the book. The importance of My Grandfather's Son goes far beyond putting Thomas' side of the controversy on record. It gives glimpse of what America was like before, during, and since the civil rights movement from the point of view of one who suffered from racism and overcame it--both by his professional accomplishments and in changing his own attitudes.

Thomas' own personal story is compelling. When he was two, his father abandoned the family. His  mother struggled to raise her three children. When their house burned down, they went to live with her father. The grandfather had a farm outside Savannah, Georgia. He was a tough task master and made the boys work on the farm during summers, when they would have rather gone into town. The grandfather especially wanted to shield them from that atmosphere. Not surprisingly, he and the boys had a tense relationship. Only much later did Thomas realize that his grandfather acted from love and concern, not just meanness.

The difficulty of their relationship notwithstanding, the grandfather did succeed in instilling a sense of personal responsibility, a capacity for hard work, and the self-confidence to persevere and overcome obstacles to succeed in life. The fear and hatred Thomas had for his grandfather growing up ultimately gave way to love and respect, and he came to regard his grandfather as the greatest man he ever knew. Thus, he proudly considers himself My Grandfather's Son.

From the time he joined the Supreme Court, Thomas has been a quiet man, both on and off the bench. The public knows him, if at all, mostly through the opinions he has written. Those opinions come from his intellect. My Grandfather's Son comes from the heart and reveals a more emotionally complex and thoughtful man than many would expect after such a long silence. Not only that, his recording of it reveals a wonderful voice for narration, which gives extra power to this inspiring book. All-Purpose Guru Alert offers carefully selected bargain books like this, featuring one title every day. Past offers are still available, but only while supplies last.

For carefully selected bargain books or audiobooks, one title featured every day, visit All-Purpose Guru Alert. David M. Guion, the All-Purpose Guru also maintains a family of blogs and Internet writings.