My Grandfather's Son

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. 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. My Grandfather's Son was praised for its frank tone and well-written style. 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." Thomas received a $1.5 million advance for the book, which hit number one on the New York Times non-fiction best-seller list. Summary Thomas describes his life chronologically in My Grandfather's Son. The early parts of the book are dominated by the impact his grandfather had on him, while sections describing his adulthood up to his Supreme Court appointment focus on overcoming personal demons without describing too much about his career. Following his confirmation to the Court, Thomas centers his writing on professional, ideological and judicial issues. The themes of race and self-reliance run throughout, and many issues are framed through one or both of those lenses.