My Grandfather's Son by {author}: summary and why it matters
Justice Clarence Thomas's 2007 memoir of his rise from Pin Point, Georgia, to the Supreme Court, and of his confirmation battle.
Also known as A Memoir
The book
| Author | Clarence Thomas |
|---|---|
| First published | 2007 |
| First publisher | Harper |
| Kind of book | Memoir |
What it argues
Thomas writes about his childhood in a Georgia community of Gullah-speaking families, his mother's struggles and his grandfather Myers Anderson, who took him and his brother in, taught them to work and insisted on education. He tells of his years at a seminary, at Holy Cross and Yale Law School, where he felt he was stigmatized by affirmative action.
He moves through his career as a staffer for Missouri senator John Danforth, his work in the Reagan administration at the Education Department and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and his appointment to the D.C. Circuit. The final sections give his account of the 1991 confirmation hearings, in which Anita Hill accused him of harassment, an accusation he denies, calling the process a high-tech lynching.
The book is a personal and often bitter testimony.
Why it matters
It explains the formative experiences behind his judicial philosophy, and it is widely read by those who want to understand a justice who has served since 1991. The confirmation chapters present one side of a dispute that remains contested.
About the author
Clarence Thomas (born 1948) was educated at a Catholic school in Savannah, studied at Holy Cross and Yale Law School, and joined the Supreme Court in 1991, succeeding Thurgood Marshall. He is the longest-serving justice on the current Court. The memoir was published by Harper in 2007 and sold well.
Who should read it
Readers of Supreme Court history and personal memoir.
Sources
Profile last reviewed November 8, 2026