Several months ago, my wife Carol and I were away from home, in a motel. I took some time to surf the TV, to see what was of interest. I stopped at CSPAN2 and began to be intrigued by what I saw. Ken Foskett, an investigative reporter for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, was reviewing a recent biography he had just written on Clarence Thomas, titled Judging Thomas. At first, I was expecting the same old hatchet job that liberals give when they discuss anything to do with Clarence Thomas. To my surprise, I heard the author give an even handed account of Justice Thomas's life. Then and there, I was determined to get the book and read it.
To my delight, as I began to read, I saw the author give an honest assessment of the man and of the influences that shaped him into the fiercely independent man he became, culminating in his determination not to be a "cookie cutter black", toeing the mark that liberals of all colors expect of all African-American men. As a result, Thomas incurred their wrath and hatred and still is on the receiving end of their vitriol to this day. As a conservative justice in the Supreme Court, his decisions drive liberals into a frenzy.
The biography, Judging Thomas, begins with Clarence and his brother being sent off by their mother to live with their grandparents. Myers Anderson, his grandfather, was a self made man, working, not as a sharecropper, but as an independent businessman, delivering heating oil with a truck he had purchased by hard work and scrimping. From the beginning, he raised the two
boys under rigid discipline and hard work. From before sunup to sundown, the boys were drilled in a life of work, school, and more work. There was no time for youthful dilly-dallying. This was to be the most important influence in Clarence's life, though at the time he hated it. Later, in Catholic schools, he was driven also by priests and nuns who demanded excellence from him.
This hard, no nonsense influence saw him in good stead at Holy Cross College and later at Yale Law School. This was the time of the civil rights and anti- Vietnam War ferment. He managed to steer himself through this time without self destructing, as so many other black students did during that period. He experienced the bitter pill of racism and affirmative action, which implied that he was inferior and couldn't compete with white's and even favored, lighter- skinned blacks. This drove him to work even harder. The worst agony of all, for him, was the scandal that erupted during his confirmation hearings for the Supreme court. The Anita Hill accusations against him almost destroyed him. but, with the help of friends, prayer, and determination, he survived, though not without scarred emotions.
Judging Thomas is a must read. The author skillfully keeps the tension high almost all the way through to the end. You can't help but enjoy this.
Quint Coppi (Lt. Col. USAF Ret.)
