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4.16 AVERAGE
4.16 AVERAGE
Perhaps the hardest book I have ever read. I so completely disagree with the conclusions he reaches about history and the law. But the book helped me better understand how and why he reached those conclusions - and did so well. All you can ask for in a biography.
informative
medium-paced
Very interesting. Can't say I agree much at all with any of justice thomas' viewpoints, but at least I understand where he's coming from. Very detailed, in depth and well written book.
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
informative
reflective
medium-paced
challenging
informative
medium-paced
I’ve soured on Robin as a public intellectual (see his recent comments on the fascism debate), but enjoyed this. Helped me understand a public figure that I have always found bewildering.
This book is really quite a towering intellectual achievement. Robin has taken a very close magnifying glass to Thomas' often quite contorted logic, giving very serious consideration to ideas that it would be all too easy to dismiss as illiberal Republican nonsense. Robin doesn't give Thomas a pass, however: it is clear from the book that Thomas is a misogynist, and that many of his ideas have highly deleterious consequences for African Americans and other disprivileged groups. But the most fascinating moments of the book come when, through Robin's dogged scrutiny, some facets of Thomas' philosophy begin to—gasp—actually make some sense, horrifyingly bringing to life the Clickhole article about the worst person you know making a great point.
One prominent example of this is Thomas' opposition to affirmative action in admission to elite universities: he quite correctly points out affirmative action is a deliberate bandaid fix for racial inequality in those colleges' student bodies, which allows them to maintain their elite selective admissions policies (legacy admissions, etc.) while simultaneously allowing them to claim they are working to fix the problem. The colleges can patronisingly extend a hand to a select few African American students, yet maintain their systemic grip on power and privilege. It's genuinely a compelling critique! When Thomas is asked about how he would rectify the thorny issue of racial inequality, however, his answers are wholly unsatisfactory, verging on nihilism, taking much of the sting out of his criticism of policies that actually do make some effort to reduce inequality.
Thomas' vision for black Americans is pretty horrifying. Perversely, on some level, he seems to yearn for a return to Jim Crow, where white oppression led to somewhat autonomous black communities where black-owned businesses were able to—in some ways—thrive with black clientele. Thomas' faith in his black capitalist vision is so strong that he actually seems to want to encourage black political disenfranchisement, so that black Americans will disengage from politics and seek their liberation through capital. This idea is so horrible to me I can scarcely even express my horror, and the thought that a sitting supreme court justice might be actively working toward it through his jurisprudence just makes me scream internally.
There were many more scream-inducing moments in here, just reinforcing what an achievement it is that Robin has managed to produce such a thorough and rigorous intellectual biography.
One prominent example of this is Thomas' opposition to affirmative action in admission to elite universities: he quite correctly points out affirmative action is a deliberate bandaid fix for racial inequality in those colleges' student bodies, which allows them to maintain their elite selective admissions policies (legacy admissions, etc.) while simultaneously allowing them to claim they are working to fix the problem. The colleges can patronisingly extend a hand to a select few African American students, yet maintain their systemic grip on power and privilege. It's genuinely a compelling critique! When Thomas is asked about how he would rectify the thorny issue of racial inequality, however, his answers are wholly unsatisfactory, verging on nihilism, taking much of the sting out of his criticism of policies that actually do make some effort to reduce inequality.
Thomas' vision for black Americans is pretty horrifying. Perversely, on some level, he seems to yearn for a return to Jim Crow, where white oppression led to somewhat autonomous black communities where black-owned businesses were able to—in some ways—thrive with black clientele. Thomas' faith in his black capitalist vision is so strong that he actually seems to want to encourage black political disenfranchisement, so that black Americans will disengage from politics and seek their liberation through capital. This idea is so horrible to me I can scarcely even express my horror, and the thought that a sitting supreme court justice might be actively working toward it through his jurisprudence just makes me scream internally.
There were many more scream-inducing moments in here, just reinforcing what an achievement it is that Robin has managed to produce such a thorough and rigorous intellectual biography.
It’s not perfect. I’m not sure a white author’s analysis of a black jurist ever could be. But it’s an important and timely book that doesn’t shy away from critiquing Thomas while still managing to take him seriously. Overall, of the three books I’ve read by Robin so far, this is my favorite.
Professor Robin provides the reader with an interesting look at Thomas's jurisprudence. This is not a biography, but more of a political science narrative.
To Robin, Thomas comes from black patriarchy, tough on crime, pro-capitalist, and black nationalism.
He writes, "The central claim of this book—Thomas is a black nationalist whose conservative jurisprudence rotates around an axis of black interests and concerns—is a secret hiding in plain sight."
Highly recommend this book.
To Robin, Thomas comes from black patriarchy, tough on crime, pro-capitalist, and black nationalism.
He writes, "The central claim of this book—Thomas is a black nationalist whose conservative jurisprudence rotates around an axis of black interests and concerns—is a secret hiding in plain sight."
Highly recommend this book.
informative
slow-paced
I have been thinking what to write as a review as I am certain to be attacked by readers who support Clarence Thomas and his Conservative beliefs and his agenda which appears to be in support of african american men.
So I will say that the author who is a white man and not a Conservative has done extensive research for this book and he writes well
Judy g
So I will say that the author who is a white man and not a Conservative has done extensive research for this book and he writes well
Judy g