Reviews

I Still Believe Anita Hill by Amy Richards, Cindy Greenberg, Cynthia Greenberg, Jamia Wilson

allisonreadsdc's review

5.0

I finished reading I STILL BELIEVE ANITA HILL on the subway this morning. It ends with an excerpt of Anita Hill's testimony. At 10 AM, I then listened to Dr. Christine Blasey Ford's testimony - so my reading of this collection was intentionally timely. This remarkable anthology contains speeches, essays, poetry and conversations held at the conference marking the 20th anniversary of Anita Hill's brave testimony in Clarence Thomas's Supreme Court confirmation hearings.

This book is important - it places Hill's testimony in historical context, talks critically about the role of race and intraracial dynamics. Hill's legacy is undeniable - she set off a wave of women running for office, and more women come forward now when they are being sexually harassed at work. It, however, was disheartening to read today, watching Dr. Blasey Ford bravely testify, and feeling like little has changed in the 27 years since Hill went through the toughest experience of her life. I recommend reading this book.

jackiijackii's review

5.0

It was hard to read this collection in 2020, when it was published in 2011 and expresses the hope that after 20 years, everyone can finally understand how screwed up it was that Thomas was appointed to the SC even after hearing about how he treated Anita Hill... "This happened and now we know better and hopefully we can make sure it doesn't happen again," and then, Kavanaugh. That isn't the book's fault. The collection of essays and poems and recollections is a comprehensive and multifaceted look at the impact of Professor Hill's decision to testify, and how she got there, and it's an important read. But the hope that we could prevent it from happening again, oof, yeah, that hurts my heart today.