A Personal Odyssey: Library Edition

Rating:
Summary: Anecdotes Of A Scholar
Review: "A Personal Odyssey" is a collection of anecdotal remembrances of Thomas Sowell from his birth to the date of the writing. Written in an almost stream of consciousness style, it conveys his thoughts and values without preaching them.

Born to a poor family in the south, Sowell was given to relatives who became his new family. With this new family he moved to New York were he attended school and eventually left an intolerable home life to set out on his own at a young age.

Through this book we learn of his family, schools, his jobs, both in and out of the academy, his brushes with the political world and his interaction with the black and white communities.

There is something for many readers in this book. Everyone who has felt betrayed by family will sympathize with Sowell's young life. Everyone who has struggled with a difficult child will feel his pain when telling of his son's delayed speech. His succession of job experiences will be eye-opening for those who never worked in the academy. I think that readers generally will appreciate being spared the details of the breakdown of his marriage.

The concept of Thomas Sowell as a black man in a white world runs throughout "A Personal Odyssey." Recognizing the discrimination prevalent in society, Sowell advocates realistic and helpful solutions, while expressing his disgust with what "Black Leaders" have done to their community. Throughout his career, Sowell has striven to be accepted as a man and an economist, not as a token or a black guru. As one who came in through the front door, he resents the implication that all successful blacks come in through the back door (affirmative action).

Sowell devotes much ink to dispelling notions that he played significant roles in the Ford and Reagan Administrations. Although he is perceived as a Conservative Republican, he makes it clear that he is largely apolitical. I find Sowell's position as one who neither votes nor belongs to any political party as troublesome. Although his disgust with his treatment by political operatives is understandable, his decision to drop out of the political process is hard to understand.

Thomas Sowell leaves each reader to formulate his own opinions of the author. Personally, I gained added respect for Sowell as one who has courageously surmounted daunting obstacles and has fought for what he believed to be right. At the same time, I have to suspect that he is a difficult person to get along with. He seems to have had a lot of family problems and has left an awful lot of jobs on bad terms. Perhaps the best evaluation is that he is very courageous and strong analytically, but may be weak in interpersonal skills. In the end, I believe that I have a better understanding of Thomas Sowell from having read this book. Read, enjoy, and form your own conclusions.

Rating:
Summary: Anecdotes Of a Scholar
Review: "A Personal Odyssey" is a collection of anecdotal remembrances of Thomas Sowell from his birth to the date of the writing. Written in an almost stream of consciousness style, it conveys his thoughts and values without preaching them.

Born to a poor family in the south, Sowell was given to relatives who became his new family. With this new family he moved to New York were he attended school and eventually left an intolerable home life to set out on his own at a young age.

Through this book we learn of his family, schools, his jobs, both in and out of the academy, his brushes with the political world and his interaction with the black and white communities.

There is something for many readers in this book. Everyone who has felt betrayed by family will sympathize with Sowell's young life. Everyone who has struggled with a difficult child will feel his pain when telling of his son's delayed speech. His succession of job experiences will be eye-opening for those who never worked in the academy. I think that readers generally will appreciate being spared the details of the breakdown of his marriage.

The concept of Thomas Sowell as a black man in a white world runs throughout "A Personal Odyssey." Recognizing the discrimination prevalent in society, Sowell advocates realistic and helpful solutions, while expressing his disgust with what "Black Leaders" have done to their community. Throughout his career, Sowell has striven to be accepted as a man and an economist, not as a token or a black guru. As one who came in through the front door, he resents the implication that all successful blacks come in through the back door (affirmative action).

Sowell devotes much ink to dispelling notions that he played significant roles in the Ford and Reagan Administrations. Although he is perceived as a Conservative Republican, he makes it clear that he is largely apolitical. I find Sowell's position as one who neither votes nor belongs to any political party as troublesome. Although his disgust with his treatment by political operatives is understandable, his decision to drop out of the political process is hard to understand.

Thomas Sowell leaves each reader to formulate his own opinions of the author. Personally, I gained added respect for Sowell as one who has courageously surmounted daunting obstacles and has fought for what he believed to be right. At the same time, I have to suspect that he is a difficult person to get along with. He seems to have had a lot of family problems and has left an awful lot of jobs on bad terms. Perhaps the best evaluation is that he is very courageous and strong analytically, but may be weak in interpersonal skills. In the end, I believe that I have a better understanding of Thomas Sowell from having read this book. Read, enjoy, and form your own conclusions.

Rating:
Summary: Interesting read but lacking
Review: As a long time fan of Dr. Sowell, it pains me to give this book less than five stars. While it is a page-turner that provides many insights into the workings of academia, it is nonetheless lacking. Sure, Dr. Sowell spares no detail about his life and personality; however, he does fail to critically examine many of his actions. For instance, his discussion of his divorce disappointingly lacks any effort by the author to discover his own role in the breakdown of the marriage. The reader is left with the impression that either Dr. Sowell accepts no responsility in the divorce or simply doesn't care.

On a related note, I was saddened to have arrived at a less positive opinion of Dr. Sowell after having read the book. I agree with him on nearly every issue and even credit him with my decision to go to graduate school, so perhaps I was hoping to read about a deeply religious man with no personal shortcomings. As I have yet to meet anyone who could fulfill such a description, I should have expected to encounter my mentor's flaws. Oh well. This teaches me the futility of hero worship when that hero is a man.

This said, I think the book does provide many insights into this genius which could not be obtained elsewhere save for knowing him personally. All true fans of Dr. Sowell will enjoy this rare glimpse into his life.

Rating:
Summary: Great Read
Review: As a Native American and Hispanic, Sowell brings hope for those attending school and getting into a profession. I too served in the Marine Corps and had it rough from the start but it took that training for me to appreciate the social sciences. Sowell is a man of genuis and he should be honored as a great teacher. We credit his works. America is stronger for Sowell.

Rating:
Summary: Unexpected and Inspiring
Review: Because Thomas Sowell is one of the great intellectuals of the 20th century, I felt compelled to read his autobiography. I'm not suggesting that I wanted to read it, I felt compelled to do so. I've always admired Sowell's positions (this is not to say that I agree with him) and have suggested that my minority students use him as a role model. After reading his autobiography, I realize that thinking this way was a mistake. Sowell must be a role model for all students (regardless or race) and for all professors. Several aspects of this book struck a cord within me.

First although I always admired Sowell, but I never suspected that he had anything that came close to what I would call a sense of humor. He never smiles during a TV interview (understandable after reading his book). His writing is always scholarly and emotionally detached. However, the pranks he pulled while a Marine were hilarious and made me laugh aloud. It wasn't what I was expecting of Sowell. Second, much of what I learned about him on the TV news was false. Within the pages of this book, I was quite shocked to read about his political and economic positions during the Reagan administration. News reports were outrageously inaccurate. I always pictured him as a "Black Republican." In reality, he never fit into that category. At best, he could be described as a libertarian. More accurately, he ignores ideology and selects a position that includes some empirical support. The bottom line is: Sowell's perspective is thoughtful and he embraces positions that are "right" rather than popular. He has never followed the path of least resistance except for one possible exception.

I find only one sour note in the entire book. While working for US Government, he was confronted with two conflicting theories regarding wage control for sugar manufacturing in Puerto Rico. He was the only economist in the department that conceptualized a research design to resolve the theoretical conflict. Because of some bureaucratic agendas within our government, he was unable to acquire the data. The theory was never tested and this saddens me. It is uncharacteristic of Sowell to surrender so easily. Based on the rest of his autobiography, I am quite surprised that he never returned to the issue. I'm sure he could get grant funding for this unfinished business.

This is a delightful book. It is humorous and insightful. Sowell sees himself as unassuming. The best single word to describe him is courageous. I wish I read this book sooner. It is quite inspiring.

Rating:
Summary: Thomas Sowell describes his life, not politics.
Review: Having read several of Thomas Sowell's books ("Knowledge and Decisions" was his best), I wanted to know more about the man. As Dr. Sowell states in the beginning of this book, he has reached his "anecdotage", and he walks us through the journey of his life. His is a fascinating journey, and described well by other reviewers on this site.

At the outset, I had expected to read more about his ideology. Instead, he wrote about the events which he encountered, and how he conducted himself.

After reading Sowell's Odyssey, I came away with the impression of a man who continuously seeks the truth, and who tries to live in accordance with that truth regardless of whether that is the easiest course. Perhaps that is his unspoken answer to the question of his ideology -- follow the truth wherever it leads.

Sowell retains his privacy about personal matters in a manner atypical of most modern memoirs; he refrains from airing dirty laundry except insofar as it affected his youth.

Finally, the Library Journal editorial reviewer appears to have an axe to grind; he blatantly misrepresents the book. In addition to that reviewer's inability to spell ("verbal dual" should have been "duel"), he describes events which weren't in the book. Sowell doesn't describe "verbal duels", and even a casual reader will quickly realize that Sowell is neither self-aggrandizing nor self-congratulatory.

Rating:
Summary: Thomas Sowell describes his life, not politics.
Review: Having read several of Thomas Sowell's books ("Knowledge and Decisions" was his best), I wanted to know more about the man. As Dr. Sowell states in the beginning of this book, he has reached his "anecdotage", and he walks us through the journey of his life. His is a fascinating journey, and described well by other reviewers on this site.

At the outset, I had expected to read more about his ideology. Instead, he wrote about the events which he encountered, and how he conducted himself.

After reading Sowell's Odyssey, I came away with the impression of a man who continuously seeks the truth, and who tries to live in accordance with that truth regardless of whether that is the easiest course. Perhaps that is his unspoken answer to the question of his ideology -- follow the truth wherever it leads.

Sowell retains his privacy about personal matters in a manner atypical of most modern memoirs; he refrains from airing dirty laundry except insofar as it affected his youth.

Finally, the Library Journal editorial reviewer appears to have an axe to grind; he blatantly misrepresents the book. In addition to that reviewer's inability to spell ("verbal dual" should have been "duel"), he describes events which weren't in the book. Sowell doesn't describe "verbal duels", and even a casual reader will quickly realize that Sowell is neither self-aggrandizing nor self-congratulatory.

Rating:
Summary: Incredible Story
Review: Here is an autobiography that will keep you awake. Thomas Sowell's early family life was not ideal and eventually drove him out of his home while still in his teens. With almost no support from anyone young Tom propelled himself into night schoool, then college, graduate school and teaching. Sowell has called his life an odyssee and that's exactly the feeling you get from the book. It was a long and remarkable journey.

Rating:
Summary: Yes, but . . .
Review: I agree with the previous reviewer that it would have been even better if Thomas Sowell had provided more information about various topics. What he does share is interesting and even what he leaves out is revealing. For example, the Chappy Jones quote. I believe he was trying to make a point about the political process and HOW the quote ended up in the speech. Those who have read Sowell's other books will understand that he is one of the few people who could focus on the process to such an extent that the content became extraneous to his story. It's an unusual way of looking at the world, but part of what makes him such a powerful scholar.

Rating:
Summary: Sowell is a Hero
Review: I genuinely enjoyed this autobiography. Sowell is a scholar whose works I've admired for twenty years. I was pleased to learn, in the course of reading this book, that my favorite of Sowell's books - Knowledge and Decisions - is among his favorites of his own works.

All that this book reveals about Sowell is consistent with what I'd previously known of him - for example, that he's uncompromising, crusty, and wholly unafraid to speak what he believes to be the truth. But the book puts interesting bulk on my previously thin knowledge of the man, his background, and his experiences.

Nothing I learned about him from this book shocked me, although I didn't realize just how many scholarly institutions Sowell has been associated with. Nor did I realize that Sowell's well-known disdain for the modern academy dates back to his earliest years in college. He did not, contrary to my previous assumption, grow disgruntled with academic life only in the 1970s.

True to lifelong form, Sowell did not write this book in an effort to win hugs and kisses. As this book makes quite clear, he's obviously not a huggable guy, and nor does he care to be. But he is a genuinely courageous man of integrity, in addition to being a fine scholar.

For years I had the final lines of his Knowledge and Decisions taped to my office door. They nicely capture a principal theme of his policy works: "Freedom is not simply the right of intellectuals to circulate their merchandise. It is, above all, the right of ordinary people to find elbow room for themselves and a refuge from the rampaging presumptions of their 'betters.'"

Bravo for Thomas Sowell! May he live and work for many decades to come.