Speaking Truth to Power

Rating:
Summary: Spin-doctoring of the highest level
Review:

Ms. Hill certainly can spin a tale. It's interesting tocontrast Anita Hill in 1997 to the Anita Hill we were presented backin 1991.

Is this the same Anita Hill who told the Judiciary Committee that her only motivation was to tell the truth, and that she would not profit financially from the Clarence Thomas situation? She also categorically denied that she would profit from any book deals.

Fast forward to 1997. Anita Hill has this book on shelf and another in the works. She commands speaking fees in the thousands per speech. What does this say about her credibility? Perhaps "Speaking Truth to Power" should be reclassified as fiction.

Rating:
Summary: Courageous and SO, SO TRUTHFUL
Review: Anita Hill proves that she was telling the truth with this book and I always knew that she was.

It's so sad that so many were able to demonize and scandalize this woman and her intentions, but in the end, the TRUTH always wins.

This powerful autobiography is a MUST READ, a book that you won't be able to put down or to forget. I'm so glad I read it.










Rating:
Summary: a dignified and intelligent lady
Review: I am so glad I read this book - it gave me insight into what a wonderful woman Anita Hill is in explaining the ordeal she went through in testifying at "the hearings." I must admit that at the time, I didn't believe Hill's testaments; she appeared nervous and uncertain whereas Thomas appeared very sure of himself, was outraged, and even went so far as to cry before the Senate Committee and television cameras. Of course, I now realize that was just an act.

Anyhow, I thought that after the hearings were over, Anita Hill went back home to Oklahoma and went on with her life, the ordeal forgotten. After reading this book, I had no idea that Hill endured further harassment from students at the university where she taught, faculty, the media, and people who never knew her nor she them. It was downright outrageous and disgusting.

Hill writes eloquently about her roots, her upbringing in Oklahoma, her years at Yale Univ. Law School, and her job at the EEOC where she worked under Clarence Thomas and the harassment she endured from him, her subsequent career change all the way up until the hearings. It's all interesting and worth reading.

Anita Hill is the catalyst for which the laws of sexual harassment have changed and claims for which are now taken very seriously. It is very unfortunate that she had to take such torment and emotional brutality as a result of it, as if harassment from Thomas wasn't enough in and of itself.

That Thomas is now sitting on the highest court in the land for life, knowing the content of his character and demeanor, is indeed disturbing. But I hope that deep inside he is sorry and feels the utmost remorse and guilt for his mistreatment of Anita Hill and all his other victims.

The truth always come out - maybe not today or tomorrow - but eventually it does. Thomas knows what he did, and the world knows what he did despite his "categorical" denials.

It is my hope that Anita Hill finds the peace and happiness she deserves. Her life will never be the same, as she herself admits, but unfortunately almost all movers and shakers's lives were and are forever changed.

An insightful and honest book, I recommend it highly.

Rating:
Summary: Anita Hill And Her Family Are True American Heroes
Review: I can't do justice to Anita Hill's calm account of her testimony before the Supreme Court confirmation hearings (Sen. Biden did nothing to stop the railroading.) I am outraged by the way the University of Oklahoma and our politicians treated Dr. Hill after her ordeal. Her reminiscences of growing up in rural Oklahoma are fascinating. Anyone who has questions about the credibilty of Hill's reluctant testimony against Judge Clarence Thomas should read this book, along with "Strange Justice," and Brock's very late mea culpa, "Blinded by the Right" to fully comprehend what this brilliant woman, her family, friends, and colleagues were put through.

Rating:
Summary: Anita Hill And Her Family Are True American Heroes
Review: The Republicans and other Conservatives who tired to destroy and assasinate the person of Anita Hill were unsuccessful. I found this book to be very deep and profound and allowed my to get to know Prof. Hill. Looking back at the the Hill-Thomas affair is now interesting....it had nothing to do with truth. It was pure partisan politics and nothing more. Unfortunately Prof. Hill was caught in that war and unfortunately America has a man of very low character sitting on its highest of courts.

Rating:
Summary: The Power of Truth
Review: The Republicans and other Conservatives who tired to destroy and assasinate the person of Anita Hill were unsuccessful. I found this book to be very deep and profound and allowed my to get to know Prof. Hill. Looking back at the the Hill-Thomas affair is now interesting....it had nothing to do with truth. It was pure partisan politics and nothing more. Unfortunately Prof. Hill was caught in that war and unfortunately America has a man of very low character sitting on its highest of courts.

Rating:
Summary: The Greatest Book Ever Written
Review: This is the greatest book ever written. True, it is powerful, and the power lies in the truth, but truth contains no lies, and that is the very essence of power, which is rooted in truth, and the the truth is very powerful, indeed, just as powerful as it is true, and as true as it is powerful.

Rating:
Summary: A lady of class and integrity.
Review: What a lovely, lovely woman and with what class does she tell her story! How unfortunate that we live in a country where sexual harassment is so difficult for men to understand, and yet so pervasively cruel and persistent! And how very unfortunate that such a man as Clarence Thomas now has so much power in our government, power that we know he can not be trusted with. But how surprising is that really, today? Respect for women is hardly a qualification for office in the US Government, and it may never be if we don't all work together to make that difference -- and it's going to be a lot harder than it should be.

Anita Hill is a clear, calm, concise writer with a powerful story to tell. It is not easy to speak Truth to Power, but it is an essential element of making a difference. I honor all those who take the risk. I know how difficult it can be. I also know how very important it is. Anita Hill did not choose to be harassed, and she did not choose to be a weapon, but when called, she responed, and she told the truth, as awkward as it was for her. For those who would ridicule her ordeal, I can only say that no one should have to tolerate the inappropriate sexual behavior that exists in the workplace. We know it exists on the highest level. We know better than to say it couldn't be true. And we know Anita Hill got no pleasure from answering such personal, humiliating questions. She did what was expected of her, and it was *her* integrity that suffered, *her* career that wobbled while Clarence Thomas triumphed. His judgement leaves a lot to be desired, IMHO. I honor the efforts of Ms. Hill to honor the truth of her experience.

Rating:
Summary: The Greatest Book Ever Written
Review: When this book first came out, I was drawn to the cover, because I knew that there were many messages for me in this book. Yet, I hesitated to read this, because I had not voiced what I felt about those hearings.

I actually looked over my shoulders, when I glanced through this book, before buying it, because I had decided that so many people around me demanded my opinion of this tragedy.

When I watched the hearing, while I sat next to others, for whatever reason I waited to say whether or not I believed Dr. Hill. I wanted to process it all, in the privacy of my own space.

Watching her, on many levels I related to her. Yet, I had some unanswered questions that reading this book, along with other books that reference this tragedy helped me to make my own decisions about what happened.

Dr. Hill put a voice to many of the challenges that I had, as professional African-American woman, who wanted to speak about many issues that too high a number of African-Americans refused to communicate. Before reading this book, I wanted to be free to speak against some socialized rules that I grew up with, that are common in African-American families. But, I wanted to communicate that I am proud of being African-American.

And as a result of reading this book, I gained tremendous courage to fully live my life's mission, which is to guide women and girls to earn trust in themselves.

To this day, as a journalist, if an editor argues against Anita Hill, I refuse to write for that paper.

Thank you, Dr. Hill.