Silent Justice: The Clarence Thomas Story

Rating:
Summary: Not Worth the Money
Review: (...) Greenya's book adds almost nothing new to the many books on Thomas already out there, as evidenced by his many block quotes from other books. What little Greenya adds -- e.g., his much-hyped interview with a man who claims to have rented adult videos to Thomas -- is scurrilous and irrelevant.

Greenya actually begins the book with a page on which there are two paragraphs: The first (clearly cribbed from John Danforth's "Resurrection: The Confirmation of Clarence Thomas") describes a prayer meeting that Thomas had before testifying before the Senate. The second paragraph describes the video store owner's thought that Thomas lied about Anita Hill. But this is completely unsupportable. Nothing in the interview with the video store owner constitutes even the flimsiest evidence that Thomas lied about Anita Hill. To give such prominence to a completely unsupported accusation shows Greenya's bias right from the first page.

Greenya's overall theme -- that Thomas has been too "silent" -- doesn't make much sense. Thomas is a Supreme Court Justice -- it's not as if the Justices are frequent guests on Saturday Night Live or Good Morning America. All of the Justices are known to the public primarily through their opinions, articles, and speeches. Thomas has given plenty of speeches, written articles, and writes a lot of Supreme Court opinions, both for the majority and for himself (concurrences and dissents). All of which suffice to make Justice Thomas's thoughts and philosophy clear, to anyone willing to take the trouble to read them. It's true that Thomas doesn't often ask questions from the bench, but (as he has said) this is because the lawyers only have a short time to present their case and he wants to give them the chance to do so without being constantly interrupted by Justices who are really trying to argue amongst themselves. To accuse Thomas of some sort of general "silence" based on his demeanor at oral arguments is ridiculous.

Greenya obviously doesn't understand the first thing about constitutional jurisprudence, or else he wouldn't repeat (as if true) the accusations of Democratic ex-Senators (Metzenbaum and Simon) that Thomas does nothing more than follow Scalia around. Anyone who follows the Supreme Court's work even half-heartedly knows that this hackneyed accusation is false.

Thomas and Scalia often reach the same result -- though certainly not always -- but their approach is often different. Thomas is willing, for example, to look to the Declaration of Independence in interpreting the Constitution, while Scalia completely disagrees with that approach. Thomas is also willing to protect unenumerated rights more than Scalia. Consider the case of Troxel v. Granville, 530 U.S. 57 (2000), which concerned the right of parents to direct the upbringing of their children. Scalia dissented, saying that because this right isn't mentioned in the Constitution, it shouldn't be protected by judges at all. Thomas wrote a concurrence, saying that this right should be protected by "strict scrutiny," which is the highest level of constitutional protection available. You couldn't find a clearer contrast between two Justices than this. But Greenya is blissfully unaware of the Supreme Court's work, instead contenting himself with rebroadcasting partisan insults of Thomas's ability.

If you want a biography of Justice Thomas, Andrew Peyton Thomas's biography (with some 600 pages) is far more complete, engaging, and thoughtful. Peyton Thomas went to the trouble of tracing Justice Thomas's roots back to the plantation days in ante-bellum Georgia. Peyton Thomas, a Harvard-educated lawyer, knows far more about what the Supreme Court does than Greenya -- and it shows. Don't waste your time with Greenya's book.

Rating:
Summary: One of My Favorite New Books
Review: Being a fan of biographies and a Washington-based trial lawyer for more years than I like to mention, I looked forward to reading John Greenya's SILENT JUSTICE, The Clarence Thomas Story. I was not disappointed. In fact, I enjoyed it thoroughly. As anyone in this city can tell you, and especially the lawyers, it is very difficult to find people who are neutral on the subject of Justice Thomas. Yet, Greenya manages to give both sides of the story, that of his proponents as well as that of his detractors, and the result is one of the best-balanced biographies I have read in years. I particularly liked his interview with Mr. Maddox, the man who rented Thomas soft-core porn videos in the mid-1980s, and whose testimony, had he been called before the Judiciary Committee during the 1991 hearings, may have derailed the nomination. But then, it if had, we would not have this fine book to read. A must read for anyone intersted in the law in general or the Supreme Court in particular.

Rating:
Summary: Very Disappointing
Review: I decided to read this book after coming across Mr. Greenya giving an informal talk about his book on C-Span in Spring 2002. Listening to Mr. Greenya talk, although he was a rather dull and unorganized speaker, I had hope that his book would be as neutral a biography as possible. Mr. Greenya was very open in acknowledging that the Right and Left are very passionate when it comes to Clarence Thomas and that there is rarely any middle. This is true, but Mr. Greenya made it seem that he may be one of the rare few capable of standing in that middle ground. Sadly, he's not.

The book opens on the very first page with the view of Thomas's confirmation hearings through the perspective of the porn-store owner that alleges to have sold videos to Judge Thomas. Greenya writes that this owner was "excited" that one of "his customers" was being nominated to the Supreme Court. Yeah... I bet.

After that wonderful introduction, the book truly begins with Thomas's impoverished childhood in Pin Point, Georgia. Mr. Greenya moves quickly through this time period, as well as most of Thomas's young adult and college days. The majority of the 300-page book is taken up by quotes and opinions on Thomas, mostly concerning the Anita Hill ordeal and Thomas's rulings as a Supreme Court Justice. In these cases, the quotes opposing Thomas are without fail longer and preceding the quotes from the far fewer sources Mr. Greenya uses who are on Thomas's side. Mr. Greenya even goes so far as to uncritically reference the words of people such as Nan Aron and Eliot Minceberg of People for the American Way, an ultra-Left lobbyist group.

Mr. Greenya does not seem like a vindictive or vitriolic man, like many (not all, of course) of the people who attack Clarence Thomas for anything he does. But he is clearly slanted to a certain political side not in agreement with Clarence Thomas's views. In prefacing the lengthy passage he uses from Sarah Weddington, the lawyer who successfully argued the Roe v. Wade case, Mr. Greenya characterizes her as "a fierce protector of the right she worked so hard to win for all American women..." Political opinions aside, it is simple fact that there are tens of millions of American women who do not consider legalized abortion to be any "right" that human beings have, no matter what the law says... rather, they consider it morally appalling. In this simplistic statement Mr. Greenya gives away his political persuasion more than he does at any other point in this book. His explanation of what it means to "bork" a judge is also astoundingly false, according to the widely held understanding of the word, even as defined by Microsoft's Encarta dictionary, for one. Mr. Greenya almost seems to be painfully twisting things to meet an agenda at times.

I give the book 2 stars because Clarence Thomas rejected several requests, rightfully so, by Mr. Greenya to be interviewed for this book. I'm sure Judge Thomas's friends and fellow conservatives also knew what to expect and turned down Mr. Greenya as well, which had to be a major factor, beyond his control, in Mr. Greenya's lack of qualified, pro-Thomas sources throughout the book. But the slant and the errors are simply inexcusable in a purportedly neutral book, and accompanied with a boring narrative, this makes for one of the worst "biographies" I have ever read.

Rating:
Summary: The best book on Clarence Thomas ever written.
Review: I have read, First Principles : The Jurisprudence of Clarence Thomas as well as the recently published, Clarence Thomas : A Biography and I find that John Greenya's Silent Justice : The Clarence Thomas Story blows them both away. From the intriguing title through to the last page, this book was the best telling of the story of Clarence Thomas I've ever read. Greenya's exciting presentation of the story mixed with his flair make this book a must read for anyone interested in Clarence Thomas. You don't have to take my word for it, pick the book up at a bookstore and read the first few pages. You will see what I mean, this book is great.

Rating:
Summary: Silent Justice Review
Review: I've been wondering for some years why we hear so little from or about Clarence Thomas after all the hullabaloo of his confirmation hearings. Now, having just read Silent Justice, I know. It's because, as the title suggests, he rarely if ever says anything during argumentsmbefore the Supreme Court, and he refuses to give interviewsto the mainstream media. Like so many other women all over America, I remember the excitement of the hearings and the shocking charges made against Thomas by his former employee Anita Hill. I also remember coming away from them with a sort of vague unease over not knowing who was telling the truth and who was lying. I bought this bookhoping to have that question answered, and while the author does not claim to have solved the mystery, he provides sufficient new evidence(especially his lengthy interview with the man who rented Thomas the core porno tapes back in the 1980s) to suggest that Thomas' angry defense was a clever way of dodging the bullet. Two things impressed me favorably about the book. First of all, you don't have to be a lawyer or legal scholer to understand it; John Greenya's style is readable and direct and moves you rright along. Secondly, the book is very fair. It gives equal weight to both friends and foes of Justice Thomas, and in doing so supports the author's claim that today, after ten years on the Supreme Court, he remains an "enigma".

Rating:
Summary: Give Justice Thomas A Chance -- and This Book As Well
Review: In the foreword to his book, Washington writer John Greenya wryly recounts the disdain with which friends and other persons greeted the news that he was writing a biography of Justice Clarence Thomas. Much of this disgust came from political liberals, who already knew what they wished to know about Justice Thomas, and who cared naught about anything else. 'Tis a a pity, that closed minds are so prevalent in modern political Washington. In reality, Justice Thomas' story is an up-from-the-muck saga of a kid from rural Georgia who grew up speaking an Island dialect -- unsureness of speech is the chief reason he seldom asks questions during SCOTUS sessions -- and went through Yale, perhaps America's toughest law school. The value of Greenya's book is that he reports, rather than lectures, and one comes away from Silent Justice with a better understanding of a man condemned to carry into history the qualifier "the controversial Justice Thomas." Steve Weinberg, who reviewed Silent Justice for The Legal Times, concluded, "For potential readers who have already decided beyond all doubt that Thomas is either a hero or a villain, this book will be maddening. for potential readers who have strong opinions about Thomas but are willing to revise those opinions on the basis of new evidence, this book will be revalatory." Amen

Rating:
Summary: Dull, but Informative
Review: John Greenya sets out to write a biography of Justice Thomas without making a judgement one way or the other. He pretty much manages to do that, however the story seems to lack any emotion at all.

This is an almost impossible task as the early life of Justice Thomas is alive with passion. The hearings against him alive with the same and the voice of his detractors and his defenders alike brim with this emotion.

Greenya doesn't seem to want to make a decision. He lets the participants and the record do most of the talking. His final chapter allows people involved and uninvolved make their cases however he refuses to draw any conclusions. This might be a desision made in order to be fair (and for the most part he shows respect for both sides of the story) but it makes for a less interesting book.

The story of Thomas' early life and the story of the Hearings went fast and read well, they had what most of the book lacked, but that was due to the drama inherant in the facts, not the writers writing.

I would suggest reading this volume first before reading the acolates of the right or the birckbats of the left, in that sense it is a useful book.

This book may deserve a better rating than I gave it. Greenya is not trying to be Bernard Cornwell but I find I just can't do better than what I have.

Rating:
Summary: Silent Justice by John Greenya
Review: Silent Justice is a fascinating account of the personal and political development of a man who now holds one of the most influential positions in our nation, a man about whom people have very strong feelings ranging from admiration and respect to outright disdain. Although I personally disagree with Justice Thomas's positions on many issues, a friend recommended this book because of its keen perceptions of the character of a man who has the potential to influence all of our lives for years to come. As it turned out, I enjoyed the book immensely.

Silent Justice is an unusually unbiased account compared with much that has been written about Thomas. Although the book allowed me to draw my own conclusions, I found John Greenya's treatment of the ways in which Thomas's opinions and style changed from his college days and throughout his years at the Equal Employment Opportunities commission and on the Federal bench to be particularly interesting. In addition, the description of Thomas's early life and the culture he grew up in provides a necessary backdrop for understanding his later life. The skillful blending of Thomas's professional and personal struggles, as well as the author's insights into the special challenges inherent in being a black man functioning at the upper levels of society and government is part of what makes this book so interesting.

I would definitely recommend Silent Justice to anyone who wants to understand what makes Thomas tick or who wants a greater perspective on the various ways people achieve power and prestige in American government and society.

Rating:
Summary: SILENT JUSTICE
Review: The nation watches as a political figure faces Congressional
questioning over treatment of a woman. No, it is not Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky in the limelight. A decade ago, now-Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas sat before America and answered accusations by Anita Hill. John Greenya's Silent Justice tells the story of the man beyond the trial - and beyond the bench.

Silent Justice begins in Pin Point, Ga., where Thomas grew up under strong Catholic influences and the hand of a no-nonsense grandfather. Following his educational background from those early elementary years to time spent at a Catholic college, Silent Justice takes readers along as young Thomas grapples with racial bias and balance. These conflicts helped to shape his political and philosophical ideals.

The book follows Thomas' life from his youth, when he was involved with the Black Panthers, to present day when his voice on the top judicial bench in the country shapes American thought each day.