Resurrection: The Confirmations of Clarence Thomas

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

Danforth, a Republican senator from Missouri and an ordained Episcopal priest, maintains that liberal law professor Anita Hill's charge of sexual harassment against conservative judge Clarence Thomas was a last-minute, politically motivated attempt to derail his nomination to the Supreme Court in 1991. The author, who led a campaign to win support for Thomas's confirmation in the Senate and attacked Hill in the media, presents a startling, behind-the-scenes look at the confirmation hearings. To substantiate his charge that Hill lacked veracity, Danforth sets forth evidence that she lied to the Senate Judiciary Committee about the circumstances surrounding her termination at a law firm, testimony that was apart from her relationship with Thomas. Danforth notes, however, that a challenge to her testimony was never made for procedural reasons. He describes Thomas during the confirmation process as a ``lost soul,'' sobbing, writhing in agony on the floor, lying in bed in a fetal position, but ultimately pulling himself together through prayer, Bible reading and the support of friends and his wife Ginni. 50,000 first printing; author tour. (Sept.)

Library Journal

In a book whose title suggests strong religious symbolism, Senator John Danforth (R-Mo.), who is also an ordained Episcopal priest, recounts the battle, both public and private, political and personal, that ensued over Clarence Thomas's nomination to the Supreme Court. Writing from the perspective of a personal friend as well as a political sponsor of Judge Thomas, Danforth details what he interpreted to be a well-orchestrated attempt to destroy Thomas's nomination and perhaps the man himself. According to Danforth, he himself was almost destroyed by his own angry response to Thomas's foes. This particular confirmation battle will be analyzed for decades to come, from numerous angles and with competing conclusions. At times moving, Danforth's insider account often reveals Danforth's rage and questionable tactics as much as anything else. His "spin" on the Clarence Thomas-Anita Hill affair won't persuade everyone, but his honesty about his own behavior is refreshing. Danforth's work will appeal particularly to readers interested in the relationship between political behavior and religious faith. [See also The Complete Transcripts of the Clarence Thomas-Anita Hill Hearings, reviewed above.-Ed.]-Stephen K. Shaw, Northwest Nazarene Coll., Nampa, Id.

Ray Olson

Danforth is the Missouri senator who shepherded Clarence Thomas through Senate confirmation of his appointment to the Supreme Court. A minister as well as an attorney, Danforth reflects his and Thomas' Christian faith often in his account of the ordeal that confirmation became. When the going got really tough--i.e., after Anita Hill's allegations of sexual harassment came out--Thomas kept his spirits up with Christian music, by reading the Bible, but most of all through prayer, both alone and with those closest to him, who several times included Danforth. According to Danforth, Thomas was essentially broken, anyway, and his reputation actually killed, which is why Danforth refers to Thomas' eventual victory as the beginning of a virtual resurrection that, given how anti-conservative propagandists have kept Hill's accusations current, is not over. Two aspects of Danforth's report are most striking: that Thomas always stoutly maintained he never said or did anything Hill could have construed as harassment, and that Danforth feels he himself behaved wrongly in some of his efforts to help Thomas. A very convincing testimony on one of the most controversial and contentious public events of recent years. (For those who wish to compare Danforth's account with the record of the confirmation hearings, Academy Chicago Publishers has just issued "The Complete Transcripts of the Clarence Thomas-Anita Hill Hearings" [$22.50; 0-89733-408-6].)