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Speaking Truth to Power
After her astonishing testimony in the Clarence Thomas hearings, Anita Hill ceased to be a private citizen and became a public figure at the white-hot center of an intense national debate on how men and women relate to each other in the workplace. That debate led to ground-breaking court decisions and major shifts in corporate policies that have had a profound effect on our lives--and on Anita Hill's life. Now, with remarkable insight and total candor, Anita Hill reflects on events before, during, and after the hearings, offering for the first time a complete account that sheds startling new light on this watershed event.
Only after reading her moving recollection of her childhood on her family's Oklahoma farm can we fully appreciate the values that enabled her to withstand the harsh scrutiny she endured during the hearings and for years afterward. Only after reading her detailed narrative of the Senate Judiciary proceedings do we reach a new understanding of how Washington--and the media--rush to judgment. And only after discovering the personal toll of this wrenching ordeal, and how Hill copes, do we gain new respect for this extraordinary woman.
Here is a vitally important work that allows us to understand why Anita Hill did what she did, and thereby brings resolution to one of the most controversial episodes in our nation's history.
Only after reading her moving recollection of her childhood on her family's Oklahoma farm can we fully appreciate the values that enabled her to withstand the harsh scrutiny she endured during the hearings and for years afterward. Only after reading her detailed narrative of the Senate Judiciary proceedings do we reach a new understanding of how Washington--and the media--rush to judgment. And only after discovering the personal toll of this wrenching ordeal, and how Hill copes, do we gain new respect for this extraordinary woman.
Here is a vitally important work that allows us to understand why Anita Hill did what she did, and thereby brings resolution to one of the most controversial episodes in our nation's history.
384 pages, Paperback
First published September 15, 1997
70 people are currently reading
1900 people want to read
About the author
Anita Hill
16 books62 followersAnita Faye Hill, J.D. (Yale University, 1980; BS, Psychology, Oklahoma State University, 1977), is professor of social policy, law, and women's studies at Brandeis University and a faculty member of the Heller School for Social Policy and Management at Brandeis. She previously worked under Clarence Thomas at the Department of Education and the EEOC, after which she took on a professorship at the Evangelical Christian O. W. Coburn School of Law at Oral Roberts University. Her prior work with Thomas earned her a call to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee during the hearings regarding his 1991 nomination to the Supreme Court. Her testimony alleging sexual harassment by Thomas make her a figure of national interest and a target of conservatives despite her own conservative standing. Such pressure ultimately led Hill to resign her tenured professorship at the University of Oklahoma College of Law.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 61 reviews
March 6, 2019
It's frustrating & infuriating to conclude that there is very little difference between what happened in 1991 (Hill/Thomas) and, almost three decades later, in 2018 (Blasey Ford/Kavanaugh).
April 27, 2016
Anita Hill changed everything. Harassment in the workplace, whether sexual or not, became instantly recognizable, and everyone could see instances of it in their own lives or in those of their colleagues. Hill’s testimony was a watershed from a moment in time when even senators did not know what sexual harassment was to a time when we all could recount instances of pressure in the workplace, even men. An easily imaginable scenario is one where a family man takes a job where he is supposed to spend considerable after-work time with colleagues who prefer drunken forays to strip clubs. Either get along or get sidelined. This is harassment. It is difficult to prove and damaging to one’s reputation, which is why no one wants to bring it up.
Sexual harassment, of course, involves power relationships and the suggestion of sexual favors in return for job security or advancement. I defy any woman ready to retire who has not seen or experienced instances of sexual harassment in their working lifetimes. Sexual harassment is not over, but it is recognized now for what it is. The thing is, Anita Hill never signed up for exposing a truth and educating the world. She never wanted to talk about it after she removed herself from the job she had working with Clarence Thomas and—this is the first place I feel her pain so keenly—talked herself into accepting a job away from the power positions on the East coast doing something she’d initially had no interest in doing: teaching commercial law in a religious-affiliated law school…in Oklahoma. Oh, I hear that.
This book was published in October 1997, six years after Hill testified to the Senate Judiciary Committee regarding the confirmation hearings of now-Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. Despite being terribly impressed with what appeared to be Hill’s calm composure during the hearings, I was still unprepared for the knock-it-out-of-the-park clarity, coherence, and completeness of the entirety of Hill’s experience before, during and after that time.
Hill came from a very centered and closely-knit family with strong religious beliefs. She reminds us as she recounts her family’s history how close slavery is to us now. Her great-grandmother, Alice Elliott, died in 1939 just before the Second World War. She was the last of the family to have experienced slavery first-hand. The statements Anita Hill gave about Clarence Thomas threatened her closeness with her community because she was speaking out against the actions of a black man, something which threatened, in the minds of many, perceptions of the race as a whole. Hill’s religious beliefs were put to the test:
Hill completely and eloquently answers all attacks on her testimony and on her person, laying to rest accusations that she was a “lier” [sic]. She was at the center of a storm for many years following her testimony, and had to live through that as well as the turmoil of a Senate hearing. She worked at the University of Oklahoma Law School where some of the funding for her law school and for an endowed chair being set up in her name was being held back by detractors in the Oklahoma state government. The endowed chair was defunded in 1999, never having filled the seat. By that time, Ms. Hill had moved to New England to teach at Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts. She is there now, teaching Anti-Discrimination Law and Policy (Gender and Race).
This past month Anita Hill’s experience was brought again to my attention, first when Charles P. Pierce, the edgy political commentator for Esquire magazine, suggested that Republicans reluctant to vote on Obama's nominee for the Supreme Court vacancy might prefer Anita Hill to fill the vacancy. First I laughed, then I wondered... This month also the HBO made-for-TV movie on the Clarence Thomas hearings was announced. Not being able to view HBO, I wasn’t able to see it, but I did look for the 2013 documentary film called Anita, which goes through some of the withering un-lawyerly questioning from the senate committee and shows Ms. Hill’s steadfastness under pressure. There is also a section which gives some later context to her career, her marriage, and the work in which she is currently engaged. She has a new book on an important topic, called Reimagining Equality: Stories of Gender, Race, and Finding Home (Beacon Press, 2011), which combines two areas of law which she has taught: the book looks at commercial and anti-discrimination law combined with an examination of culture and society to address the 2008 foreclosure crisis and its ongoing impact.
Anita Hill changed everything. Now even senators know what sexual harassment is.
Sexual harassment, of course, involves power relationships and the suggestion of sexual favors in return for job security or advancement. I defy any woman ready to retire who has not seen or experienced instances of sexual harassment in their working lifetimes. Sexual harassment is not over, but it is recognized now for what it is. The thing is, Anita Hill never signed up for exposing a truth and educating the world. She never wanted to talk about it after she removed herself from the job she had working with Clarence Thomas and—this is the first place I feel her pain so keenly—talked herself into accepting a job away from the power positions on the East coast doing something she’d initially had no interest in doing: teaching commercial law in a religious-affiliated law school…in Oklahoma. Oh, I hear that.
This book was published in October 1997, six years after Hill testified to the Senate Judiciary Committee regarding the confirmation hearings of now-Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. Despite being terribly impressed with what appeared to be Hill’s calm composure during the hearings, I was still unprepared for the knock-it-out-of-the-park clarity, coherence, and completeness of the entirety of Hill’s experience before, during and after that time.
Hill came from a very centered and closely-knit family with strong religious beliefs. She reminds us as she recounts her family’s history how close slavery is to us now. Her great-grandmother, Alice Elliott, died in 1939 just before the Second World War. She was the last of the family to have experienced slavery first-hand. The statements Anita Hill gave about Clarence Thomas threatened her closeness with her community because she was speaking out against the actions of a black man, something which threatened, in the minds of many, perceptions of the race as a whole. Hill’s religious beliefs were put to the test:
“Even religion turned against me, or I should say was turned against me…[some] purporting to speak for the church or God or both advised me to confess my sins, or worse, condemned me to “burn in hell” for my sin of testifying. Before long a few voices, speaking on behalf of a church or religion, would attempt to console me for the experience I had endured, but not before I had grown to distrust the church, if not religion itself.”
Hill completely and eloquently answers all attacks on her testimony and on her person, laying to rest accusations that she was a “lier” [sic]. She was at the center of a storm for many years following her testimony, and had to live through that as well as the turmoil of a Senate hearing. She worked at the University of Oklahoma Law School where some of the funding for her law school and for an endowed chair being set up in her name was being held back by detractors in the Oklahoma state government. The endowed chair was defunded in 1999, never having filled the seat. By that time, Ms. Hill had moved to New England to teach at Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts. She is there now, teaching Anti-Discrimination Law and Policy (Gender and Race).
This past month Anita Hill’s experience was brought again to my attention, first when Charles P. Pierce, the edgy political commentator for Esquire magazine, suggested that Republicans reluctant to vote on Obama's nominee for the Supreme Court vacancy might prefer Anita Hill to fill the vacancy. First I laughed, then I wondered... This month also the HBO made-for-TV movie on the Clarence Thomas hearings was announced. Not being able to view HBO, I wasn’t able to see it, but I did look for the 2013 documentary film called Anita, which goes through some of the withering un-lawyerly questioning from the senate committee and shows Ms. Hill’s steadfastness under pressure. There is also a section which gives some later context to her career, her marriage, and the work in which she is currently engaged. She has a new book on an important topic, called Reimagining Equality: Stories of Gender, Race, and Finding Home (Beacon Press, 2011), which combines two areas of law which she has taught: the book looks at commercial and anti-discrimination law combined with an examination of culture and society to address the 2008 foreclosure crisis and its ongoing impact.
Anita Hill changed everything. Now even senators know what sexual harassment is.
July 21, 2016
I have a lot of respect for Anita Hill, for being willing to step up and speak up at a time when things like sexual harassment were not really openly talked about. She was basically crucified by the Senate, and smeared through the mud for no reason, but she gave a voice of courage to women, and changed things for other women who spoke up after her about sexual harassment that happened to them. Kudos to you, Anita!
April 19, 2008
This book offers Anita Hill’s personal account of Clarence Thomas’s sexual harassment of her and the professional, personal, and media backlash she experienced upon reporting his misconduct. It analyzes professional, academic, political, and societal attitudes about women generally and about sexual harassment claims and other abuses of power (e.g., “Women who accuse men, particularly powerful men, of harassment are often confronted with the reality of the men’s sense that they are more important than women, as a group.”). Professor Hill’s experience is well-presented in a landscape that includes explications of other real life sexual harassment cases and scenarios.
Professor Hill’s description of hostile work environment and/or implicit quid pro quo harassment was compelling and, I suspect, very typical for sexual harassment victims:
“Thomas never issued ultimatums, but I knew without some capitulation to his comments or acquiescence to his right to make them, he would have no use for me in his office. He never spelled the message out in words, but it was clear from his tone and his actions. Though he had not expressed dissatisfaction with my work, he began to give significant assignments to others. When he was not being suggestive, he was being gruff or difficult. He complained whenever I asked him to approve or sign off on a project. He stopped promising me that I would day work on special projects.”
After Professor Hill testified about the misconduct, she was criticized for failing to come forward earlier and was accused by the media, members of Congress, colleagues, total strangers, and friends of being a “sheer idiot," “a sore liar,” a “dirty, depraved, schizophrenic,” “grossly sexual,” an erotomaniac, a sexual deviant, a troublemaker, and a lesbian with “sexual proclivities.” I was shocked to learn that although Professor Hill passed a lie detector test regarding her allegations, only 20 percent of African Americans believed them – a clear example to me of individuals disbelieving the sexual harassment victim out of expediency, ignorance, arrogance, frustration, self-interest, and a litany of other interests that work to preserve the status quo.
Professor Hill’s description of the rejection, isolation, and despair she felt after testifying about Thomas’s misconduct is powerful and moving; I suspect that sexual harassment “whistleblowers” will find it all too familiar. The same is true of her description of the sense of guilt she felt for not coming forward earlier to protect other women from Thomas’s behavior and her description of the negative impact that coming forward had on her career (sadly, she ultimately had to leave her tenured position at the University of Oklahoma College of Law).
I came away from this book understanding that broad social change is needed if the purposes of the laws prohibiting sexual harassment are to be achieved. In my mind, a good starting place would be requiring workplaces and academic institutions to attain a thorough understanding of the complexities of sexual harassment; requiring workplaces and academic institutions to investigate sexual harassment claims via unbiased, thorough, and fair investigations that are aimed at actually finding out the truth; and raising public awareness about the importance of recognizing and preserving the humanity of sexual harassment victims, particularly those that have the courage to speak out about the misconduct.
Professor Hill’s description of hostile work environment and/or implicit quid pro quo harassment was compelling and, I suspect, very typical for sexual harassment victims:
“Thomas never issued ultimatums, but I knew without some capitulation to his comments or acquiescence to his right to make them, he would have no use for me in his office. He never spelled the message out in words, but it was clear from his tone and his actions. Though he had not expressed dissatisfaction with my work, he began to give significant assignments to others. When he was not being suggestive, he was being gruff or difficult. He complained whenever I asked him to approve or sign off on a project. He stopped promising me that I would day work on special projects.”
After Professor Hill testified about the misconduct, she was criticized for failing to come forward earlier and was accused by the media, members of Congress, colleagues, total strangers, and friends of being a “sheer idiot," “a sore liar,” a “dirty, depraved, schizophrenic,” “grossly sexual,” an erotomaniac, a sexual deviant, a troublemaker, and a lesbian with “sexual proclivities.” I was shocked to learn that although Professor Hill passed a lie detector test regarding her allegations, only 20 percent of African Americans believed them – a clear example to me of individuals disbelieving the sexual harassment victim out of expediency, ignorance, arrogance, frustration, self-interest, and a litany of other interests that work to preserve the status quo.
Professor Hill’s description of the rejection, isolation, and despair she felt after testifying about Thomas’s misconduct is powerful and moving; I suspect that sexual harassment “whistleblowers” will find it all too familiar. The same is true of her description of the sense of guilt she felt for not coming forward earlier to protect other women from Thomas’s behavior and her description of the negative impact that coming forward had on her career (sadly, she ultimately had to leave her tenured position at the University of Oklahoma College of Law).
I came away from this book understanding that broad social change is needed if the purposes of the laws prohibiting sexual harassment are to be achieved. In my mind, a good starting place would be requiring workplaces and academic institutions to attain a thorough understanding of the complexities of sexual harassment; requiring workplaces and academic institutions to investigate sexual harassment claims via unbiased, thorough, and fair investigations that are aimed at actually finding out the truth; and raising public awareness about the importance of recognizing and preserving the humanity of sexual harassment victims, particularly those that have the courage to speak out about the misconduct.
August 1, 2014
Anita Hill tells her story with courage and heart. Her incise arguments to every sexist and racist claim made against her had me riveted. Her stories were both moving and offered insight into several generations of an African-American family meeting degradation with strength and unrelenting dignity. The recent documentary film, Anita, is a great compliment to her writing and helps us understand the tenor of the Hill-Thomas hearing of 1991 by the power of it's visual impact. We also have the opportunity to see the continuation of her impactful work against sexual harassment two decades after the event. Although the book was published in 1998, I found it vital in describing a historical event, Anita Hill speaking truth to power, that has changed the lives of women worldwide.
August 10, 2011
After having recently read (and reviewed) Clarence Thomas's memoir, I find this book as difficult to review as Mr. Thomas's. As one who witnessed the judicial hearings leading to the confirmation of Justice Thomas, I found it impossible to read these books without constantly asking the question, "which one is telling the truth about this part?". (At the time of the hearings I was living and ministering in a predominantly African American neighborhood and, as a white man, was dealing with my own racial and cultural issues as well as trying to understand the tensions in the community around me.)
In her memoir, Ms. Hill comes across as relatively naive and insecure at first. This seems perfectly understandable from the background she describes. As she unfolds the events, I find that I have a *very* hard time believing that she is lying. Her explanations of why she did not confront the issues of sexual harassment when they actually occurred ring perfectly believable. Her description of how her experiences came to be known is also completely plausible.
The detour that her life took as a result of her story becoming public clearly changed her. I don't think you could describe her as naive any longer, but it would seem that, although she is much more confident today, she still struggles with insecurity. Her acceptance of her (involuntary, by her account) role in leading Americans to face the issue of sexual harassment is laudable.
To me, the most disturbing part of reading both this book and Clarence Thomas's book is the picture we see of the politics involved. Both Thomas and Hill vividly expose a political process rife with self-serving pettiness, viciousness, and half-truths on the part of our elected officials. Reading these books while the confirmation hearing for Judge Sotomayor was taking place only reinforced this view, as we witnessed the heated rhetoric rise (or should I say fall) to the level of name-calling that was truly disgusting. In the end, I tend to view both Hill and Thomas as victims of a broken system -- regardless of who you think was actually telling the truth (and make no mistake about it, neither Hill nor Thomas give any room for concluding anything other than that at least one of them was and is lying about their past history).
All that being said, I recommend both this book and Clarence Thomas's "My Grandfather's Son" as fascinating reads that provide useful insight into American culture as well as these two individual's lives.
In her memoir, Ms. Hill comes across as relatively naive and insecure at first. This seems perfectly understandable from the background she describes. As she unfolds the events, I find that I have a *very* hard time believing that she is lying. Her explanations of why she did not confront the issues of sexual harassment when they actually occurred ring perfectly believable. Her description of how her experiences came to be known is also completely plausible.
The detour that her life took as a result of her story becoming public clearly changed her. I don't think you could describe her as naive any longer, but it would seem that, although she is much more confident today, she still struggles with insecurity. Her acceptance of her (involuntary, by her account) role in leading Americans to face the issue of sexual harassment is laudable.
To me, the most disturbing part of reading both this book and Clarence Thomas's book is the picture we see of the politics involved. Both Thomas and Hill vividly expose a political process rife with self-serving pettiness, viciousness, and half-truths on the part of our elected officials. Reading these books while the confirmation hearing for Judge Sotomayor was taking place only reinforced this view, as we witnessed the heated rhetoric rise (or should I say fall) to the level of name-calling that was truly disgusting. In the end, I tend to view both Hill and Thomas as victims of a broken system -- regardless of who you think was actually telling the truth (and make no mistake about it, neither Hill nor Thomas give any room for concluding anything other than that at least one of them was and is lying about their past history).
All that being said, I recommend both this book and Clarence Thomas's "My Grandfather's Son" as fascinating reads that provide useful insight into American culture as well as these two individual's lives.
November 9, 2013
Completely amazing. It is astounding to read this detailed account of the effects on her life that came came simply from stepping forward to tell the truth. Absolutely incredible what our nation is willing to do to someone through a situation like this. Certainly hers is not a one of a kind case. I sure hope we have made some progress since her testimony in 1991. I remember being riveted to the TV but had forgotten that her testimony was just a few days out of a life that became a firestorm. Wonderful to see her in interviews today, quietly, calmly working on behalf of those subjected to the same harassment she went through. This book is a detailed, point by point account of her experience, but I really appreciated its thoroughness. I have to pray that our government and the U.S. Senate (and congress) learned a thing or two since then. WOW. Thank you Anita Hill for all of your hard work and sacrifice.
December 1, 2019
"Speaking a truth to Power" is Anita Hill's coming out testimony to her traditional Oklahoma upbringing, her experience with the Civil Rights era, and her later relationship with Clarence Thomas. It is a comprehensive book, at times too through and detailed, but successfully supports her claims of the sexual harassment she endured while working under Clarence Thomas.
However, the same question that persisted during her trial still persists in her book. Namely, how can a Yale Law School graduate and working attorney put up with such harassment for so long? By the end of the book, the answer becomes as apparent as it was then as it is still now for millions of women worldwide.
To read more, visit bit.ly/1p6nyT8.
However, the same question that persisted during her trial still persists in her book. Namely, how can a Yale Law School graduate and working attorney put up with such harassment for so long? By the end of the book, the answer becomes as apparent as it was then as it is still now for millions of women worldwide.
To read more, visit bit.ly/1p6nyT8.
July 31, 2016
In Speaking Truth to Power, Professor Hill extends a fairness to her accusers and detractors which was never extended to her. Her arguments are clear and well-reasoned. The restraint exercised is an astonishing act of courage in a life filled with many such acts. Her experience stands as an indictment of the absurdity of the sequence of events which ended with Clarence Thomas sitting on the Supreme Court. Reading the book in 2016, it is difficult to imagine a judge in a similar situation rising to the court, mainly due to the changes in the aftermath of Hill's testimony.
June 21, 2015
I found this book very enlightening as it relates to sexual harassment but also the political arena in Washington DC.
"You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face....You must do the thing you cannot do." Eleanor Roosevelt
"....conditioning teaches us to deny both the nature of the behavior and the harm we feel from it."
A book well worth reading.
"You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face....You must do the thing you cannot do." Eleanor Roosevelt
"....conditioning teaches us to deny both the nature of the behavior and the harm we feel from it."
A book well worth reading.
March 23, 2015
autobiographical and an apologia regarding the thomas/hill imbroglio. she definitely comes across as sympathetic, especially with respect to her time in tulsa. doubtful that she was wrong during the thomas/hill affair, especially after brock admitted that his character assassination was dishonest. all that said, presentation here is annoying, self-absorbed, &c.
June 30, 2013
Loved this book because I learned why we still need to work hard to eliminate racial and sexual stereotypes in the world today. Not only was Anita treated horribly during the Clarence Thomas hearing for the SCOTUS, but I learned that her treatment did not improve afterwards. She is a brave and eloquent woman who should be admired by all women.
December 14, 2007
This is not a diss to Anita Hill, since I'm sure she is an extraordinary woman with an important story to tell. Unfortunately the writing was so dry and monotonous that it read like a law textbook and I dragged myself through most of it with difficulty then just gave up. Too bad...
May 3, 2017
May I suggest an alternative? Strange Justice: The Selling of Clarence Thomas. You will understand the depth of Anita Hill's feelings during this horrific ordeal.
September 10, 2018
In October, 1991, Anita Hill's life as a Professor of Law and as a person changed from private citizen to that of a public figure when she offered testimony at the confirmation hearings for Clarence Thomas when he was nominated to become an Associate Justice on the United States Supreme Court. This book is her story--her childhood, college, law school, and her professional life prior to and after her testimony before the US Senate Judiciary Committee.
One cannot read this book without experiencing a broad range of emotions as Professor Hill details her experiences with now Justice Thomas as well as her experiences in relation to her testimony concerning his conduct while she served as his assistant at the US Department of Education and again at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
I read this book as a follow-up to "I Still Believe Anita Hill" by Amy Richards, so I felt I had some background, and, since I watched the hearings in October of 1991, I thought I was prepared for what I would read in this book. But, I was not. Anita Hill went from being a well liked and well respected woman and Professor of Law to a public figure, virtually over night. She was vilified by the media, the Republican party, certain members of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and by some of her former colleagues and students from previous teaching positions. Instead of Clarence Thomas being scrutinized, she was the one under scrutiny, simply because she came forward and told her story of the sexual harassment she experienced in her association with Justice Thomas. Whether you believe her allegations or not is really secondary to what you will encounter reading this book. It is a testament to courage. It is a testament to doing what you believe to be right. And, it is a testament to moving the women's movement forward by exposing sexual harassment in the workplace to the consciousness of America. Anita Hill empowered women to begin speaking out in a way that had not been done before. She changed America. She changed the workplace. Her actions began a movement that is still changing women's rights and raising the standard of acceptable behavior in the workplace even to this day and beyond. I admire and respect her and all those who joined with her to begin this journey.
This is a great book for so many reasons. It is well written. It is not self-aggrandizing. Mostly, it is hopeful and empowering. God bless you, Anita Hill!
Want to read
February 28, 2025 "Speaking Truth to power", is the testimony of Annita Hills in the legal case against Thomas Clarence. In this book, Annita’s background is covered and her unfortunate history leading up to the case. This book is all about bringing awareness to some of the horrible crimes that fall upon people, even in a work setting. Being 354 pages long, It provides a lot of information that is relatively unknown about this historical event. Reading the book, I found it to be a pretty uninteresting book, as to be expected. This book is, after all, about a legal case. However, I did not really feel as if the content of the case was something I should have read. I wouldn't recommend it to people under 18 because it talks about serious crimes in which people commit disgusting actions against others. It is quite saddening to know people end up being the victims of these heinous crimes. In addition to this, not that it is exactly relevant, but finding the verdict of this case (through sources other than this book), was particularly frustrating as to determining exactly how the legal case ended. Overall, I’d give this book a 2/5 star rating.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 18, 2025
This is a male dominated world where the conditions of the women have not changed in time and space. The civilized society has formulated rules to protect the right and privileges of women, but when it comes to their application at ground, we observe the good old chauvinistic barnacle obstinately clinging in its place. Anita Hill's book opens up the underbelly of American racial political systems and exposes what it means to be a woman of color. There are rules prescribing zero tolerance to sexual harassment. But when the rule makers themselves have vested interest, the victim becomes the accused.
We had a case where a SC judge was accused of sexual harassment. We saw that he had the audacity to investigate the case himself and declare himself free of guilt. How magnanimous was he, not to have allowed his fellow judges to be burdened with excavating the dirt.
The pain endured by Anita Hill in the whole episode, I feel, was far more excruciating than that she endured due to her ovarian tumor.
We had a case where a SC judge was accused of sexual harassment. We saw that he had the audacity to investigate the case himself and declare himself free of guilt. How magnanimous was he, not to have allowed his fellow judges to be burdened with excavating the dirt.
The pain endured by Anita Hill in the whole episode, I feel, was far more excruciating than that she endured due to her ovarian tumor.
August 29, 2021
3.5 ⭐️
May 14, 2017
It was enlightening, especially since I was away from the country when it happened. The details are all there, and it's pretty infuriating. If half the Senate were female, this sort of thing just wouldn't happen. She'd be believed right away. Why they thought she'd lie about this nasty behavior is beyond me.
August 24, 2016
Learning about the life of Anita Hill reminded me of situations where I have been a victim of sexual harassment in the workplace. Just like Anita Hill I experienced fear and confusion. The individual who harassment me I highly respected, and confided in him personal information that he later used to his advantage. The sexual harassment went on for about 6 months. I felt out of control and even though there was a sexual harassment policy in place at the company I worked, I felt powerless and did not come forth with a complaint. I would try to diffuse his advances by nervously laughing it off and declining. He expressed once after I declined that he was monitoring my work to determine my yearly bonus. I feared that I would be rated poorly if I was mean to him, or if I did not accept his request of going to dinner after work hours. My boss was later fired for some matters unrelated to harassment. Knowing what I know now if any situation like that happens again I will speak truth, and use my voice to speak out against those who take advantage and verbally abuse women. Hill's story is one that exemplifies feminism, one that demands respect for woman's right to be treated fairly not only in the workplace but in the world. Now in 2016 women have proven to be great leaders but still face adversity. Women have come along way for equal rights. May we continue to bury social norms and stand firm against the antagonist.
March 14, 2019
I was only 21 when Anita Hill, sitting alone behind a huge table in her blue suit, testified in front of a panel of white men, but I remember as if it were yesterday. I wasn't very politically savvy back then, so I didn't watch the entire hearing; just what was in the news. I remember the coke can, and thought how inappropriate it was for such an august body such as the Senate to degrade a woman like that. It was my political awakening & I made sure that I voted for every women I could, regardless of party.
Fast forward to 2018 & yet another Confirmation Hearing where some of the same men found it justifiable to humiliate & destroy yet another woman. Reading Ms Hill's book in the aftermath of this Hearing was gut-wrenching to say the least. It's appalling how 27 years later, nothing has changed. It's still easier & far more expedient to blame the woman rather than listening to her or finding the truth, while the Judge in question is deemed a Saint. She is blown off because she didn't report the atrocities immediately, so it they conclude it couldn't've been that bad. Ugh. Why do I have a feeling that if Dr Blasey Ford were to write a book about this episode, it would be hard to differentiate where Anita Hill's experiences stopped & Dr Blasey Ford's began.
Fast forward to 2018 & yet another Confirmation Hearing where some of the same men found it justifiable to humiliate & destroy yet another woman. Reading Ms Hill's book in the aftermath of this Hearing was gut-wrenching to say the least. It's appalling how 27 years later, nothing has changed. It's still easier & far more expedient to blame the woman rather than listening to her or finding the truth, while the Judge in question is deemed a Saint. She is blown off because she didn't report the atrocities immediately, so it they conclude it couldn't've been that bad. Ugh. Why do I have a feeling that if Dr Blasey Ford were to write a book about this episode, it would be hard to differentiate where Anita Hill's experiences stopped & Dr Blasey Ford's began.
December 24, 2015
It was most interesting to read this book so many years after the hearing and after its publication. When I purchased the book (the late 90s to show support for Ms Hill) I thought it was going to be more overarching than it is. But reading it some 20+ years later was interesting. Ms Hill gave a view that only she could give....it made me angry all over again to read of the way she (and women in general) were treated so dismissively. And my disgust at the then Senate Judiciary committee for sending Thomas' nomination on to the whole Senate I became enraged all over again. Bush 41's denials to the contrary, Thomas was nominated to fill the "Black" seat on SCOTUS. That was then, and is now, such an affront to African Americans and Thurgood Marshall to put Thomas on the Court.
Until I read this book I always thought Ms Hill was a Republican...that's the result of MSM and its control over the hearing and the participants. It also became crystal clear how Thomas' opposition was given short shrift...primarily because the opposition was led by intelligent, assertive women. It will be interesting to see the HBO movie based on the book which is due out in February.
Until I read this book I always thought Ms Hill was a Republican...that's the result of MSM and its control over the hearing and the participants. It also became crystal clear how Thomas' opposition was given short shrift...primarily because the opposition was led by intelligent, assertive women. It will be interesting to see the HBO movie based on the book which is due out in February.
April 2, 2016
Anita Hill spends many words describing her very limited family history, she can barely name her great-grandparents. I thought, why bother... but it makes sense given what follows. Because her people were hardened to endure with quiet dignity in spite of huge injustice. And yet to take opportunities for a better life when they were presented. Understanding her background makes sense of her way of handling the storm of publicity & personal attacks that she endured from 1991 onwards.
I liked this book a lot.. but be mindful it's legalistic and long-winded & highly detailed. I did not know, though, that I would enjoy the many explanations of legal principles that Hill presents. Especially with regard to the suppositions of guilt, the tactics used for witnesses or defendents, and the misapplication of principles. As a scientist I definitely enjoyed the forensic way she examined & sometimes refuted the evidence put forward about her or events.
It's a painful snapshot of modern history.
I liked this book a lot.. but be mindful it's legalistic and long-winded & highly detailed. I did not know, though, that I would enjoy the many explanations of legal principles that Hill presents. Especially with regard to the suppositions of guilt, the tactics used for witnesses or defendents, and the misapplication of principles. As a scientist I definitely enjoyed the forensic way she examined & sometimes refuted the evidence put forward about her or events.
It's a painful snapshot of modern history.
March 13, 2013
Well you didn't expect me to read Clarence Thomas and not Anita Hill. Read them the same night. This book I enjoyed as well. It was well written and was very, open, honest and to the point. What's interesting in this book to me is how we are all different in our description of sexual harassment. Anita speaks about how Justice Thomas would ask her on dates and talk about pornography. To me this would be straight sexual harassment but I asked a group of friends. Different races, similar financial households and the conclusion was if he didnt touch there was no harassment of any kind. One even jokingly said men will always talk dirty walk away and they will move on and do it to someone else. Should we just move on? Or do they need to get the hell out of there? Any way, well written, great book. Maybe even inspirational.
November 9, 2017
Not only a memoir of the events surrounding the Senate hearings, Professor Hill discusses some very important topics of cultural significance: power, race, discrimination, Jim Crow history, sexual perception of black women, womanist theory, affirmative, institutional politics, affirmative action, race and sex issues within the black community, and academia politics. A very important history book to understand sexual harassment, race, gender, and class and how those factors interact in high stakes political affairs. It is the story of a small town young black woman who faced multiple challenges and survived to tell the story of survival against political opposition on a national level that was dedicated to destroying her instead of investigating the truth.
October 6, 2008
I'd just read Clarence Thomas's memoir and needed to balance it. This book is much more engaging than Thomas's, for a couple reasons. First, the language makes it flow more smoothly. But more important, where Thomas seemed to be protecting himself, Hill is open. Where the former was opaque, the latter is transparent.
The books are similar insofar that they both dig into the past and describe African American childhoods in the mid-Twentieth Century south of the USA. Otherwise the books are different. Thomas makes himself out as a victim, which isn't believable. Hill comes close to doing the same, and seems to have some unrealistic ideas about how senate hearings should be run. But it didn't feel to me like she was portraying herself as a victim.
The books are similar insofar that they both dig into the past and describe African American childhoods in the mid-Twentieth Century south of the USA. Otherwise the books are different. Thomas makes himself out as a victim, which isn't believable. Hill comes close to doing the same, and seems to have some unrealistic ideas about how senate hearings should be run. But it didn't feel to me like she was portraying herself as a victim.
February 12, 2016
Those looking for salacious details about the Clarence Thomas confirmation hearings will not find it here. Those looking for poor anti-women behavior by powerful politicians (no the least trained lawyers such as Senator Arlen Specter) engaging in vicious partisanship will find it here. And those looking for a law professor presenting reasoned facts and arguments relating to her personal experience with sexual harassment and the fallout of the hearings coming out with integrity intact will definitely find it here.
October 6, 2008
It's not the best written book that I've ever read - but it's fascinating to hear about the struggles she overcame in finally doing her civic and ethical duty of trying to prevent the country from allowing a person with little regard for women to be seated on the highest court in the land.
April 8, 2014
I really enjoyed this book for the important racial issues for women that it uncovered. Anita Hill is an articulate, direct and moving writer. I did find some of the details a bit difficult to navigate, perhaps because I read the book in two stages.
April 28, 2020
I owe it to Professor Hill to finally read her book.
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