CUNY’s Corey Robin–one of the foremost thinkers on American conservatism–set out to solve the puzzle of Clarence Thomas: How did a young black nationalist grow up to be the most right-wing justice on the Supreme Court–and without abandoning the core ideas that once animated him as a radical leftist? In his groundbreaking new book, Robin–a political scientist at Brooklyn College and The Graduate Center– explores Thomas’s 28-year record on the court against the backdrop of his uniquely evolved vision of race.

The Enigma of Clarence Thomas “is rigorous yet readable, frequently startling yet eminently persuasive,” wrote The New York Times reviewer Jennifer Szalai. “. . . It isn’t every day that reading about ideas can be both so gratifying and unsettling, and Robin’s incisive and superbly argued book has made me think again.” Robin is also the author of  The Reactionary Mind, which The New Yorker called “the book that predicted Trump.”

 

RELATED LINKS

Read more about Corey Robin

Coming December 4 at The Graduate Center: A conversation with Corey Robin and Columbia law professor Kendall Thomas 

Read The New York Times review: ‘The Enigma of Clarence Thomas’ Makes a Strong Case for Its Provocative Thesis

Hear Robin talk about “The Reactionary Mind,” on MSNBC host Chris Hayes’s “Why is this Happening?” podcast.