The Poetic Justice: A Memoir

by John Charles Thomas, W. Taylor Reveley III (Foreword by)

Overview

This inspiring memoir begins in 1983, on the day John Charles Thomas was sworn in as the first Black—and, at thirty-two years of age, the youngest—justice of the Supreme Court of Virginia in the commonwealth’s history. This high point was preceded, however, by a life that began in a home broken by poverty, alcoholism, and violence, and the segregated schools and neighborhoods of postwar Norfolk. How this triumph against such tremendous odds came about is no feel-good story or fable but a real-life journey full of poignant stories.

This eloquent memoir is the work of a man who cares deeply about language. In addition to being a social justice pioneer, Judge Thomas is an accomplished poet who has recited his poetry to a Carnegie Hall audience and who here reflects on his twin loves of poetry and the law. As he chronicles his trajectory from the "wrong side of the tracks" in Norfolk to the supreme court bench in Richmond, he takes us from his difficult beginnings to a professional life as a Virginia lawyer, recounts his international travels, and shares his encounters with world leaders such as Chuck Robb and Mikhail Gorbachev. Thomas’s memoir highlights these lofty meetings but also relates with candor the challenges he encountered as he battled the systemic racism that suffuses U.S. society to this day.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780813947839
Publisher:	University of Virginia Press
Publication date:	10/18/2022
Pages:	248
Sales rank:	495,494
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.90(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

John Charles Thomas, a former Justice of the Supreme Court of Virginia and published poet, is a retired partner in the law firm of Hunton Andrews Kurth.

What People are Saying About This

Katherine A. Rowe

A vivid tapestry—at once joyful and deeply sobering—Judge Thomas’s memoir teaches us what it means to come of age as a just human being. Everyone who seeks to understand this country at the turn of the twenty-first century will learn much from the complex alchemy of race and education that threads through these life stories. Anyone with a passion for learning and work will delight in his compelling voice.

Risa Goluboff

The Poetic Justice offers a remarkable account of a remarkable life. John Charles Thomas’s brilliance, eloquence, and passion for justice propelled him from a childhood in segregated Virginia to, among other accomplishments, service as the first Black and youngest justice of the highest court in the Commonwealth of Virginia. With his authentic voice and unique perspective, he has written a deeply personal portrait that both provides powerful insight into the history of race and law in America and reveals the crucial role he himself has played in changing the trajectory of that history over the past seventy years.

Kendrick F. Ashton

Wonderfully written, with an honesty and openness that provides a very clear sense of what it was like to walk in Thomas's shoes. Many of the stories are infused with a palpable emotion, and the detail that he is capable of recalling is stunning. I’ve now made my way through The Poetic Justice twice, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It is an important addition to the long list of high-impact contributions to the Black community, Virginia, and America.

Tim Reid

As our nation continues to struggle with the historic context of growing up Black in America, John Charles Thomas’s autobiography takes on added importance. Born and raised in Norfolk’s section of "Colored Town" just a few blocks away and a few years earlier, I was profoundly moved and inspired by his story. This book tells of the triumphant journey of a man who rose above the bitter barriers of poverty and racism to rewrite the destiny which trapped so many of us who grew up during the times of society’s "inconvenient truths."

Editorial Reviews

A vivid tapestry—at once joyful and deeply sobering—Judge Thomas’s memoir teaches us what it means to come of age as a just human being. Everyone who seeks to understand this country at the turn of the twenty-first century will learn much from the complex alchemy of race and education that threads through these life stories. Anyone with a passion for learning and work will delight in his compelling voice.

—Katherine A. Rowe, President, College of William and Mary

The Poetic Justice offers a remarkable account of a remarkable life. John Charles Thomas’s brilliance, eloquence, and passion for justice propelled him from a childhood in segregated Virginia to, among other accomplishments, service as the first Black and youngest justice of the highest court in the Commonwealth of Virginia. With his authentic voice and unique perspective, he has written a deeply personal portrait that both provides powerful insight into the history of race and law in America and reveals the crucial role he himself has played in changing the trajectory of that history over the past seventy years.

—Risa Goluboff, Dean and Arnold H. Leon Professor of Law and Professor of History, University of Virginia School of Law

As our nation continues to struggle with the historic context of growing up Black in America, John Charles Thomas’s autobiography takes on added importance. Born and raised in Norfolk’s section of "Colored Town" just a few blocks away and a few years earlier, I was profoundly moved and inspired by his story. This book tells of the triumphant journey of a man who rose above the bitter barriers of poverty and racism to rewrite the destiny which trapped so many of us who grew up during the times of society’s "inconvenient truths."

—Tim Reid, award-winning actor, director, producer

Wonderfully written, with an honesty and openness that provides a very clear sense of what it was like to walk in Thomas's shoes. Many of the stories are infused with a palpable emotion, and the detail that he is capable of recalling is stunning. I’ve now made my way through The Poetic Justice twice, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It is an important addition to the long list of high-impact contributions to the Black community, Virginia, and America.

—Kendrick F. Ashton, Jr., former member of William and Mary's Board of Visitors and Virginia entrepreneur

From the Publisher

As our nation continues to struggle with the historic context of growing up Black in America, John Charles Thomas’s autobiography takes on added importance. Born and raised in Norfolk’s section of "Colored Town" just a few blocks away and a few years earlier, I was profoundly moved and inspired by his story. This book tells of the triumphant journey of a man who rose above the bitter barriers of poverty and racism to rewrite the destiny which trapped so many of us who grew up during the times of society’s "inconvenient truths."

Tim Reid

Wonderfully written, with an honesty and openness that provides a very clear sense of what it was like to walk in Thomas's shoes. Many of the stories are infused with a palpable emotion, and the detail that he is capable of recalling is stunning. I’ve now made my way through The Poetic Justice twice, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It is an important addition to the long list of high-impact contributions to the Black community, Virginia, and America.

Kendrick F. Ashton

The Poetic Justice offers a remarkable account of a remarkable life. John Charles Thomas’s brilliance, eloquence, and passion for justice propelled him from a childhood in segregated Virginia to, among other accomplishments, service as the first Black and youngest justice of the highest court in the Commonwealth of Virginia. With his authentic voice and unique perspective, he has written a deeply personal portrait that both provides powerful insight into the history of race and law in America and reveals the crucial role he himself has played in changing the trajectory of that history over the past seventy years.

Risa Goluboff

A vivid tapestry—at once joyful and deeply sobering—Judge Thomas’s memoir teaches us what it means to come of age as a just human being. Everyone who seeks to understand this country at the turn of the twenty-first century will learn much from the complex alchemy of race and education that threads through these life stories. Anyone with a passion for learning and work will delight in his compelling voice.

Katherine A. Rowe