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"The first book from Ruth Bader Ginsburg since becoming a Supreme Court Justice in 1993--a witty, engaging, serious, and playful collection of writings and speeches from the woman who has had a powerful and enduring influence on law, women's rights, and popular culture. My Own Words is a selection of writings and speeches by Justice Ginsburg on wide-ranging topics, including gender equality, the workways of the Supreme Court, on being Jewish, on law and lawyers in opera, and on the value of looking beyond US shores when interpreting the US Constitution. Throughout her life Justice Ginsburg has been (and continues to be) a prolific writer and public speaker. This book contains a sampling, selected by Justice Ginsburg and her authorized biographers Mary Hartnett and Wendy W. Williams. Justice Ginsburg has written an Introduction to the book, and Hartnett and Williams introduce each chapter, giving biographical context and quotes gleaned from hundreds of interviews they have conducted. This is a fascinating glimpse into the life of one of America's most influential women"--… (more)
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The first time RBG was part of the team that sued for sex discrimination (or maybe it was the second) someone gave the Courts a very long list of laws that were written to include
RBG turned that list into a hit-list: laws that she wanted changed.
She went on to change them.
Here's the other thing: she doesn't dissent unless the dissent holds water, is worthwhile, and is necessary to clarify what the dissent is about. Her most famous dissent, at least as I see it, was over Roe V. Wade. She did not dissent over the requirement that abortion be made legal; she dissented in the way that it happened.
To understand, imagine you have a big container (a very, very large container. Bigger. There you go.). This container is filled with water. If you drop a pebble in, some water is displaced and a ripple shows, but it really isn't that big a deal and truly, nobody would notice. Plop some more in there. Enough to cover the bottom, and then some.
If you toss a big rock in there, though, all at once, you'll get wet, water will splash out, and everyone is unhappy. You might have even dented or scraped or cracked the container. That's not good, because you need the container to last a long time.
From what RBG, and the two co-authors to this biography told me, laws are very similar to pebbles. You need a lot of pebbles in place to support the big rocks, or everyone is uncomfortable, annoyed, and/or wet.
Roe V Wade didn't have the kind of structural support it needed to be a truly excellent judgement. RBG argues that the SCOTUS made an incredibly preemptive ruling--nay, law--that could have been left up to Congress or states to make into stronger laws that everyone agreed on.
This is not to say that I don't think the decision reached in Roe V Wade was a wrong one. But it has left an unfortunate juxtaposition for state and federal laws to attempt to make work.
Again, to be clear: I agree that abortion must be legal. And quite honestly I'd rather it be federally protected, especially considering that if we left it up to the states, we would see a large upswing in denial of care from deeply religious states, despite the supposed separation between it and law.
Back to the book.
I really enjoyed reading it. It clarified a lot about who RBG is as a person, as a lawyer, and as a justice. I fully recommend you read it, as it includes discussion on SCOTUS's practices, histories, and traditions. There is some minor legalese but it is always explained.
10/10. Read this book.
I highly recommend the audiobook. Don't think of this book as a biography in the sense of recounting chronological events in a woman's life; think of the biography as a stream of conversations
also, I love how much history of women's rights there is in this book.
This is not a memoir, but it does share her insight into her education, and how her upbringing has been so important to her philosophical outlook, in life. A great edition to any book collection.
using the life's work of the late RBG, including archival recordings of her own voice delivering her dissenting opinion statements and tribute speeches, this is a thorough compilation of the Justice's
I think the audio gets slightly repetitive sometimes, but it does offer the frequent and not insignificant benefit of getting to hear her actual voice deliver those carefully measured, precise statements. The print version would be better for many readers for skimmability purposes - maybe get both?
The book is divided into five parts, moving from her early years, to tributes she
I listened to the audiobook on this one, and if you can get a hold of the audiobook I really recommend it. It's unique in that many of the speeches or statements where recorded, and it's those recordings of RBG that you hear in the audiobook, along with brief introductions by her co-authors Mary Hartnett and Wendy Williams (and read by Linda Lavin). It's an effective way to present the material.
One of my favorites is not a speech by the Justice, but by her husband Martin Ginsburg - it's hilarious. Who knew a tax attorney could have such a good sense of humor?
I especially like the insight into how the Supreme Court decides cases, makes decisions, and generally comes to agreement. Her ACLU cases are incredibly important, showing how there is unfairness (to both sexes) when it comes to laws.
An amazing lady who is one of the few women of her day who actually managed to make a successful career, while having a successful family.
Highly Recomended.