aquietglow's review
4.0
I'm so glad I've read this, so glad I know more about RBG.
So much of "typical" feminist history is steeped in whiteness, and it was a relief to see all the ways that RBG has tried to avoid that. And everything about her relationship with her husband! How wonderful! And I didn't know anything about it until reading.
I think it was probably especially interesting to read this now while Hillary's new book is coming out and she's giving interviews, and seeing that response. It's reassuring that some amazing people are on our side, despite a lot of bullshit they face.
So much of "typical" feminist history is steeped in whiteness, and it was a relief to see all the ways that RBG has tried to avoid that. And everything about her relationship with her husband! How wonderful! And I didn't know anything about it until reading.
I think it was probably especially interesting to read this now while Hillary's new book is coming out and she's giving interviews, and seeing that response. It's reassuring that some amazing people are on our side, despite a lot of bullshit they face.
a_little_shelf_absorbed's review against another edition
3.0
5-star woman, 3-star book. Enjoyable but I'm going to look for something more in depth about her work.
sallen1118's review against another edition
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.5
heatherbermingham's review
5.0
I went from not really knowing much about Ruth Bader Ginsburg to wanting to jump in my car, drive to DC, and hang out with her for a few days. So you know, I really, really liked this book a lot.
ricefun's review
5.0
I was inspired to read this biography after watching the fantastic documentary "RBG" and so I picked up a copy from my local library. I love the format of this book, with a great basic biography threaded through scans, pictures, recipes, doodles, and helpful commentary about Ginsburg's most famous opinions/dissents on important cases.
I have only a vague concept of the struggle that women faced when beginning to enter male-dominated professions. Ginsburg was instrumental in quietly and thoughtfully bringing about a shift in the legal understanding that humans are created equal and deserve equal protection no matter their gender. I appreciated so much that she spent time working to build coalitions and to break down barriers through commonality and consensus.
My favorite RBG quote, which is included in this book, is "I think that men and women, shoulder to shoulder, will work together to make this a better world. Just as I don't think that men are the superior sex, neither do I think women are. I think that it is great that we are beginning to use the talents of all of the people, in all walks of life, and that we no longer have the closed doors that we once had."
I have only a vague concept of the struggle that women faced when beginning to enter male-dominated professions. Ginsburg was instrumental in quietly and thoughtfully bringing about a shift in the legal understanding that humans are created equal and deserve equal protection no matter their gender. I appreciated so much that she spent time working to build coalitions and to break down barriers through commonality and consensus.
My favorite RBG quote, which is included in this book, is "I think that men and women, shoulder to shoulder, will work together to make this a better world. Just as I don't think that men are the superior sex, neither do I think women are. I think that it is great that we are beginning to use the talents of all of the people, in all walks of life, and that we no longer have the closed doors that we once had."
sde's review
3.0
My non-fiction book group read this after Dark Money, and it was a good break from that extremely interesting but depressing book. This is a light look at Ruth Bader Ginsburg. You don't have to know much about the law to follow it. The authors write about cases and dissents in a way that lay people can understand it. It is obviously not scholarly, but it is an interesting look at her life and cases. I didn't realize that she had represented males who didn't get spousal benefits as a way to fight for equality. That was likely a good strategy even though it earned her some enemies among some feminists.
I did like the recounting of how RBG and Scalia shopped together because RBG's husband hated shopping. The picture of this tiny woman and huge man looking for clothes made me laugh.
The same book group also read Sonia Sotomayor's autobiography, which was much more in depth and a good companion piece to this book.
I did like the recounting of how RBG and Scalia shopped together because RBG's husband hated shopping. The picture of this tiny woman and huge man looking for clothes made me laugh.
The same book group also read Sonia Sotomayor's autobiography, which was much more in depth and a good companion piece to this book.
greenrain's review
5.0
Much of the history of RBG contained in this book I'd already read in Sisters in Law by Linda Hirshman, but I enjoyed the refresher and the new stories like the bit about RBG's workout routine.