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andreareyes's review against another edition
5.0
What a wonderful memoir
Though not read by Sotomayor, her spirit and personality shined through this book. I felt inspired by her recall of what higher education was like for her. She made sure we knew that it wasn’t because she had fancy schooling or lots of resources. Rather, her places at Princeton and Yale were a result of her dedication to scholarship, willingness to listen to the advice of others and drive towards her dream of sitting on the bench. I loved the section where she went through her early career. I enjoyed listening to the strategies she used to win different cases. I even don’t mind that the novel ended when she took the bench on the Court of Appeals. I needed to hear about a woman of color dreaming and becoming a lawyer and this was exactly that.
I’m proud of her speaking so respectfully and carefully about her failed marriage. I think that must have been very hard during the time. She gave more detail to us, strangers, than I would’ve expected. After experiencing a failed relationship, hearing her story comforted me.
Though not read by Sotomayor, her spirit and personality shined through this book. I felt inspired by her recall of what higher education was like for her. She made sure we knew that it wasn’t because she had fancy schooling or lots of resources. Rather, her places at Princeton and Yale were a result of her dedication to scholarship, willingness to listen to the advice of others and drive towards her dream of sitting on the bench. I loved the section where she went through her early career. I enjoyed listening to the strategies she used to win different cases. I even don’t mind that the novel ended when she took the bench on the Court of Appeals. I needed to hear about a woman of color dreaming and becoming a lawyer and this was exactly that.
I’m proud of her speaking so respectfully and carefully about her failed marriage. I think that must have been very hard during the time. She gave more detail to us, strangers, than I would’ve expected. After experiencing a failed relationship, hearing her story comforted me.
mcbibliotecaria's review against another edition
3.0
Here's the thing. I'm such a Sotomayor fangirl. Being Puerto Rican and her rulings thus far at the Supreme Court has been left and so on point. However, this book? Snoozefest. She did say it was going to stop at when she became a judge, which makes sense. But I can't help that reading this it was censored by her own want of self-preservation to be so down the middle to where I just don't understand anything about her. She was raised by a very close knit family in NY and talked a lot about the hardships, without real conviction though. Like, understanding how it influenced the rest of her life is not something she thinks about. She is always moving forward, which is great, but in a book this is finally a time to look back and reflect.
I got no passion from this book. The idea that she wanted to be a judge since she was a little girl was so pushed by the wayside it was only brought up at the end to just make it clear, her dream came true. Several times she says "That is not what this book is for" and I had a hard time figuring out what it was instead besides an extremely nilla wafer about how she is always right down the middle all the time to better reflect on her ascendancy, perhaps to shut up naysayers saying she is too far left. It was, just so boring. And her as far as she has been on the national stage, has been anything but. I don't get it. Bummer.
I got no passion from this book. The idea that she wanted to be a judge since she was a little girl was so pushed by the wayside it was only brought up at the end to just make it clear, her dream came true. Several times she says "That is not what this book is for" and I had a hard time figuring out what it was instead besides an extremely nilla wafer about how she is always right down the middle all the time to better reflect on her ascendancy, perhaps to shut up naysayers saying she is too far left. It was, just so boring. And her as far as she has been on the national stage, has been anything but. I don't get it. Bummer.
ckatied's review against another edition
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.25
awk_ruble_cloudy's review against another edition
5.0
Sotomayor's autobiography is a chronological examination of her life since childhood of the people and events that shaped her into what she is today: US Supreme Court Justice.
Every chapter is a collection of related stories concentrating on the most formative periods of her life in which she shares the experiences and wisdom that she believes allowed her to start from an impoverished childhood in a crime and drug afflicted Bronx while having type I diabetes and to then surge incredibly to the greatest heights one can achieve as a citizen of the USA.
She does a great job of sharing her Puerto Rican heritage and I found it gratifying to see how she eventually became a champion for her people. Another highlight for me was the beautiful way in which she shared the story of her personal relationships and how critical they were to her success.
The physical copy I read also had a nice collection of gloss photos.
Every chapter is a collection of related stories concentrating on the most formative periods of her life in which she shares the experiences and wisdom that she believes allowed her to start from an impoverished childhood in a crime and drug afflicted Bronx while having type I diabetes and to then surge incredibly to the greatest heights one can achieve as a citizen of the USA.
She does a great job of sharing her Puerto Rican heritage and I found it gratifying to see how she eventually became a champion for her people. Another highlight for me was the beautiful way in which she shared the story of her personal relationships and how critical they were to her success.
The physical copy I read also had a nice collection of gloss photos.
acraftyescape's review against another edition
4.0
It took me a while to read this and I put it down a couple of times. Eventually I got into it and loved it. This woman is an incredible example of hard work and determination. This was beautifully written.
darklovelyboricua's review against another edition
5.0
This is one of those books that make you feel as if anything is possible if you work hard and dedicate yourself to your goals. It is written in such a warm and honest way that allows the reader to appreciate all of Sotomayor's accomplishments, triumphs, and heartbreaks. She is brilliant!
anjanettew13's review against another edition
3.0
I don't think the writing was great but her story is very interesting. I bought this book after listening to her on NPR. I have a feeling listening to her tell the story is better than reading her story. Anyway, she is very interesting!