Although this biography is more about Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s ideas than her personal life, it is a reminder of the humanity we want to achieve one day. A reminder we all appreciate in these desolate and divided times.
One fault I have with this biography is the redundancy of the chapters. If you’re not accustomed to reading about legal cases/Supreme Court arguments, then you may differ with me on this. But throughout the book, the same five court cases came up again and again and again. With each reminder came another brief summary, another argument, and another reason as to which RBG differed with many of the other justice’s opinions. Although her numerous legal reasons are incredible ammo that everyone should have in their caliber these days. If the book was organized a bit more, perhaps I wouldn’t have felt like that sole kid in class that cared about what the teacher was saying.
For instance, I think it’s a safe assumption that RBG was never going to write a personal biography for herself. Yes, she does scatter some intimate moments throughout the book, but not nearly enough for a reader to actually sense that they knew her well. RBG saw herself as a lightning rod for change, a legal catalyst, any book with her own approval and say so was going to be about her ideas, ideals, and arguments. So with that being said, organizing the book by court cases would have still allowed for RBG’s personal moments and an ease of connected arguments. Eliminating the bulk of redundancy instantly, if that was done, this book would be much shorter. Perhaps a pocket form of Liberal Rights and the Arguments That Earned Them.
A liberal manifesto is something our country needs right now. Rather than disheartening at the potential for loss of rights, we’d be able to remember how we gained them originally. RBG’s book is a reminder that something won once can always be won again.
Art in Your World 