Trish's Reviews > Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg

It is hard to argue with Antonin Scalia when he described Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg as “an intelligent woman and a nice woman and a considerate woman—all the qualities you like in a person.” Add to that, she is a persistent person and a principled person and a fair person—all the qualities you want in a lawyer.

This work is an act of homage. When R.B.G. gave two dissents on one day, on June 25, 2013, fans of her opinions started drawing, composing songs, writing poems. She inspired many up-coming legal scholars but also many women trying to live their lives in the most fulfilling ways—without the constraints traditionally placed upon their gender, race, ethnicity, or sexual orientation. She is placed next to the rapper B.I.G. in the pantheon of stars because of the contrast: a large black man, young and flashy with strong opinions next to a slight white female octogenarian, restrained but with strong opinions. Both were looking for equal rights under the law.

The book is a loosely chronological description of R.B.G.’s upbringing and early schooling. She met Marty, her husband of 56 years at Cornell and they decided to study law together at Harvard. When Marty graduated before her, she moved on to Columbia Law School to earn her degree. The two had a child already by then, but really expected that the two partners in the marriage would share the burdens and joys of parenting equally. Right from the start R.B.G. chose cases that would move the ball forward on rights for both men and women because gender discrimination hurts everyone. Women will never be free unless men are free of their traditional roles as well.

That angle, freeing men from the constraints of societal expectations, proved popular in the courts and made it a little easier for her to introduce the obvious “next step” into women’s expectations of equal opportunity. “Present the court with the next logical step,” she would urge her clerks years later. “Don’t ask them to go too far or too fast, or you’ll lose what you might have won.” In a marriage and in a workplace, “sometimes it helps to be a little deaf.” Anger, resentment, and envy are unproductive. Get over it.

The book has lots of pictures of R.B.G. at different stages in her career interspersed with the narrative of what was happening at the time. The authors also include portions of important decisions. R.B.G. was not flashy—in her dress or in her writing—but she did make great effort to write for clarity. She wanted interested people who were not lawyers to be able to understand the substance of what had been decided. She aimed for people to be able to read a paragraph once without the necessity of a reread to understand. That’s a great goal right there.

The cases the authors seed throughout the narrative are marked up with handwritten notes about what the case meant for plaintiffs, defendants, and ordinary citizens. The authors are out to make this a fun and informative read, and it is. The audio is enhanced: certain sections have added commentary that can be referenced for further information so that the momentum of the whole doesn’t flag. It’s interesting, especially since this kind of attention has never been paid to a Supreme Court Judge. She’s eighty-three, folks, and still going strong.

One of the more interesting short sections in the book is a description of R.B.G.'s workout routine. I am not going to tell you what it is that keeps her fit enough to carry on with a high pressure job that requires enormous intellectual wattage—you’ll have to go to the book for that—but it is im-press-ive. Anyway, I found the audio very listenable, but I’d have to say the photos and extras in the book itself were worth paging through. Big high five on the labor of love that reminds us of someone that has done so much to make a difference in the lives of so many.