Book 16 of my 2020 Reading Challenge
read from January 28 - February 29
Sisters in Law: How Sandra Day O'Connor and
Ruth Bader Ginsburg Went to the Supreme Court
and Changed the World
by Linda Hirshman
Summary (via Goodreads)
published 2015
The relationship between Sandra Day O’Connor and Ruth Bader Ginsburg—Republican and Democrat, Christian and Jew, western rancher’s daughter and Brooklyn girl—transcends party, religion, region, and culture. Strengthened by each other’s presence, these groundbreaking judges, the first and second to serve on the highest court in the land, have transformed the Constitution and America itself, making it a more equal place for all women.
Linda Hirshman’s dual biography includes revealing stories of how these trailblazers fought for their own recognition in a male-dominated profession—battles that would ultimately benefit every American woman. She also makes clear how these two justices have shaped the legal framework of modern feminism, including employment discrimination, abortion, affirmative action, sexual harassment, and many other issues crucial to women’s lives.
Sisters-in-Law combines legal detail with warm personal anecdotes that bring these very different women into focus as never before. Meticulously researched and compellingly told, it is an authoritative account of our changing law and culture, and a moving story of a remarkable friendship.
Linda Hirshman’s dual biography includes revealing stories of how these trailblazers fought for their own recognition in a male-dominated profession—battles that would ultimately benefit every American woman. She also makes clear how these two justices have shaped the legal framework of modern feminism, including employment discrimination, abortion, affirmative action, sexual harassment, and many other issues crucial to women’s lives.
Sisters-in-Law combines legal detail with warm personal anecdotes that bring these very different women into focus as never before. Meticulously researched and compellingly told, it is an authoritative account of our changing law and culture, and a moving story of a remarkable friendship.
My Opinion
2 stars
There were moments of interest but overall I found it dry. It wasn't difficult to get through but I don't feel like I got 302 pages' worth of information and don't know much more now than before I started (and I don't have more than passing knowledge of O'Connor, Ginsburg, or the Supreme Court so the bar was pretty low for me to learn anything new).
The reminders of how hard women have fought for the rights they have and how back-and-forth everything is with progress/rollbacks/progress made me sad. I need RBG to hang on until the next administration so Trump doesn't get another nominee!
Quote from the Book
"Neither of them is perfect, of course, but Justices Ginsburg and O'Connor are unambiguous heroines of the modern feminist movement...Sandra Day O'Connor and Ruth Bader Ginsburg are the Jane Addamses and the Susan B. Anthonys of the succeeding generations."
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