Dissenter on the Bench: Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s Life and Work

Dissenter On the Bench, Ruth Bader Ginsberg shined a light for me to know how totally acceptable it was for me to disagree with prevailing wisdom. I eventually learned to express my views. It has made all the difference in my life!

We bought this book for my daughters book report, really easy to read and it has plenty of information my daughter learned a lot about notorious RBG.

Would recommend this to any young women.

The book is concise and well written, but it is not what I expected. It does talk about ner life, so I guess it is a biography, but it doesn't read like one. It is a series of cases, which RBG took part in at some point in her career. It tells you what, in her life previous to the case, helped shape her opinion, and how the cases affected her going forward. I found it boring, seeing I am not really interested in law cases, but that is just my experience.

I happened to see James Holzhauer, the record shattering Jeopardy! champion, explain his method for boning up for the game show. He said that he did a lot of studying in the children's department of his library, and he didn't understand why more people didn't do this, because the information was presented clearly, was interesting, and there were pictures. Within a few days I had the opportunity to review this book about Ruth Ginsburg, and I jumped at it. I'm so glad I did. Victoria Ortiz tells the story of Ginsburg's life by combining civil rights cases with Ginsburg’s biography. Each case illustrates key civil rights issues like marriage equality, equal pay, civil rights, and free speech. In the author’s hands the issues, the facts of the case, and its path to the highest court in the land are presented as an interesting and easy to understand story, and incidents in Ginsburg’s own life that help to explain why she felt the way she did about the cases are highlighted. This is done while keeping Ginsburg’s life story in chronological order. There are many black and white photographs of both the plaintiffs and Ginsburg at every age from age 2 through the current date (spoiler: she was an adorable 2 year old). We see her at camp, in college, teaching, together with her family, and even on an elephant ride with fellow Justice Scalia. There are also many anecdotes and bits of information I’ve seen nowhere else. The result is educational, entertaining, and inspirational, and I look forward to sharing it with my daughter. Thank you, James Holzhauer. The book includes the Bill of Rights, detailed source notes, and a bibliography.

Shortly after she was elected to the Supreme Court is when I became interested in knowing more about RBG after reading one of her incredible dissents. To have lived in the same lifetime as her is an honor. I knew of her reputation for women's rights, but it was after reading books like this that I learned she was also a very strident champion of men's rights. Ginsburg didn't see someone she represented as man or woman, black or white. Things weren't that simple in the world and she knew it. She fought for equality for all regardless of race, sex, gender, ethnicity, religion, or political party. Reading her arguments in this book makes that crystal clear. In her written words you can see the incredible heart and mind she possesses. It's no wonder she's become one of the most well known justices. This is a book everyone should read, male or female, as she is such an amazing role model for all.

I have younger daughters that I have been composing a library for in hopes that they read them when they get older. I've concentrated on books about strong, empowered women and I couldn't have been happier to read this book. This is not only a book about RBG but about her incredible work over a lifetime. It goes into different case law for some of her landmark cases and showcases how remarkable she was from a very young age. She has always stood up and done the right thing no matter the cost. This is very well written, unlike my less than eloquent review, on about a fifth grade level. Along with the different cases you'll find her life history interspersed with a picture here and there. It's fascinating to see such a beautiful and powerful woman from the age of a small child on. I learned so much about this amazing woman. I've been an RBG fan for quite a while but I have even more respect for her now. This is a must read not only for girls but for any middle schooler.

I really liked how this book blended biography with various court cases. The cases presented were all done in such a way that young readers can follow and understand. As children are the target audience, the book does a wonderful job of explaining all relevant topics in a clear and easy to follow manner. I have to be honest, as an adult I was not all that familiar with a lot of court cases referenced and find the court system overwhelming and confusing. This was a great way to break down more complicated cases for even me! Perfect read for any RBG fan, or any middle grade reader who is interested in down to earth role models. In fact, my 8 year old did a “hero presentation” last year and this would have been exactly the source material she would have needed for her project. I was honestly surprised it was tagged as Grades 6 & up. My 4th Grader could have read this without assistance and this would have been a read together for my 2nd Grader. My second grader would have read the words and some, but not all of the concepts.