I Dissent
Ruth Bader Ginsburg Makes Her Mark
by Debbie Levy
illustrations by Elizabeth Baddeley
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2016. 40 pages.
Starred Review
Here’s a picture book biography of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. The story is simplified for young readers (I’d say middle to upper elementary), but strikingly told.
The introductory page uses large dramatic fonts to express not being afraid to disagree:
You could say that Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s life has been . . .
one disagreement after another.Disagreement with creaky old ideas.
With unfairness.
With inequality.
Ruth has disagreed,
disapproved,
and differed.She has objected.
She has resisted.
She has dissented.Disagreeable? No.
Determined? Yes.This is how Ruth Bader Ginsburg changed her life – and ours.
Although the story is told quite simply, it’s still filled with details. We learn about her childhood in 1940 in an immigrant neighborhood, her love of reading, and family travels where they saw signs that Jews weren’t allowed.
Ruth was left-handed, but was told to use her right hand and got a D in penmanship – until she protested. I like the pages where it tells what she doesn’t do well – cooking and singing. After she got married, her family agreed that it was best for her husband to do the cooking.
But the bulk of the book covers her career as a lawyer. They speak in general terms of cases she presented before the Supreme Court, and then her appointment to the Supreme Court. There are notes at the back with more information and listing specific cases.
I didn’t know before that Justice Ginsburg wears a different lace collar over her robes when she writes a majority opinion from the one she wears when she writes a dissenting opinion.
Here’s how the author summarizes some of her dissenting opinions:
I DISSENT,
Justice Ginsburg said when the court wouldn’t help women or African Americans or immigrants who had been treated unfairly at work.I DISSENT,
when the court rejected a law meant to protect the right of all citizens to vote, no matter their skin color.I DISSENT,
when the court said no to schools that offered African Americans a better chance to go to college.
This is an interesting story and an inspiring story. I hope many girls and boys will read this story and think about making their own mark.
The quote on the back of the book from Ruth Bader Ginsburg sums up the book well:
Fight for the things that you care about. But do it in a way that will lead others to join you.
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simonandschuster.com/kids
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Source: This review is based on a library book from Fairfax County Public Library.
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