When a boy, I grew up a Republican in the conservative upstate of South Carolina. I knew about feminism from the news and school, but the history of struggle was not a central part of my household. In 1993, I heard of Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s appointment to the Supreme Court by Bill Clinton, but she was not on my “team.” Therefore, I didn’t pay close attention. Only as an adult did my awareness and curiosity about socially progressive movements grow. How did we get to where we are? What’s worth keeping, and what more needs to be done? I came to appreciate our feminist movement demanding equal dignity for women.
Later still, I observed how so many women looked up to Ginsburg – so much so that she was commonly known by only three initials RGB. The cult following her, a diminutive woman who seemingly did not seek out the spotlight, produced artwork, biopics, movies, and more in veneration. I learned that I needed to learn more about her.
After reading a biography, I came to appreciate her large contribution to US society. Although the Women’s Equal Rights Amendment to the US Constitution never passed (which it should), Ginsburg brought many of its precepts into current practice through her Supreme Court cases in the 1970s. Decades later, her dissents against a conservative court majority became legendary because of their brevity, beauty, and erudition. I have grown to appreciate her active mind, work ethic, and deep sense of justice.
This book records her best writings and speeches in one volume. The audiobook even shares recordings of her speaking – a special treasure. Her ideas and reasoning will guide legal scholars for several generations, and I, a researcher and not a lawyer, am grateful to have access to them here. In these words, her demeanor calms against a contemporary backdrop of hyper-partisanship among the political classes. I suspect that spirit will be needed in coming decades, too, and this book will light a path.
My Own Words
By Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Edited by Mary Hartnett & Wendy W. Williams
Narrated by Linda Lavin
Copyright (c) 2016
Simon & Schuster Audio
ASIN B01K3KUHC2
Length: 13:16
Genre: Memoir, Government
www.amazon.com