Sisters in Law: How Sandra Day O'Connor and Ruth Bader Ginsburg Went to the Supreme Court and Changed the World
Written by Linda Hirshman
Narrated by Andrea Gallo
4/5
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About this audiobook
NPR Best Book of 2015
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
WASHINGTON POST BESTSELLER
The author of the celebrated Victory tells the fascinating story of the intertwined lives of Sandra Day O’Connor and Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the first and second women to serve as Supreme Court justices.
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
LINDA HIRSHMAN is the author of Reckoning: The Epic Battle Against Sexual Abuse and Harassment, and of the New York Times best-selling Sisters in Law: How Sandra Day O’Connor and Ruth Bader Ginsburg Went to the Supreme Court and Changed the World.
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Reviews for Sisters in Law
68 ratings8 reviews
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5A little long but I enjoyed learning about the judges!
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Nominally about both RBG and SDO but Ruth's career is presented in great and loving detail while SDO is given only superficial treatment and pictured as somewhat of a lightweight. Lauren was really angry with the author for her clear bias.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5It's great that this book exists and highlights the achievements of these two extraordinary women. However, it's fairly dense (which is reasonable, it's about law), and it's SUPER liberal. I'm liberal myself, but I still had to read between the lines to get a picture of what's actually happening, rather than the author's interpretation. But at the same time, I borrowed this copy from an older male law professor, and he wrote notes in the margins like "tone!" and "snarky" that I don't think he would have written if it were a male author. So, we still have work to do...
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/55478. Sisters in Law How Sandra Day O'Connor and Ruth Bader Ginsburg Went to the Supreme Court and Changed the World. by Linda Hirshman (read 20 Jun 2017). This is a 2015 book which traces the lives of O'Connor and Ginsburg and tells how they came to be appointed to the Court; O'Connor as Reagan's first appointment in 1981 (she was confirmed unanimously) and Ginsburg in 1993 as Clinton's first appointment (she was confirmed by a vote of 96 to 3, one of the votes against her being Jesse Helms). O'Connor after a while tended to be a centrist, with no particular judicial philosophy--though she had no hesitancy in voting her political party in Bush V. Gore. Ginsburg had had a distinguished career as a lawyer and her brilliance led the Republicans to not oppose her ascension to the Supreme Court. On the Court she has fought hard for women's rights and the underdog. I found the book very readable and the discussion of the cases considered able and informative. One can be glad Ginsburg is on the Court.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A must read for every American about how the Supreme Court functions, how the important legal decisions of our country are made and influenced, and the ongoing discrimination of women that exists in the United States.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5For anyone who thinks this is a liberal country this is a must read. I wonder if women even realize how put down they are. If people had read this book before the election it probably would have changed the vote - maybe not. What a fight it has been for women.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This book made me more aware of the legislation that may only have happened because the Court was finally opened to women. Unfortunately, it also made me aware of how our conservative court has moved in a retrograde manner, nullifying many of the laws passed in the past. The author clearly is of a feminist bent, and her depiction of Anthony Kennedy is fairly virulent. A timely book, given that our Congress decided to push Barack Obama into a "lame duck" eighteen months prior to the next election.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This book was even better than I expected, because it includes a lot more than I expected. As I anticipated, it's an excellent double biography of two very interesting women, covering their origins and their careers, and the relationship that developed between them after Justice Ginsberg joined Justice O'Connor on the Supreme Court. But, in the context of Ginsberg's pre- judicial career, it also treats the way in which court cases changed the legal position of women. Ginsberg was even more influential in this process than I realized, and it is appropriate that the development of women's legal rights makes up such an important part of the book. For an old feminist like me, this is an enlighting look back. For younger women, it is an important reminder of how much things have changed, and of the risks to womens' rights that remain.