My Own Words
Written by Mary Hartnett, Wendy W. Williams and Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Narrated by Linda Lavin
4/5
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About this audiobook
My Own Words offers Justice Ginsburg on wide-ranging topics, including gender equality, the workways of the Supreme Court, being Jewish, law and lawyers in opera, and the value of looking beyond US shores when interpreting the US Constitution. Throughout her life Justice Ginsburg has been (and continues to be) a prolific writer and public speaker. This book’s sampling is selected by Justice Ginsburg and her authorized biographers Mary Hartnett and Wendy W. Williams. Justice Ginsburg has written an introduction to the book, and Hartnett and Williams introduce each chapter, giving biographical context and quotes gleaned from hundreds of interviews they have conducted. This is a fascinating glimpse into the life of one of America’s most influential women.
Editor's Note
In memoriam…
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the second woman to serve on the Supreme Court, died on September 18th of cancer. Her memoir showcases her brilliant mind, as well as the cultural and political forces that shaped her approach to the bench. This is essential reading for those who want to know about one of the most influential judges in recent memory.
Mary Hartnett
Mary Hartnett is an Adjunct Professor at Georgetown Law, focusing on international women’s human rights.
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Reviews for My Own Words
292 ratings24 reviews
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5really inspiring book. The audio has a number of original recordings of speeches and other events.
2 people found this helpful
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s insight is revealed in her early writings, which display a passion for justice and a dedication to fighting hatred
Great book ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐1 person found this helpful
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Regardless of your political affiliation, you have to admire this incredible woman! What an incredible role model for women young and old.
Linda Lavin was perfect in reading her words.1 person found this helpful
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/55 chapters in, I m loving the book. Rbg s husband is such a charming character too
1 person found this helpful
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This was really interesting but towards the end it became way too much information.
1 person found this helpful
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Fantastic writing. Ideas are clearly stated, drawing through the decades, which empathized more intensely the significance of issues in gaining women's rights. I discovered she did a number of other civil rights stands, of husband and soldier, and of course black rights. You might just say discrimination in general.
It was very entertaining to hear of RBG's personal life. It began my basis of understanding of her legal stances, her devotion to the law, her integrity.
The reader/listener should know more about law terms and practices than the average person. A certain knowledge of the major cases should be at your fingertip for quick reference (e.g. Roe, Brown, Griswold, Orr, Miller, et. al.). Although a brief synopsis was made at the start of each mention, there were many times I did not understand the real significance of an argument nor the legal nuances of certain cases for that reason. With some knowledge of the legal system, I do watch US Supreme Court Oral Arguments as well as interviews with the Justices so there is a real interest on my part. Yet occasionally it was dense for me.
At times I thought I had already heard all about that topic or case. It seems she would restate things since it might fit under different categories of how the book was laid out. It was disturbing to me. I do feel it could have been more condensed.
Linda Lavin has a monotone voice, unfortunately pausing at odd places making it difficult to follow the thought. (Perhaps she got to the end of a line or had to change a paper page or whatever.) I listened in the morning as not to fall asleep.
I certainly recommend this book with all the knowledge, but perhaps only to those in the fields covered.1 person found this helpful
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The audio book is the only way to go. Yes
1 person found this helpful
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A fantastic look into Ruth Bader Ginsburg's Career through her own writings, from editorials in the school newspaper, to Supreme Court Dissents. Always well written, with humor, and someone who can understand all sides of an argument (and disregards that side if its obvious that what they say doesn't make sense, or has a very biased view). I especially like included Opera of Scalia and Ginsburg - Amusing, and shows how two people who disagree can agree. I especially like the insight into how the Supreme Court decides cases, makes decisions, and generally comes to agreement. Her ACLU cases are incredibly important, showing how there is unfairness (to both sexes) when it comes to laws.An amazing lady who is one of the few women of her day who actually managed to make a successful career, while having a successful family. Highly Recomended.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This is a wonderful book. I learned so much and Ginsberg is such a wonderful writer. It took quite awhile for me to finish it, but that is only because the information is quite complex and I had to re-read sections often to understand fully. That is the shortcoming of the reader, not the writer.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5A must read for all women, Although a bit stale in places, some interesting events and cases were influenced by RBG and these are important historical things to know to understand the advancement of women and issues such as Roe v. Wade (and more).
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5audio nonfiction/autobiography - legal history; civil rights; a glimpse into the Supreme Court.using the life's work of the late RBG, including archival recordings of her own voice delivering her dissenting opinion statements and tribute speeches, this is a thorough compilation of the Justice's achievements--she did not always carry the majority opinion but used her measured words to inform Congress about the gaps in the laws that needed to be fixed.I think the audio gets slightly repetitive sometimes, but it does offer the frequent and not insignificant benefit of getting to hear her actual voice deliver those carefully measured, precise statements. The print version would be better for many readers for skimmability purposes - maybe get both?
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5What more can we say about Notorious RBG? She didn't want to leave a biography which would be impressive enough. She left us with a collection of some of her most consequential rulings. I would have liked to have seen them in toto, but the book probably would have stretched to thousands of pages. I am grateful that she left us with this book.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5An oblique biography of a consequential justice. Intertwined in her public speeches are glimpses of her private life. Missing is a discussion of her guiding philosophy beyond a guttural loathing of any form of discrimination.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The more I learn about RBG, the more I love her. I adore the way that she is able to give credit to people who do go things even though they have different opinions politically. She talks about her friendships with them even. I aspire to be so evolved. I love how she's still fighting for what she believes is right. This book is a mix of her background and personal life, speeches she's given and some of her thoughts about laws. She's an inspiration for sure.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5My Own Words is a collection of essays, speeches and bench statements from Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Though not a biography, the book does give you a strong sense of who Justice Ginsburg was, and what she stood for.The book is divided into five parts, moving from her early years, to tributes she wrote to others, her commitment to gender equality, her nomination to the US Supreme Court, and some speeches and opinions from her time on the Court.I listened to the audiobook on this one, and if you can get a hold of the audiobook I really recommend it. It's unique in that many of the speeches or statements where recorded, and it's those recordings of RBG that you hear in the audiobook, along with brief introductions by her co-authors Mary Hartnett and Wendy Williams (and read by Linda Lavin). It's an effective way to present the material.One of my favorites is not a speech by the Justice, but by her husband Martin Ginsburg - it's hilarious. Who knew a tax attorney could have such a good sense of humor?
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A vast and complete collection of speeches, writings and bench announcements dating back to the 8th grade. In 1993, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, was the second women ever appointed to the Supreme Court. Her remarkable character and humanity surface in these writings and excerpts. Ginsburg's legacy will always be as a humanitarian, who has done so much work towards gender equality and woman's rights, inspiring many along the way.This is not a memoir, but it does share her insight into her education, and how her upbringing has been so important to her philosophical outlook, in life. A great edition to any book collection.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Here's the thing about RBG: she's got such a sharp intellect, you're likely to cut yourself on it if you're not careful.
The first time RBG was part of the team that sued for sex discrimination (or maybe it was the second) someone gave the Courts a very long list of laws that were written to include specific gender descrimination language.
RBG turned that list into a hit-list: laws that she wanted changed.
She went on to change them.
Here's the other thing: she doesn't dissent unless the dissent holds water, is worthwhile, and is necessary to clarify what the dissent is about. Her most famous dissent, at least as I see it, was over Roe V. Wade. She did not dissent over the requirement that abortion be made legal; she dissented in the way that it happened.
To understand, imagine you have a big container (a very, very large container. Bigger. There you go.). This container is filled with water. If you drop a pebble in, some water is displaced and a ripple shows, but it really isn't that big a deal and truly, nobody would notice. Plop some more in there. Enough to cover the bottom, and then some.
If you toss a big rock in there, though, all at once, you'll get wet, water will splash out, and everyone is unhappy. You might have even dented or scraped or cracked the container. That's not good, because you need the container to last a long time.
From what RBG, and the two co-authors to this biography told me, laws are very similar to pebbles. You need a lot of pebbles in place to support the big rocks, or everyone is uncomfortable, annoyed, and/or wet.
Roe V Wade didn't have the kind of structural support it needed to be a truly excellent judgement. RBG argues that the SCOTUS made an incredibly preemptive ruling--nay, law--that could have been left up to Congress or states to make into stronger laws that everyone agreed on.
This is not to say that I don't think the decision reached in Roe V Wade was a wrong one. But it has left an unfortunate juxtaposition for state and federal laws to attempt to make work.
Again, to be clear: I agree that abortion must be legal. And quite honestly I'd rather it be federally protected, especially considering that if we left it up to the states, we would see a large upswing in denial of care from deeply religious states, despite the supposed separation between it and law.
Back to the book.
I really enjoyed reading it. It clarified a lot about who RBG is as a person, as a lawyer, and as a justice. I fully recommend you read it, as it includes discussion on SCOTUS's practices, histories, and traditions. There is some minor legalese but it is always explained.
10/10. Read this book. - Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5RBG has been a leader in the right too equal rights from the beginning of her career. She has been a dynamo. A clear thinker.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5RBG is a beautiful writer - this was a dense volume at times, but full of fascinating narrative.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I was a little bit torn about whether to give this book 3 or 4 stars. A 3 rating because the book was , at times, awfully technical and so it dragged for me, a non-lawyer. However, I decided on a rating of 4 stars because Ruth Bader Ginsburg has led an amazing life and her measured thoughtfulness and wisdom shine through, as does her sense of humor. I learned a fair amount about the workings of the Supreme Court as well. She is a marvelous exemplar of a woman who ng has lived through the Civil Rights movement and gone on to wring all the juice from its fruit. Inspirational!
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5this work is awesome, in the truest sense of that word. it is the best work I've ever experienced.
I highly recommend the audiobook. Don't think of this book as a biography in the sense of recounting chronological events in a woman's life; think of the biography as a stream of conversations revealing the deep inspirations and knowledge of a mind developed from childhood to adulthood. Get to know Justice Ginsburg by her ideas and interests, and her collected environment of information, all laid out by topic.
also, I love how much history of women's rights there is in this book. - Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I always knew Ruth Bader Ginsburg was pretty amazing, but this book helped by saying specifically why she's so amazing. I listened to the audiobook version, which included portioned that were actually read by Ginsburg herself - always an extra treat. I came away from this book with a better understanding of how the Supreme Court actually works and an appreciation for the work Ginsburg did on gender discrimination, both before and after becoming a Supreme Court justice.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5I chose to read Justice Ginsburg after Justice Scalia passed away, and I found out what friends they had been. Not just the time they sat together on the Supreme Court, but for decades. Justice Ginsburg has also credited Vladimir Nabokov, one of her professors at Cornell, with drastically altering and improving her writing. Nabokov will apparently have to wait for another day as Justice Ginsburg focused on her work leading her to a career in the law, and a place on the highest court in the land. I loved the structure of the book which used various writings beginning when Justice Ginsburg was in elementary school and following her through numerous achievements. I also listened to the audiobook which featured from recordings of the Justice giving various talks and speeches. The passages after the passing of her husband, and Justice Scalia, who she referred to by his childhood nickname, "Nino," were quite touching. I fear Justice Ginsburg offers no magic in reducing the polarity that is growing in America. At times she is as entrenched in a single point of view just like the rest of us. While these are issues she believes strongly in; I find myself fearing more and more that we will allow the ferocity of our dogma to supersede the love and passion we hold for our republic. I believe the danger to America will not be due to one single point of view or another, but the loss of what Shelby Foote called "America's real genius," the ability to compromise.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Ruth Ginsburg is one for my heroes. No one is more outstanding in the fight against gender discrimination. However, this book was too legally technical for my enjoyment. If you have a law background, you will probably love it.